God's Most Unpopular Attribute - Part A

Not a flaw in any sense of the word, but it is very much part of God's character and that is his holiness, God's holiness is not his most attractive characteristic and here's one it's because of this character trait of God that he is holy is responsible for his action, God of justice, a God of judgment, a God of vengeance the God of wrath. The reason hello exists because God is ultimately the God when you get to know God and your relationship with him. It's likely you will discover some things that might make you do a double take. Today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip talks about one of those attributes and why it's so important to understand and embrace the end of today's program Skip his wife Linda share some helpful resources to help or about the first of all, we have a thing that is a podcast connect with Skip podcast. You can subscribe to it, modify or capital podcast or in Google play.

If you want to get a podcast downloading care whenever you want in the car. I [Thanksgiving be sure to stay tuned. After today's message to hear the full conversation. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you get a full picture of God's character and nature so you can draw closer to him.

Someone once said that if you want to know about Michelangelo need to study what he said what he did and what he created. The same is true if you want to know God, you must devote yourself to his words and actions and what he created. That is one of the reasons I wrote the book the biography of God. It's available now and I hope you'll join me on this noble demanding and even rewarding journey.

There's how to get your copy of my newest book, the biography of God.

Skip's new book is our thanks will you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry only air, call 800-922-1888, or give online securely@connectwithskip.com/offer Isaiah chapter 6 Skip my Dick starts today's you know there are some characteristics of God that are very appealing characteristics. His love for example, is probably the most appealing and attractive part of his nature to most people who doesn't like to sing about God's love or talk about God's love or preach about God's love. It's an appealing characteristic as is his grace and his mercy is might etc. but there are certain character traits attributes of God that are less appealing to people. They're very real very much a part of him, but they're not the most appealing attribute years ago there was a photographer named Yusuf Karsh who photographed famous people and he had a large-format camera great lands and he put out a book called portraits of greatness, over 90 of the world's most famous people done in large-format photography.

Probably the most famous photograph of Winston Churchill was in that book, photographed by Karsh but it was noted that of the 90 pictures of famous people.

70 of them in this book were physically unattractive.

35. In the pictures had moles or warts 13 supported liver spots, 20 had acne when the photograph was taken and two of them revealed visible scars. In other words, Karsh with the detail of his lands and large plate of film capture people as they really are. That's who they were. Today we look at an attribute of God that is probably the least discussed the lease preach on and the least attractive to most people. It's not a flaw in any sense of the word, but it is very much part of God's character and that is his holiness, God's holiness is not his most attractive characteristic, and here's why.

It's because of this character trait of God that he is holy, that is responsible for his actions.

These God of justice, a God of judgment, a God of vengeance the God of wrath. The reason hello exists is because God is ultimately a holy God.

That's why I say it's not the most popular attribute. However, it is the most noted attribute of God in the entire Bible. God is called holy more than God is called loving, gracious, merciful, kind, powerful is known as holy fact just Isaiah the prophet refers to God as the holy 130 times in this one book alone. God is holy. Could be. Is it possible that we have been so conditioned by a hyper grace environment that we have over reached and overestimated his love and mercy and grace in kindness and underestimated his wrath and vengeance and his holiness. It is possible I would suggest to you that the very core characteristic of God is that he is holy. More than anything else that would describe God or there's a lot of ways to do it.

The core of his being is holiness, not love.

If love are the core of God's being. I suppose God would be letting everybody and anybody to have an adult Hitler and all his buddies just come on up will sort everything out when you get here, but he doesn't do that now somebody will quickly say Abbott first John chapter 4 says God is love.

Please do not misinterpret that text doesn't mean that love defines God simply means God defines love as me.

Wherever there is any expression of love in the world, we can say that God is a God because of who he is, can define what love is me take you into my study this week of the books that I was reading was a great little book by William Evans called great doctrines of the Bible. William Evans notes this quote if there is any difference in importance in the attributes of God, that of his holiness seems to occupy the first place. It is to say the least. The one attribute which God would have his people remember more than any other eye before you say all the God's holiness that such an Old Testament concept, not a New Testament, may I remind you that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray said when you pray, say, our father who art in heaven, hallowed, or holy is your name that's the one characteristic that we were to remember in our prayer and what is the adjective that most describes the third person of the Trinity is not called the loving spirit or the gracious spirit or the mighty spirit.

But the holy spirit. That is how he is designated. My point is simply this. We cannot pick and choose which character traits of God.

We like and throw out the rest we have to take God as he is the whole package. We can either accept or reject the true God. We can't change him. There's a temple over in Kyoto, Japan.

I was there once not at the temple, but in the city and there's temples everywhere.

One of the most notable temples is called the temple of the thousand Hooters. There are 1001 different depictions of Buddha, each one different than the other. In one temple, and what you typically have his people go and find an image that suits them the most and they begin worshiping and I suggest that's exactly how modern man chooses to worship God I'm gonna find an idea of God that suits me the best. Instead of finding out who God really is and all relate to that. So this morning I want to take you to this attribute. I want to have us work our way through eight verses of this chapter. Isaiah chapter 6 only give you in this text for qualities for qualities and how the holiness of God should affect us or you might say that the message is called how to relate how to have a personal relationship with a holy God.

First of all, we look at the first four verses and we discover that holiness describes separation. If you were to put holiness in one word definition is that separation holiness describes separation. It says in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up in the train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim is her angelic beings. Each one had six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew one cried to another and said holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory and the posts of the doors were shaken by the voice of him who cried out in the house was filled with smoke.

First thing that Isaiah seizes God sitting's not standing he's sitting on a throne place of authority. He's ruling, but he's ruling from the seated position to God is in wringing his hand standing up worried like we often do. Somebody once said God rules the universe with his feet up.

Why because he can. Nothing taxes him factor could be a billion more universes besides this one and all of that wooden taxing he's seated on a throne and he is a place of authority and noticed it was the year the King Uzziah died brief history. Uzziah died in 739 BC was a great guy is a good king. He reigned 52 years and it was considered not only a great politician but I a godly man. So now our godly leaders gone. The throne is vacant, who's going to rule the nation.

That was the year that Isaiah gets a vision of God on his throne still in charge today what we have a tendency to forget that the week world gets weird wars breakout the economy turns south and we need to be reminded that God is still on his throne not wringing his hands, not looking at our world all not all he seated is in charge got it all covered seat if we don't realize that than when we read the newspapers and watch television.

Working at end up in despair. That's why worship is so important. That's what coming to fellowship is so important because as we read the Scriptures and as we sing this great songs. Our whole perspective gets readjusted were reminded of these wonderful truth and we think will be half God is still in control. I can trust him now this is a vision of Isaiah. Isaiah didn't really actually physically see God he saw God in a vision how do we know this because in the Gospel of John.

It says no man has seen God at any time. So it's safe to say that this was a vision. If Isaiah would've actually literally physically seen God would never live to write this right like a bug getting close to above zapper. Here's Isaiah.

Whatever happened to that Isaiah dude out. He saw God so this division and in the vision. The throne of God is lifted up. It's a little bit higher than everything else in this vision and its lofty and singular and unique because God's on it and notice the train of his robe filled the temple that seem separate speaks of his splendor. Some of you remember back to 1981 when Princess Diana and Prince Charles had their wedding and that beautiful scene in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

The train of her gown was 25 feet long.

As a draped across the Cathedral for but go back a few years 1953 I wasn't around yet but in 1953. Queen Elizabeth was chlorinated as the new Queen and she had a purple velvet praying of her robe 60 feet long that flowed through Westminster Abbey and that that train spoke of her Majesty. Her splendor her in a literal sense holiness. She was unique.

No one else was being chlorinated. She was separate from everyone else at that moment, so this is symbol of God's splendor, filling the temple and noticed the worship at least here in this vision is pretty loud if you don't like it loud, I suggest you bring a pair of earplugs with you to heaven because this was so loud the posts were shaken. The doors Isaiah sees notice sort of central thought here it says the cried verse three holy, holy, holy, why three times in Hebrew repetition is used for force or emphasis.

So if we were to say there's only Laura going on in the Gaza Strip were there's a war going on in Iraq that would be accurate but if we wanted to say speak of World War II.

We would say that was a war war, or if we want to think of the ultimate war Armageddon. We might say that's going to be a war war war. It's their parenthesis so God is in holy God is holy, holy God is holy, holy, holy. Notice again. Doesn't say loving loving loving though he is the angel don't crack merciful, merciful, merciful, mighty, mighty, mighty, or even a combination of holy loving mighty it's holy, holy, holy, what is that mean first time I heard the word holy. I had a whole bunch of different thoughts other than what it really means. I thought, and that sounds so churchy sound so stained-glass holy wearing robes, sandals, eating no food out in the desert all that stuff simply means to be separate code – is the Hebrew word code – means to be marked off as special or for special use only back in the book of Exodus the 40th chapter God says of the tabernacle and all of its vessels. They are holy.

He said no. This oil. This oil holy oil is not to be used for anything else but the tabernacle and with the oil you are to anoint the pots and pans. Those are holy pots and pans is her only to be used in the tabernacle you see that altar out there put oil on that because that's a holy altar only to be used for sacrifice, and Aaron and his sons did the same to them there holy people. Now the intrinsic value didn't change.

Aaron didn't glow-in-the-dark the vessels of the tabernacle had no special look to them.

They were just simply marked off for special use. So when we say God is holy or we speak of the holiness of God were simply saying is there's no one else like him. He singular he is unique he is unparalleled, unprecedented. He is exclusive. That's the simple core idea of the word holiness and I would say this view of God is been lost in the church preferring the comfort of his nearness. We have lost the reality of God's transcendent holiness is not the man upstairs reps him to call God that your presence put in a good word to the big guy warming or God is the old codger with the beard does not. That's not God. God is ineffable glory.

He is one who dwells in unapproachable light. Our God is consuming fire. That's God that is God in his holiness. So holiness describes separation. Second way that we relate to a holy God is found in verse five, and here's the principle holiness deepens conviction with Isaiah does verse five. So I said wow not like whoa dude know is me. I am undone.

I'm 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. Notice Isaiah didn't go cool. I saw God's as well as me, or is one translation puts it, I'm doomed.

I'm ruined.

Why would he say that why would a prophet of God is a holy guy, by definition, why would he say what was why would he say okay I just had an experience very few people, if any of ever had time to write a book going to speaking tour going television; the day I saw God's will be really awesome. His reaction is self-deprecating will is me. Here's the reason why in seeing a holy God. Isaiah saw his unholy self in comparison to a holy God and that produced a profound sense of conviction under care how holy you are on an earthly level when you're in the presence of God. This is the reaction whoa is me.

There's a little comparison on an earthly level.

Have you ever in church sat next to somebody during the song part of the service and they sing beautifully ladylike pitch perfect it sound like an angel you like to sing in the shower, but next to that person will always me and what was anyone else around me.

If I start singing right now in comparison to that person next to Kato said you don't impress the officials at NASA with your paper airplane. You don't boast about your crayon sketches in the presence of Picasso you don't claim equality with Einstein because you can write H2O and you don't boast about your goodness in the presence of the perfect so even this profit in the presence of a holy God must say whoa is me. Okay if if indeed this is the core of God's character if that's true, then wouldn't you expect to find a similar response by a lot of people in the Bible.

They got near to God you would. God is indeed that anybody gets close to dad has that reaction. That's God's core than you'd expect it and you do find, for instance, Job now how good was Job. He was Mr. holy when he didn't God say I have no one on earth like Job yet after he encountered God Job said, I have heard of you by the hearing of the year, but now my eyes sees you. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

That's Mr. holy talking okay what about Peter and the New Testament naturally aggressive.

The boastful kind of a guy, a fisherman, until the day Jesus goes fishing with them and he understands who Jesus is and what is Peter say to Jesus he's even say I'm pretty good how Jesus pieces depart from you, Lord, I am a sinful man in John when he got the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter he writes and I fell at his feet as dead. We find this all throughout even the picture of our future in heaven. Revelation 4 and five, there's four living creatures and 24 elders and they all have crowns on their head and the time for the anthem comes to sing the God they sing holy, holy, holy, same song says the elders cast what their crowns before. What's that all about simply saying in the presence of this one no honor to me, all honor and glory to him. The proper reaction that SKU message from the series the biography of God. Now with school in the studio with Skip as they share some helpful resource more about one of God most is also one of his most popular bowling is important just an understanding that also in our relationship. He wants us holy the same way that he is holy and develop that we need to be studying his word, it can you share some Bible study resources with our listeners. Once again I have a page of these things are missing a highlight three that that I like to talk about because there's just so many portals, but we could be a first of all, we have a thing that is a podcast connect with podcast, you can subscribe to it and spot a fly or Apple podcast or in Google play.

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