God is… HOLY
Thinking about God
What do you think about when you think about God?
Over the next few weeks as we begin to lead up to Easter, we want to think about what we think about when we think about God. And what we really want to do is to strive to think rightly about God.
Some of you may have grown up around God your whole life.
Some of you did not grow up with an awareness of God, at least not in the same way.
There is more than one person who.. you’re reading this but you’re not sure you believe in God at all. By the way, I’m really glad you’re here today.
There is more than one person who, deep down, you’re not sure what to think about when you think about God.
We have this tendency, don’t we, to make God like us. To see God in our image.
But what we fail to realize so often is that when we fail to have a high view of God, when we fail to think rightly about God, when we fail to honor God as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, when we seek other gods before the one true God, that failure to think rightly about God whether we realize it or not leads to a life that falls painfully short of the abundant life God intended for us and that Jesus promised for those who believe in Him.
So what do you think about when you think about God?
What Kids Think About God
I thought it might be helpful to see what some kids think about when they think about God. These pictures are from a book by Monica Parker all about how kids see God.
5 year old Anges sees God as a Super Hero.
9 year old Gabby sees God with big ears so He can hear everyone!
11 year old Makayla sees God monitoring things at His Cloud Desk!
And 12 year old Olivia sees God smiling with thunder bolts in his hands!
How Do You Picture God?
I just wonder how you picture God?
We picture God in different ways, don’t we?
But the reality is all of our pictures fall short of the true majesty, the sheer glory, the unspeakable splendor, incredible awesomeness, indescribable resplendence, and incomprehensible grandeur of our God.
And this is a problem for us because many of us, realizing this either consciously or unconsciously, have given up on trying to conceive of an inconceivable God and in doing so we’ve traded in his indescribable majesty for lesser gods.
God’s that are describable. God’s that are comprehensible. God’s that are visible, tangible, containable and ultimately, controlable.
And so our lives revolve around these lesser gods. We don’t call them idols, but that’s what they are.
Whatever our lives revolve around, that is what we worship. That is the object of our worship.
After all, what is worship if it’s not the activity of ascribing value and worth to something? What is worship if it’s not the activity of giving your affection and attention to something? What is worship if it’s not realigning your life with whatever it is you’ve assigned ultimate worth?
And that’s a problem.
Because whenever our lives revolve around anything other than the one true God of the universe, whenever our image of God becomes anything less than who He is, our lives fall short of the abundant life God created us for and Jesus invited us into.
So what do you think about when you think about God?
GOD: And, how do you think rightly about God?
Thinking Rightly About God
I’m convinced that the only way to consistently and consciously think rightly about God is to get into the presence of God.
At least that’s what happened about 2700 years ago for a man by the name of Isaiah. It was only when he found himself in the presence of God that he began to think rightly about God, rightly about himself, and rightly about the world.
You can find this moment in Isaiah’s life recorded in Isaiah 6. Let’s take a moment to lean in and take a close look at Isaiah’s close encounter with God.
Here’s how this scene begins…
Isaiah 6.1-7
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.
Here’s what you need to know about Uzziah. For the most part he was a good king who provided stability for Judah during his reign.
For the last 52 years Judah has enjoyed prosperity and security. But now, Uzziah has died. And you understand how this works, when the king dies there’s questions.
Even in our own nation, we’ll be in the middle of a presidential election very soon and when there is a transition of power of any kind there is uncertainty.
Questions about the future, worry and stress over instability, anxieties about what happens if… or what happens when… all these questions flood the hearts and minds of the people because Uzziah has died.
Who will protect them? Who will reign over them? Who will be their leader? Who will sit on the throne?
It’s in the middle of all this uncertainty and confusion, in the middle of all these questions, doubts, and fears that Isaiah has a vision.
And do you know what he sees? He sees a throne. And not just any throne. He’s sees a throne that has always been. A throne that existed before time began. A throne that will continue to be long after time has come to an end.
In fact, there’s never been a time when this throne didn’t exist and what’s more, there’s never been a time when this throne wasn’t occupied. But unlike the thrones of earth this throne has only had ONE occupant.
There’s never been a transition of power on this throne. There’s never been more than one King who has been seated on this throne. There’s never been worry, fear, uncertainties, or questions about this throne or who is seated on this throne.
There is only ONE who has ever been seated on this throne and He is the unquestioned King of the Universe. He is the Lord.
And Isaiah sees the Lord SEATED on the throne.
He’s not standing. He’s not pacing the floor. He’s not worried. He’s not stressed. He is seated on the throne, high and lifted up, robed in majesty and light. And the train of his robe filled the temple!
Can you imagine what Isaiah is seeing? He sees the throne room of Heaven. A throne room large enough to somehow contain the uncontainable God. A temple large enough to hold the angels of Heaven and believers from every nation in every time who will one day all assemble to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Now imagine that throne room and that temple being filled with just the robe of the Sovereign Lord!
What Angels Think About When They Think About God
Isaiah sees this, and then he notices something else…
2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
What do the angels of heaven, the mighty seraphim, think about when they think about God?
One word, “HOLY.”
And they sing this word on repeat.
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
We’ve somehow managed to take this word that is used to describe the indescribable God, this word, “Holy,” and somehow we’ve managed to void it of it’s true meaning.
I don’t know about you but when something crazy happens, I might say something like, “Holy Smokes!” Or, “Holy Moly!” Or even, “Holy Cow!”
I have no idea where any of those phrases came from! But what I want us to do is to reclaim this word used in Isaiah 6 to somehow describe, and worship, and exalt the “LORD of Heaven’s Armies!”
In the original language, the word “holy” is the word “qados.” It literally means sacred, set apart, clean. It carries this idea of being wholly other.
How do you describe the indescribable God?
He is wholly other.
Completely set apart.
And the angels repeat this refrain three times singing one to another… “Holy, holy, holy…”
They repeat it three times to emphasize how overwhelmingly true this attribute is of God. He’s not just HOLY. He is, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!“
Isaiah has this vision of the worship of heaven, the worship that happens without end around the heavenly throne before the Eternal God.
Maybe you thought that worship started at 8:30 or 11am on a Sunday morning, but I’ve got news for you… The worship of God is unending.
What happens when we gather in this place to worship whenever we gather in this place to worship is that we join in with the worship of our Holy, holy, holy God that is never ending, on going, 24/7! We get to join in with the angels of heaven and sing the praises of our God.
Isaiah’s Response to Being in the Presence of the Holy God
When Isaiah hears the worship of heaven, sees the throne room of the LORD of heaven’s armies, he feels something, he smells something, and then he sees something he hasn’t yet seen.
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
He feels the ground shake beneath his feet, he smells the smoke and then he sees that smoke fill the Temple of the Living God. And when that happens he says…
5 “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
This is the moment when Isaiah not only sees God rightly, but he sees himself rightly.
This is the moment when Isaiah is crystal clear about who he is and who he is not.
He sees the LORD high and lifted up, he hears the worship of heaven, he feels the ground shake beneath his feet and his response? “I am doomed, I am ruined, I am undone, for I am a sinful man.”
Notice that he doesn’t say, “I am unworthy.” Or, “I am worthless.” We tend to say that or feel that about ourselves. But that’s not what Isaiah says.
Isaiah’s view of God and his view of himself in this moment is going to shape the rest of his life and his calling. And our view of God as well as our view of ourselves will shape our lives and our calling as well.
If we don’t see God as high and lifted up it’s probably because we see ourselves as high and lifted up.
If we have a high view of ourselves we can’t have a high view of God.
That’s not to say we should think low of ourselves, less of ourselves, or see ourselves as worthless or unworthy.
No. We are created by God, in the image of God, for the glory of God. Unlike Isaiah, we live on this side and of the cross and so we know… Christ died for us! We are WORTH the price he paid! To say we are unworthy or worthless is to diminish the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross.
NO! We need to think RIGHTLY about ourselves and RIGHTLY about God.
Isaiah saw himself rightly before God and he was undone because he was fully aware of his sin. And he was fully aware of the sin of his people.
God’s Response to Isaiah Being in His Holy Presence
Isaiah doesn’t make any excuses in this moment. He knows he’s a sinner in the presence of a HOLY God and he is ruined. And what’s worse, there is absolutely nothing He can do about His condition. The Good News, there is something God can do about His condition.
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
In an act of sheer grace and compassion, God does for Isaiah what only God can do for Isaiah, He forgives his sin. This is who God is. This is what God does. He is a Holy God who makes His people holy.
There’s more to this story and I would invite you to keep reading and think deeply about what happens next, but for today, for this moment, I want us to dwell on this holiness of God.
And I want you to think about this question…
What would you do if you came face to face with the Living God?
The Pillars of Creation
In 1995 the Hubble Telescope captured this image of new stars forming within dense clouds of gas and dust some 6,500 light years away from planet earth.
They call this image The Pillars of Creation, a phrase lifted from the pages of a sermon given by Charles Spurgeon in in London in 1857 because this image taken from the Eagle Nebula, in the Serpens constellation, here in the Milky Way Galaxy looks like pillars in outer space put in place by the God of the Universe. And in fact, that’s exactly what they are!
This image was first captured by the Hubble Telescope and it is awesome. But in 2021 Nasa launched a new telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, that has the ability through new technology to capture infrared light and give more depth and dimension than ever before to images captured in space. One of the first images they wanted to capture was The Pillars of Creation.
When scientist look at this image, they see thousands of newly formed stars, they see the effects of gravitational forces, and the mixture of dust and cosmic gases. But when you look at these pictures it’s hard not to see the handiwork of God. In fact, some people even see the hand of God.
Some who have seen this image are reminded of Michelangelo’s painting, Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel, where the hand of God and the hand of man are reaching out toward one another.
And yet this is just one image of one collection of stars located in one galaxy in our universe.
And O, by the way, it’s located just 6,500 light years away. Maybe that doesn’t sound like it’s too far away but it’s not exactly down the street. One light year is approximately 6 trillion miles! And the Pillars of Creation is located 6,500 light years away from where you and I are sitting today!
And the same God that set the Pillars of Creation in place knows your name this morning. The same God who doesn’t need a telescope to see something 6,500 light years away can see inside your heart today.
Is it any wonder the angels of heaven sing,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Is it any wonder that all creation sings His praise. (Psalms 148:13)
Our Right Response to Our Holy God
So what do you do, what would you do, when you come face to face with the living God?
You worship. You sing the angel’s song. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!”
Because God IS HOLY.
There is no one like Him. There is no one beside Him. No one else is worthy of worship. No one else is worthy of praise.
Your God is HOLY.
And when you begin to understand who God is and who you are in the light of His presence, everything begins to change.
When we begin to put God in His rightful place in our hearts, minds, and lives, everything changes. Our lives begin to realign with His character, reflect His nature, and respond in worship.
And today, if I could ask you to do one thing this week, this is it… Get into the presence of God. Spend time with God. Get into God’s word. Get into God’s presence. Humble yourself before Him. Worship Him privately and worship Him with His church publicly.
Your God is HOLY. And we live to WORSHIP HIM.
One More Vision Of Heaven
What do we think about when we think about God?
If we don’t spend time in the presence of God, striving to see God rightly, see ourselves rightly in the light of His glory and grace, experiencing his mercy and forgiveness, we’ll never live for His purpose.
Fast forward from the prophet Isaiah to John who wrote Revelations. John also had a vision of the worship of Heaven. Listen to what he saw and the song he heard the angels sing.
Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Revelation 4.1-11
Your God is HOLY. And we live to WORSHIP HIM.
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