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October 16, 2020 2:00 am
One man's encounter with God teaches us some vital lessons about what it means to have a personal relationship with a holy God. Join Skip as he dives into this story in the message "God's Most Unpopular Attribute."
This teaching is from the series The Biography of God.
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It bothers me when I hear somebody say that or I see God. I have a few things I want to tell him you have no clue what you just said that when somebody says it is a good you move like 10 feet away from you when you say that I'm expecting lightning at any moment. Truth is, if you are growing at all in a relationship with a holy God can tell you are because of the deep, profound sense of conviction about yourself and about yourself. God's holiness is the thing they like least about just because it may be unpopular after that. This is good to connect with Skip Heitzig Skip points out what understanding God's will is so important to your faith in your walk with begin want to let you know about a resource that will help you get to know God more personally so you can experience a richer faith. Hey I want to let you know about my latest book is called the biography of God, the very subject matter of God is the loftiest of all topics in the pinnacle of all human pursuits as we discover who God is and how aware he is of the human condition.
We will be inspired to know him more each day. But we cannot stop with just gathering information about God to truly know him. We must believe and act in the light of that information all share how you can do just that in my newest book, the biography of God is how to get your coffee. The biography of God is our way to say thank you you give $35 or more today to help expand this Bible teaching outreach to more people request your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 in Isaiah chapter 6 will today study celestial Skip Heitzig God says of the tabernacle and all of its vessels. They are holding is another soil. This oil holy oil is not used for anything else but the tabernacle and with the oil you are to anoint the pots and pans was a holy pots and pans is her only to be using the tabernacle you see that altar out there put oil on that.
That's a holy altar only to be used for sacrifice, and Aaron and his sons did the same to them their 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 is 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 wrap some 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 know is not that's not God.
God is ineffable glory.
He is one who dwells in unapproachable light. Our God is a 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 hello 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, who is a holy guy, by definition, why would he say whoa is me. Why would he say okay night is an experience very few people, if any of ever had time to write a book going to speaking to her going television; the day I saw God be really awesome. His reaction is self-deprecating hello 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 or 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 what was me and what was anyone else around me. If I start singing right now in comparison to that person Maxim 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 yes, 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 of God is indeed that anybody gets close to that has that reaction. That's God's core than you'd expect it and you do find, for instance, Job now good was Joe he was Mr. holy.
When he did 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 postal kind of a guy, a fisherman, until the day Jesus goes fishing with him and he understands who Jesus is and what is Peter say to Jesus he's even say I'm pretty good how Jesus uses depart from the 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 and what's that all about simply saying in the presence of this one no honor to me, all honor and glory to him. That's the proper reaction so it bothers me when I hear somebody say this OIC God. I have a few things I want to tell him you have no clue what you just said that when somebody says that I want to say, could you move like 10 feet away from you when you say that because I'm expecting like lightning at any moment. Truth is, if you are growing at all in a relationship with a holy God. You can tell you are because of the deep, profound sense of conviction about yourself and about him. Jesus put it this what Blessed are the poor in spirit. They will see God, blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted. That's reaction when unholy men or women need a holy God.
Third thing I want you to notice is that holiness demands purification click in verse six, 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 visors AIB thinking what's he going to do now and he touched my mouth with it.
Ouch. He said the site and thereby the way out. If you're not following along and he said, behold this is touched your lips, your iniquity is taken away and your sin is perched the first time I ate green chili in New Mexico was a very similar experience. I mean I tried this gives you gonna try green chili and everything so I tried it on something and it was like an explosion and I thought who signed this this is crazy, but I became an addict landscape lights economic chili okay. Apart from that what what is all this about what's going on here. The altar is probably the altar of sacrifice. That's where animals were killed. That's where sin was dealt with.
That's where atonement took place, and since it was a fire perpetually burning on that altar. This is symbolic of cleansing angel takes a call from the altar where sin is dealt with were sacrifices are made and brought over to Isaiah and it touches his lips.
Why is lips will what he say I'm a man of unclean. What lips to the very area that needed cleansing.
God touches I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of on clean lips what is all this about. Here's a principal holiness cannot coexist with unholiness. Holiness cannot exist with unholiness either the holy God must destroy that which is unholy or or make that which is unholy holy somehow released declarant confer holiness.
Upon purge the sin and is not that the story of the whole Bible go way back to the Old Testament the whole tabernacle thing were talking about. You could just walk into God's house when they grams and hang out with God please pull out a way to go around the Ottoman walk right in the holy of holies have a few words with God to be struck dead. Even the high priesthood knew that. So you were to come very carefully bring in animal going to the ritual having blood atone for now, since the blood was shed your sin was covered temporarily in the Old Testament God could confer upon you a sense of holiness he could regard you as his own child. We get to the New Testament. Now we have Jesus, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world the perfect Lamb going to live the perfect life that you and I could never live the holy one, and then he dies in our place in all of his holy merit is conferred to your account to become his child.
The idea of first Peter chapter 1 verse 18 you were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ Lamb without blemish and without spot, a perfectly holy Lamb and the great principle of all this is simply the only one who is perfectly holy, can perfectly cleanse one who is unholy either. There is an ultimate destruction of the unholy. Because God is holy God somehow forgives and purges and makes holy Isaiah understood this. That's what he said. Woe is me. That's why he allowed this in the vision to take place so that he could be cleansed of the sin that's the reason he freely admitted not righteous is me cruel and live, but woe is me to suggest to you that one of the reasons that people can go to church around the world in our country week after week after week after week, and remain on changed in their marriage and their business at home is because they don't admit or see that great golf that separates them in God. They don't see the need for cleansing the need for adjustment and so you hear it when somebody prays this God if I have sinned.
Forgive me if yes, how about since as if you're not sure why do you bother even praying about C says in first John chapter 1 verse nine if we confess our sins, that means agree with holy God about the unholiness of our sinful nature. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There has to be the admission of need.
Before there is ever any kind of cleansing at all. Always enjoy the story of Frederick the great depression came, who visited a prison in Berlin as he walked to the prison all the different prisoners in the cellblocks work proclaiming his innocence.
I shouldn't be here. I was wrongly judged to get me out of here came to the last prisoner who didn't say anything at all and the king looked at him and said well I suppose you're an innocent victim. Also, to which the man responded no, I'm not sire I'm guilty and I deserve punishment the king smiled and said to the warden release this rascal before he corrupts all these fine innocent people know what that's exactly what God does with us versus as I'm righteous enough. I'm religious enough, I'm good enough. Nothing person who says I admit woe is me and I need cleansing guts is now. You'll be released you'll be cleansing this is simply why many religious people.
Good people don't make it to heaven. They see no need for cleansing in their own life. They see no sin as they seek no Savior so you relate to a holy God.
Fourth and finally holiness develops commission verse eight. Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us something to note here, God is all about looking for volunteers not forced labor and and I bring this up because I think a lot of Christian organizations and churches have tried to artificially produce what is a natural spiritual process. They try to guilt people into serving you want to be more involved in this make it into everything, instead of allowing the spirit of God through an encounter with a holy God to produce his conviction and cleansing to then motivate them towards service and God's holiness will ultimately do that.
His wife, there's a process that Isaiah is following here in this chapter begins with the revelation of the holy God, followed by a conviction of my own sin leads me to be cleansed of my sin and eventually I want to be totally committed to the one who cleansed on to do whatever you want. That's called being holy in a practical sense. He now is in a practical sense, out working.
What God declared him to be and that is cleansed righteous, holy. This is always the pattern always the pattern unholy man or woman meets holy God is convicted of their own sin confesses it is cleansed and eventually wants to go to work for him.
I see this all the time.
I see it all the time all the pastors.
The work on the staff. All of the ministry leaders in this church who are the tighter they are there same dissenters who made a holy God transformed by him and now are sold out to him want to be used by and isn't this the greatest challenge is the greatest challenge of the Christian life to increasingly match our practice with our position is one thing for God to declare us as righteous and holy.
It's another thing practically to live a righteous holy life, and I find my greatest challenge is to match my practice with my position example Ephesians 1 verse four God shows us that we should be holy and without blame before him. That's a positional statement. That's how God views you today God right now views you if you receive Christ meant or what state herein is holy and without blame before him, but the challenge is to, as I live my life to increasingly match my demonstration with his declaration.
I find that to be the great cellist the Bible calls that sanctification being holy. Same idea.
I love Leighton Ford once said that God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to leave you that way. Metro you come to Christ understand it's a package deal is in a take you as you are, but then he's going to go to work on the go to work on you. I'm really glad for that. I'm glad he loves me too much to leave me the way I am that this last week I was walking and somebody asked me what you preach on Sunday nights of the holiness of God. He jokingly said how to become a come this week.
It was in Edward's father to be a conflicting message and I know I said that jokingly, but there is a little bit of truth in that all of that to say we can't Skip this if were not interested in. This is not an elective, as this is not optional. We must major in this is what we are called to zero.
How do you know that skipper making a whole lot. I make a lot of it because of the abundance of times.
The Bible brings us up.
First Thessalonians chapter 4 this is the will of God. Even your sanctification could be any clearer than that is what God wants for your life to be holy or Hebrews chapter 12 pursue holiness without which no one will see the Lord or Leviticus 11 God said to his people.
You must be holy for I am holy. You follow me to be your father wears a principal like father like son. If I'm holy I want you to be holy and when we are were godly. Godly.
This means God like were like God's own close with a stop. How can you tell if you're becoming more holy. Look at your life last year to year before this year to date. How do you know you're going holiness.
Pretty simple one because you love the things God loves number two because you hate the things God hates you.
Loves what holy God loves what is holy.
God loves righteousness purity and you could go on all of those list of great attributes. What does God hate as a holy God. Sin and righteousness and purity, so how do you know you're going to be godly is your loving what God loves and you hate what God hates CS Lewis wrote a lot of great stuff. I have a lot of his books I have to read in prayer for five or six times understand half of them. But there's one thing he said that even I can understand.
He writes how little do people who think that holiness is dull or how little do people know who think that holiness is dull. When I meet the real thing.
It's irresistible if even 10% of the world population had it holiness would not the whole world be converted before the years and is in a true potatoes for me the most compelling people I've ever met are those who are holy people. There's something about their integrity and lifestyle in relationship with God that draws me into them and wants me to emulate that very very compelling and I pray I really do sincerely pray that for us for our congregation that holiness will not be the most unpopular at the most popular at it when we read texts on that and they're abundantly we hear and sing about it that concludes its message from his series, the biography of God. Now you Skip with a list to show how you can keep this broadcast going strong connecting you and many others to God's truth ports.
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