SESSION 1 Holy
Notes
Transcript
SESSION 1 Holy
SESSION 1 Holy
The Point
God is distinct from and above absolutely everything else.
Life Connection
For many people, “holy” refers to something highly religious; it’s sacred and untouchable.
However, holiness is first and foremost the chief attribute of God. It refers to something that is set apart from the rest, and God is certainly set apart from anything and everything else. How we understand holiness affects how we approach and relate to God. As we understand the nature and character of God, we see just how holy He is.
Display Item 1: Holy Vocabulary poster to introduce the major theme of this study, along with the focus of each session.
Holy Vocabulary poster
“When have you seen something that would be considered ‘one of a kind’?”
Language of Faith Poster
1. Who or what is equal to God?
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And behold who hath created these things, That bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names By the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; Not one faileth.
Isaiah called his listeners to look up and contemplate the heavens and see God’s handiwork.
God created the starry hosts and keeps them and everything else in His creation in order. In so doing, Isaiah countered Judah’s sinful adoption of Assyrian and Babylonian addictions to astrology and wizardry.
Though they formed images of their gods from created matter like stones and wood, God alone created all the heavens because of His unmatched might and power. Recap:
Through the prophet Isaiah, God asked two foundational questions:
Recap: Through the prophet Isaiah, God asked two foundational questions:
(1) Who is like me? and (2) Who is equal to me?
Recap - Our God is so holy and set apart that Jewish people will not pronounce the covenantal name God told Moses: Yahweh (), which essentially means I AM.
Instead, they will substitute Adonai, which means “Lord.” Even in most English translations, “Yahweh” is replaced with the word Lord in caps (or lower caps). (See .)
If anyone wants to know what makes Him unique, the Holy One says: look and see for yourself. No one but God can bring out the stars, number them, and call them all by name. No other being could have named and known each star. And certainly no one could have made a single star, yet God made each one. God stands alone in this, highlighting just how holy He is. His holiness cannot be undone by anyone or anything.
2. God used Isaiah to speak these words of comfort to the Jews
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, And my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, And my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
Isaiah 4027-2
The cause of their murmurings may have been when the Assyrian army was at the door threatening to attack. They didn’t know what to do.
How can God know all that is going on in my life and the direction my life is heading?
When such questions arise in our minds, we’re doing what the Jews did when they wondered if God had forgotten about them or had no direction for them.
Even when we are experiencing those “dry seasons” when we wonder if God has forgotten about us or has any direction for us, God is present, He knows us, and He knows what we need. That is why He is God and we are not.
We cannot even begin to fathom His understanding. He never tires or grows weary of our questions and needs. God is without equal in His knowledge, and His infinite wisdom points to His holiness.
“When have you felt that God was unaware or uninvolved in your circumstances?”
3. God is without equal as our Sustainer
isaiah 40.
29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.
Facing our weaknesses is not just about physical limitations.
We can struggle spiritually.
We can feel weak when it comes to maintaining good relationships, struggling with temptation, or enduring difficulties at home or work. We may want to do the right thing, but we can’t stand on our own. Thankfully, God can sustain us. In fact, God is the only One who can sustain us. To sustain means to strengthen or support mentally or physically.
And we all need to be strengthened and supported, even when we are young. No one can sustain himself nonstop; we all have limits.
“When have you felt especially sustained or supported by God?”
In what areas of your spiritual life do you tend to grow weary or faint?
God is holy in that He is the only One who can sustain us and provide what we need at just the right time and in just the right measure. He truly is without equal, and we can stand when we rest in His holiness.