Sunday, January 11, 2015

Seeing God in a Right Perspective - The Importance of the Holiness of God

Temple Baptist Church - 1-11-2015
Isaiah 6:1-5
 
 
Introduction: 
 
A.  One, if not the, greatest problems facing the churches of our day is a lack of the fear of the Lord.  This is a problem in both the lives of the saved and lost.  No longer do most churches recognize the absolute holiness of a thrice holy God!  The holiness of God is an attribute that is essential to God and to man.  Without perfect holiness:
 
1.  God would be as imperfect as man and there could be no salvation. 
 
2.  God would not be just and there can be no biblical fear of God.
 
B.  R. C. Sproul makes this insightful observation from Isaiah 6:  “The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy.  Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy.  He is holy, holy, holy.  The Bible never says that God is love, love, love, or mercy, mercy, mercy, or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice, justice.  It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of His glory.”
 
1.  The Bible definition of the fear of the Lord is found in Psalm 19:9 which says, “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”
 
2.  It is of small wonder that the world is in the shape that it is in when people no longer have a fear of the Lord.  Sin is rampant and “that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  (Genesis 6:5)
 
C.  The church is also in a mess for the same reason!  Even God’s people do not have a right perspective of the holiness of God.  Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. (Holiness has now become “legalism” in our economy and God’s people see no real need for living in a biblical manner.)
 
D.  The Bible asks this question–Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?  For thou only art holy:  for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are mad manifest.
 
E.  God is infinitely and immutably holy.  In our text, the prophet Isaiah got a vision of the holiness of God and it was life changing!  Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 
 
1 Timothy 6:15-16  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.  (Not “a” light but “the” light.  Notice the definite article “the” when speaking of God’s light.  It is one of a kind!  Not a dim light; not an average light; not a bright light; but THE light.)
 
1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (God not only dwells in “the” light, God IS light: a light with no darkness at all.  No shadows and no gray areas but a brilliant, all exposing, all revealing light that lights not only the world but every man who is born into this world.  To deny God is to deny the light that God has given to man.)
 
F.  The Holiness of God is unequaled–Isaiah 40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.  (God is unequaled; God is unparalleled; God is one of a kind; God is indescribable because He is beyond the realm of our experience.  God is infinitely holy!)
 
G.  I want to look for a few minutes at the importance of the absolute holiness of God.
 
1.  The Holiness Of God Is An Unreachable Standard For Personal Righteousness - Romans 10:3-4  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  (4)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.  (No man or woman can attain perfection!  There are some who believe that they can but the bibles declares that all, both saved and lost, are sinful.)
 
2.  The Holiness Of God Makes Salvation All Of GraceEphesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
 
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost;
 
3.  The Holiness Of God Is Our Seal Of Eternal Salvation - Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
 
4.  The Holiness Of God Changes Our Conduct and Attitudes In Worship – Psalm 96:9 O worship the LORD          in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
           
5.  The Holiness Of God Brings About Holiness Of Life – 1 Peter 1:15-16  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16)  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

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