Holy, Holy, Holy –

Isaiah 6
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Sermon 3 of 16 from the Our Awesome God series

5 questions or comments

January 1997 – Would you consider it a compliment if

someone called you holy? The answer is, it depends on
who that someone is. After all, the word holy is used in
different ways by different people. If a person is
considered excessively religious, he is called a Holy Roller,
or a Holy Joe, or he is said to be holier than thou. The
truth is, most of us have mixed feelings about being
called holy. It could be a compliment or an insult-
depending on the person doing the talking.

Let me try another question. Are you a holy person?

Again, most of us have mixed feelings. I imagine there are
very few of us who would use the word holy to describe
ourselves. We probably feel more comfortable using
words like loving or trustworthy or joyful. The truth is, the
word “holy” has negative connotations, even to many
Christians. We’re not sure what it means so we rarely use
it to describe other people. It’s often used in an insulting
way so we feel vaguely uncomfortable applying it to
ourselves.

Yet God said, “Be holy, as I am holy.”

Holy, Holy, Holy

Before we can understand what it means to be holy, we

must understand what it means to say that God is holy. In
many ways holiness is God’s central attribute. One writer
actually defines it this way. “Holiness is that which makes
God God.” Dr. Renald Showers calls it “the foundational
truth of revelation.”

How important is it? Holiness is the only attribute of God

mentioned in triplicate. Two times the Bible tells us that
God is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8). Think
about that for a moment. If God says something about his
character once, that’s enough to settle it. When he says it
twice, that’s emphasis. But when he says it three times,
that means it’s of supreme importance. The Bible never
says that God is love, love, love or mercy, mercy, mercy,
or justice, justice, justice. But it does say that he is holy,
holy, holy.

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A Definition
Let’s begin by working toward a definition. I agree with
those writers who say that holiness is the most difficult
attribute to define because it deals with the essence of
God’s character. Defining holiness is like defining God! It
can’t be done completely. We can describe holiness and
find ample illustrations of it, but we can’t define it
entirely. This is what makes God God!

The word itself means “to be set apart.” A thing is holy if

it is set apart for a special use. Other words you might use
are words like distinctive or different. Applied to God,
holiness is that characteristic that sets him apart from his
creation. There are many verses that speak of God being
“on high,” “reigning,” “in his holy temple,” “sitting on
the throne.” These verses all picture God as separate
from creation and reigning over it.
Holy Bible, Holy Land, Holy Angels

We can go a step farther and say that anything is “holy”

that is “set apart” for God. That’s why we call the Bible
the Holy Bible-it contains the Word of God. We call Israel
the Holy Land because it is the land he chose for his own
people. The angels are holy angels because they belong
to God. The sabbath is holy because he set it apart for
himself. And when Moses stood before the burning bush,
he was told to take off his shoes because he was standing
on “holy ground"-ground that God had set apart for
himself.

There is a second important meaning of the word holy:

“Utterly pure, separated from sin.” The Bible tells us that
God hates sin, that he cannot sin nor will he tempt others
to sin. God is so pure that he cannot tolerate sin in any
form in his presence. One day he will destroy sin forever.
That leads to an important implication: holiness and sin
cannot coexist. If you want to be holy as God is holy, you
must adopt his attitude toward sin. You must abhor it as
he does. If you coddle sin or excuse it or dabble in it, you
cannot be holy as he is holy.
Three Case Studies
In the reminder of this message, I want us to consider
what God’s holiness means for you and me. Let’s look
together at three episodes where mortal men
encountered a holy God. From these three stories we will
glean crucial spiritual truth for ourselves.

A. Isaiah 6
Our first episode comes from the life of the prophet
Isaiah. It takes place early in his ministry, “in the year King
Uzziah died” (v. 1). That note is important because Uzziah
was one of the best kings Judah ever had. He had a heart
for God unlike many of his predecessors and successors.
When he died, the nation was plunged into turmoil. A
golden age in Israel’s history was drawing to a close.
Would the people continue to walk with God or would
they return to idolatry? In that fateful moment, Isaiah
came face to face with the living God.
We can summarize his experience with four words:
Majesty 1-2
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and
the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were
seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they
covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and
with two they were flying.
Worship 3-4
And they were calling to one another: ’’Holy, holy, holy is
the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds
shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Confession 5
’’Woe to me!” I cried. ’’I am ruined! For I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his
hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Cleansing 6-7
With it he touched my mouth and said, ’’See, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin
atoned for.”
Of all the things we might say about this magnificent
passage, let’s concentrate on one central truth: When
Isaiah saw the Lord, he also saw himself! That’s why he
cried out, “Woe is me!” Until then, Isaiah didn’t look so
bad. Doubtless he was far more moral than his
contemporaries. Compared to them, he looked clean;
compared to God, he looked filthy.
So it is that whenever we see God for who he is, we will
then see ourselves for who we really are. Holiness leads
to confession and repentance. If you haven’t cried out, “I
am a man of unclean lips lately,” it may simply indicate
that you’ve not seen the King lately.
It is a simple fact that what happened to Isaiah happens
to anyone who catches a glimpse of God. The closer you
come to God, the more you will recognize your own
sinfulness. It’s like taking a white shirt that you’ve worn
for a year and placing it next to a brand-new one.
Suddenly it doesn’t look white any more, it looks dingy
gray.
All that seems so pure in me is dirty when seen in the
blinding light of God’s character. If I go to hear a great
pianist play, I must cry out, “Woe is me!” for I see my
smallness against his virtuosity. Likewise, when I see God
for who he is, I can only cry out “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!”
Reginald Heber captured this perfectly when he wrote,
Holy, Holy, Holy, tho the darkness hide thee, 
 Tho the
eye of sinful man thy glory may not see.
Only thou art Holy-there is none beside thee. 
 Perfect
in power, in love and purity.
Someone has said that the first principle of usefulness is
to understand that you are not worthy to be used. That’s
what happened to Isaiah. He saw himself when he saw
the Lord, and that seeing led to confession, repentance,
and cleansing.
B. Exodus 3

In order to understand the second episode, we need to

go back almost 700 years earlier, to the hot sands of the
Sinai desert. There a man named Moses is about to meet
God for the first time. While he is tending sheep, a most
extraordinary event takes place: A bush begins to burn
but it is not consumed. Fascinated by the sight, he walks
closer to investigate. That’s when he hears the voice of
God.

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God
called to him from within the bush, ìMoses! Moses!” And
Moses said, ìHere I am.” ìDo not come any closer,” God
said. ìTake off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy ground” (vv. 4-5).
That’s when the Lord revealed himself to Moses. Let me
paraphrase what God said: “Moses, do you remember
how I revealed myself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
You’ve heard those stories all your life. I am the same God
who talked with them hundreds of years ago. Just as I
used them to accomplish great things, I have a big job in
mind for you. Are you ready to listen to what I have to
say?”
Now I don’t know how you would respond, but I think I
would do exactly what Moses did. Verse six says he hid
his face because he was afraid to look at God.
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• The Frustrated Fisherman: Christ Speaks to the Problem of
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• Do Not Quench the Spirit
Matthew Henry has a good comment at this point. He
says that God told Moses to take off his shoes to remind
him of the infinite distance between God and man. He can
come only so close, and no closer. “His conscience must
be satisfied, but not his curiosity; and care must be taken
that familiarity does not breed contempt.” He goes on to
say that “The more we see of God the more cause we
shall see to worship him with reverence and godly fear.
Even the manifestations of God’s grace and covenant-
love should increase our humble reverence of him.”

This, then, is our second response to God’s holiness: Deep

respect for who God is. I can think of at least one
objection to what I have just said. Since this event
happened in the Old Testament, and since we are not
under law but under grace, isn’t this whole episode rather
irrelevant to us today? The answer is no. I do agree that in
Christ Jesus we have been invited to come boldly into
God’s presence. This is what the book of Hebrews is all
about. We’re no longer kept at arm’s length but are now
welcomed into the Throne Room of the universe (cf.
Hebrews 4:14-16). However, that same book warns us not
to take God lightly, but to worship him acceptably with
“reverence and awe for our ’God is a consuming fire’”
(12:29). Some Christians have mistaken access with
informality and substituted flippancy for familiarity. Yes,
we are to call God Father-but that means treating him
with the respect he deserves.

C. 2 Samuel 6

The third episode comes from one of the strangest

passages in all the Bible. Now we need to run the clock
ahead by about 450 years. David has just been crowned
king of Israel and has just conquered Jerusalem. All that
remains for him to do is to have the Ark of the Covenant
transported from the house of Abinadab to the
Tabernacle in Jerusalem. The Ark had been absent from
the Tabernacle for nearly 20 years. The Philistines
captured it, but later gave it back to the Israelites. David
wanted it back in the capital because it represented the
presence of God with his people. Once a year, on the Day
of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the holy of
holies and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat, indicating
that the sins of the people had been atoned for through
sacrificial blood.

David ordered that the Ark be taken back to Jerusalem

and assembled thousands of people who joined in the
great celebration. He had the Ark put on a cart pulled by a
team of oxen. The two sons of Abinadab walked next to
the Ark to steady it lest it fall to the ground. Now we pick
up the story in verses 6-7:

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah

reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the
oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah
because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him
down and he died there beside the ark of God.

We need to understand several facts in order for this

story to make sense. Number one, although David meant
well, he did not obey the Lord’s command. Yes, God did
want the Ark back in Jerusalem, but he had given specific
instructions that it should be transported by priests who
would carry it by means of long poles inserted through
rings attached to the Ark for that very purpose. If David
had followed God’s plan, the Ark would have been safe.
But because he substituted his own plan, Uzzah died.

Number two, Uzzah probably also meant well. After all, if

you were walking beside the Ark and it began to tip over,
what would you do? You’d put your hand out and
straighten it, wouldn’t you? And that would be the last
thing you’d ever do. You see, Uzzah knew that no human
was ever to touch the Ark of the Covenant because it was
holy. Uzzah mistakenly thought that his sinful hand was
somehow less sinful than the dirt of the earth. How
wrong he was. God never said the dirt was sinful. It was
just dirt, nothing more. Uzzah not only disobyed God, he
also disrespected the Lord’s command.

David’s reaction was understandable. First, he was angry

(v. 8), then he was afraid (v. 9). “If God’s going to start
killing people for stuff like that, we’re all going to be dead
soon.”

This story teaches us that good motives are not enough.

Enthusiasm must be accompanied by obedience. It’s not
enough to mean well. We’ve got to do the right thing.

That’s the third response to God’s holiness: Fear lest we

should displease the Lord.
Two Practical Applications
Let’s wrap up this message with two practical
applications. What will it mean if we begin to take God’s
holiness seriously?

A. When we grasp God’s holiness, we will be moved to

wholehearted worship!
That’s what happened to Isaiah when he saw a vision of
God. That’s what happened to Job when the Lord
finished his interrogation. That’s what happened to the
24 elders in heaven as they came before the throne.
Holiness leads to worship.
That leads me to share some good news and some bad
news. The good news is, you can worship God anywhere.
In our three examples today, men worshipped in the
temple, in the desert, and on the road to Jerusalem. I
agree with everyone who says, “You don’t have to go to
church to worship God.” That’s true, and lots of people
who go to church don’t worship anyway. They come by
force of habit or in order to see their friends. Worship is
the last thing on their minds. You can worship anytime or
anywhere as long as you catch a glimpse of God’s
holiness. When you see God, you’ll worship no matter
where you are.
That’s the good news. The bad news is as bad as the good
news is good. Here is it. Although you can worship God
anywhere, you cannot worship him halfheartedly. There is
no such thing as halfhearted worship. Oh, there’s
religious routine and repetitive ritual, but true worship
grips the mind and heart and soul.
Recently I did an interview with an Atlanta radio station.
The interviewer asked me why so many church members
seem apathetic about their faith. I told him it’s because
our churches are filled with people who don’t believe in
God. They are theoretical Christians and practical atheists.
They give lip service to God but live as if he doesn’t exist.
They are apathetic because God bores them. But as Ravi
Zacharias has pointed out, “When man is bored with God,
even heaven does not have a better alternative.”
During the dark days of World War II, William Temple,
then Archbishop of Canterbury, in a radio address to the
people of England, declared, “This world can be saved
from political chaos and collapse by one thing only, and
that is worship.”
Does that sound preposterous? Listen to his definition of
worship: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the
holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God,
to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open
the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the
purpose of God.” If that is what worship really is, perhaps
the Archbishop was correct. Only worship can save us.
And we will never worship as long as we bored with God.
And God will bore us until we get a glimpse of his
holiness.
B. When God’s holiness grips us, we will respond with wholehearted
obedience!

This follows naturally, doesn’t it? Let me suggest what

that wholehearted obedience will look like. There will be
…

• new respect for God

• new respect for God’s name
• new zeal to please Him
• new attention to the details of life
• new fear of God’s judgment
• new love for God’s people
• new desire for God’s word
• new hatred for sin
• new humility
• new fear of God in the congregation
• new emphasis on the Cross of Christ
• new desire to serve the Lord
• new joy in worship
• new zeal for prayer
• new desire to tell others about the Lord
• new reverence for life itself!

What else will happen when we once again elevate God’s

holiness to its proper position?

• Less talk about self-esteem and more talk about

repentance.
• Less concern about the White House and more
concern for God’s house.
• Fewer flippant jokes and more serious worship.
• Less emphasis on relevance and more emphasis on
faithfulness
• Less therapy from the pulpit and more preaching of
the Cross.
• Less neglect of church discipline.
• Less concerned about what the world thinks and
more concerned about what God thinks.
Here, then, are seven benefits of holiness in the life of the
believer. God’s holiness …

• Exposes our sin.

• Shatters our pride.
• Awakens our conscience.
• Redirects our will.
• Stirs our emotions.
• Prompts our obedience.
• Ignites our worship.

Because God’s holiness is his central attribute, his

holiness is the central issue of the Christian life. That is
why 1 Peter 1:16 says, “Be holy, because I am holy.” When
God’s holiness becomes a reality to us, we will never be
the same again!

Distinctively Different

I began this sermon by remarking that God’s Holiness is

that which makes God God! In a sense, our holiness is
what makes us truly Christian. To speak of an unholy
Christian is ultimately an oxymoron. Holiness is the mark
of God’s children. We are to be holy because we have
been made partakers of his divine nature.

Many years ago I attended Tennessee Temple University.

The school had a two-word motto that it used in all its
advertising. I always thought it was a good summary of
what holiness is all about. Just two words: Distinctively
Christian. To be holy means that in every area of your life
you are so aware of God’s presence that you are
distinctively Christian.
One other bit of good news and I’m done. It’s not
impossible to be holy-even in this unholy world. Jesus did
the hard part when he died on the Cross. The Holy Spirit
lives within us. God calls you “holy” in Christ Jesus. Do
you want to be holy? Then live up to what you already
are! Holiness is natural for the child of God.
So let me end by asking that question again: “Would you
consider it a compliment if someone called you a holy
person?” Consider this. That’s the highest compliment
God could ever give you.
“Holy Father, open our eyes that we might truly see You,
and having seen You, to see ourselves as You see us. We
pray to be holy as you are holy, and to live up to what we
already are in Jesus Christ. Amen.”