Holy, Holy, Holy

Info

Series: No Series

Title: Holy, Holy, Holy God’s holiness as seen in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 #theology

Preached:

2013-02-16: 광주
2014-06-07: White Rock Lake
2019-06-08: Valley
2019-08-31: Birmingham First Church
2023-06-28: Reaching Hearts

Songs:

86: “How Great Thou Art”
100: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
500: “Take Time to Be Holy”
73: “Holy, Holy, Holy”

Scripture: Revelation 4:2, 3, 6-8

Slides:

Intro: Early memories of Spokane:
1. @ Watching the minutes pass on an old flip clock
2. Being excited to be able to count to 100
3. Evening family worship, culminating with @ Mom’s heaven stories
God’s throne room
1. @ Imagine being transported to God’s throne in heaven (Revelation 4)
  1. God has the appearance of precious stones (v. 3)
  2. A rainbow encircles the throne (v. 3)
  3. Around God’s throne are 24 other thrones for the 24 elders, who are dressed in white and wear crowns (v. 4)
  4. From God’s throne come visible demonstrations of His power. (v. 5)
  5. There are seven lamps and a sea of glass before the throne (vv. 5, 6)
  6. Closest to the throne are four living creatures, covered with eyes. (vv. 6, 7)
  7. @ v. 8: They constantly speak of God’s holiness.
2. Much of Revelation alludes to the Old Testament. Here, we have a reference to Isaiah 6
  1. @ vv. 1, 2
  2. In this case, there are seraphim – having similar characteristics to the living creatures of Revelation – who surround God’s throne and call out to each other: verses 3, 4.
@ Results of experiencing God’s holiness
1. @ Isaiah 6
  1. v. 5: Isaiah’s response is one of dismay – he expected to die immediately as a result of seeing God
  2. He realizes his own sinfulness, and his own utter unworthiness
  3. He cannot be proud when in the presence of God
2. @ Israel at Sinai
  1. @ Exodus 19: It was time for the people of Israel to meet with God. vv. 17-19
  2. @ After this, God delivered the Ten Commandments
  3. @ Notice the immediate reaction of the Israelites: ch. 20:18, 19. They were afraid and wanted to avoid direct contact with God.
3. Other instances
  1. In the Bible, when a person encounters God, or even an angel, the most common response is fear. Why? Not because God is angry, vengeful, or unjust, but because He is so much higher and greater than people.
4. @ Our lives
  1. Many of us have never taken the time to really contemplate God’s holiness. Perhaps we’re afraid to.
  2. As in Isaiah’s case, God’s holiness reveals our sins.
  3. The more we learn about God, the more we realize how unlike God we are.
  4. @ Paul was one of the apostles; he was perhaps one of the godliest men who ever lived, yet he didn’t think himself to be completely holy: Romans 7:21-24
  5. @ We must fix our eyes on God and let His holiness reveal our unholiness.
  6. @ v. 25: Our unholiness doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Redemption through God’s holiness
1. @ Isaiah 6:6-8. Isaiah’s experience of God’s holiness was redemptive.
  1. The live coal is a reference to the Day of Atonement, when coals were taken into the Most Holy Place to atone for the sins of the people.
  2. Because Isaiah realized his own sinfulness and repented of it, he received forgiveness.
    1. Repentance is the prerequisite to forgiveness, and an understanding of God’s holiness is important to produce repentance
    2. @ Zechariah 3:1-4: A figurative description of this same process. Notice that holiness is the work of God, not people.
    3. @ We must repent of our unholiness and let God forgive and cleanse us.
  3. Isaiah’s experience resulted in his willingness to serve God wholeheartedly. When God is at work in our lives, He changes us completely.
2. @ Return to the throne room in Revelation.
  1. In the midst of the worship, a crisis develops: who is worthy to remove the seals from the scroll in God’s hand?
  2. @ Revelation 5:6, 9: The Lamb was worthy
  3. All true holiness is focused on God and the Lamb
3. Israel
  1. @ They had many experiences with God’s holiness. In fact, Moses spent so much time in God’s presence that his face was left so perpetually radiant that he covered his face with a veil any time he wasn’t with God. (Exodus 34:33-35)
  2. @ Numbers 16: Despite the many evidences of God’s holiness, many of the Israelite leaders made an astonishing claim: @ v. 3
    1. Many people today make the same claim. Many people believe that we have an inner goodness and that we should find the strength within ourselves to solve whatever problems we face. This isn’t very different from the story in Numbers 16.
    2. The result of their rebellion was that God made His point clearly, and many people, including the leaders of the rebellion, perished.
    3. Despite their claims to the contrary, God judged them to be unholy.
  3. @ We must be careful not to take God’s holiness lightly. Sin is combustible in the presence of His holiness. We must not let pride or self-confidence prevent us from experiencing the transforming power of God’s holiness.
The time for God’s holiness
1. @ We need to spend time with God daily in prayer, Bible study, and surrender of our wills completely to Him.
2. There’s also a special occasion.
  1. @ When God revealed Himself at Sinai, He didn’t only show His holiness to the people of Israel. He also gave them the Ten Commandments.
  2. One of the commandments (Exodus 20:8-11) speaks twice of holiness: the Fourth.
  3. @ Exodus 31:13, 14: The Sabbath is an integral part of holiness; by observing it, we come close to God, and are able to be changed as was Isaiah.
  4. The Sabbath is a special time of holiness. Every Sabbath, we should draw near to God and take advantage of the special blessings He has bestowed on this day.
@ Summary