The Holiness of God

The Holiness of God 

So I said: “ Woe is me, for I am undone … 

for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah 6:5

An exalted view of God brings a clear view of sin and a realistic view of self. A diminished view of God brings a reduced concern for sin and an inflated view of self. Isaiah may have been satisfied with his personal holiness until he saw the Lord in His unspeakable glory. Isaiah's encounter with holy God made him immediately and keenly aware of his own unholiness and the sinfulness of those around him. It is impossible to worship God and remain unchanged. The best indication that we have truly worshiped is a changed heart.

Have we so conformed ourselves to a sinful world that we are satisfied with unholy living? Have we sunk so far below God's standard that when someone does live as God intended, we consider that person “superspiritual”? If we only compare our personal holiness to those around us, we may be deceived into believing that we are living a consecrated life. Yet when we encounter holy God, our only response can be “Woe is me!”

You will not see those around you trusting Jesus until they recognize a clear difference between you and the rest of the world. God wants to sanctify you as He is holy. When God deals with you, there will be a radical degree of purity about your life that is absolutely different from what the world can produce. The world, including those closest to you, will be convinced you serve a holy God by your consecrated life. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day 

It is interesting how it was put. How, whether said outloud or not, the thought when seeing someone who IS living a life as God intended is considered 'superspiritual'.  Thoughts by young believers of how either they can't be that way or they can't see how to become that way happen.  Satan loves to goad people by having Christians in various stages of life in Christ labeled. Labeled everything from fake to Jesus freaks.  Anything to make a mockery of the Christian life to dissuade people from finding it appealing. 

Then there is this from Spurgeon today:

Colossians 4:2 NKJV 

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Scripture is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 4:26 ESV), and just as we are about to close the volume, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Specific examples are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob, there a Daniel who prayed three times a day, and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elijah; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands and myriads of promises. What does this teach us but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our needs that, until we are in heaven, we must not cease to pray. Do you think you have no needs? Then I fear you don’t know your poverty. Do you feel as though you don’t need mercy from God? Then may the Lord’s mercy show you your misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honor of a Christian. If you are a child of God, you will seek your Father’s face and live in your Father’s love. Pray that this year you might be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ; and enter more often into the banquet-house of His love. Pray that you might be an example and a blessing to others, and live more to the glory of your Master. The motto for this year must be, Continue earnestly in prayer.

Prayer is not just communication with God, it's a purification tool as well.  Isaiah was in the Spirit before Jesus and finally, realizing how filthy his own righteousness was considered himself doomed.  

All mankind has a view of their idea of good n bad. Of what is righteousness and what is not. 

The issue is we need to have our eyes opened BEFORE we meet Jesus face-to-face to be able to work out our Salvation before Him.  My friend, if you wait until this life is over to present your idea of a good life to Jesus, you waited too long and certainly your efforts were in vain.  

There's no way a pair of sin impacted eyes that have been tainted by sin, can even come close to seeing sin's resulting impact on a life apart from God.   We cannot fathom what a single sin has done to send a person to Hell, let alone countless thousands in a lifetime. 

A single sin is enough to render a guilty verdict against anyone.  Regardless of if that same person was a Mother Teresa on steroids the rest of their lives. One sin.

You could even be a preacher most of your life and if there wasn't a transforming moment where you gave your life to Christ, it was all for naught.  

Paul highly recommended checking yourself to make sure you had indeed come to Christ for Salvation. 

The holiness of God is absolute.  It is beyond 100 purity.  It is absolute perfection.  It is not devoid of feelings or emotions but are full of perfected ones. Gladness and celebration occurs in Heaven when someone comes to Christ. 

The holiness of God brings everyone to the same place...to show they need of a Savior. 

This world isn't going to turn into a utopia until after the Tribulation period of 7 years.   We aren't going to be here, those who are in Christ.  When Jesus arrives and begins to rule the Earth personally, there will be no election.  He has all the details worked out.  People will see what a true ruler is all about.  Bribery, special interest groups, lawyers, political parties will all be done away with. No more doctors or hospitals. No more medicines. The preoccupation of people will be the worship of Jesus Christ as Lord for 1,000 years.  There will be no crimes committed where a trial is necessary. Jesus will render judgment immediately because He already knows the truth. 

God's Holiness will be manifested in Jesus as He rules. 

In the meantime, we begin to see our real sin situation the more we pray.  The more we spend time with Jesus the more we see our need.   John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly."

Satan loves to impersonate life. To get us to accept or crave that which is outside what God wants for us.  He plays on fears.

The peace of God which passes all understanding is because of the holiness of God.   We let go of our wants n wait for what He gives. 

The holiness of God shows us our sins that we once never considered to be sin.

That too was Isaiah's response.  He fully recognized his true sin nature when he saw Jesus.  I promise you even the likes of Paul, Peter, John, and even Billy Graham bowed down before Christ because of their nature that they knew of themselves. 

I too can even now find myself hollering "unclean!" before Jesus.  I may see some sin in myself but oh the rest that I don't see.  I often wonder how such a Holy God can still love one such as I with even the little bit of sin that I see in me.

Look into yourself.  You need to be sure of being saved by Jesus Christ.  You. 

When you stand before Christ nobody will be there with you.  You will answer for yourself.   Make sure now that Jesus is your Savior.  Prayer will both help you to communicate with God and show you what He's changing and is going to change in you.