God is Love VS. God is Holy

H O N O R

The Battle for Truth series: TITLE TODAY = God is Love VS. God is Holy

We want to talk about some of the paradoxes of faith in this series.

I’ve been on a journey. 2019 … onward (say this fast!)

Remember: for every mile of road there’s 2 miles of ditch. We want to FIGHT to stay in the middle ground.

my goal here today — that we would see God for who He really is and worship Him in that. What is God like?

All truth lives in tension. Not conflict — but centered between 2 seemingly opposite truths

For example:

Faith and works

God’s sovereignty and man’s free will

Legalism and abuse of false license

Abuse of authority and the sin of independence

In all of these — It is not one or the other. It’s both/and.

Tent illustration. We can’t be afraid of the tensions (not conflict)

And so what I want to attempt to address today is the idea of God’s Love and God’s Holiness.

Going on a road trip today! Buckle up. Topical.

I’m going to show how God is Love, but God is also Holy

PRAY

John 4:23–24 ESV

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Let me ask a rhetorical question:

If you could describe God in one word what would it be?

If I were to guess … probably most of us would answer: Love.

And that’s a good answer! It’s a true answer! But I wonder if it is the most accurate … Is that how God describes Himself?

In the Bible there are over 400 mentions of God calling Himself Holy. There is only ONE CHAPTER that says God is Love.

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Boom - yes. God is love!! 100% and PRAISE GOD!! But sometimes we take ONE VERSE and use that ONE VERSE to view all other parts of scripture.

It’s like taking that verse as a telescope and only viewing the Bible through that lens. We don’t need protection from our Bibles.

Revelation 4:8 ESV

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

What is holiness? It is His absolute moral perfection. It is OTHER. It is something that is SET APART

They aren’t singing “loving, loving, loving” / “Jireh, Jireh, Jireh”

Those would still be true, just not the most accurate. It wouldn’t be accurate because it’s not what He said about Himself.

Back to John 4 --- God is a Spirit. He is OTHER. We are in time, space, matter — God is outside of all of that.

And so we have to approach Him in Spirit, on His terms, and in Truth: accurately.

This is why God told the Israelites -- “Don’t make any graven images unto me. You don’t get to decide what I look like”

Benjamin stealing my cheese. Benjamin not caring to know me. No concern with my wants.

I’m concerned that some Christians are this way. We aren’t interested in knowing God on His terms or to know Him accurately.

It’s comfortable saying God is Love — Because that IS GOD’S RESPONSE TO US!

But it’s a little uncomfortable saying God is Holy — Because that is OUR RESPONSE TO GOD!

This is why the Cross is a beautiful paradox!! It is perfectly centered between God’s LOVE and His HOLINESS.

You see who God really is on the cross — He suffered for His Holiness and for His Love.

While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 3:23). Eph 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

Jesus was the PERFECT and SINLESS sacrifice because God is PERFECT, He is Holy. So the wrath of God could be poured out on Jesus - because He loved us and to satisfy His own Holiness!

Allow God to Self-Define

What’s happening today in some parts of the Church is they are really Christian Buddhist.

It’s build-a-bear Christianity. They overemphasize the parts they like — God is love, and accepting, my provider, and I’m made in the image of God so therefore everything about my personality and sexuality is just right and how it’s supposed to be.

And instead of submitting, repenting, and obeying the parts of the Bible that are challenging, they are just ignored.

You know a heresy is not a lie. The greatest heresies carry a little bit of truth.

The greek word for Heresy means “part”. Because it is partial truth. Just not the whole picture.

Heresy happens when you have the right verse but the wrong spirit. - Kris Vallotton

Tent. Heresy is like taking one peg out — it all falls apart.

We must allow God to self-define. Every other relationship in our lives we allow them to define themselves.

We have to live like adults in with these 2 truths in tension.

It’s cute when you’re Benjamin, and it’s fine when you’re a baby Christian … But the goal is maturity. Benjamin is the center of the universe. No interest in knowing me. As Christians, we have to want to know God TRUELY, ACCURATELY.

So what happens when you worship like Benjamin does? What happens when you worship on your terms? Let’s look at some passages. And again, these passages are meant to HOLD THE TENSIONS. God is loving and His mercy is new every morning and He is longsuffering and kind to us … And He is also Holy.

Genesis 4:3–8 (ESV)

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Failure at the altar = death in the field.

Cain doesn’t do well. His offering is rejected, Cain feels rejected, and then kills his brother.

Break in relationship with God and then break in relationship with others.

God’s like “I don’t need your tip. I don’t need AN OFFERING. Worship me on my terms. Give me what I’ve asked for.”

It was rejected because it wasn’t what God asked for.

Leviticus 10:1–2 (ESV)

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

Boom. Roasted.

Failure at the altar = death at a worship service

You’re offering something that God didn’t asked for, didn’t want, and now God is going to have to teach Israel how to worship and do it how He’s asked them to

Because God is a person with preferences.

2 Samuel 6:5–7 (ESV)

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. (best of intentions) And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled (He should know better! The ark is supposed to be carried by the priests). And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.

Death at a worship service.

1 Chronicles 15:11–15 (ESV)

11 Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab, 12 and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. 13 Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

God is saying - “Do what I’m asking.”

Marriage can be like this at times --- I do things that Paula didn’t ask for. No points for that.

It would be really crappy of me to only love my wife the way I wanted to love her. Husband, friend, lover

Why? Because she is a person with preferences. God is a person with preferences.

God’s is Better Than You at Everything

You are not better than God.

You don’t understand sexuality better than God.

Justice. Love. Mercy.

To say you couldn’t serve a God that would allow people to go to hell, is saying you understand Grace and Justice better than God does

God is a better worship leader than I am. I can’t worship God and come to Him on my own terms. God know what YOU NEED in Worship!!

When I do that — I’m really saying that I know what’s better more than God does

Sin always starts when we think we know what’s best for us. When we define what justice is, what love is, what good is.

God is not Holy because He is Love. He is loving because He is Holy.

God is not a desperate boyfriend - No he’s a person that has preferences and we have to worship Him on His terms. Because He is God and we are not.

Let’s look at the New Testament too … this isn’t some good cop bad cop thing.

Acts 5:1–3 ESV

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

Long story short — They die. Drop dead. These were Christians, the Holy Spirit was known to them, but they are lying to the Holy Spirit. They are giving an offering with other plans and intentions in their heart.

They weren’t concerned with building the church or serving God in this.

One more … It’s about to get better don’t worry!!

The Corinthian church was a real HOT MESS. It was so bad and in such a mess that Paul literally tells them it’s better when you don’t meet!

But the biggest disfunction was how they treated communion.

Communion is not just us remembering God’s goodness — Paul calls it the cup of blessing

So when we take communion we are drinking and receiving the blessings and benefits of being in relationship with God. Its mystical. It’s beautiful. I love it. But they were so careless with it …

1 Corinthians 11:20–22 ESV

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

1 Corinthians 11:27–30 ESV

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

They are making church all about themselves. That’s terrifying.

What’s an application for me today? — That this is a job. My paycheck.

What’s an application for you? Free Cheese?

When you find scripture that challenges you — assume you’re wrong and move from there.

You don’t change the Bible; the Bible changes you.

IT IS MEANT FOR BROKEN PEOPLE!!! If you’re hurting and broken = THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE!

God isn’t looking for perfection! He’s looking for people who will worship him on His terms and accurately (John 4)

So where do we go from here?

Don’t Be Afraid of God; Fear God

It’s the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of knowledge. Because you put yourself on His terms.

You can’t make everything about yourself and reject Gods definition

A fire isn’t safe for those who don’t respect it

God is a consuming fire

I’m not going to project on God. I’m not going to pick and choose what I believe about Jesus.

God is a chiropractor. He’s not here to make you feel good, but align you. So you can walk like you’re supposed to.

We have to come to God on His terms. This isn’t some sort of moral therapy. We are here to worship God and allow Him to align us.

We have to be adults and learn to live in the tension. God is love and God is holy.

Jesus isn’t a Build-a-Bear.

Response ....

Those that have been projecting on God. Just coming to Him on your own terms.

Let me pray for you...

Salvation call