The Holiness of God

Introduction

A. If we were to list the attributes of God’s character a number of words would come to mind—love, light, forgiving, gracious, compassionate, judge, wrathful. All of these words are used in scripture to describe God’s character but if there were one word which summed up God’s character it would be the word “holy.” The word is not easily defined. It is used in scripture in a number of ways and the context often has to help us define the meaning.

B. Holy can mean:

1. Pure or without blemish

2. Something set apart and dedicated for or to God

3. It can refer to something which God designates as holy

4. It can even evoke worship.

C. When the word “holy” is used to describe God it is used to mean something wholly other. While the word includes his purity and perfection, it primarily means that God is something completely different from any other person. He is in fact indescribable. There is nothing like him and thus he is worthy of worship and adoration. God is both holy in character and holy in his actions. There is absolutely no evil or wickedness in him. He only acts with purity and always does what is right.

D. In Exodus 3, God designates a piece of ground as holy. As Moses approaches the burning bush, God tells Moses to take off his sandals for where he is standing is holy ground. The ground didn’t change molecular structure. The dirt didn’t suddenly become less dirty. Instead, the ground becomes set apart for God. God designates the ground as holy and it is to be treated with respect because God said so. But it is the character of God which allows for such a designation to be made. Only a holy God can make dirt holy.

E. This holiness is recognized in Exodus 15:11 when in celebration of the parting of the waters of the Red Sea in order for Israel to escape the Egyptian army, the Israelites sang a song of praise which included the words “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? There is no one like God. He is holy, majestic, awesome, filled with glory. This completely different God is worthy of our praise and honor and respect and worship. Let’s praise him now.

The Text

A. Isaiah 6 begins with the words “In the year that King Uzziah died.” Why is that important to note besides as a time frame reference? In 2 Chronicles 26 we have the story of Uzziah’s reign. At age 16 he becomes king and reigns for 52 years. He is a powerful king and one who initially follows God. God prospers the kingdom because of Uzziah’s faith. Uzziah presumes upon God’s mercy by entering the temple to offer incense to the Lord. This role belonged only to the priest of Aaron and Uzziah is stricken with leprosy because of his arrogance.

B. But 2 Chronicles tells us something else. After Uzziah’s death, his son Jotham becomes king and follows the ways of God. We are told that the people, however, followed their own ways even as they had when Uzziah was king. In Isaiah 5, we have Isaiah’s expression of woe against the people of Judah. Six times Isaiah speaks a word of “woe” to the people. They are condemned because of their pursuing wealth, pursuing drunken pleasure, and live unethical lives. It is in this setting that Isaiah has his vision.

C. And what he sees changes Isaiah as a person and as a prophet. Things are bad. The people are living life without thinking about God. They are pursuing their own paths of selfishness, immorality, and corruption. Life is all about pleasure. And Isaiah sees God seated on his throne. The train of his robe fills the entire temple. God is surrounded by winged seraphim. The seraphim call out in antiphonal praise—Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.

D. Isaiah sees destruction; corruption; selfish pursuit of pleasure; he doesn’t see God’s glory. But the seraphim speak the truth—God is still on the throne and the earth is still filled with his glory. And through the smoke, the deafening sound of the praise, and the shaking of the very foundation of the temple, Isaiah becomes aware that he is like those he spoke against in chapter 5. For Isaiah calls out “Woe is me.” Like the previous chapter the word “woe” condemns and judges. Isaiah judges and condemns himself—I am ruined; I am unclean just as the people surrounding me are unclean. How does he know? Because he has seen the Lord.

E. One of the seraphim takes a coal from the altar and touches Isaiah’s lips. He cauterizes his impurity. In this symbolic gesture, Isaiah is cleansed. Sins are forgiven. And he hears God’s commission. I’m looking for a real prophet—Isaiah are you the man? And in breathless humility, Isaiah says send me.

F. Isaiah saw the vision of God and his life was changed. It was changed in two ways. First, as God’s prophet he identified with those who were condemned. This is what the holiness of God does. When we encounter the holy God we recognize our sin. Too often people ignore the holy and pursue only what they can see through the eyes of pleasure. In John 6:67, after the feeding of the 5000 people leave Jesus in droves. But Peter knows what he has seen and declares that Jesus is the Holy One. Second, Isaiah now had a mission. When we take the supper we are reminded that we have seen the holy and we have a mission. Let’s eat the bread and drink the cup.

Application

A. The reading of the latter part of Isaiah 6 is not often done. But without these final verses we cannot have a full appreciation for the vision. Isaiah is called to speak for God but the promise is that resistance will come. The people will not hear, see, nor understand the message. Their hearts will not be turned to God; instead they will continue to pursue their own lusts and pleasures. God is going to bring his people to ruin. Their punishment will occur. But then comes verse 13 “a holy seed will be the stump in the land.” Isaiah’s message will not be completely ignored. A holy seed will arise. The seed will be holy as God is holy. The seed will be set apart to be used for God and by God.

B. From now to the end of August, we are going to be looking at family. Marriage, husbands, wives, children, mothers, fathers, singles, widows, communication, forgiveness, sex and all of this has to do with holiness. You see the holiness of God not only exists as God’s character but it also exists as a demonstration of his character. Our holy God acts in holy ways. But more than that, our holy God calls on us to act in holy ways as well. God’s call to his people in Leviticus 11 was that there were to be holy as he was holy. Peter picks up that same call in 1 Peter 1:15-16 when he writes “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy.”

C. As God’s people we are to be a reflection of the holiness of God. This is true in not only how we are to treat people but in how we are to live together as family. We begin with the idea of God’s holiness because the relationship that we call family is to be a reflection of the holiness of God. Just as an overview of the texts that we are going to study:

1. Men are told to life holy hands in prayer in 1 Timothy 2:8

2. Wives are told to be like holy women of the past in regards to how they treat their husbands in 1 Peter 3:5.

3. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loves the church in order to bring the church in holiness to God in Ephesians 5:27.

4. God says that holiness through sexual purity is His intent for all who follow Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

5. Children are brought into holiness through the parents as seen in 1 Corinthians 7.

D. The idea of holiness is not only about God but about how we are to treat one another within the context of family. We are to be a reflection of the holiness of God in how we treat each other. Let us return to Isaiah 6 as seen in the New Testament. In John 12, Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the last time. His crucifixion is just days away. Beginning in verse 36 Jesus invites the people to trust him so that they may become sons of God. Verse 37 says “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. And then John quotes first from Isaiah 53 and then in verse 39 he turns his attention to Isaiah 6 and he quotes Isaiah 6:10. Then look at verse 41. Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

E. What? Isaiah 6 isn’t just about the holiness of God. You see the holiness of God is not about that which is unapproachable. The holiness of God came into this world so that we could see God up close and personal. The holiness of God was fully revealed in Jesus Christ. What Isaiah saw in chapter 6 was the glory of God and that glory has been revealed in his son Jesus. Isaiah’s message was about Jesus and so is ours. Will you see the glory and be convicted? Or will you turn away just as they did in Isaiah 6 and John 12? Invitation.

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