“HIS HOLINESS”
PASTOR DAVID MOORE
New Testament reading: Revelation 4:1‐11
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty‐four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty‐four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty‐four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Old Testament reading: Isaiah 6:1‐13
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Today’s theme: The main task of a Christian is to know God. This week we talk about God’s holiness.
God’s holiness has an impact on His creation in four ways.
1) God’s holiness overwhelms us. Which means we can’t argue with Him, He is so far beyond us we are not a close second.
We live in a society full of people who want to be their own gods, and will not like the idea of Yahweh as a God who is pure and holy and will not tolerate evil.
We need to be reminded that God is holy and we are not and know that though God has accommodated our sins through Christ, God is at the core of purity and holiness, and we aren’t. And that should unsettle us. Because although things will never be fair in this world, one day His holiness will right all wrongs, justice will prevail because of who He is. ~D. Moore
2) God’s holiness exposes/strips us. When we, as individuals, get an accurate sense of God’s holiness, we realize that we have never and will never love God as He deserves to be loved.
The last idol, once all the others have been eliminated from our lives, is self‐righteousness. ~D. Moore
3) God’s holiness heals us. Many people want the love of God without the holiness of God. Everyone must go through the valley of understanding the depth of their sin to understand the greatness of God’s grace.
4) God’s holiness renews/renovates/transforms us. When you finally realize that God is a God so holy that even the angels burn and smoke in His presence—they have to cover their eyes— that God is for me, loves us, what can I possibly be afraid of? ~D. Moore
We live in our own time of turmoil and trouble. Look and hear God. “If I’m your King and in spite of My holiness I have accepted you, through grace.” I’ve forgiven you, then you can even take courage. ~D. Moore
God bless and have a good week.