For He is Holy

Psalm 99 (KJV 1900)

1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

2 The Lord is great in Zion; And he is high above all the people.

3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; For it is holy.

4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; Thou dost establish equity, Thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, And worship at his footstool; For he is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, And Samuel among them that call upon his name; They called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.

8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, Though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

9 Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at his holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.

We must heed the memorable words written by Robert Murray McCheyne to the Rev. Dan Edwards on 2 October 1840 after his ordination as a missionary to the Jews: ‘I trust you will have a pleasant and profitable time in Germany. I know you will apply hard to German; but do not forget the culture of the inner man,—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword,—His instrument,—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.’

1 Peter 2:9 “9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

What do we mean by holy?

Story: What words come to mind when you think of holiness? It’s almost as though holiness is the private way of life for an special group of monks, missionaries and martyrs.

The word holy means “sacred, set apart from the profane (unholy) and for God.”

Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible says, “The primary Old Testament word for holiness means ‘to cut or to separate.’ Fundamentally, holiness is a cutting off or separation from what is unclean, and a consecration to what is pure.”

Holiness is referenced more than 400 times in the Old Testament and another 181 times in the New Testament.

Holiness means much more than being morally upright. It includes this, but is so much more.

Fundamentally, holiness speaks of separation. Rather than merely an ethical statement, it is an essential statement. When we say that something is “holy” we are saying that it is marked off, that it is set apart from other things. (ie Holy Bible, Holy Matrimony)

So, when we speak of God being “holy,” we mean by this that He is essentially different from any and all others. “‘Holy’ is a word to emphasize the distance between God and man.”

His difference cuts across all comparisons.

Isaiah 45:22 “22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: For I am God, and there is none else.”

Since God is holy, His reign will be much different than that of any other ruler.

If we frame the psalm by the threefold reference to God’s holiness (vv. 3, 5, 9), we might outline it as follows:

(1) The announcement of God’s holy reign v. 1–3

(2) The activity of God’s holy reign v. 4–5

(3) The acknowledgement of God’s holy reign v. 6–9

The holiness of God is certainly a worthy study.

Analysis of how the modern culture has infected the church in God in the Wasteland by David Eerdmans “We have turned to a God that we can use rather than to a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill all our needs rather than to a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us, for our satisfaction—not because we have learned to think of him this way through Christ but because we have learned to think of him this way through the marketplace. In the marketplace, everything is for us, for our pleasure, for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well. And so we transform the God of mercy into a God who is at our mercy.

Introduction

The repeated refrain is that the LORD is holy.

Because he is holy, he alone should be worshiped and served.

To demonstrate his holiness, the psalmist explains how the LORD reigns over his people.

All of these “enthronement” psalms tell of the establishment of a righteous kingdom on the earth—on this earth. It can only be a righteous kingdom because the king is holy—he is the LORD.

Do you long for the day the Lord will rule and reign in this world. Harley taught on incremental stress.

Stressing that the LORD, the God of Israel, is holy, the psalmist calls for all people to praise and worship him for his righteous reign in the world and his merciful dealings in answering prayers.

Notice the only good and proper response to God’s holiness.

Psalm 99:1-2 “1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. 2 The Lord is great in Zion; And he is high above all the people.”

If the world has lost her blush it may be because the world has lost her tremble.

The proper response to God’s greatness is worship.

Remember that to think of worship merely as ascribing praise to God through music and song is short-sighted.

Worship is a theme woven through all of Scripture

Worship is the way people organize their lives in devotion to certain things they find “worthy” of their affection.

Worship is a disciple’s decision to surrender her life to King Jesus in humble and resolute devotion.

"Any sin is more or less heinous depending upon the honor and majesty of the one whom we had offended. Since God is of infinite honor, infinite majesty, and infinite holiness, the slightest sin is of infinite consequence. The slightest sin is nothing less than cosmic treason when we realize against whom we have sinned." - Jonathan Edwards

God is distinct from man.

(a) He reigns. He sits above this world, ruling. He is not subject to this world. He created the world and is transcendent above the world. (b) He is holy. He is perfect. He is pure. He is completely and eternally good and righteous. (c) He is fair. He deals with his creation and his people justly. (d) He speaks supernaturally. In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to prophets, speaking and guiding supernaturally through various means. God continues to speak supernaturally through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and illumination of his written Word, the Bible. (e) He forgives and he avenges. God is love and God is just. God in his holiness reveals himself to humans as merciful and yet just.

Recognize the King that sits upon His throne

Psalm 99:1-2 “1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. 2 The Lord is great in Zion; And he is high above all the people.”

The Lord reigns in holiness—worship Him in reverence

The Lord reigns should be simple to understand even if hard to apply at times.

Here is a simple proposition, which is a self-evident axiom, and requires no proof: Jehovah is infinite and eternal; is possessed of unlimited power and unerring wisdom; as he is the Maker, so he must be the Governor, of all things. His authority is absolute, and his government therefore universal. In all places, on all occasions, and in all times, Jehovah reigns. - Adam Clark Commentary

There is a day coming when every creature will recognize this.

Revelation 11:15 “15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

He seats above all people.

Psalm 99:5 “5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, And worship at his footstool; For he is holy.”

He seats between the cherubims

Psalm 99:1 “1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.”

God being enthroned or sitting above the cherubim is primarily one of His awesome holiness. That’s why the earth should shake.

A place that a man could only enter once a year. He sits above.

And yet at the same time, the picture of God enthroned above the cherubim was a picture of His mercy towards sinners.

The logical and necessary response to this sovereign majesty is fear and trembling.

Psalm 99:3 “Let them praise thy great and terrible name; For it is holy.”

Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory.”

The Lord reigns in Holiness - Worship Him in reverence

God's people delight in and praise God for His justice and righteousness and holiness, and not just His mercy and grace

If I never spoke of hell, I should look on myself as an accomplice of the devil. - Ryle

If I never spoke of the holiness of God, I should look on myself as an accomplice of a false prophet.

The holiness of God also refers to His absolute moral purity.

1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Three types of people are most prone to worship His holiness

People who have experienced injustice in this world. We long for the verdict of a just King.

People who have perceived the misery of this world and have perceived that the misery of this world is the work of sin. We long for the the King who will bring protection by His perfect and swift judgement.

People who truly understand the gospel, because at the very heart of the gospel is God's holiness and righteousness and justice.

In the Gospel, righteousness is revealed.

Romans 1:16–17 (KJV 1900)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

How?

The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel because in sending His Son into this world, God was showing Himself to be righteous in keeping His promise. He had made that promise back in Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

God is also shown to be righteous in the gospel in that He does not sweep our sins under the carpet, but our sins are paid for by Jesus himself receiving the due penalty in His own body on the tree for our forgiveness,

The Father requires a penalty for sin.

His Son pays that penalty for sin

He shows us grace and forgiveness freely–not by pretending that we didn't sin, but by dealing with our sin in Jesus.

And of course God's holiness is manifest in the gospel in that Jesus himself is perfectly holy.

He is everything that man was intended to be in holiness in His person, which no human being has ever experienced since the fall of Adam, but which all of us in Him will one day attain.

We will one day be morally perfected when we stand before His throne in exceeding great joy, having been totally transformed through the holiness and grace of Christ.

God’s holiness relates to all of His perfections:

God is called holy more than any other description.

His justice is a holy justice

his wisdom a holy wisdom

his arm of power a holy arm Ps. 98:1

his truth or promise a holy promise Ps. 105:42

Holy and true go hand in hand Rev. 6:10

His name, which signifies all his attributes in conjunction, is holy Ps. 103:1

The Lord reigns in justice and righteousness—worship Him with a submissive heart

Psalm 99:4–5 (KJV 1900)

4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; Thou dost establish equity, Thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, And worship at his footstool; For he is holy.

A strong king who lacks a passion for justice will be a tyrant, as we know well from history.

Jacob was known as a deceiver and schemer. But by way of contrast, God has “executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

You worship Him in the beauty of His holiness or not at all

Psalm 96:9 “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Fear before him, all the earth.”

If you do not properly fear Him. You do not know Him. Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

The Lord reigns in faithfulness, mercy, and righteousness - worship Him with a reverential closeness

Psalm 99:6-8 “6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, And Samuel among them that call upon his name; They called upon the Lord, and he answered them. 7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. 8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, Though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.”

The Lord has always worked with imperfect men but He is merciful.

Aaron notoriously failed in the incident with the golden calf.

Moses failed by striking the rock, when God had told him to speak to it.

Samuel failed in that his sons did not follow the Lord.

This Holy God is our God

The mood of Psalm 99 is one of reverence and yet intimacy: This should help provoke us to be holy ministers (like Edwards said) not hermit, monks.

Psalm 99:5 “5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, And worship at his footstool; For he is holy.”

Psalm 99:8 “8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, Though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.”

Psalm 99:9 “9 Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at his holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.”

Because the Lord is holy, worship Him in reverent intimacy, with a submissive heart.

We read of Jesus calling the Father abba in Mark 14:36 “36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

The in Galatians we read that our hearts cry out for this. Galatians 4:6 “6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Yes, let’s teach the kids to not run in the sanctuary but let’s also teach them to run to Jesus for everything.

How do we draw close to a God that is a consuming fire?

Hebrews 12:28–29 (KJV 1900)

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:24 “24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Self-Sanctifying is of no use.

Colossians 2:16–23 (KJV 1900)

Some try to really talk the talk to earn holiness 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Others carefully keep their list of self-imposed regulations 21 Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Others deal harshly with their own bodies in order to whip their lusts into submission23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body;

All of this is of no value in the pursuit of holiness

Col 2:23 “2not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”

“We can become experts in the Christian life without growing any closer to Christ.”

Are we most fascinated by the practices of the Christian life, or by the Person of the Christian life?

Holiness is not mechanical it comes through a relationship.

Col 3:1 “1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

We are all His creations and under His authority and lordship, and all will be judged by Him, but the right to be a child of God and call Him “Abba Father” is something that only born-again Christians have.

John 1:12–13 (KJV 1900)

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

“The only people who can truly kill their sin are those who are preoccupied with Jesus.”

Conclusion

1 Peter 1:16 “16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

This Psalm helps us pursue Holiness. How?

Giving us a bigger view of God in His majesty and holiness. The Lord reigneth; For he is Holy

Giving us a more biblically accurate view of ourself in God’s holy presence. The people tremble; For He is Holy

Helping us reconginze we need to pursue holiness at the heart level. praise thy great and terrible name; For He is Holy

Reminding us to meeting alone with God every day to exalt Him and worship at His footstool. worship at his footstool; for He is Holy