2024-07-14 Doctrine Gods Holiness

God is Holy

Introduction

Song—“Holy, Holy, Holy”

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

Although the Bible doesn’t rank the attributes of God in any priority order, it is interesting to note that the word, “holy” appears some 900 times in Scripture. Someone has said, “Just as all the colors of the spectrum come together to form the pure white light which illuminates our world, so all the attributes of God come together into His holiness.”

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How significant is the holiness of God to you and to your life?

What does it mean that God is holy?

One definition of God’s holiness states that:

God is unchangeably and unalterably opposed to and diverse from evil in any conceivable sense.

The root of the word, “holy” means set apart.

We get our terms “saint” and “sanctify” from the same root word.

In the Old Testament, God is spoken of as “the holy” or “the holy one.”

In the New Testament, the word conveys that which is “full of awe.” God’s holiness causes Him to be separated from or exalted above all else. He is absolute purity.

When we try to explain God’s holiness in human terms, we always fall far short. A.W. Tozer points this out in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy:

“We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine.”

What does Scripture say about God’s holiness?

God, alone, is holy 1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”

There is no other god above Him.

This is the beginning part of Hannah's prayer to God, asking for a son. She started off with praise, why? B/C she recognized the goodness, the holiness of God. She remembered how God had brought her people from Egypt to the promise land, how God is her strength and help.

Unholy people cannot serve a holy God Joshua 24:19 “But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.”

God demands holiness from His children.

When the former generation had met the Lord at Mt. Sinai, they had said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8, NKJV). But a few weeks later, they were worshiping a golden calf! Joshua knew that it was easy for the people to promise obedience to the Lord, but it was quite something else for them to actually do it. His stern words were meant to curb their overconfidence and make them look honestly into their own hearts - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 155.

God is our standard for holiness (Leviticus 11:44–45 “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

Someone has said, “Lower our sense of holiness, and our sense of sin is lowered.”

Be Holy Chapter Four: Cleanliness and Godliness (Leviticus 11–12)

The Jews had to remind themselves every hour of every day that they belonged to Jehovah, the true and living God, and that belonging to the nation of Israel was a high and holy privilege. “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44, NIV). In New Testament language, “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph. 4:1, NKJV). Obeying God’s will isn’t a burden; it’s a privilege!

Our holy God is worthy of worship and praise Psalm 99:9 “Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.”

The Holy Hill, is the location of the Temple, this is where He dwells.

Today, God wants us to worship Him where He dwells, that is in the Temple of God today, the Bible clearly teaches this is in our bodies, THE TEMPLE OF THE H.S.

This is and should be our reasonable response.

Our holy God demands our reverence Revelation 15:4 “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

The MacArthur Bible Commentary B. The Great Tribulation (6:1–18:24)

God’s holy and perfect character inevitably demands that He judge (cf. Ps. 19:9; Nah. 1:3, 6). After God’s righteous judgment is complete, He will set up Christ’s millennial kingdom on earth, and the elect from every nation will come and worship Him (cf. Ps. 66:4; Is. 66:23; Phil. 2:9–11).

For a vivid reminder of what it means to be in the presence of His holiness, read about Isaiahs vision, similar to Johns in Revelation. Isaiah 6:1–8 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send…”

All three Persons of the Godhead are holy:

God the Father is holy Ezekiel 39:7 “So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.”

God the Son is holy Acts 3:13–14 “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,”

God the Holy Spirit is holy Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

What does God’s holiness mean to your life and ministry?

You can trust that God will never lead you into sin James 1:13–14 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

– Although God tests His children to strengthen their faith, He never leads them into sin. Learn to discern between God’s tests and the enemy’s temptations.

You can trust that God will always act for your good Hebrews 12:10–11 “For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

– Even when you go through a time of chastening, you can know that it is for your good and His glory.

Psalm 145:17 “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.” reminds us that God is holy in all His ways and in all His works.

God’s holiness should inspire holiness in you (1 Pet. 1:14-16) – Your life is to be a reflection of the holiness of God. There is never even a hint of evil in Him. God never thinks sinful thoughts, has a bad attitude or acts in unkind ways. How do you and I measure up to that standard?

God’s holiness should motivate you to reach the lost Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”

– Lost children need to know that their sin separates them from a holy God.

They need to know there is a terrible judgment coming for those who refuse the Savior.

They also need to know the wonderful truth of 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

— that God the Son has exchanged His righteousness for their sinfulness that they might be righteous before the Father.

Conclusion

Pastor James Montgomery Boice once pointed out:

“The Bible doesn’t generally refer to God as Loving, Loving, Loving! Or Wise, Wise, Wise! Or Omniscient, Omniscient, Omniscient! But over and over we read the cry of the angels, Holy, Holy, Holy!”

The third verse of that great hymn says:

Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy—there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in power, in love and purity.

Perhaps God has shown you a new significance of His holiness today. Maybe you’ve seen God’s dealings with you in a new light. Perhaps you’ve recognized areas of your life where you’ve not been reflecting His holiness. How will an awareness of God’s holiness change you—change your ministry—this week?

Perhaps God is showing you His holiness and that next to Him, He can’t allow sin to be around Him. He requires you to be Holy as He is and the only way for you to be Holy is for you to be in Jesus Christ.

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Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”