Holiness is essential for followers of Christ. At the core of holiness is the understanding that we are set apart from the things of the world and are consecrated to the things of God. Holiness will necessitate that we nurture our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Person, the work, and the power of the Holy Spirit are fundamental to who we are as the people of God. We must unabashedly own the truth that the Spirit can transform us, possess us, equip us, and empower us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us, makes us holy, sets us apart for sacred service, and seals us for eternity’s sake. It is the Spirit that convicts us of sin and enables us to overcome sin. It is the Holy Spirit who can breathe supernatural gifts into us, for Jesus’ sake. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus and is the witness of our redemption (Gal 5:22–23).
Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
We see here that holiness is the God-quality that is being lauded and praised in Heaven. It is the holiness of God that is the content for Heaven’s worshipers. The worship of Heaven is perfect because the worshipers fully know what God is like. Their worship reflects it.
Holiness begins with a recognition and reverence for the holiness of God.
We are to relate with God based on the revelation of who He is and what He is calling us into. He isn’t calling us into a casual or occasional relationship, but one that takes seriously Who He is and what He asks of us. Our Holy God calls us to be His people by reflecting His character to the world.
At the root of holiness is the idea of being separate from the world. God doesn’t want us to be ordinary or common. We aren’t supposed to go with the flow or look like the world. God is our standard and reflecting His holiness in the world becomes our mission.
Something is holy if it is separated from common use. It becomes consecrated to be used of God. That is how we are to be. When we are devoted to God and distinct from the world, we are holy and can be used by God for His purposes. The Bible talks about Holy Ground in Exodus 3:5. In that exchange between God and Moses, God asked Moses to take his sandals off as a recognition that he was standing in the presence of a holy God.
Removing one’s shoes in ancient culture was a common practice when entering a sacred space or when you found yourself in the presence of someone of high status.
Some scholars consider that removing one’s shoes signified putting off the earthly or profane upon approaching the holy, like the Old Testament priests did when entering the sanctuary. While Moses was not of the Aaronic priesthood, he did serve as a mediator between God and the people of Israel, like a priest would have.
Some say that when Moses removed his shoes, he symbolically was forfeiting his comfort and his rights, that he was revealing a willingness to surrender his past, present, and future to God. I suppose you could interpret that interpretation to mean that wherever those shoes had carried Moses prior to his encounter with God, his past had no bearing on the present moment or where God would send him in the future. Removing his shoes could mean relinquishing his past, surrendering his current plans, and trusting God entirely to walk him into your future.
I request that our family members take their shoes off when they enter our home because number one, I try to vacuum and to sweep and mop the floors to make them clean! I want to preserve the cleanliness I have worked to attain. When you think about where your feet go in a typical day and what you might step in along the way, all kinds of filth could infiltrate your home when you walk through it with your shoes on. We take off our shoes to acknowledge and preserve what is. We want to keep what is out in the world separate from what has been cleaned on the inside of the house. I want to maintain a distinction from the dirt in the world and the atmosphere of our home. I think the removing of Moses’ shoes could represent making that kind of distinction.
Shoes also represent a form of self-protection. Who wants to risk cuts and scrapes and bacteria infiltrating your skin through your feet? Who wants to walk barefoot in the snow? Imagine walking barefoot through Walmart? I’m guessing I’d need a series of vaccines to recover from that! Now, Moses was in a desert when God came to him, but who walks very far or long without shoes in the desert? I believe it was quite possible that God wanted Moses to remove his shoes as a way to demonstrate a willingness to be covered by, to protected by God alone.
God had an assignment for Moses. God requested that he come away from the ordinary, mundane walk of life and consecrate himself for a new purpose.
I suppose there are several ways to interpret the request for the removal of his shoes, but it is clear that God desired for Moses to humble himself in the presence of a holy God. God’s holiness demands that we stand down, that we humble ourselves in His presence. God can make any place a holy place, even the desert where Moses received the instructions for his mission of leading the Israelites out of slavery. You see, when God calls us to do a work for Him, it is a holy moment, and that place becomes Holy Ground.
When the Passover was established in Exodus 12:16 it was called a Holy Assembly. We know in I Corinthians 11 Paul tells us that when we partake of communion, we shouldn’t do it without examining ourselves, without confessing any sin we might have in our lives. As the Passover was a holy assembly for the Jews, the observance of the Lord’s Supper becomes a holy meal and moment for us as Christ-followers.
We know God referred to Israel as a holy nation. Look at what God said to Moses in Exodus 19:3-6.
Exodus 19:3-6 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
We, too, are referred to by God as a Kingdom of Priests and a holy nation in I Peter 2:9. Being God’s special people involves sharing in and demonstrating His holiness.
The Bible also speaks of holy garments (Ex. 28:2) a Holy City (Neh. 11:1), holy men (II Peter 1:21) and holy women (I Peter 3:5). We are told to lift holy hands to God in worship (I Tim. 2:8). Any action becomes holy if it is separated from common use and is devoted to God. Any person becomes holy when he or she is separated from common use and is devoted to God. Any place becomes holy if it is separated from common use and is devoted to God. What I am trying to say is that we are called to holiness by our holy God. It is essential because it is the essence of who God is.
God’s love wouldn’t mean too much if He wasn’t holy. Am I right? His love is only perfect as it flows from His holy nature. God’s justice wouldn’t be right if He wasn’t holy. His compassion would be skewed or situational if He wasn’t holy. I can’t say that His holiness is more important than His love or His justice or His compassion, but I believe I can say that without His holy nature, none of them would be as they are. If there is anything foundational to our understanding of God, it is that He is holy.
We are made holy. We are changed to be holy. We are touched by God to be holy, but God is holy from the get-go. God doesn’t have to be separated from anything to be set apart and made holy. He is pure holiness. He is completely, utterly holy. What I am attempting to say is the recognition of God’s holiness is the recognition of God as God. Until you see God’s holiness, you won’t see anything else about Him correctly.
What happened when Isaiah saw the holiness of God is that He truly saw God. Psalm 99:9 says, “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.” Rev. 15:4 declares, “Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For you alone are holy.” God alone is holy, and something happens to the people who see Him in His holiness.
Friends, you can’t come into contact with the holiness of God and not see God and be changed by Him. If we are going to live a life that is separate and devoted to God, we will need to catch a glimpse of His holiness.
Go back to our Isaiah 6 text with me:
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am 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!”
Isaiah cried, “I am ruined. I am a man of unclean lips.” Isaiah was broken. He admitted his guilt. When you have an encounter with the holiness of God, you won’t just become aware of God’s purity, His greatness and glory, power and majesty, but you will see yourself in a new light. God’s holiness is a revealer of what He is, but it is also a revealer of what we are not. We are not holy. We have to be made holy. We have to be separated from our sin in order to become holy and available to be used by God.
I see here in Isaiah’s vision that holiness involves an honest confession of our sinful state.
After seeing the holiness of God, Isaiah was compelled to confess his unholiness. He talked about having unclean lips which was a symptom of an unclean heart. There can be no holiness without a cleansing of the heart. Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) In Psalm 51:10 David prayed for a clean heart. At the root of our unholy states is our unholy hearts. As important as it was for Isaiah to see God and His holiness, it was equally important for him to see himself and his unholiness.
Isaiah realized he wasn’t living right, but it went much deeper than his actions. It involved his heart. He needed to be cleansed of his sin. Before he could be used by God, he had to be cleansed by Him. Isaiah had a choice to make in that moment. He could run for the hills or run towards God’s holiness through the act of confession. Isaiah chose to confess.
Do you know that God already knows anything we might tell Him? I don’t know why we are slow to admit our need for forgiveness and the power to change. Power to change doesn’t flow into a heart and life that won’t confess and repent of sin. Trying harder isn’t the answer. Humbling our hearts is. Don’t let pride keep you from the power to change. Don’t let pride put distance between you and God. Don’t let pride keep you from being someone God can use.
Sin is harmful to us. It brings darkness to our soul and to our mind. It puts distance between us and God. We cannot experience God in His fullness when we allow sin to be resident in us. And if there is something that can be a game-changer while we are on this earth in this unpredictable and often painful place, it is the ability to see and experience God. You want to be able to see God high and lifted up. You need a revelation of His purity and power. Listen, God will never love you more than He does in this moment, but your ability to experience His love will be diminished if you continue to cherish your sin.
Look again at the second half of verse 5: I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. After Isaiah confessed his unholy state, he recognized and commented on the unholiness of the world around him. Holiness includes a rejection of the unholiness in the world.
There are many things that people in the world, that people without Christ do, that are unholy, and we need to denounce those things for ourselves. Unbelievers are living for the here and now and for what the world has to offer-money, power, sensual pleasure. God desires that we live in a holy relationship with Him and pursue the things of the Kingdom which are pretty contrary to the pursuits in the world.
Romans 12:1-2 is probably one of the most familiar passages of Scripture that pastors quote. Look at verse 1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Pursuing holiness is one of the ways we worship God. Do you see it? If worship involves a bowing of the heart and a bending of the will, we see here that offering ourselves to God in holiness is considered to be worship. If what we are doing with our bodies couldn’t be considered pleasing to God, it is unholy, and we shouldn’t do it. If what we are viewing with our eyes couldn’t be considered pleasing to God, it is unholy and we shouldn’t view it. If what we are thinking in our minds couldn’t be considered pleasing to God, it is unholy and we need to dwell on something else, and when we choose to step away from anything that compromises God’s holiness in us and the witness of His holiness through us, we worship Him and not our flesh.
Paul goes on to say in verse 2: 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Our commitment to personal holiness, to be separate from the things of the world will open the doorway for us to know what God’s will is.
Just as seeing the holiness of God caused a transformation in Isaiah’s life, so too, should the world be able to look to believers and be transformed by the holiness of God as we reflect Him to the world. God revealed Himself to folks in the Old Testament through Divine encounters, through the prophets, and He revealed Himself in the New Testament times through the Incarnation of Jesus. In these days, God reveals Himself through His Church. That is why it is critical that holiness is essential for us to possess and demonstrate.
A little girl was drawing intensely one morning in Sunday School. Her teacher asked, “What are you drawing?” “God,” answered the child. The teacher laughed. “Honey, no one knows what God looks like.” She never looked up from her coloring. “Well, they will when I get through,” she told her. Our holiness is essential if people are going to see what Jesus looks like.
Romans 12:2 says we are to reject the world’s patterns. We aren’t supposed to deal with conflict the way the world does. We aren’t supposed to handle stress the way the world does. We aren’t supposed to treat one another the way the world does. We aren’t supposed to live for the things the world says are important.
God’s people aren’t exempt from stress, test, trial and adversity, but we are called to look to God to help us get through rather than to rely on self or substances or on any earthly thing to sustain us. Well, Pastor Melissa, what’s the problem with some alcohol to take the edge off, with a pint of ice cream to take our mind off of our troubles, with some sexual exploration or recreational drugs to help us relax? Here is the trouble: Anything we look to in order to satisfy ourselves when we are in need becomes an idol and anything that becomes an idol takes the place God is meant to occupy in our lives. Holy living is about allowing God to be God in our lives at all times.
When we conform to the world’s way of living or coping, we have made an idol out of something and have pushed God out of His rightful place in our lives. That is why it is essential that we pursue holiness.
Our personal holiness isn’t just about God’s image in the world, but it is about our own personal spiritual health. You can’t be spiritually healthy and live an unholy life. Unholy living will give Satan a foothold, and once he has a foothold, he can knock you off balance and you’ll find yourself in a chokehold before long!
Go back to the Isaiah 6 text. 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
In this vision a live coal touched Isaiah’s mouth. Heat was applied. It probably wasn’t pleasant in the moment. I can’t imagine having a live coal from our fire pit placed on my lips. That would hurt! Sometimes a little heat from the Holy Spirit is necessary to burn away things that are keeping us from experiencing and expressing God’s holiness.
I see here from Isaiah’s encounter with the Holy God that People who desire holiness welcome the touch of God.
Just as gold is refined in the fire, believers are refined and made holy as they allow the Holy Spirit to touch and transform them from the inside out. Remember, I started this message by saying believers who wanted to be holy would need to nurture their relationship with the Holy Spirit. We have got to give the Holy Spirit complete access to us in order to accomplish in us what needs to be accomplished in us. For until God’s work is accomplished in us it can’t fully be accomplished through us.
Our passage in verse 8 concludes with Isaiah asking God to send him out. Look at verse 8: 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Here is the bottom line: God uses what He cleanses. God uses what is holy. God uses what is consecrated wholly to Him. He isn’t going to share us part-time with the world if we are going to be His spokesperson.
God called and sent Moses. God called and sent Isaiah. Are you one God can send? Are you one God can speak through? Have you considered the essential nature of the holiness of God? Are you willing to be touched by the Holy Spirit. I’m not talking about emotional hype. I’m talking about a thoughtful, deliberate decision to look at God, to look at yourself, to humble yourself, to allow the Spirit to come close and to confess anything that keeps you from fully reflecting God’s holy nature followed by a willingness to say, “I’ll go. Send me.”
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