Encounter With the Holy

Scripture Passage: Isaiah 6:1-9

Do you ever consider what it means that God is "holy"? Holiness is the one aspect of God's nature that stands out, far and above all the others. We are quick to talk about God's love -- as we should -- but reluctant to dwell on God's holiness.

A worship leader stood before the congregation and said, "turn in your hymnals to number 446, 'Take Time To Be Holy,' we will just sing the first two verses...

Holiness is the one attribute that sets God above, apart, and distinct from all creation. How should we respond to God's holiness? And what impact does God's holiness have on our lives?

Holiness, in God's terms, is not simply the absence of sin but the presence of righteousness. As the Baptist Faith and Message proclaims God is "infinite in holiness and all other perfections". As a result, whenever God reveals Himself as holy, people are going to change. You and I as fallen human beings cannot remain the same when we encounter the holy. Holiness means change. Change, even good change, is not comfortable. For you and I to live a holy life means a changed life.

Our Scripture passage reveals the LORD in a blaze of glory to the prophet Isaiah. His vision of the one true King, the Holy One of Israel changed Isaiah's life for the good and forever. As we see how this event affected Isaiah, we should all be encouraged with a fresh sense of God's holiness. It is my prayer that each of us today will commit or renew our commitment to personal holiness as we worship and serve our LORD Jesus Christ, who alone is holy.

Scripture Passage: Isaiah 6:1-9

Main point: God has revealed Himself as holy so that you will respond with praise, humility, and an intense desire to serve Him only.

I. Revelation of a holy God clarifies our perspective on who is really in charge (Isa. 6:1).

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1, NKJV)

This verse inspired one of the most popular praise songs today. However, let us not read past the first phrase "In the year that King Uzziah died…". Isaiah was mourning the loss of this great king when the LORD revealed His glory.

A. A human king with human problems.

King Uzziah's 52 year reign (2 Chron. 26:3) was generally good:

And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. (2 Chron. 26:4-5, NKJV).

Later in his life, King Uzziah became prideful. He possessed (so he thought):

Over 300,000 soldiers (2 Chron 26:13).
Latest in smart bomb technology -- 7th century B.C. (2 Chron. 26:15).
Great wealth (2 Chron. 26:10,14).

He decided that since He was so strong, had conquered so much, and after all was the king of Israel, he then had the right even to worship God however he chose.

When he became strong and prosperous (both of these things were blessings from the LORD) that he developed pride in himself (wanted to be independent of God's will).
This pride led him away from the LORD to a selfish, self-willed life (2 Chron. 26:16-18).
When you and I become strong in the sense of job security, material possessions, relationships, we can also develop an attitude that we don't need God to get by.

King Uzziah's death was a direct consequence of his sinful pride (2 Chron. 26:19-21). He chose to go into the Temple and burn incense before God, something only the priests were allowed to do. If that was not enough, when confronted by more than 80 brave priests, Uzziah became angry with them rather than humbled before a holy God.

Uzziah was immediately struck with leprosy, a fatal disease for him. It left him wasting away, isolated and alone to the day he died. Uzziah had a long, generally good life but did not finish well. He was a human king with human problems.

B. A divine King who is utterly holy.

Isaiah was grieving over the earthly king, Uzziah, when he saw the LORD God in all His holy splendor. The word for LORD here is "adonai" from the root Hebrew word for "master." This particular word is only used for our Creator God. In fact, the Bible tells us that Isaiah saw the LORD Jesus Christ (prior to His incarnation), God the Son, sitting on the throne (John 12:41). So we have an incredible contrast in Isaiah 6:1:

LORD Jesus Christ	King Uzziah
A heavenly King in all His glory	A humiliated earthly king.
Seated on a heavenly throne (in control and not surprised by anything)	A leper isolated from his palace and his people.
High and lifted up (exalted)	A man down in sickness, despair, and humiliation.
Train of His robe filled the Temple (great and majestic God)	A man wearing ordinary clothes defiled by the decaying skin of his leprosy.
His angels shouting "Holy, Holy, Holy"	A sick man shouting "Unclean, Unclean."
His praise shaking the foundation of the Temple	A man whose life was shaken apart by pride, guilt, and disease.

What a contrast between the earthly king and the One true King, the LORD Jesus Christ.

My family used to enjoy piling up in bed to watch "Touched by an Angel," a show that always had a positive message. Dad, trying to be efficient, ironed clothes for the week while watching the show with my family. The topic of who is the "king" came up. I said, "You know that I'm the king in this house!" My family looked around, giggled, and said, "Well if you're the king, why are you standing there ironing clothes while we are lying in bed watching TV?"

God's revelation of His utter holiness clarifies for us who really is THE King and what He is like. If the God you worship is anything less than the one Isaiah described -- holy, exalted, ruling over all people, circumstance, and things -- then you have the wrong God… If the LORD Jesus Christ is not THE King of your life, then who do have enthroned in your heart?

II. The Revelation of a holy God demands an immediate, three-fold response:

(2) Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (4) And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:2-4, NKJV)

A. In the presence of God, the first response to His obvious holiness is praise -- praise to a holy God.

Seraphim are angelic beings, spoken of only once in Scripture in this glimpse into Heaven given to Isaiah. As all angels are, they are spirit creatures created by God to serve Him. The Seraphim have a place just above the throne of God.

For such a special place, the Seraphim must be the holiest creatures of all! Yet look at their posture -- they cover both their face and their feet with two sets of wings lest they be consumed by the holiness of God. With two other wings they serve God, flying above His throne to proclaim His praises.

Note that holiness is the theme song of Heaven. "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:2, NKJV).

The holiness of God is not only the content of their praise but the form itself. Each of the Seraphim are holy, set apart to the LORD, for specific praise to the LORD: "one cried to another and said…" (6:3, NKJV). One cried "Holy, Holy, Holy…" to the next Seraphim, who in turn cried "Holy, Holy, Holy…" It may be like the cascade of rhythm when as children we would sing "row, row, row your boat." In any event the praise is holy in what is proclaimed and in how it is proclaimed. It serves to model for God's people to praise our holy God.

Let's consider your personal contribution of praise to the LORD compared to the Seraphim:

Is your praise holy to the LORD? Is it set apart as the most special, most important thing for you to do?
Do you praise the LORD in all His holiness? Or do you tend to praise Him more for the many blessings He bestows upon you?
Does your life praise the LORD as a reflection of His holiness?

Your praise to the LORD Jesus Christ should emphasize His holiness. God's name is holy (Psalm 30:4) -- the "name" refers to one's character and works, one's reputation if you will. As Henry Ford once said, "You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do" (if he was raised in the South, he would have said: "You cannot build a reputation on what you are fixin' to do"). If God's reputation is holy, and we are to reflect His holiness, then we need to build a reputation for holiness as well. Our praise should lift up God's holy name. But our praise is not just in a worship service - it is the outward expression of our lives devoted to the LORD Jesus, high and lifted up.

Let us not stop there ... the Bible says that:

God's beauty is holy (2 Chron. 20:21).
God's city is holy (Rev. 22:19).
God's temple is holy (Psa. 138:2).
God's courts are holy (Isa. 62:9).
God's angels are holy (Rev. 14:10).
God's apostles and prophets are holy (Rev. 18:20).
God's people are holy (Lev. 11:44)
God's church is holy (1 Peter 2:9).

There is incredible power in their corporate praise. We see in verse 4 the very doorposts of the temple were shaken.

It was the collective voice of the Seraphim praising the LORD.
It was the focus on God's holiness that permeated their praise.
It was the closeness and unity of the Seraphim as they praised the LORD.
As the Psalmist notes: "You LORD are holy, enthroned in the praises of Your people" (Psalm 22:3, NKJV paraphrased).

Truly our LORD is the "Holy One of Israel" (Psa. 71:22, NKJV). There is incredible power when we, as God's people, enter into His presence praising Him in all His holy splendor! This is why it is so important that we gather together regularly in church -- to be close, to be holy, set apart from the world and unto the presence of God -- for worship.

Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:3-4, NKJV)

B. Humility before a holy God (Isa. 6:5-7).

(5) So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." (6) Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. (7) And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged." (Isaiah 6:5-7, NKJV)

The greater your understanding of God's holiness, the greater is your humility. We saw the humility of the Seraphim before God. Now we see how you and I should respond to the holiness of God. You see, God had to reveal His holiness so that you would be able to relate to Him appropriately.

Our biggest problem outside the church is that people do not realize the utter holiness of God.
Our biggest problem inside the church is that God's people do not consider the utter holiness of God.

When you understand God's holiness, it shines a bright light on the darkness of your own soul. Isaiah saw only a glimpse of God's holiness and came unglued in the very core of his being. I can imagine Isaiah running out of the Temple screaming these words, "Woe is me…."

God IS holy and trying to deny it or ignore it will never work. Your life is to be holy before God. The word of God is clear:

God opposes the proud … (James 4:6, NKJV)

You cannot run from a holy God -- Jonah found that out in the cold, dark, stinking belly of a great fish (Jonah 1:17).
You cannot hide from a holy God -- Adam & Eve found that out in the Garden; God knew exactly where they were: physically and spiritually (Gen. 3:7-11).
You cannot overpower a holy God -- The book of Revelation tells us that in the end Satan and all his forces of darkness and all those who rebel against God will rise up in the end in a feeble, futile attempt to overpower the LORD Jesus Christ. And "fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev. 20:9, NKJV). Even they wind up in Hell, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:7-10).

You just cannot fight God. He is the Creator of all things. He fought the war against sin and death on the cross at Calvary and even won that battle. Confronted with God's holiness, you and I must turn away from sin or be consumed. Yet there is hope for us in the turning.

God opposes the proud BUT gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6, NKJV, emphasis mine)

God offers forgiveness to the humble. He is too holy to endure your sin. And He is too loving to leave you with no hope. In his horror, Isaiah was humbled and so he acknowledged the LORD is "the King, the LORD of Hosts" (6:5, NKJV). He found that forgiveness from God is freely given as the Seraphim touched his lips with a coal from the altar of sacrifice. This touch from the Seraphim was a symbolic act for Isaiah being cleansed from his sin by the grace of God.

The sacrifices on the altar always pointed forward to Christ (John 1:29 "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world"; 1 Cor. 5:7 "Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us"; Heb. 10:1-14 sacrifices are a "shadow of the good things to come") who would come into the world to offer the once-for-all sacrifice for sin: "Christ died for sin, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18, NIV).

By God's grace, Isaiah was cleansed completely from his sin -- he was made holy -- so that he could enter into a permanent relationship with a holy God, the same God who had previously overwhelmed him in holiness. Isn't that good news!

God's forgiveness is offered to everyone -- it is God's desire that you be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). God's offer of salvation in Christ can only be received by the … humble. Remember, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6, NKJV).

The good news of Jesus Christ is this:

God is holy.
You are not holy.
Jesus Christ is God in the flesh (John 1:1,14) who lived the perfect, holy life that you and I need to live but cannot live.
Christ died to pay the penalty for your sins and He rose from the grave so that you would know He is the LORD, that He has the authority to forgive your sins and the resurrection power to make you holy.
If you will turn from your sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior, you will be saved.

I appeal to you to commit your life to our LORD Jesus Christ right now. Do not turn your heart away from His holiness but seek Him while He may be found. Publicly confess Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior.

God's continual holiness also keeps the child of God humble. Lest we enter into salvation and think that is enough, just so long as we get into Heaven, God continues to reveal Himself as holy. Holiness keeps you humble. God's Holiness has a purifying effect on your life, a continual light that shines to reveal your heart before God. Because God is holy, he works to purify:

Your motives
Your attitudes
Your priorities
Your conversation with others
Your relationship with others
Your mission and service in God's kingdom.

If God purifies these things in your life, Christian, what will remain as holy? That should be our guiding force in life to keep us focused on the holy…

C. Service for a holy God (Isa. 6:8-9).

(8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." (9) And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'" (Isaiah 6:8-9, NKJV)

A holy God requires holy people engaged in holy living. Holiness that humbles the soul is also the holiness that stirs the heart with a desire to serve God. Isaiah was set free from his burden of sin, to do what? To keep living as he had been? To do his own thing? No… Isaiah was set free to serve the LORD.

Being holy means you are set apart for God -- set apart from sin unto righteousness.

God is holy.
Isaiah is now holy because of God's forgiveness.
Now Isaiah has an intense desire to serve God with all his might.

Isaiah is ready to fly with the Seraphim above God's throne and join the praise chorus of "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts" (Isa. 6:1, NKJV). Isaiah is ready to live a holy life for a holy God.

God's call to holy living requires no half-hearted commitment.

But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15-16, NKJV)

Holy living requires a "Yes, LORD, what would you have me do?" attitude. This was Isaiah's heart when he heard God's call: "Here am I! Send me" (Isa. 6:8, NKJV). Isaiah had no idea what God wanted him to do but he was PRECOMMITTED.

There is no limit to what God can do, no telling all that He will do through the person who has been made holy through Christ AND is precommitted to whatever God wills.

Holiness is both your position and your practice. You can be holy before God because of what Christ accomplished for you on the cross. Your position in Christ is "holy" (Eph. 1:3, NKJV). Please remember this:

God did not save you just to keep you out of Hell ("fire insurance") -- though salvation in Christ does that.
God did not save you just to get you to Heaven -- though salvation in Christ does that also.
God saved you to make you holy for without holiness no one will see God or experience His presence (Heb. 12:14).

Holy living is a choice you make because God is holy and declared you holy in Christ. You are indeed a "new creation in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV) created in holiness (Eph. 4:24). Consider this analogy:

A duck cannot run the 100 yard dash -- it would be funny to watch (waddle, waddle, waddle).
A duck has webbed feet made to swim. That is what the duck must do because it is a duck.

You and I cannot live selfish, self-centered lives because God made you to be holy in Christ.

Since we have these promises [God will dwell with you in holiness], dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Cor. 7:1, NIV).

Conclusion

God has revealed Himself holy so that you can have a holy relationship with Him -- filled with praise, humility, and an intense desire to serve Him, to live for Him only.

If you are not sure a holy God is pleased with your life as it now stands, commit yourself as never before to personal holiness before God.
If you have never put your trust in the LORD Jesus Christ as your Savior, then pray to that end right now and commit your life to Him. He will change you from the inside-out by making you holy.