Beholding God’s Glory: God’s Holiness
Isaiah 6:3
Jerry and I are praying that in 2012 everyone here at Mercy Hill will become stronger in trusting Jesus, that every marriage will be even more full of love, every family even more centered on Christ, every home group experiencing even more community and evangelism, and that as a result we will see people in our workplaces and neighborhoods coming to faith in Christ.
But for this to happen there is one thing we need most of all. Daniel mentions it in Daniel 11:32 –
The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
To stand firm and take action – we need to know God. It’s when we know God that our hearts are changed and we are filled, empowered, motivated, strengthened. So that’s why we are taking four weeks at the beginning of 2012 to focus on knowing God.
We are calling this series – “Beholding God’s Glory.” We are going to cover God’s holiness, God’s righteousness, God’s wrath, and God’s mercy.
So today we are starting with God’s holiness. What is God’s holiness? I have to confess that in my early years as a Christian I was not very excited about God’s holiness. I’m sure most of the problem was my own heart – but I think part of the problem was the way people explained God’s holiness to me.
I mean – it didn’t grab me to hear that God was totally set apart from everything else -- so what? It didn’t stir me that God was perfectly pure – why should that excite me?
But then one day someone showed me Scriptures which defined God’s holiness – and I saw that while God was totally set apart from everything else – and was perfectly pure – none of those was the main point of God’s holiness. So today I want to share those same Scriptures with you – praying that you will leave here thrilled that the God of the universe is holy. Ready?
Let’s start with Isaiah 6:3 – here Isaiah has a vision of the angels in heaven worshiping God – look at what he says --
And one [angel] called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
So God’s holiness means that His glory fills the earth. So what is glory?
“Glory” is what you feel when something makes you say “Wow!” I saw a sunset this last week and said “Wow!” I tasted broiled Ahi tuna Friday night that made me say “Wow!” I saw a video of huge surf at a place called Jaws that made me say “Wow!”
So God’s holiness means that what He is creates such a big “Wow!” that it surpasses everything else on earth.
See, the Hebrew word “holy” means set apart. And the point is that God’s perfections set Him infinitely apart from everything else there is – so God is the infinitely biggest Wow!
You can see this also in Isaiah 40:25 --
To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Notice that God’s holiness means nothing else can compare with God – nothing else comes close to being like God. Who God is sets Him infinitely above everything else – He is infinitely more valuable and satisfying than anything else.
Here’s a quote from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament –
God’s holiness … is the expression for his perfection of being which transcends everything creaturely. (TDNT 1:91)
So for God to be holy means that His perfections set Him infinitely above everything else -- He is infinitely more valuable and satisfying than anything else.
But now to feel this – we need to ask this next questions – What perfections set God infinitely above everything else? Let me list nine of them.
First, God is Eternal. Psalm 90:2 says that “from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God is from everlasting. Everything else has a beginning. But God has no beginning. Only God has always been. The fact that God has always existed sets Him infinitely above everything else.
Second, God is Creator. Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” From eternity past – there was only God. Then God chose to create – and there was a universe and a solar system and planet earth and you and me. Only God is Creator; everything else is created. The fact that God is creator sets Him infinitely above everything else.
Third, God is Massive. In Jeremiah 23:24 God asks: “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” That’s not pantheism – which teaches that God IS the heaven and the earth. No – God is separate from His creation. But God’s presence – while distinct from creation – fills creation.
That makes God massive. A light year is 240 million trips around our globe. The Milky Way is 100,000 light years long. And our universe has over 50 million galaxies like the Milky Way. And God fills all that. So God’s size sets Him infinitely above everything else.
Fourth, God is Sovereign. In Ephesians 1:11 we read that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Everything that happens is by God’s sovereign will. So everything else is under God’s sovereignty. Only God is sovereign. God’s sovereignty sets Him infinitely above everything else.
Fifth, God is All-Powerful. Look at Isaiah 40:26 –
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these [stars]? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
God created all the stars. Think of what that means. Take our earth. The diameter of our earth is 8,000 miles. So think of how powerful a being would be to create our Sun – whose diameter is 865,000 miles in diameter. But God didn’t just create one sun – astronomers tell us there are thousands of billions of suns in the universe. God’s power sets Him infinitely above everything else.
Sixth, God is All-Knowing. Psalm 147:5 says “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” Think of how little you know. And of how much you forget. But God knows everything that exists, past, present, and future, consciously, all the time. Everyone else will always be learning. Only God knows everything. So God’s knowledge sets him infinitely above everything else.
Seventh, God is Joyful. In 1 Timothy 1:11 talks about “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” That word “blessed” is the Greek word for “happy, joyful.”
Here’s what that means: God is three persons. And from eternity past the Father has looked at the Son and the Spirit – “Wow!”; the Son looks at the Father and the Spirit – “Wow!”, the Spirit looks at the Father and the Son – “Wow!” Infinite, perfect, never-ending joy. God’s joy sets Him infinitely above everything else.
And God’s joy moved Him to create a universe, and this planet, and you and me – so He could share His joy in Himself with us.
But what have we all done? It’s strange. Standing before us is the holy God whose perfections set Him infinitely above everything else that is – whose glory fills the earth – the ultimate “Wow!”. But we’ve all turned our backs on Him – and say “Wow!” to Tesla cars and pornographic images and getting fame. So how does God respond?
That brings us to the eighth aspect of God’s holiness – God is just. Deut 32:3-4 --
3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!
4 "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
Everything God does is perfectly just and upright. So when He sees us committing the ultimate outrage of turning our backs on the infinite value of the universe – His perfect justice moves Him to punish. And so all of us face the perfect justice of eternal punishment.
But the story does not end there. There is one more aspect of God’s holiness – God is love. And there is one display of God’s love that is the most clear of all. It’s what Paul said in Romans 5:8 – “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The Cross is the most clear picture of God’s holiness. Because on the Cross we see how much God loves us. God so longs to share with us the joy of knowing Him – that He Holy, Infinite, Creator God – became one of us – a man. And He received in Himself His own just, infinite wrath – so He could forgive us, change us, and give us the joy of knowing Him.
Where – anywhere in the universe – is there a love like that? Nowhere. God’s love sets Him infinitely above everything else that exists.
So – for God to be holy means that His perfections set Him infinitely above everything else. His perfections call for the ultimate “Wow!”
So how should we respond to God’s holiness?
To answer that – turn to 1 Peter 1:14-16 (p.1014) –
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
So how should we respond to God’s holiness? We should be holy.
What does that mean? Too many people think holiness is a list of do’s and don’ts. And holiness will result in things we do and don’t do. But you can have a list of do’s and don’ts and totally miss the point of holiness.
So what does it mean to be holy? We are to be holy, for God is holy.
For God to be holy means that His perfections set Him infinitely above everything else. So what does it mean for me to be holy? It means that because of God’s perfections I set Him above everything else in my heart.
Let me say that again. For God to be holy means that His perfections set Him infinitely above everything else. So for me to be holy means that I let God’s perfections cause Him to be set infinitely above everything else in my heart.
Holiness means seeing God in His infinite perfections and saying – “You are all that matters. You are what the universe is all about. You are infinitely more valuable than anything else – and infinitely more satisfying than anything else. I want to devote my life entirely to knowing You and making You known.”
That’s holiness. But how is that going to happen? I know my heart. You know your heart. We all have others “Wow!’s” which are puny – and yet they compete with God for our affections. So how are we going to be holy?
Remember that part of God’s holiness is His astonishing love – especially as displayed on the Cross. So we come to the Cross – just as we are. We need to join Isaiah in Isaiah 6 and say – “Woe is me.” I need to be forgiven. I need to be changed. I need power at work in me.
And if we will come to the Cross – and repent of the other “Wow!’s” we have had, and ask Jesus to forgive us, and ask for His power to change us – He will.
And let me be as clear as I can be. We all need to come to the Cross daily for this. If you are thinking that you are doing OK – you’re not getting this.
We must come to the Cross daily. And then we take time every day to open God’s Word and to feast on who God is – to see that He is loving, and sovereign, and all-knowing, and joyful, and all-powerful. And as we do that – praying over God’s Word – God will open our eyes so we say “Wow!” And the result is that we will feel that God is all that matters – that He is what the universe is all about – that He is what I want my life to be all about.
And when you feel the Holy Spirit changing your heart – your behavior will change. You husbands will lead your families. You will want to become part of a Christ-centered community of believers. You wives will gladly respond to your husband’s leadership. You will not click on the porn. You will read the Bible with your kids. You will stop gossiping and slandering. You will love and forgive.
But why? It’s because obedience brings you more and more of the “Wow!” of beholding God – and you want all of that “Wow!” you can get.
I mentioned in my blog that a few weeks ago I checked out an historical novel at the library. But as I started reading it – I came across some very graphic sex. I tried skimming it – but those images stayed with me. And to the extent that they stayed with me – they messed up my “Wow” of beholding God.
So I took the book back to the library. Why? Because I want the biggest “Wow!”
Listen. God is all that matters. God is what this universe is all about. God is infinitely more valuable than anything else – and infinitely more satisfying than anything else. So come to the Cross – get forgiven and cleansed. Open God’s Word and pray over His Word until you feel that “Wow!” And then do what God’s Word says – because that’s how you will have even more “Wow’s.”