HOLINESS OF GOD

"In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet and with two he did fly. And one cried unto another and said HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" Isaiah 6: 1-3 KJV

"...I beheld and lo, a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindred and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands and cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb.' And all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God, saying AMEN, BLESSING, and GLORY and WISDOM and THANKSGIVING and HONOR and POWER and GLORY be unto our God forever and ever" Rev. 7: 9-12

GOD IS HOLY.

He is to be reverenced and worshipped in the beauty of holiness.

He is NOT the "man upstairs". He is not "THE MAN". He is not to be taken lightly or brought down to our level. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is eternal. He is righteous. He is GOD ALMIGHTY.

I think somehow we've lost sight of that. We've become too flip about God. Our worship styles have changed and somehow that got lost in the mix. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not opposed to contemporary music. Quite the contrary, I like it. I really identify with a lot of the worship songs that we sing today. They speak to my heart and I thank God for the talented men and women like Mercy Me, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, and many others whose music has blessed my life and encouraged me. Yet somewhere along the line, I'm not really sure where or how, reverance for God has become distant memory.

We must not forget that God is HOLY! He is without sin. He is pure righteousness.

A long time ago, I visited a church in our area...the largest church in our area, to be exact. This church has a reputation for doing things in a big way and using all of their resources to bring others to Christ. On this particular evening, they had a visiting speaker. Her name was Esther Ahn Kim. As a young Korean Christian, she had faced imprisonment, torture and even death at the hands of Japanese warlords, yet she had remained true to her God. Hers was a moving testimony to say the least. (If I Perish, by Esther Ahn Kim published by Moody Press, 1979) But what was to follow her testimony I remember to this day.

The stage was unveiled and a glorious throne was there. Soon the music began and a host of people began to come forward dressed in white robes, each carrying a magnificent crown. As the strains of "Behold the Lamb" swelled, these "saints" proceeded to the foot of the throne where they knelt and laid their crowns. It was one of the most moving scenes I've ever witnessed and before it was completed every person in that huge auditorium was on their feet, standing in reverance and in worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

That was an earthly re-creation of a scene that will play out in actuality in Heaven one day. We won't enter Heaven joking with Saint Peter. We won't enter Heaven high-fiving the Lord. We will enter Heaven falling to our knees as we worship the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, the Great I AM, HOLY GOD Himself. We will bow in worship, adoration, and humility. As the song by Mercy Me says "I can only imagine.....will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall, will I sing allelulia, will I be able to speak at all?" But it will be a holy moment that is for sure.

We serve a BIG God, a HOLY righteous God. He is worthy of our praise, adoration and respect. Let us give Him no less. He alone is worthy!!!!!!!!!!