Uncompromising Holiness Like God (Part 1)

[0:00] Take your Bibles. Here's another opportunity to participate in worship.

[0:17] ! Take your Bibles and open them to 1 Peter 1, though we're not going to stay there very long.!

[0:29] 1 Peter chapter 1, and if you would find verse 13. I'm not going to read the text yet. In fact, I'm not going to read the entire text, this section of chapter 1 that we've been looking at.

[0:48] But just to call your attention once again to the word, therefore, there in verse 13. Therefore. And to remind you what it's there for.

[1:00] Just by way of review and setting things up for what we're going to consider this morning. Therefore. Marks.

[1:12] Marks. A shift in Peter's emphasis. He is now transitioning from stating facts. Facts about what?

[1:24] About salvation. Our great salvation. So from verses 1 through 12, and we have already looked at those verses. Peter's stating the facts about salvation.

[1:35] Then when we get to verse 13 and the word, therefore, there is the shift from the facts now to issuing commands. We looked at this last Sunday just to remind you.

[1:48] So from here all the way to the end of the chapter, in fact, beyond chapter 1, Peter is issuing commands relative to salvation.

[2:00] We might say it this way. From the description of salvation. To the obligation of salvation. What salvation demands.

[2:15] Now in case you weren't here last Sunday, let me point out the four commands that appear in the text in the remainder of chapter 1. Verse 13.

[2:27] Fix your hope completely. That is in the form of a command. We looked at that last Sunday. Verse 15. Be holy yourselves.

[2:39] That too is in the form of a command. Be holy. That's what we're going to concentrate on this morning and next Sunday. Verse 17.

[2:50] Conduct yourselves in fear. That's a command. Verse 22. Love one another. That is a command to God's people.

[3:05] All of it relative to salvation. These are salvation's commands. Now the first three commands have a certain person as the object.

[3:18] The first three of the four have God clearly in focus. We fix our hope on him. We're holy like him.

[3:30] We honor him or fear him. And then of course the fourth command. The object is. One another.

[3:42] Clearly. Love one another. And so to give you a heads up on where we're going. Remind you of where we've been. Where we're going. Our great salvation. According to verse 13.

[3:53] Where the command is given. Fix your hope completely. On the grace. That is to be brought to you. With the coming of Jesus Christ. The revelation of Christ. That. That is a demand.

[4:03] For unwavering hope. In God. And we looked at that last Sunday. Verse 15. Our great salvation. Demands uncompromising.

[4:15] Holiness. Like God. From the command. Be holy yourselves. We'll look at that this morning. And next Sunday. And then. Finally. In the first three.

[4:27] To complete the first three commands. Our great salvation. Demands. Unfailing. Honor. Toward God. So. If you're jotting those down.

[4:37] Those are the main headings. For. Where we're going. Through. To the fourth command. All right. We'll get to that eventually. All right.

[4:47] So this morning. Our great salvation. Demands. Uncompromising. Holiness. Like God. So now. Let's finally look at verse 14. Verse 14.

[4:59] And. Follow along with me. In your copy of God's word. As we read through. To the end of verse 16. As obedient children.

[5:10] Do not be conformed. To the former lusts. Which were yours. In your ignorance. But. Like the holy one. Who called you. Be holy yourselves.

[5:22] Also. In all your behavior. So there it is. And the verses. And what Peter has to say. Wrapped around. The command.

[5:33] To be holy. Yourself. So the command. Is. Again. For Christians. Bonafide. Born again Christians. To be holy. Like God.

[5:43] That's the clear command. And yet. I would suggest to you. This morning. That before we can consider. Anything about our own holiness. If we're going to be holy. And commanded to be holy.

[5:54] Like God. Then maybe we ought to spend. A little time. Considering. What the Bible reveals. About the holiness of God. We've been singing about that. This morning. And not just singing.

[6:05] About the substance. Of his holiness. But also. Singing about our response. To that holiness. And so we might say. That Peter is talking about. Our response. To the holiness of God.

[6:16] That we're to be holy. Like him. Whereas. In other places. In the Bible. We have clear. Revelation. Concerning the holiness. Of God himself.

[6:28] Now there are a number of places. We could go. But the text. That I've chosen. For this morning. Is Isaiah chapter 6. So if you would turn then. We're not going to return. To 1st Peter.

[6:38] So you can. Take your thumb. Out of that place. And turn to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6. Tremendous passage.

[6:50] That highlights. Highlight. Really is. An inadequate word. Exalts. As it informs. And reveals.

[7:00] To us. The. Absolute. Holiness. Of God. The holiness of God. Isaiah chapter 6.

[7:11] I'm going to read. The first. Three verses. In a moment. But I. Want to go ahead. And give you. The. The peg. We're going to hang. Those three verses on. And it's this.

[7:23] Consider. First of all. From this. Very. Familiar passage. The truth. Of God's holiness. Now look at verses 1 through 3.

[7:34] In the year. Of King Uzziah's death. I saw the Lord. Sitting on a throne. Lofty. And exalted. With the train. Of his robe.

[7:44] Filling the temple. Seraphim. Stood above him. Each having six wings. With two. He covered his face. And with two. He covered his feet. And with two.

[7:55] He flew. And one called out. To another. And said. Holy. Holy. Holy. Is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth. Is full of his glory. And the foundations.

[8:06] Of the thresholds. Trembled. At the voice of him. Who called out. With the temple. While the temple. Was filled with smoke. Then I said. Woe is me.

[8:18] For I am ruined. Because I am a man. Of unclean lips. And I live among a people. Of unclean lips. For my eyes. Have seen the king. The Lord of hosts.

[8:30] Then one of the seraphim. Flew to me. With a burning coal. In his hand. Which he had taken. From the altar. With tongs. He touched my mouth. With it. And said.

[8:40] Behold. This has touched. Your lips. And your iniquity. Is taken away. And your sin. Is forgiven. Then I heard the voice.

[8:51] Of the Lord. Saying. Whom shall I send. And who will go for us. Then I said. Here. I. Or here am I.

[9:02] Send me. I'm going to stop right there. Because that is. All the text. We're going to be looking at. This morning. The truth. About holiness.

[9:13] The king is dead. This is what Isaiah announced. In the first verse there. The king is dead. Who? King Uzziah. He's dead. But Isaiah.

[9:25] And I believe. Literally entered into the temple. I. I believe. This was a vision. And yet. The place. Was clearly the temple. He was in the temple. I believe Isaiah.

[9:35] Went into the temple. And so he went. When he went in. That day. God. Pulled back. The veil. Of heaven. And allowed Isaiah.

[9:48] Not to dream. In the sense. That he was asleep. Not to imagine. In the sense. Of just engaging. His mental capacities. But he had. A vision.

[9:59] He actually. Was allowed. To see. Into the very. Throne room. Of God. Into the temple. Of heaven. If you will. And so.

[10:09] When Isaiah. Entered into the temple. And God. Allowed him. To look up. And see. The temple. Isaiah. Saw another king. That day.

[10:21] Not. Uzziah. The king. Or any. Earthly king. Or any. King of Israel. Or any. Other nation. He saw. The king. The king. Of kings. He saw.

[10:32] The Lord. Matter of fact. The. Apostle. John. Quotes. From Isaiah. And he. Identifies. The person. That Isaiah. Saw that day.

[10:43] As Jesus. Himself. Pre-incarnate. Jesus. He saw. The Lord. That day. Now. Can you. Imagine. That you.

[10:54] Are the prophet. Isaiah. And just. Imagine. With me. For a moment. You keep. A diary. All right. I don't know. How many of you. Keep diaries. I don't. I've never been. Very good at that. I've tried. Some journals.

[11:04] From time to time. But I. I can't. Keep on. The. The. Regiment. Of. Keeping. The journal. But some of you. Might. Keep a diary. Can you. Imagine. You're. Isaiah. And you. Keep a diary. And you're. About to turn in.

[11:14] For the night. And you. Open up. Your diary. And you. Begin to write. Dear diary. I saw. The Lord. Today. You. Imagine. Writing. That. Entry. Into your. Diary.

[11:25] Or your. Journal. I saw. The Lord. Not just. I saw. Him. In some. Metaphorical. Sense. You're. Writing. In the. Diary. I saw. The Lord. Today. And I don't know.

[11:36] If I can come up. With the words. To describe. What I saw. And I certainly. Can't describe. Really. What happened. To me. As a result. Of who I saw. And what I saw.

[11:46] Can you. Imagine. Writing. That entry. In your. Diary. Well. Isaiah. In a sense. Did that. He wrote. This down. For us. The Holy Spirit. Inspired him. He's the prophet. Of God. And he wrote.

[11:56] Down. This experience. And he. Somewhat. Described it. For us. Though. I would have. To admit. To you. As a reader. Of scripture. And I have. This experience. Often. In scripture. I. Kind of. Want.

[12:07] Him. To give me. More details. About this. And yet. The details. He does. Give. Are incredible. Just.

[12:18] Think. About. How he. Described. What he. Saw. That day. He said. I saw. The Lord. Now. We need.

[12:28] To dig. A little. Deep. Here. And just. Consider. This word. Lord. Isaiah. Said. I saw. The Lord.

[12:39] And if you'll notice. There. In your copy. Of the scripture. And I think. Every translation. Does this. You'll. Note. That the word. Lord. In verse one. And the word.

[12:52] Lord. In verse three. Appeared. Just. A little. Differently. Three. And. The Bible. Translators. Have highlighted.

[13:02] For us. In the way. They have. Typed. The word. Itself. The word. Lord. They have. Identified. For us. That. The two words. The Lord. In verse one. And Lord.

[13:12] In verse three. Are from. Different words. In the Hebrew text. Have you ever. Noticed that. In scripture. Has anybody. Ever. Explained that. To you. It's pretty important. To note that.

[13:23] As you're. Studying the Bible. For example. In verse one. We have. The word. Lord. Appearing. With a capital L. And lowercase. O R D.

[13:33] Do you see that. In your copy. Of scripture. Now. That is. The English. Translators. Telling us. That this word. Lord. Is a translation. Of a certain.

[13:44] Hebrew word. And in this case. It is the Hebrew word. Adonai. Adonai. We often. Equate that. With a name. For God. And yet. Adonai.

[13:54] Is not a name. For God. Per se. But rather. A title. For God. And it's basic meaning. Is the sovereign. One. And so. When Isaiah. Was allowed.

[14:05] To look up. Into heaven. And see. The Lord. Shrouded. In his. Borders. His train. His glory. He called him. Adonai.

[14:16] The sovereign. One. You see. Adonai. Is. Who God is. Adonai. Is. Or maybe. More correctly. Adonai. Is. What God is.

[14:27] The sovereign. God. The sovereign. One. And that's who Isaiah saw. Now. In verse three. You might notice. That we find the word.

[14:37] Lord. There again. This time. It appears. In all capital letters. You see. Have you ever noticed that? L.O.R.D. All in capital letters. And this is not a translation.

[14:48] Of the Hebrew word. Adonai. But this time. It is the translation. Of. What we have. What we pronounce. We don't really know. The pronunciation. We'll get to that. In just a moment.

[14:58] But it is the word. Yahweh. Yahweh. Now. Yahweh. Is not a title. For God. Yahweh. Is.

[15:09] His name. His covenant name. His most sacred. Holy. Name. And so.

[15:19] We have it appearing. In two. Different forms. First. He addresses. Adonai. He says. I see. Adonai. In the temple. That day. And when the angels. Began to sing.

[15:30] They said. Holy. Holy. Holy. Is the. Yahweh. Of hosts. The whole earth. Is full of his glory. And so. You see. Yahweh.

[15:41] Is. The most sacred. Name. For God. In the Hebrew. It is a. Four. Consonant. Word. You say. Well. Is that important?

[15:52] What is important. When you consider. That every word. In the Hebrew. Is based upon. Three. Consonants. And so. Here. We have the name. For God. As the angel.

[16:03] Addressed. Yahweh. God. We have a. Four. Consonant. Word. Y. H. W. H. It's the Hebrew. Tetragrammaton.

[16:13] It. It's a four. Consonant. Word. And I would tell you. That it is. Best we understand. It is. An unpronounceable. Name.

[16:25] Now. We. Use the name. Or. Verbalize it. As Yahweh. But we really. Don't know. How it was. Pronounced. In fact. From the lettering. In the original text.

[16:35] It's unpronounceable. It sounds. Rather like. Someone. Breathing out. Real. Heavily. Or loud. Like. That's the best.

[16:48] We can tell. That the pronunciation. Of the most sacred. God. Would sound. Ha. In fact. Many Bible scholars.

[16:58] Think. And suggest. Yes. And I think. They're right. That. When. God. Changed. Abram. And Sarah. His name. To Abraham. And Sarah. That he was actually.

[17:10] Adding. His. Covenant. Name. To their names. So we have. Abraham. And Sarah. The name.

[17:22] Of God. The most sacred. Name. For God. Has been added. It's unpronounceable. It's just kind of. An aspiration. And we don't really know. How. It. It should be pronounced.

[17:34] As a matter of fact. As I'll. Get to it. Here in a moment. The Jews. Never would pronounce. They wouldn't speak it. Is also. In a sense.

[17:45] Indefinable. It's an indefinable. Name. When Moses. You might remember. When Moses. Just before. He was. Called by God. To go to Egypt. And lead out his people.

[17:55] Out of Egypt. Moses was out there. Attending the flocks. There in the fields. Jethro's flocks. And. He was out there. Just minding his own business. And he looked up.

[18:06] Kind of up. In the mountain. Maybe there. And he saw. Something very unusual. You know the story. Saw a. Bush that was burning. And yet. Not being consumed.

[18:18] Moses turned around. He said. I need to go see. What this is. This is very strange. And so he. Approached this. Bush that was burning. And not being consumed. And God. Spoke to him there. First thing he said.

[18:29] Was. Moses. Take your. Sandals off. Because you're on holy ground. And then. God gave Moses. His marching orders. Remember. Moses had. One major question.

[18:40] It was all over. Burning question. What is your name? God. When I go to Egypt.

[18:51] And tell. My people Israel. Your people Israel. That I am here. Sent to deliver you. Out of Egypt. They're going to want to know. Who sent me. Whom shall I say. Sent me.

[19:03] Remember what. God said. He said. I am. That I am. Tell them. I am.

[19:14] Hath sent me. I am. It's the Hebrew word. Hayah. Hayah. And it's spelled. Very similar. To the.

[19:26] Name for God. It is. Hayah. It's the. To be verb. In the Hebrew. He's just. Really saying. I am. I was.

[19:37] And. I am. I will be. Always have been. I am. Always will be. It is. Indefinable. It's just. To be.

[19:48] He is. God just is. You see. That's what his name says. I am. Tell them. I am. Hath sent. You. A little bit later.

[19:59] In the New Testament. When Jesus. Is called to task. About some things. He. Referred to. Moses. And he said. Before Moses. I am. Jesus.

[20:12] I am. It's. Indefinable. It just. Was. And is. And is. To come. As the Bible. Says. It's. It's. It's. An. An. Unpronounceable.

[20:23] Name. An. Indefinable. Name. And to the Jews. It was. An. Unspeakable. Name. Unspeakable. That is. Not only.

[20:33] Was it. Something. That. Was. Unpronounceable. But even. If it. Had. Some. Pronunciation. And I guess. We could assume. That maybe. It did. We don't really know. It was something.

[20:44] Never spoken. Never verbalized. But. So sacred. So holy. They would never speak it. The scribes.

[20:56] Of the day. Who would copy. God's word. To make additional copies. And when they came. To the name. For Yahweh. They would. Superinscribe.

[21:07] The letters. Of Adonai. Just above. Yahweh. To help. The readers. Because they would read out loud. And. It would just be unthinkable. It would be almost blasphemy. In fact.

[21:17] Maybe tantamount. To blasphemy. For anyone. In the synagogue. To stand. And read the scriptures. And slip up. And pronounce. And verbalize. The holy name.

[21:28] For God. And so they wrote. Adonai. Just above it. And so when they would come to that. Name in the text. They would speak. Adonai. Rather than. Yahweh.

[21:38] God. In fact. Historians. Tell us. That the scribes. When. They would copy. The scriptures. And when they came. To the name. For God.

[21:48] They would. Pick up. A brand new quill. One that had never been used. Just to write. The name. Do you understand.

[22:00] Why. We need to emphasize. The name here. This text. Is all about. Identifying. Who God is. He is. Holy. Holy.

[22:11] Holy. He is the Lord. He is. Yahweh. God. What else. Did. Isaiah. See.

[22:22] That day. Well look at the text again. Verse two. Well verse one. The year. Of King Uzziah's death. I saw the Lord.

[22:33] Sitting on a throne. This is in heaven. Again. Lofty. Exalted. Can you imagine. This.

[22:44] Vision. Seeing this. And the. Train. The word. Used here. In this. Translation. The train.

[22:54] It. It really is a word. That. Could be translated. Borders. And yet. It is a visual thing. Apparently.

[23:06] God appeared. Shrouded. In his robe. We cannot assume. Should not assume. That Isaiah. Actually saw.

[23:17] The face of God. Moses. On one occasion. Requested. That he see. God's face. And God said. No man. Can see my face. And live. And so. He shrouded.

[23:27] In. This. Robe. In a sense. And it. Filled. The place. The robe. Is his glory. A visible.

[23:39] Manifestation. Of it. Very similar. To. What God. Allowed. Moses. To see. As he. Placed him. In the. Cleft. Of the rock. And. And then. God. Put his hand. Over. Moses.

[23:50] Eyes. Until he had. Passed by. And Moses. Then was allowed. To look. At his back. His. The trail. Of his glory. Isaiah.

[24:00] Was seeing. Something like. That here. Can you imagine. Seeing. God. In all of his glory. A little bit later. The angels. Are going to say. That his glory.

[24:11] Fills the earth. And it says. Isaiah. Isaiah. Was looking. In the temple. But it was a. Temple. Not made with hands. And God. Is there.

[24:22] The Lord. Is there. Yahweh. God. And his borders. Fill the place. And the angels. Say. Not only that place. But the whole earth. Is full. In any one place.

[24:34] That could contain. The glory. Of God. Glory. Of God. God. What did he hear. Well.

[24:45] Look at verse three. And one called out. To another. And said. Holy. Holy. Holy. Is the Lord. Of hosts. The whole earth.

[24:56] Is full. Of his glory. Very much like. The choir. Was singing. A moment ago. It's a. Antiphonal. It'd be. Not. You know.

[25:06] Though. Isaiah wrote it down. With. The word holy. Three times. It was. It was very likely. An antiphonal song. Song of the angels.

[25:18] Holy. Holy. Holy. Holy. Holy. Holy. The Lord. Of hosts. The Lord. Of hosts. And it was just. Reverberating. Going back.

[25:28] And forth. Continually. An antiphonal. Song. To the glory. And majesty. And the holiness. Of God. And this is what. Isaiah. Heard.

[25:38] And he wrote it down. Here. With three. Holies. And he did that. For a reason. Holy. Holy. Holy. He said. And we have to ask the question.

[25:49] Why the repetition? Not only. I think. Was it. Conveying. Just. What it was like. That day. As he. Was there. In the temple. With God. And what he heard.

[25:59] This. Antiphonal. This. Continual. Singing. Of his holiness. But he wrote it down. This way. As a. Superlative. It's a Hebrew. Superlative.

[26:09] A technique. And grammar. To place. Emphasis. On something. That. That this thing. Is very. Very. Very. Important. And you'll find them. Throughout scripture.

[26:20] There are. A number of them. As a matter of fact. Not only things. That are repeated. Three times. But sometimes. Things that are repeated. Twice. And done so. For emphasis. I'll just give you an example. If you want to turn to.

[26:31] Genesis. Chapter 14. Well you don't need to turn to it. Let me read it to you. Don't turn to it. Okay. Just kidding. Just kidding. If you want to. You can.

[26:41] But I'm not going to wait for you. The Bible says. In verse 10. Of Genesis. Chapter 10. Now the valley of Sidon. Was full of. Tar pits. That's how it appears here. In this English text.

[26:54] The valley was filled. With tar pits. And the kings of Sodom. And Gomorrah. Fled. And they fell into them. Not my point. To unpack. What this is about.

[27:05] But to point out. The words. Tar pits. See. I don't understand. What's the big deal. Well in the Hebrew text. It appears this way.

[27:16] Pit. Pits. They fell into some pit pits. And the writer. Used the word twice. To emphasize. That these were not just.

[27:27] Your regular. Ordinary. Everyday. Pits. Pits. These were pit pits. And so you know. There are pits. And there are pits. And some pits. Are prettier than other pits. But these pits. These pit pits. Were the pittiest pits.

[27:37] Of all. Now it's one thing. You fall into a pit. But if you fall into a pit pit. You're in pitiful trouble. I'm sorry. Yeah. I thought I'd hear.

[27:48] Oh. Kind of thing. But you get the idea. But seriously. The angels here. They. They had six. Pairs of wings.

[27:58] Or three pairs. Of wings. They had six wings. And all. And with two of them. They hid their faces. And with two of them. They. They. They. Covered their feet. And with two of them. They were flying.

[28:09] And they were covering their faces. And covering their feet. Because. They were in the presence. Of the three. Times. Holy. God. Of all eternity. Holy. Holy. Holy. Is the Lord of hosts.

[28:21] The whole earth. Is full of his glory. That's what they sang. That's what Isaiah heard. Seems clear. That Isaiah. Was allowed to see. Exactly what. The apostle John.

[28:31] Was allowed to see. When he was. In exile. On the island of Patmos. And in. Revelation. Chapter 4. I'll just read this to you. In verse 1.

[28:43] It says. After these things. I looked. And behold. A door standing open. In heaven. And the first voice. Which I had heard. Like the sound of a trumpet. Speaking with me. Said. Come up here.

[28:53] And I will show you. What must take place. After these things. And I'll skip on. A little bit further. In verse 8. And this is what John saw. He said. He saw four living creatures. Each one of them.

[29:04] Having six wings. Just like the seraphim. I believe these were the seraphim. I believe that we're in the temple here. And I believe that John. Is seeing exactly. What Isaiah was allowed to see.

[29:14] He saw these living creatures. Six wings. All full of eyes. Around and within. And day and night. They do not cease to say. Holy. Holy.

[29:25] Holy. Is the Lord. God. The almighty. That's the same as. The Lord of hosts. Who was. And who is. And who is. To come.

[29:37] You see. He saw the same thing. The seraphim were there. And they're crying out. They're singing literally. This. Angelic song.

[29:48] This antiphonal song. Holy. Holy. Holy. And they're singing it. Day. And night. And the. And from the grammar. We understand it's day. And night. And night.

[29:58] And day. And day. And night. And night. And day. And on. And on. And on. And on. Without limit. Without time. And they're still singing that song today. You see. This is the holy.

[30:10] Holy. Holy. God. Of the universe. The truth of God's holiness. Second. I want you to notice. The. Terror.

[30:23] Of God's holiness. Look. Back at Isaiah. Chapter 6. And. Verse 4. And the foundations.

[30:35] Of the threshold. Or thresholds. Trembled. At the voice of him who called out. While the temple was filled.

[30:48] Filled and filling. With smoke. And then I said. Woe is me. For I am ruined.

[31:00] Because I am a man of unclean lips. That is. I'm a sinful man. And I live among a people. Of unclean lips. I may. Live among a people.

[31:10] I'm part of a race. Of sinful people. For my eyes. Have seen the king. And the lord of hosts. This is why he said. Woe is me. By the way. When he said. Woe is me.

[31:20] He was pronouncing. A curse upon himself. Pronouncing anathema. Upon himself. That didn't stick. Because he didn't have the authority.

[31:32] To do so. That's how he fell. Woe is me. Cursed is me. I'm destroyed. Ruined. And why? Because I've seen. The lord.

[31:44] And I am a sinful. And I saw him. And now I must die. Seriously. What. What Isaiah is saying. See. The terror.

[31:54] The. The. The. The. The. Trauma. That Isaiah. The prophet. Was experiencing. At the revelation. Of the truth.

[32:05] The reality. Of God's holiness. Shall we. I tell you. We have. Such a. Humanized. Conception. Of who God is.

[32:16] In a sense. We can't help ourselves. Because we are human. And we. Have to. Conceptualize. Things. From. A human. Perspective.

[32:26] And so we tend to. Anthropomorphize. Everything. We've done so. With God. So. Humanized. Him. Made. Who he is.

[32:37] His identity. His nature. So common. As if we could. If we saw God. It would be like. Seeing a friend. At Walmart. And we would just. Run up to him. And embrace him.

[32:47] And say. How are you. God. And how things. In the universe. To be so. Familiar. In that way. In such a. Common way.

[32:58] No. Some years ago. I. Heard a Christian. Celebrity. Say. And I. Been trying to. Rack my brain. Remember who it was. But one of these.

[33:10] I don't want to say. Quote Christian. Celebrities. I don't know his heart. But he said. You know. When I get to heaven. I'm going to play golf. For a few thousand years. Jesus.

[33:21] And I'm going to play with Jesus. Play golf with Jesus. And I'll be his caddy. Or maybe he'll be my caddy. I don't know. First place.

[33:35] Imagine. Playing golf. With the holy one. With the holy one of Israel. We have so.

[33:47] Humanized. I tell you. Listen. Isaiah. Chapter six. Verse four. Says that every. Minute. Particle. Of. Inner. Matter.

[33:58] In that place. Was. Shuddering. At the presence of God. I'm talking about. Inanimate. Material. That the thresholds.

[34:12] Were. Shuddering. Shaking. We're not talking about. The doorways. Seems that way. From the English text. The. Foundations.

[34:23] Of the thresholds. That is. The very foundation. Of the place. Was. Shuddering. And shaking. When the angels. Declared. The holiness.

[34:34] The thrice. Holiness. Of God. A place. Was visibly. Shaken. Reminds me. Of another. Occasion. When. Scriptures. Seem to suggest. That inanimate.

[34:45] Objects. Might be able. To respond. To the holiness. Of God. You might. Remember. That Jesus. Was making. His triumphal. Entry. Into Jerusalem. Just before. He would go. To the cross. And as he was.

[34:56] Coming in. The expectations. Were quite high. Among the people. Of Jerusalem. We're thinking. Maybe this really. Is the Messiah. Because here he comes. Coming in. Through the gate. Riding on a donkey.

[35:06] And so they lined. The streets. And they laid. Palm branches. Down on the. On the street. For him to. Walk upon. Or ride upon. And they. Not only did that.

[35:17] But they sang. From a. One of David's. Messianic psalms. And they were singing. Blessed is the king. Who comes in the name. Of the Lord. Glory. In the highest. And they were singing.

[35:28] That to Jesus. As he's coming in. To the temple. Well. The religious leaders. Of the day. You know. They got a little bit. Bent out of shape. About that. I mean. Obvious to them.

[35:38] That the people. Were ascribing. To Jesus. Messiahship. And that just. Could not be. And so. They even went. To Jesus. And demanded. That he make. His followers. His disciples.

[35:49] Stop singing. That song. You remember. What Jesus said. He said. I say to you. That if these be silent.

[36:02] The stones. Will cry. You see. It just seems. That. Inanimate objects. Have a.

[36:13] More heightened sense. Of the majesty. Glory. And holiness. Of God. Than even do. God's own creatures. Even his own people.

[36:24] Sometimes. You get the sense. Of this. The terror. The trauma. Of holiness.

[36:36] I tell you. If. God were to open. Our eyes. Here this morning. And just allow us. To see. Just a bit. Of what Isaiah. Saw that day.

[36:48] I tell you. We. We would be. Noticeably. Shaken. Noticeably. Shaken. I get.

[36:59] A little. Irritated. As some of these. Preachers. And evangelists. Who talk about. God. Coming down. To their.

[37:11] Worship service. And their. Revival. Meeting. And. They usually. Describe it. In terms of. Emotional responses. Singing.

[37:24] Clapping. Praising. The Lord. Hmm. Dear people. If God. Were to come down. Here.

[37:36] Today. There would be no singing. No clapping. There would be no.

[37:48] Speaking at all. There would be no standing. You and I would be under these pews. Flat on our faces.

[37:59] Trying to dig a hole in this floor. To find a place to hide. You understand? Tell you. You do not. Stand.

[38:11] In the presence. Of God. In his unveiled. Presence. There's no. Standing. No. Speaking.

[38:22] You could not. Look at him. In Exodus. Thirty three. Verse eighteen. Moses. Asked to see. The unveiled face of God.

[38:34] Mentioned that a moment ago. God would not allow him. To see his face. He said. You can't see my face. And live. But he did allow him. To see his glory.

[38:44] And when Moses came down. Off the mountain. His. Face. Was. Changed. And it was. Frightening. People.

[38:55] In fact. He had to put a veil. Over his face. You cannot look. Upon God. There would be no. Standing in his face.

[39:05] I tell you. We. Would not even. Tolerate the sound. Of his voice. Just ask the people. Of Israel. When they were. Standing around. The foot. Of Mount Sinai. As God. Thundered down.

[39:16] His commandments. And they came. To Moses. And they said. Speak to us. Yourself. Moses. And we will listen. To you. But let not. God speak to us. Lest we die. God. God.

[39:27] God. Is not. Some. Celestial. Puppet. That we can. Make deals. With. And. And. Somehow.

[39:38] Manipulate. With our actions. And emotions. And even. With our prayers. You don't. Manipulate. God. In prayer. In prayer. You join. God.

[39:49] In whatever. He wants. To do. We don't. Manipulate. He's not. He's not. Your bosom buddy. He's not. One of the guys. A good old boy.

[40:00] The big guy. Or the man upstairs. He's not any of those. Familiar terms. He. He's the thrice. Holy God. Of all the universe. And holy. Holy.

[40:10] Holy. Is his name. We're talking here. About. Who God is. I'm not talking about. Your personal. And our personal. And intimate. Relationship. That we can.

[40:20] And should have. With God. Through Jesus. Christ. I'm talking about. Who God really is. And what he is. And he is. Holy. Do you doubt that?

[40:35] How did. Isaiah. React. To the presence. Of God. Well. Did he run up. And embrace. The Lord. Did he.

[40:46] Just break out. In song. And shout. And clapping. And. Did he sing. A few stanzas. Of blessed be the name. Of the Lord. God. No. He said.

[40:58] Woe is me. I'm. Destroyed. Because I've looked. I've seen the Lord. And no sinful man.

[41:09] Can see the Lord. And live. See the trauma. Of it. Do you. Do you think. You would be any different. In.

[41:20] Mark. Chapter 4. Turn to Mark. Chapter 4. Real quickly. Do want you to look at this. Mark.

[41:35] Chapter 4. Turn. Turn. With verse 35. Jesus said. To his disciples. There.

[41:45] In verse 35. Let us go over. To the other side. Of the side. Of the sea of Galilee. So leaving the crowd. They took him along with them. In the boat. Just as he was.

[41:55] And other boats were with him. And there arose. A fierce gale. Of wind. And the waves were breaking. Over the boat. So much. That the boat. Was already filling up. And Jesus himself. Was in the stern.

[42:07] And yeah. He was asleep. On a cushion. They woke him. And said to him. Teacher. Do you not care. That we are perishing. And he got up. And rebuked the wind. And said to the sea.

[42:18] Hush. Be still. And the wind died down. And it became. Perfectly calm. And he said to them. Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?

[42:30] In verse 30. 41. Is what I want you to really see. They became. Very much. Afraid. Feared. Exceedingly.

[42:41] That's the King James. They said one to another. Who. Is this. It's my translation.

[42:54] Who is this. That even the wind. And the sea. Obey him. Can you. Can you. Picture that. They're out in the boat.

[43:04] With Jesus. And a big storm. Comes up. Which is pretty typical. Of the sea of Galilee. Jesus is asleep. And they wake him up. And he. Stands up. And he says. Hush. Beast. Everything.

[43:14] Calm. And in my. Kind of. Sanctified. Imagination. And I. Can. Just see. Jesus. Standing. On one side. Of the boat. He's just.

[43:25] Calm. The sea. And all the disciples. They're. Grouped. On the other side. Of the boat. And they're looking over there. There's Jesus. And they're standing here. And. They're.

[43:37] Backing up. And. Suddenly. Their leg. Hits the side of the boat. Their mouths. Falling down. To the floor. Yeah. But they're in sheer terror.

[43:51] And they. Look at one another. And say. Who is he? Who is he? That even the wind.

[44:04] And the sea obey. See the. Terror. The trauma. Of it. In Luke chapter 5.

[44:14] Verse 7. You don't need to turn to it. But. There. Jesus. Is. Just. Under the press. Of all the people.

[44:25] And he. Sees some fishermen out there. Peter's one of them. And some others. And. He says. Come. Pick me up. And so. He gets in the boat with him. He says. Go out a little ways. And he preached some more.

[44:36] There. Off the shore. And then after he was done preaching. He said. Go out into the deep. And throw out your net. Right there. The Bible says here.

[44:48] Luke testifies that Peter said. In a sense. He said. We've been fishing. All day. We're tired. Haven't caught a thing. But. Nevertheless. As you say.

[45:00] So he throws out the net. And he catches all those fish. What was Peter's response? But when Peter.

[45:12] Saw that. He fell. Down at Jesus feet. Saying. Go. Away. From me. Depart from me.

[45:23] For I am a sinful man. Oh Lord. Lord. You see. This is the. The. Sheer terror. When someone.

[45:34] When a. Human being. With flesh and blood. Get a glimpse. Of the greatness. And holiness. Of God. Do you.

[45:44] Do you understand. This. So then. There's the truth. Of God's holiness. There's the terror. Of God's holiness. And then we need to. Finish this up. There is the touch. Of God's holiness. Verse six.

[46:02] And one of the seraphim. Flew. To me. With a burning coal. In his hand. Which he had taken. From the altar. With tongs. Touched my mouth. With it. And said.

[46:13] Behold. This has touched your lips. And your iniquity. Is taken away. And your sin. Is forgiven. See. I think I can see. Isaiah. There on the floor. Quivering.

[46:24] Quaking. In fear. He's just. Looked upon. The glory. And majesty. And holiness. Of God. And every nerve. In his body. Is trembling.

[46:35] And he's looking. For a place to hide. Just like you and I. Would be. Hoping maybe. The roof. Would fall in on him. Or maybe the earth. Would just open up. And swallow him. And I mean. He is. He is.

[46:46] Broken. And he is. Repentant. But you know. See. The God. Though. According to scripture. The God. Who is three times.

[46:56] Holy. Is also. A God. Who is. Infinite. In mercy. And grace. And he. Purged.

[47:08] And cleansed. Isaiah. Of all his sins. What an experience. Now. Let me. Explain something. Very carefully.

[47:18] Listen. Very carefully. You cannot. Experience. The sin. Purging. Of God. Apart. From experiencing. His holiness. Some measure.

[47:30] Of his holiness. You cannot do it. In the first place. Initially. Repentance. And faith. That is. The very. Salvation. Experience. Comes. As a result. Of an awareness. And an. Acknowledgement.

[47:40] Of the. Holiness. Of God. And that you have. Actually. Sinned. Against. A holy God. That's where. It all begins. And then the touch. Of God's holiness.

[47:51] The revelation. Of God's holiness. Occurs. At other times. In our journey. As Christians. Some encounter. We have with God. Or some. Revelation. Of himself. In his word.

[48:02] Or maybe. Some confirmation. In your life. Of the power of God. Over your circumstances. Or maybe. It is. Some time. When. In life. When you. Realize. And. And experience.

[48:12] The faithfulness. Of God. Even when you're. Not faithful. And on and on. And I could go with the list. Just these. Encounters. With. The greatness. And holiness. Of God. And each time. You come face to face.

[48:23] With a holy God. You are destroyed. A part of you. Is destroyed. And ruined. And then. Put back together. Again.

[48:35] That's. The grace of God. Some of you. Might be thinking. The preacher. I. God has never.

[48:46] Revealed. His glory. His majesty. And holiness. To me. In the way. That you describe. I mean. Really. Preacher. Let's just.

[48:57] Be plain. How can. I. Experience. What Isaiah. Experienced. I mean. How can. His experience. Or Moses. Or Peter. Or the disciples. How can.

[49:07] Their experience. Apply to me. I've never. Had those kinds. Of experiences. With God. Where I just. Had. This overwhelming. Sense. Of his holiness. And there.

[49:17] For a sense. Of my own. Sinfulness. I've never. Had that. Well. Let me. Ask you something. What if. Peter. That passage. I read a moment ago. What if. Peter. Had not. Thrown the net.

[49:28] Out that day. Where Jesus. Told him to. What if. He just said. No. That I'm tired. And maybe. He just had his way. And he went home. What if. The disciples.

[49:39] Refused. To get into the boat. With Jesus. And launch out. Into the uncertainty. Of Galilee. What if. They just didn't do it. That day. What if. Moses. Had not. Turned aside.

[49:50] That day. To see that burning bush. What if. Moses. Had not later. In his life. Asked to see. The face of God. To be so bold. To make such a request. What if. That had never happened. What if.

[50:00] Isaiah. Did not go into the temple. That day. What if he just stayed home. Because he got a sick kid. Or maybe. Needed to mow the yard. Or something like that. And he just didn't. Go into the temple. What if he didn't go. What if Peter didn't do it.

[50:12] What if. The disciples didn't do. What Jesus asked. What if Moses didn't turn aside. All those things. Well I can tell you. There would be. Have been no truth. Of God's holiness. Revealed. And therefore. No terror.

[50:23] Of holiness. And therefore. No touch. Of holiness. It just would not have happened. See listen. How are you going to experience. The holiness. Of God.

[50:34] The reality of God. If you're not looking. Where he's. Where he is. If you're not going. Where he is. If you're not involving yourself. In doing. What he is doing. How are you and I. Ever going to see God.

[50:45] And experience God. If we seldom. Spend time. In I mean real prayer. How are you and I. Going to know God. And know what God is like.

[50:56] And know. The reality of God. That he is. Holy. And sovereign. And full of glory. And majesty. How are we going to know. What he likes. And what he does not like. How are you and I.

[51:06] Going to know. Him. In any of those ways. If we seldom. Spend time. In his word. Searching the scriptures. How are we going to know.

[51:18] We won't know. And why should God. Reveal himself to us. If we are living. In disobedience. To him. See. Do we dare. Like Peter. To roll up our sleeves.

[51:30] And throw out the net. One more time. Even though we're tired. And discouraged. Do we dare do that. Then God will reveal himself. Do we dare.

[51:40] Like the disciples. Launch out into the uncertain. Seas. Of Galilee. Or the uncertain seas. Of this world. With Jesus. Do we dare do that.

[51:52] Do we dare. Like Moses. Turn aside. And look. For burning bushes. Where God. Might be present. Where God. Might be working. And go find him there. And join him there. If so.

[52:02] God will reveal himself. To us. He will. And when he does. We had better. Get ready. Because. The touch of holiness.

[52:13] Is always for a purpose. Isaiah tells us that. Very clearly. Verse 8. Then I heard the voice of the Lord. Saying whom shall I send.

[52:23] And who will go for us. And then I said. Here am I. Send. Me. And God said. Go. See there is the commissioning.

[52:34] And there is a pattern. That is revealed. In this text. And it is a pattern. I challenge you. As you search scripture. A pattern you will find. Throughout scripture. And the pattern is this.

[52:45] That God reveals himself. To sinful man. Man responds. In brokenness. God then forgives. And restores.

[52:56] And heals. Us spiritually. And then God sends. That is the pattern. You will find it. Throughout scripture. As one great black person. Preacher. Frederick Samson.

[53:06] Used to say. He said. I see God. I see me. I see others. That's. The way. God works. God doesn't reveal.

[53:16] His holiness. To get his jollies. He doesn't reveal. His holiness to you. To wow you. And make you impressed. God reveals himself. To you. For a purpose. To worship him.

[53:26] Yes. But also. To commission you. To send you out. And God. Took a sinful man. Like Isaiah. And made him. A prophet.

[53:37] One of the greatest. Of all of Israel. And what God did. With Isaiah. He surely will. Do with you. Just. Look.

[53:48] For the holy one. Keep your eyes. On the holy one. Just. Be. In constant search.

[53:59] For the holy one. Submit. And surrender. Yourself. To the holy one. Holy. Holy.

[54:10] Holy. He's the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full. Thank you.