In The Beginning - The Untainted God

Curtis Gordon

Make Holiness Great Again • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Genesis 1:1

Psalm 99:1–3

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Last week we began a new series entitled - MAKE HOLINESS GREAT AGAIN.

Read Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 99:1-3

This series is working from a Biblical foundation based upon a three legged stool - You need all three of these legs or it won't stand properly -

1.) The first leg in making holiness great again is to gain a proper perspective of the Holiness of God.

2,) The Second leg in making holiness great again is to gain a proper perspective what holiness is

3.) The Third leg in making holiness great again is to gain a proper perspective of how God makes unholy men holy.

We will finish out the first leg of the stool this morning- Gaining a proper perspective of the Holiness of God.

In Review - Last time we talked about how Holiness is everywhere in the Church. We have a Holy Bible, we serve a Holy God, we are to be Holy People.

But what does it all really mean?

Well you don't really start with John Wesley or even our Articles of Faith, you begin with the Beginning.

You begin with the Bible.

Genesis 1:1 God introduces reveals himself to us simply as, "In the Beginning God….

As we begin to read the Bible through we find that this God is Holy.

The Holiness of God is seen as the overarching attribute of God.

His Holiness is revealed in two ways - we covered the first one last week -

His Preeminent Latitude or Transcendence - God is High and Lifted Up - Like no Other.

"There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God" (1 Sam. 2:2) Today I want to look at His Moral Rectitude - or His Holiness as shown by His absolute purity. - Now I don't want to bring us down - but this is a little more serious and negative than last week. I will try to make it as positive as I can - but we need to seriously contemplate the Holiness of God - sometimes even in reverence and fear - that is the beginning of Wisdom the Bible says. Now by Purity - I don't mean to imply that God has a standard of Holiness and Purity - but that He is the Standard of Holiness and Purity. We work on a grading scale, we put John Wesley on one end and Saddam Hussein on the other. Both of them were fallen men - both needed grace and help from God. God has never fallen, doesn't even look upon sin as the scripture bears out.

The Holiness of God is an Indescribable Thing.

We have to think of the holiness of God in human terms, but we can't describe it. When we think of God being holy, we sometimes think of him being pure. "Purity doesn't describe it well enough. Purity merely means that he is unmixed…but that isn't enough. We talk about him being morally excellent, but that isn't adequate. To be morally excellent you have to exceed someone else in moral character. With God there is no one else, God certainly excels morally all created beings, but that is not enough. "

"God is not now any holier that he ever was. He did not get His holiness form anyone or anywhere. He is Himself the Holiness. He is the All-Holy, the Holy One: He is Holiness itself.

"The holiness of God is active…it incites all that He does; therefore He is righteous in His ways. Though infinitely holy, He nevertheless maintains a relation to fallen creatures;"

"The holiness of God is intrinsic, uncreated, and untarnishable; it is observable in every divine attitude and action."

The Holiness of God is An Awesome Thing I love that great hymn of the church - "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul - My Savior God to Thee How Great Thou ART.

The Holiness of God is A Terrifying ThingLook in the scriptures of people who encountered God - there was always a tremendous change, but usually there was always a tremendous fear, or reactionMoses had several encounters with God - He had to take his shoes offHis face shoneThe people trembled and were afraid when God spokeIt is amazing how many people would fall down on their face when approached by God in the Bible - There was a fear of God especially the Holiness of God - it is awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.Even in the book of Revelation - numerous accounts of people reacting to the holiness of God by falling on their faces or to their knees. In Isiah 6 we find even God's holy created beings, the Seraphim the gauardians of the Holiness of God cover themselves and cry out "Holy Holy Holy" in the presence of God Almighty. Yes the Holiness of God is a terrifying thing.

You Can't Cheat GodMy health steps on Phone App - Rode lawnmower over bouncy back yard - it said I exceeded my step goal for the day. - We may cheat on things like that - but you don't cheat God and get away with it.You Reap what you SowThe Bible is full of stories of people who disobeyed God - who tried to cheat - and suffered terribly for it. God's Holiness in Action - Achan The People who looked at the Ark - Preface with the seriousness of the Ark of the Covenant. 1 Samuel 6:19-20 KJV

And he smote the men of Beth–shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord , even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth–shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

The Tribe of Benjamin

King Saul The Children of Israel - over and over and over You might be saying that is only in the Old Testament - That in the New Testament God doesn't act that way - Jesus is all merciful and tender and kind. This is the modern - politically correct way. We have taken The Lord Jesus Christ - and turned Him into a little cute kitten - soft and cuddly, and cute and heartwarming. The Bible calls Him a Lion!!! We play far too safe with God - He is not a plaything, or something to look at, or use when you want - He is A LION!!!

In the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, C. S. Lewis writes about Aslan the Lion. If you haven't read the book, or are not familiar with it, it is a powerful allegory of the battle between right and wrong.

Susan a young girl asks, "Who is Aslan?"

Mr. Beaver recites a poem - "Wrong will be right, When Aslan comes in sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more When he bares his teeth, winter meets it's death And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again. You will understand when you see him…

"Is he a man?" asked Lucy

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly, "Certainly not, I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond the Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a Lion- The Lion, the Great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan…"Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."…

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he is good. He's the King I tell you."

When we look at Jesus as a soft little kitty it shows you haven't read the whole Bible. Your image of Jesus might be some little creature that you can lead around the house with a little string - But I assure you this morning on the authority of God's word - that HE IS NOTHING TO BE TRIFLED WITH.

Even in the New Testament you find references to God's Holy wrath being poured out

Peter and Anninias Saphhira

King Herod - Acts chapter 12 begins

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.

But you get down to about the end of the chapter and you find that God comes in all of His terrifying Holiness - after Jesus yes in our day of Grace -

21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

The Man Paul prayed to be blind - The very next chapter you find an interesting account of God's Holiness portrayed

8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

The Man without a wedding garment. = Now remember that Jesus himself - is God. God is holy therefore we deduce that Jesus is Holy!!!

Hebrews bears this out 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

I want to end with a scripture reading - It is impossible to explain or preach the Holiness of God like it really is - But Hebrews 12 does a really good job of this lets look at this

Heb. 12:18-29

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12&version=KJV>

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