The Holiness of God

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  The Holiness of God

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  Good morning. Your phone rings and you look at it, and across the screen it goes likely...telemarketer. However, your finger like it's possessed...hits answer. Hello. And the voice, on the other hand, says good morning. Yes. I'm here just to ask you a few questions. If you could give me just a couple of minutes. Yes. What's this about? The person on the other line says I have just three questions. I'm hired by a company to ask these questions about product preference, what you think are the best products in certain categories. You know what you would say are one of a kind products. Come on, you're trying to sell me something. No. No, sir. I am not trying to sell you something. Three quick questions and you can go on your day. You can't believe this, but you say, sure. Go ahead. So he says, first question. Which brand of frozen pizza would you think is one of a kind? Oh, Okay. Digiorno. Thank you sir. That's good. Okay. Second question. Which brand of ice cream would you name as being one of a kind? Oh my goodness, Turkey hill, blue bunny. Kemps. Uh. Whatever. Uh. Um. Turkey hill. Oh. Very good. Thank you. Thank you. Third question. Which brand of mayonnaise would you regard as being one of a kind?...Dukes. That one comes right out. No problem. He immediately says, thank you, sir, very much for your time. Have a good day. And he hangs up. You look at your phone, right? Because you go. I can't believe I did that. But then you sort of feel good about yourself. I helped somebody out today. I hope he has a good day.
  So that hypothetical interaction focused on making differentiations between items in a group. You know, sort of all these are a kind. All these are a kind. Which one do you think is the best in that group? So let's go back in time. The Romans and the Greeks, the Romans and the Greeks had lots of gods. For the Romans, Jupiter was their top god, sort of. Of all their gods, he was one of a kind. For the Greeks it was Zeus. So let's bring it to today. NBA former or present players...who would be one of a kind basketball. Jordan. Come on. Somebody else. Who? All right...Pete Maravich. So there's an opinion, but different. You know, that person's one of kind. That person's one of a kind. Now, really small group, HBC elders. Who would you say when it comes to dancing is one of a kind? Okay. You shouldn't be talking so loud. And of course, I think if we said, hey, who's one of a kind when it comes to preaching. Good. Okay, here's an easy one. If the only criteria was height...Kurtis. All right. All these examples illustrate that the phrase one of a kind means that when comparing the individuals comprising a group, one individual most highly stands out is superior, excels compared to the others in the group. Now let's look at the word unique. Sometimes people use it as a synonym for one of a kind, but it's really not. So picture with me. I take out a 732 carat purple diamond. I don't know if it exists, but you just got to picture it. So here's this 732 carat diamond. The gemologist, they examine it and they say, yeah, it's a diamond. It is a diamond. Is it unique or is it one of a kind? One of a kind. It is a diamond. There are millions of diamonds, so it's not unique. Okay, now somebody gets to Mars and they get back from Mars, and they bring back a chunk of something. The scientists, they really study it, and they can't figure out what it is. It's one of a kind or unique. Unique...on Earth. On Mars, it may be 1 in 10,000,000, but on Earth it's unique. So unique is a French word. It means one. And I mean, you get that right. The first three letters U N I uni like a unicycle one. It means one. Something that is rightly unique means that there's nothing else that can be compared to it. So when people say, well, that's more unique than that, that's using the word incorrectly. So I'm sorry if you do that, but stop it. So let's now turn let's turn to God. God is unique. God is not one of a kind. Isaiah 45:5...I am the Lord, and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. Isaiah 46:5 and 9, to whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? Remember the former things of God. I am God, and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me. Finally, Deuteronomy 4:39. Know, therefore today and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other. So first, do you know that to be true? Is it laid on your heart? Is it embedded there? God is one. There is no other. He is unique. There is no group of gods. So this summer series is on the attributes of God. And which attribute best communicates that God is unique? I'm going to argue it's the holiness of God. But there is a difficulty in defining holiness. 1 Samuel 2:2 in Hannah's song she says, there is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides you. There is no rock like our God. This verse is not implying that God is one of a kind, relative to his holiness. Like there's other holy beings. As if it was okay to evaluate him and compare him to anything else. God's holiness means his uniqueness. There is no other God. God is holy. Holiness is God. So the second half of Hosea 11:9 reads, for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. So I'm going to lay out a definition of holiness in a bit, but here is a very succinct, three word definition for holy or holiness. Holiness is God. As you come to understand holiness, you come to know God. But then it begs the question, well, what does the word holy imply? What is it? What does it mean? What does it teach us about God? What does he want us to know about himself when he calls himself holy. So the word holy is not one we use in everyday life, is it? Except when you consider things like. Holy cow! Holy smoke! So last week I'm getting ready to come on to 127. The light's green and somebody plows through the red light and I blurt out, Holy cow! Now that's pretty innocuous. But we don't use it in any other way, do we?...the word holy. There are several forms of the word in Hebrew. All of them are used to denote something that is set apart for God or devoted to God, when people or things are being considered. When applied to God himself, it really indicates that He himself is set apart, distinct. But the word means much more. In our English translations the words implying holiness are at times translated as...let me read them here: sanctify or consecrate. So when you see the word sanctify, sacred, saint, consecrate, holy, holiness, hallowed. They are all really conveying the same basic idea, something set apart exclusively for God, or that God himself is separate or distinct. So the meaning of the word holy, something or someone that is set apart for religious reasons, does not elicit much reason to give me an amen, does it? There's no reason to really erupt in praise just based on that. So we've got to go a lot deeper. When we look into...when we truly understand and then come face to face with what holiness says about God, we should be moved emotionally. Our minds should be stretched...blown. Our spirits humbled. Our bodies should respond. Perhaps with trembling. Perhaps having trouble getting a breath. Maybe even prostration...that is face down. And I am not implying that this sermon this morning is going to elicit any of that. But God's holiness, God's holiness, God's holiness should. Here is my definition of the holiness of God. Holiness is God's glorious moral perfection in the totality of his manifold attributes such that he is holy, distinct from anything else. So we're going to unpack it now, word by word. First, God is in the definition as my earlier three word definition. Holiness is God. There is no holiness apart from God. That is why there is no day to day use of the word holy or holiness other than related to God. Second...glorious. Think back to the illustration of the unique rock found on Mars and brought back to Earth. The scientists studied this thing, right? Boy, we don't know what to do with it. Has no value to us. They stick it in a closet, sits there. Somebody finally says, huh? That'll keep the door open. They stick it down. It acts as a doorstop. Uniqueness does not necessarily imply value, but God's holiness is unique and it is of infinite splendor and value. His holiness is glorious. Third...moral. This concerns what is right and good versus what is wrong or bad. You know, people in general have a concept of morality, but when used in this definition, it indicates that everything that God does or commands or chooses is good, right and wise by definition, because morality originates with God. God is the standard of morality. Fourth, perfection. God manifests, he displays, expresses every one of his attributes in such a way that they cannot be improved upon. His love is never lacking. His wrath is never inappropriate, his mercy is never misplaced, and his wisdom and justice are unquestionable. God is pure, complete in each and every one of his glorious attributes. One writer's definition of holiness is. God is complete in moral purity. Fifth, totality. God is love, but not limited to love. God is merciful and slow to anger, but also wrathful. God is transcendent. That is beyond us, and yet he is imminent. He is close to us. He is wholly holy. So, wholly holy because God lacks nothing. Sixth, manifold. Manifold is just a word that means various or many. Pretty simple. The final phrase of this definition, such that he is wholly distinct from anything else, emphasizes that God is unique. There is no other being that possesses essential or inherent holiness. And yet, even after all these minutes of me talking, we still do not grasp God's holiness. And don't say amen, because I haven't told you anything yet. Really.
  So what we're going to do to try to understand God's holiness is we're going to look at a dark frame of holiness. So picture a painter...Randy Clontz is a painter. We actually have one here. So you picture Randy. That's it. That's it. That's done. The brush goes down. He's done with the painting. And yet, it needs a frame. I've got to get a frame, the right frame to bring out, to highlight, to accent this painting that I've finished. So we're going to draw a frame around the holiness of God, as it were. This frame is going to be bold and dark. It is God's holiness in relation to humans, particularly when people fail to uphold or honor His Holiness. So we're going to start in Exodus 19. Exodus 19, this is after Moses has led them out of Egypt. They come to Mount Sinai. He is going to give them the law, his instructions for a holy, pleasing, whole life. And God says to Moses, go to the people and consecrate them. There's that word. That means get ready for a Holy God interaction. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready on the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot. Whether beast or man, he shall not live. Go some pages over...Exodus 30:9-10. This passage is in reference to the altar of Incense and the instructions for its use. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year, with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. He shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord. How holy is it?...most holy. So now let's read in Leviticus 10:1-3, and I'll read it. Now. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire on it, 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. Then Moses said to Aaron, this is what the Lord has said, among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified. Aaron held his peace. Now, going farther, 1 Samuel 6:19, Adam recently preached on this chapter of Samuel. So you should hopefully remember the text. He struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked upon the Ark of the Lord. He struck 70 men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. If you're reading the New American Standard, it says 50, 070 men. So there's a discrepancy. Either way, this is a great slaughter. These men were curious about the Ark, and they treated it as a curiosity, a mere physical object. Now, let me let's be clear. Right. It was a physical object, but it represented God, his presence, his holiness. Their lack of honoring this object and what it represented, and then the presumption to look into it results in death. We're not done. Numbers 4:15...this is the background. Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings. Everything's covered. Everything's ready to go. As the camp sets out after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these. But it says they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. So now we jump ahead. 2 Samuel 6:5-9, 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. 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. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God struck him down there because of his error. The New American standard reads because of his irreverence. And he died there beside the Ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah and that place is called Perez-Uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, how can the Ark of the Lord come to me? So Uzzah treats the Ark as something to be managed. He does not view it as holy. Maybe he thinks his hand is holy that can grab it. I'm sure he reacted with little thought, right? It was just a reflex. But God said unmistakably, that the holy things should not be touched. Now consider David in this episode. Why did he become angry? They were having a great...they were having an incredible worship service with the Ark as the center of attention, being carried on a cart pulled by oxen. But God intervenes when Uzzah tried to not upset the service...this worship service due to the possibility of the Ark hitting the ground. David is bummed because their rocking worship service has just been derailed in a real heavy way. But then David becomes afraid. He sets aside his anger and understands that God is to be treated as holy. There is valid reason to rejoice and worship when God is obeyed and honored as he instructed. In fact, later they carry the Ark as they were instructed to. So one might be tempted to conclude that in the Old Testament, God really had a hair trigger for punishment. He was just waiting for somebody to mess up. In Exodus 34, God emphasizes his attributes of mercy, grace, and being slow to anger, though. But when it comes to God's holiness and whatever represented His holiness...that is the Ark, the altar of incense, a mountain. With Moses it was the burning bush. When any of these are treated as mere objects, able to be used according to man's whims and personal inclinations, God is uncompromising. So let's look at two occurrences in the New Testament. Turn all the way over to Acts now...Acts 5. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 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. 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. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up, and carried him out and buried him. Then verses ten and 11, Sapphira comes in after her husband, not knowing what had happened to him. Peter questions her, and when she lies, as did her husband, immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her next to her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church. And upon all who heard these things. Why were they killed? Because they did not treat the Holy Spirit as holy and they lied to God. This was not an object...in this case. This wasn't an object that they mishandled or touched. They dishonored the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity...God. Then see what is repeated twice in this passage. Great fear came upon all who heard it, including the whole church. The whole church did not fear because they thought, oh man, we don't know what God's going to do next. He's, you know, God's sort of capricious or unpredictable. They feared because it was clear to all that God should not be lied to and treated less than holy. Second passage in the New Testament.  1 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul is teaching on communion. I'll just read this here to give you the whole context. In the same way. Also, he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 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. Let a person examine himself then and then so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats, and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. How does one treat communion unworthily? It's going to be next week, and treating it unworthily implies treating Christ's sacrifice unworthily by considering it to be common...run of the mill. Just something you do once a month. Hey. It's communion. Maybe the sermon will be shorter. Paul says that the reason that many people in the church are weak, ill, and some have died is because they have taken communion in an unworthy manner. They did not treat it as holy, and they did not rightly prepare themselves, that is, consecrate themselves. How do we consecrate ourselves before communion? We confess known sin, receiving the forgiveness that is promised, 1 John 1:8-10,  which makes us holy and we rightly esteem...or we can use the word hallow. We hallow the offered bread and cup as representing the act of Jesus the Christ, when he gave his holy life for ours. 1 Peter 3:15 reads, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. When we take communion among brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to honor Christ the Lord as holy. These instances, all the Old Testament ones and a couple in the New Testament, comprise the dark frame that helps us understand what holiness is. Holiness is the essence of God's character, which he will not compromise by allowing it to be treated as common as just one of a kind, as not unique, as not beautiful, as not glorious, as not to bow down before, as not worthy of honor, as not to be worshiped, and as of not infinite value.
  So there were a lot of nots in that sentence. So let's make it positive. Holiness is the essence of God's character, which he will always uphold. We must regard and treat his holiness as unique, beautiful, and glorious. We should bow before the Holy God and honor him as worthy. We should acknowledge his infinite value and worship him. Psalm 96:9 reads. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him all the earth. Or, as the New American standard reads. Worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble before him all the earth. But holy attire does not mean as long as you put on the right clothes, that makes you holy and thereby worthy to worship the Lord. One needs to have a right heart in order to come before the Lord. And one aspect of the right heart is right here in the text. Tremble before him because he is holy.

  Before we leave behind this dark frame, I want to look more closely at Moses. Moses is described in Numbers 12:3 as the meekest man upon the earth. God calls to him from the burning bush. God calls him for a great mission. In Exodus 34, God shows Moses glory and reveals his holy character to him. In Matthew 7, Moses comes down with Elijah at the time of the Transfiguration of Jesus in front of Peter, James, and John. Finally, in Hebrews 11, Moses is made one of a kind relative to his gift of faith. But in Numbers 20:10 through 13, God declares that Moses will not enter the Promised Land. What?...Moses led those difficult people for more than 40 years. Moses suffered with them. Moses went to bat for them numerous times. Moses obeyed God more than most anyone else described in Scripture. Why would he not be allowed to enter the Promised Land? Numbers 20:10 and 12...here's the reason. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock and said to them, hear now, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of the rock? Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice, and water came out abundantly. And the congregation drank and their livestock. So the people got what they wanted. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. Deuteronomy 34 relates that Moses is allowed to see the promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo, but then he dies on the outside. Numbers 20:8, God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and water would come out. Moses loses his temper with the people and instead of speaking to the rock, hits it. Then comes God's verdict against him. I mean, could not God have sort of taken Moses off to the side, you know? Coached him up a little bit. Moses, uh, you hit the rock. I told you to talk to it. I don't want to embarrass you in front of everybody. You've done a good job up until now. I'm going to give you a break this time. Why does Moses not get a break? Because Moses did not uphold God as holy in the eyes of the people. It is essentially the same sin as Nadab and Abihu. In both cases, Nadab and Abihu, and Moses and Aaron, they fail to honor God as holy. Now a necessary further point, though I need to make here regarding Moses. He did not get to enter the Promised Land, but recognize...God did not strike him down immediately as he did others. For when he died, God took him into his own presence. God showed him mercy. Regarding Nadab, Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira, Uzzah... We don't know. God does not compromise his holiness. In all of these examples, people made a decision to assume that what God had instructed was open to interpretation or modification according to their desires and feelings. Their actions communicate that God's way is not necessarily the only right or holy way. Therefore, God's holiness is not honored or treasured as unique and of infinite value, which means God Himself is not honored or treasured as unique and of infinite worth. Brothers and sisters. What chance do any of us have? Have we upheld the Lord as holy. Have we honored him as holy? Isaiah 8:13 reads, but the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. Like the church in Acts 5, do we have great fear when we contemplate our God, our holy God? Have we obeyed him according to his Word, such that we demonstrate that we value his incomparable, unique beauty and perfection above anything else? Or else have we treated his instructions, his commands, as suggestions possibilities that can be assessed and compared to other possible actions. We're going to choose the actions that we think are one of a kind and do those. So all of this leads to a demand to be holy. Three times in the book of Leviticus it reads, be holy. Leviticus 19:2, 11:44 and 27 all say nearly the same thing, for I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. Then Peter quotes this in 1 Peter 1:14 through 16. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. Finally, Hebrews 12:14. Strive for peace with everyone. Strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. So this is a fairly quick point to make, because it's what the Bible says repeatedly and quite plainly. There is a command to be holy, and if we do not possess holiness, we will not see the Lord. But let me be clear. We will not see the Lord welcoming us with loving pleasure into his presence. Which leaves us with the same question I just asked. Brothers and sisters, what chance do we have? God requires holiness, and yet he is the only inherently holy being. None of us are holy. Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Now notice the verse does not say that we fall short of the holiness of God. It says, we fall short of the glory of God. Does that matter? No. God's glory is the shining forth, the display of his attributes and activity which makes known his holiness. Falling short of his glory is falling short of his holiness. Why must we be holy to be in God's presence, you might ask? So I'm going to give you at least two reasons. The first one, think of people who freak out if they see or get close to a spider or a snake or a mouse. And I say people, because this is not just a female thing. Such a person cannot abide the presence of such a critter like a mouse or something, because that person just gets all fearful and squeamish. That is not God when it comes to having an unholy or sinful persons presence. God does not stand on a stool saying, oh Angel, get that unholy person out of here. That's not God. God does not receive unholy people into his presence because it is an affront to his holiness. How so? God receiving or accepting an unholy person communicates that his holiness is not uniquely perfect. Doing so would condone or affirm the actions, decisions, desires of unholy people by allowing them in his presence. Does that make some sense? Here's where toleration of sin communicates that there is not just one morally way, pure, of holiness. The second reason why we must be holy to be in God's presence is that unholy people will not find satisfaction and joy in the presence of holy God. And that demeans God's worth and honor. So here's my illustration. Imagine you're invited to Buckingham Palace by the Queen. And I'm going to use the Queen because I just admire the Queen more than the current king. So we're going to use Queen Elizabeth as if she was still alive. First of all, you arrive wearing an old t shirt and sweatpants. They usher you in. You. Hello, Queen. Wow. How much did all this cost? Well, this is quite something. Where did you get that? You know, is that old? You're picking stuff up, looking at it. Finally, you sit down in a chair, you put your feet up on a table and you fall asleep. They come and arouse you. It's time for dinner, sir. They usher you in. But you can't appreciate the meal because you don't have refined tastes. You don't know what to do with the 17 forks. You don't know what to do with the little bowl and all the little plates. And then you eat stuff and go, oh, I don't know. You do not hold conversation with the Queen because you know nothing about her, and frankly you do not care. You're really only wondering if there is a Cookout around and you want to get home to play a video game or watch a ball game. All the beauty, all the lavishness, all the generosity, the history, the preparation is wasted on you. And most seriously, you dishonored the one who invited you and wanted to bless you. An unholy person entering into the presence and kingdom of God will not be satisfied or pleased or joyful. His or her heart is set on common or base things. He cannot appreciate the beauty and wonder of God, all that he is, and all that he has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, but as it is written, what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. So if being in God's holy presence is appealing, then you have to ask yourself, how do I become holy? There is a merciful means of holiness. There is a way to become holy. Which finally brings us to the text that I think some of you are probably thinking I would start with Isaiah 6. I'm going to read verses one through seven. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory, and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called and the house is filled with smoke. And I said, woe is me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, your sin is atoned for. Isaiah sees this incredible vision of the reality of God's holiness and glory. We are going to focus, though, on verses five through seven. Isaiah's response to this vision, his need and God's provision. We have seen in several of the passages that we have looked at this morning, that fear is a repeated, appropriate response to the holiness of God. So I'm sure you've witnessed, maybe even yesterday, you're outside and a thunderstorm starts to form. The clouds darken, they begin to churn, and it's like they're starting to form in a circle over you. The first few flashes of lightning fire off, and then the thunder begins to boom. And it rolls sort of like the old stadiums when people would do the wave. It is exciting and fascinating, and your attention is drawn to the power and majesty of the storm. As it continues to increase, you begin to feel a little bit afraid while remaining mesmerized and in awe of the power and sound. Finally, a bolt of lightning hits really close. And the sound of the crack is instantaneous with the light, and you feel the reverberation through your whole body. Now you tremble. Now you want to get down on the ground. Or you go inside as fast as you can. This is what Isaiah's physical experience is, but something much deeper and more personal occurs, which is vastly more frightening. Isaiah yells out, woe is me, for I am lost, or I am undone or I am ruined. The sense is, as R.C. Sprollexplains...it's like disintegration. You are being torn apart at the seams. And I'm sure you can picture some sci fi movie where somebody pulls out some weapon and shoots somebody and their body just falls apart. Last week, David alluded to this more recent phenomena that people have described as deconstructing their faith. This passage is God's holiness deconstructing Isaiah. Adam ended last week's service with a quote from Calvin that we should first contemplate God, the vision of his majesty, holiness, and glory. And then Isaiah's self-scrutinization. Both of these happen in a very short period of time. Isaiah immediately recognizes his unholiness relative to God's majestic holiness, and he knows he is in deep trouble, and need. Isaiah cries out, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. In other words, Isaiah agrees with James chapter one that says, if anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart. His religion is worthless. Isaiah's personal appraisal is correct and appropriately humble. God responds to his correct assessment of himself. He sends an angel with a burning coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips and says to him, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away. Your sins are atoned for. Isaiah is made holy. This vision that Isaiah had had real life significance for him. What is the actual means of mercy to become holy for us? How do you become holy? The coal that touches Isaiah's lips is taken from the altar, where the Holy Sacrifice is offered to atone for sin. Jesus Christ, is that offering that sacrifice for us. John 1:29, John the Baptist declares about Jesus. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Remember that only a lamb that was unblemished...holy, was a suitable sacrifice. In John 6:69, Peter confesses about Jesus. We have all believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. And then Peter in chapter three, verse 18, we read. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God to be in his presence. Being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the Spirit. Jesus' death on the cross as the unblemished lamb is our sacrifice. The sufficient sacrifice is graciously offered for each of us. We receive it not by a holy angel touching our lips with a burning coal, but by faith, believing, embracing that Jesus is the Holy One of God the Lord, and that his willing sacrifice cleanses us from all sin and makes us holy. Hebrews 10:14 reads, for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
  God's holiness is difficult to comprehend. He is unique, and it is challenging to understand something that is unique. It's much easier to understand something that we can easily compare to things that are similar, or with something we're familiar with. God will not compromise his holiness, but one of his outstanding, astounding attributes is his grace. Therefore, God gave his Son Jesus to pay the deserved penalty for our sin and to make us righteous or holy. But there is a grave warning to anyone who spurns this offer of forgiveness. Hebrews 10:29, how much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God?...treat him like common dirt...and has profaned,...treated as unholy...the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged the spirit of grace.
  This morning, if you don't know the sacrifice of Jesus for yourself, please do not treat this invaluable gift of forgiveness as being unholy or of no value. Receive it freely with joy. Let me end with this passage. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, working together with him then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, in a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Be like Isaiah. Recognize your need. Call out to God and he will respond in his holy mercy and grace. Let's pray.
  
  Holy Father. I recognize, I am far from understanding...comprehending Your Holiness. I do not have the proper reaction. Someday every knee will bow before you, Father God, and before your Son Jesus, who is called Lord. We will experience the glory and majesty that is all yours, and we will experience it with a combination of awe and trembling and joy. Today, Father, today, please, Lord, by your mercy and grace through your Holy Spirit help us to honor you as holy. Help us to treat you as holy in all our activities. For you are worthy. We love you, Father. We hope in you. We worship you. Amen.