Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Attributes of God - God's Holiness

Episode Date: July 19, 2021

Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis: Attributes of GodIn this episode Jonny discusses the Holiness of God. Watch on YouTubeFollow on InstagramFollow on TwitterVisit our Website

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis, and this is Dial In. In this series, we are looking at the attributes of God, and in this episode, we will consider and explore the holiness of God. Let's dial in. In 1812, the French emperor was Napoleon, and after conquering nearly all of Europe, he had one prized piece of land left unconquered, Russia. Napoleon led his grande army of 680,000 men on a

full-on invasion of Russia. This was the largest army Europe had ever assembled. And during the opening months of the invasion, Napoleon was forced to contend with a Russian army in perpetual retreat. The Russian general Mikhail Kutuov refused to engage Napoleon's superior army in a full-scale confrontation, so he burned supplies and provisions as his army retreated deeper and deeper into Russian territory. On September 7th, the indecisive battle of Borodino was fought, and on September 14th, Napoleon arrived in Moscow, intending to find much supplies,

but instead finding that almost the entire population of the city had evacuated and all of the Russian food had either been taken or burned. After waiting a month for a Russian surrender that never came, Napoleon's army began to starve to death. And faced with the onset of the upcoming Russian winter, Napoleon and the French army retreated the same way they had come. During the French retreat, the suddenly aggressive and merciless Russian army began to slowly pick off Napoleon's army. The starved and decimated French army reached the

Berezina River late in November, but found its route blocked. And from there, Napoleon's retreat had become a rout. Napoleon lost nearly 500,000 men, not to superior opposing military strategy, but to a lack of food. He was so preoccupied with advancing in perfect battle plans, army array, and military order that he had neglected his men's obvious need for sustenance. He had forgotten what was fundamental fundamental and without what was essential, his army was destined to fail. In that same way, you and I, we cannot advance a single step in our Christian life without understanding what is fundamental and essential about God, namely his holiness. The great danger for us is that we become so familiar with these topics and passages that we become numb to what we are reading and studying. So our goal then must be

to defamiliarize ourselves so that we can deeply meditate upon and then love our holy God. Remember truth is not the end. It is a means to an end and the end and goal is worship. In 2 Chronicles 26, we read in verse 1, And all of the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jekiliah of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of

Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God. And as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. Now there is a condition attached here in second Chronicles 26. It says, as long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God would prosper him. And initially God did prosper him. Uzziah, he fortified the borders and he elevated the economy. In verse 10 of second Chronicles 26, it says, He built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the lowland and in the plain. Verse 11 said that he had an army constantly ready for battle, a standing army of 307,000 men who could wage war, it says, with great power.

In verse 15, it says that he made engines of war, invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and stones. Then the text says that his fame spread afar for he was marvelously helped until he was strong. But then in second Chronicles 26 verse 16, it says, but, now pay attention here. It says, when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly and he was unfaithful to the Lord, his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord

to burn incense on the altar of incense. Now here's what's going on. Uzziah attempted to bypass the role of the high priest. This was obviously forbidden by God in Numbers 18 verse 7, that anyone who is not a priest could not do this. They would be put to death immediately for trying to bypass the priestly system. But Uzziah, he had become too comfortable with God. He was too cavalier, too casual, too nonchalant, too numb. His strength, his teaching, his biblical wisdom, his influence had all gone to his head. So then he presumes and

assumes that God will continue to prosper him even though he has rejected God's voice. He is too cool with God. He is relaxed to who God is. He has no need for the priest anymore in his own mind. So he bypasses them altogether and claims spiritual authority in God's house. God's holiness might have been theologically affirmed, but it is practically denied here as Uzziah the king waltzes like Conor McGregor into the house of God. Then we read in 2 Chronicles 26, verse 17 through 19, it says, Then Azariah the priest entered after him, and with eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men, they opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the

sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful, and you will have no honor from the Lord God. But Uzziah, with the censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged, and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord beside the altar of incense. 2 Kings 15, verse 5 would tell us the Lord struck the king Uzziah so that he was a leper to the day of his death and he lived in a

separate house while his son ruled over the land. Initially this king was greatly prosperous but we see that in the end of his life he he watched from a reclusive window, his son reigning over his kingdom until he died. This was the king who was used by God to bring about great and significant spiritual reform in the land of Israel. But he dismissed his own principles, and this resulted in a turning point in Jewish history. Because of their king's apathy to God, God's people also became mechanical and stale in their own relationship with God. And it's no coincidence that it says in Isaiah 6 that it was in the year of King Uzziah's death. Isaiah, the prophet, would see a greater king whom no defilement could ever touch, a king that reigns and lives not for

52 years like Uzziah, but for all of eternity. Now we turn to a familiar passage in Isaiah 6, verse 1. It says that in the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Now, as I said, no coincidence is here in the scripture. The people and the king who ruled them had a far too human view of God. They had viewed God so casually. And Isaiah comes into the throne room and he is not waltzing. He's not jogging. He approaches the king trepidatiously. And there he sees the manifestation of Yahweh, not in all of his glory, but a symbol of his presence.

Calvin says, speaking of Yahweh, he never appeared as he actually is, but to the capacity that man could bear to receive. One writer says that there is enough in these few verses in Isaiah 6 to occupy the greatest scholar in a glorified body and mind for all of eternity. Now as we come to Isaiah 6, let's make a few observations. First, notice where the king is sitting. Not on a lazy boy for him to relax, or a conference table for him to co-reign with his buddies or a stadium where he can just watch and observe. No, this king is on a throne for him to rule and to reign. And the position of the throne is not at eye level. It is lofty and exalted.

It is above Isaiah. It is transcendent. It is greatly elevated, emphasizing the superiority of the king who reigns upon it. Matthew Henry says, this throne is high and above all competition. I like that. There is no tug of war going on between this holy king and mere earthly kings. Secondly, notice what the king is wearing. It says that the train of his robe fills the temple. Now, this robe is a manifestation of this king's majesty and the extent of his sovereignty. And it says that it fills everything and everywhere. There is no room for anyone to stand. There is nothing modest here.

No self-deprecation taking place. This holy king is jealous for his own glory. Now, third, notice the king's audience. In verse two, it says that the seraphim stood above him, each having six wings. Now, the seraphim, we need to understand who they are. If you grew up watching Tom and Jerry, when we think of angels, you maybe think of a fat little chunky boss baby eating a go-gurt on a cloud as they crawl around with a harp. But this could not be any more differentiated from the seraphim that the Bible describes. What then is a seraphim?

Literally, seraphim means burning or fiery ones. These are similar to the creatures that we will see in Revelation, and they are spirits that dwell in the presence of God. They are nearest to him, and as he himself is a consuming fire, they come to be like him, and they have one job, to wait upon their holy king and as burning ones they themselves are pure but their purity is dependent upon the one that they reflect the commentator stressed that we must understand the distinction between derived and inherent holiness the purity of these angels was not inherent or intrinsic to their nature rather it was derived Horton, God's holiness is inherent.

He is not like the moon that reflects the light of another great source. God's holiness is not something someone gives to God, nor is it a quality that God acquires over time. He is holy in and of himself. And as we consider the king's audience, let's look at the seraphim's anatomy in verse 2. God structures anatomy to fit their environment, whether that be fish in the sea or birds in the air. He gives his creatures unique anatomy to fulfill their function. And we see that these seraphim have six wings. And with two of those wings, they're covering their face. And this is to shield

themselves from looking directly at the glory of God. Spurgeon says they might as well have been saying, don't look at us. Look at him. Why look at the lesser reflected glory? And with two wings, they cover their feet because feet were a symbol of their own lowliness. These seraphim are constantly and keenly aware of the difference between them and God. Although sinless, they don't consider themselves worthy to look at the glory of God. With two, they cover their face. With two, they cover their feet. And with two, verse two says that they flew. They are ready at the drop of a dime to do the bidding of God. Now let's look at their anthem in verse three. And one called out to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. These seraphim are calling back and forth to one another.

Holy, holy, holy. This is the strongest emphasis possible in the Bible. When you and I want to emphasize something, we might circle it or highlight it or underline it, but in the Bible, they repeat it. And the Bible is saying here in Isaiah six, that no one is holy like the Lord. There is only one attribute of God that is communicated to the superlative degree, and that is God's holiness. This attribute of God is elevated to the highest level possible. God is love and God is truth, but the angels are not crying out love, love, love, or truth, truth, truth. They're crying out holy, holy, holy. More than any any other attribute God is defined and identified by his own holiness he has a holy temple a holy book a holy mountain and he has a holy people

he has marked over and over again in the scripture by his own holiness and no one yawns at this holiness no one is numb to his holiness. No one fist bumps God. We sometimes think God is more like an all powerful genie who is beyond us or bigger than us, but this is not so God's holiness is not quantitative, but qualitative. He is not just like us, but bigger and better. He is nothing like you. He is not the upgraded and improved version of you. He is completely other than you and I. That is why the question is asked in Exodus 15, 11, who is like the Lord majestic in holiness. The answer is no one. No one is like the Lord. You and I are not almost God. God never points outside of himself to define himself

because there is nothing in no one that is a stepping stone or a rung of the ladder to him. Now look at verse four in Isaiah six, or listen along with me. And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filling with smoke. Something terrifying happens here.

The foundations of the thresholds of heaven shake. And they shake not because of the shifting of tectonic plates, but by the voice of him who sits upon the throne. And here Isaiah is on his knees. He's petrified. Never before had he had such an accurate view of himself. The sinfulness of his own soul immediately was exposed. Isaiah is face to face with total otherness, total purity. And this is a massive problem for Isaiah because he, like us, is a sinner standing before a holy king. There's no escape here for Isaiah, only confrontation with his own guilt and pollution. And he cries out in verse 5, woe is me for I am ruined, for 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. Isaiah is disintegrated before a holy God. The word woe was a word used to pronounce a curse on a sinful nation. And here the righteous prophet pronounces a curse on himself because he finally realizes who he is before the king of holiness. R.C. Sproul says, You and I flatter ourselves, and we judge ourselves by ourselves and amongst ourselves. But until we see God for who he really is, we will never see ourselves for who we really are. And Isaiah, long before James writes chapter 3,

knows something that is true of human lips. They are monitors of the human heart. They give expression to the soul. They reveal what truly lies within us, even our deepest, darkest thoughts. And Isaiah says, woe is me for I am ruined. How can Isaiah stand in the presence of the Holy One with such lips and survive? He can't. There is a pattern of response to the holy. God's holiness is traumatic to unholy people. There is nothing cavalier about Isaiah's attitude before God, nor with Habakkuk when he sees God,

whose knees begin to knock together before the presence of the Holy One. The times when the church has been the weakest is when we try to put God on the same level as us, but he is not. He is completely holy. Now verses six through seven. 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, behold, this has touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us?

Then I said, here am I, send me. And he said, go and tell this people, keep on listening, but do not perceive. Keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull and their eyes dim. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and return and be healed. That latter section might be familiar to us.

Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And it's important to recognize and realize that the Bible is grounded in context. And after Isaiah sees who God is in complete and utter holiness, has his sin removed from him? The question is asked, whom shall I send and who will go for me? And the answer is, well, obviously, me. Now, question for you. What is the Bible ultimately all about? We sometimes get lost and miss the forest for the trees, as I said in our previous episode.

The Bible is all about one person, Jesus Christ. Now, we turn to John 12, verse 27. Jesus is deeply troubled, and he's just days before his death. And it says in verse 36, while you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and he went away and hid himself from them. But though he had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in him. Now remember what we had read in Isaiah 6. For Isaiah said again, John chapter 12, verse 40, he has blinded their eyes and has hardened their heart so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and

be converted and I heal them. These things Isaiah said because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Wait, it says these things Isaiah said because he saw his glory in John chapter 12. Who is his? Whose glory? The answer is Jesus's glory. The most exalted vision in the Old Testament is that of a holy king who we see in John chapter 12, who came as a carpenter from Nazareth, soon to be slaughtered by the people he came to save. Jesus is the Jehovah that Isaiah saw. Jesus is the king. He is days away from his own death, hours from his humiliation. And here in John chapter 12, he is riding a donkey, as he walks through the city.

I want you to imagine this with me. The king who created the entire universe, who was with the father in all of his glory, the one who has life in himself, whom angels worship, comes to earth, and is not strutting through the streets in a gold-encrusted chariot, or a coach, or even a noble horse. He is riding a wild colt, a mule, in John chapter 12. The king who sits on a throne comes riding on a donkey because this king who is holy is also gentle and lowly. There are no streets of gold here, no banners, no trumpets, no armed force because this king didn't come, no trumpets, no armed force,

because this king didn't come in on a white horse ready for battle, but on a donkey symbolizing peace, because he himself is our peace. The one whose robe fills the temple with glory is wearing garments that four days later would be divided by the soldiers that would nail him to a cross. The king who hears the anthem of fiercely loyal seraphim hears the cries here in John chapter 12 of faithless and fickle professing followers who would cry out, Hosanna, save us king, and then days later be shouting, we want Barabbas.

We want Barabbas. Jesus is the holy king. And one thing to keep in mind is that one day this holy king is coming back. Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 and 10. After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues were standing before the throne Now the Bible's theme is Jesus Christ, the Holy King. And the Bible's question is, do you know him? I pray you do stay dialed.