God Is Holy
During October and November, our sermon series will be "God is." Although the series will be a theological series, don't be threatened; theology is not just for seminary professors or pastors but for everyone. We practice theology every time we think about God because theology is nothing but studying God. In this upcoming series, we will explore the doctrine of God and the moral attributes of His character, nature, temperament, personality, and what He is like. Our focus during this series will be; One of the missional responsibilities of a believer is to share God. How would you complete the following sentence; To you, God is…?
God is Loving - 1 John 4:7-12 - God's love empowers me to love.
God is Just - Ezekiel 18:21-24; 30-32 - God is always just.
God is Forgiving - 1 John 1:5-10; 2:1-2 - God always forgives when I truly repent.
God is wise - Proverbs 2:1-6; 3:5-7 - God will give me wisdom when I humbly seek it.
God is faithful - Hebrews 6:17-20; 10:19-23 - God's past faithfulness ensures our future is secure.
On Sunday, our time together will focus on Psalm 99, one of the "Majesty" Psalms. Three times, the psalmist focuses the reader's attention on the holiness of God! God is Holy! Friends, nothing compares to God's holiness; it sets Him apart from all of His creation. God being Sovereign, Just, and always available is what sets Him apart from all other deities. Knowing this, how should we respond?
We often feel nervous, fearful, or even insecure when we are in the presence of someone famous. Being with people, we deem morally superior to ourselves can lead to a wide range of emotions. We may be drawn to their presence, eager to be more like them, or we may feel guilty and desire to avoid them altogether. All of these feelings are possible when it comes to relating to a holy God. He is socially and morally separated from us by His holiness, and we are impacted in various ways as a result.
Biblically speaking, the term "holy" primarily concerns God's separation from the world, which He chooses to devote to Himself. God, Himself is also holy, meaning all of His attributes are entirely perfect, and He is set apart from all of His creation. In Psalm 99, the psalmist praises God for His holiness and perfect justice. This psalm celebrates the holiness of God in many ways. First, note the triple declaration of verse 3,5,9: "He is holy...He is holy...The Lord, our God, is holy." Closely related to God's holiness is the sense of awe it provokes: "The peoples tremble." Even nature responds: "Let the earthquake." One can never truly encounter our holy God and be emotionally untouched! This was the prophet Isaiah's experience when He received a vision of God on His heavenly throne. He heard the angelic voices declare; "one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth." (Isaiah 6:3). Each one of the cherubim that made this declaration covered his face, and feet in God's awesome presence. They may have been bright creatures themselves, but the seraphim hid from God's greater brightness. If these heavenly beings hid in the presence of God's glory, how much more should sinful humans feel humbled before the mighty God?