1 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,560 In the year King Uzziah died, 2 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:15,760 I saw the Lord 3 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:19,440 high and exalted. 4 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,960 The train of his robe filled the temple, 5 00:00:27,530 --> 00:00:31,250 and above him were the seraphim, each with six wings. And 6 00:00:31,250 --> 00:00:34,730 with two wings they covered their faces, and with 7 00:00:34,890 --> 00:00:38,570 two wings they covered their feet. And with two they were flying, 8 00:00:38,570 --> 00:00:41,370 and they were calling out to one another, 9 00:00:42,730 --> 00:00:46,490 holy, holy, holy is the Lord God 10 00:00:46,490 --> 00:00:50,090 Almighty. The whole earth is filled 11 00:00:50,090 --> 00:00:51,130 with his glory. 12 00:00:59,930 --> 00:01:01,610 And at the sound of their voices, 13 00:01:03,770 --> 00:01:06,250 the doorpost and the threshold 14 00:01:07,450 --> 00:01:11,210 shook and the temple 15 00:01:11,210 --> 00:01:12,890 was filled with smoke. 16 00:01:16,170 --> 00:01:17,850 Woe is me, I cried. 17 00:01:20,150 --> 00:01:23,990 I'm ruined. I am a 18 00:01:23,990 --> 00:01:27,390 man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean 19 00:01:27,390 --> 00:01:30,950 lips. And I have seen the 20 00:01:30,950 --> 00:01:34,670 king, the Lord Almighty. And 21 00:01:34,670 --> 00:01:38,190 the seraphim flew to me with a live 22 00:01:38,190 --> 00:01:41,710 coal in his hand that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with 23 00:01:41,710 --> 00:01:45,220 it he touched my mouth and he said, see, this hot 24 00:01:45,220 --> 00:01:48,380 coal touches your lips, and with it your guilt 25 00:01:48,780 --> 00:01:52,460 is taken away, your sin 26 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:56,940 atoned for. And I 27 00:01:56,940 --> 00:01:59,980 heard the voice of the Lord say, 28 00:02:01,340 --> 00:02:04,380 whom shall I send? Who will go for us? 29 00:02:05,180 --> 00:02:08,540 And I said, here am I, send me. 30 00:02:11,670 --> 00:02:15,510 And the Lord said, go tell this people, 31 00:02:17,990 --> 00:02:21,590 be ever hearing, but never understanding. 32 00:02:22,550 --> 00:02:24,950 Be ever seeing, but never perceiving. 33 00:02:27,350 --> 00:02:30,230 Make the heart of this people calloused, 34 00:02:31,590 --> 00:02:35,190 their ears dull, and close their eyes, otherwise 35 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,800 they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears 36 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,000 and understand with their hearts and turn and be 37 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,560 healed. And I said, 38 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,120 for how long, Lord? 39 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,680 And he answered, until the 40 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,820 cities lie ruined, until and without inhabitant, 41 00:03:09,420 --> 00:03:13,260 Until the homes are deserted and the fields are 42 00:03:13,260 --> 00:03:16,620 ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has separated everyone 43 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:21,020 far away and the land is 44 00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:24,780 utterly forsaken. And although a 45 00:03:24,780 --> 00:03:28,540 tenth will remain, the land will again be laid waste. 46 00:03:32,110 --> 00:03:35,710 But as the terebinth and oak leaves a 47 00:03:35,710 --> 00:03:37,230 stump when it's cut away, 48 00:03:39,390 --> 00:03:42,430 so the holy seed 49 00:03:43,550 --> 00:03:46,830 will be the stump in the land. 50 00:03:48,750 --> 00:03:50,430 Father, I thank you for your word. 51 00:03:53,150 --> 00:03:56,960 Your word reveals the clearest picture of who 52 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,600 you are. I 53 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,240 thank you that you preserve this vision through the generations 54 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,680 to meet us today, Lord, so that we might 55 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,400 not just see, but understand. Not just hear, but perceive. Would you 56 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,120 help our hearts see the 57 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,160 full picture of who you are 58 00:04:20,970 --> 00:04:23,930 and be moved by you? 59 00:04:25,370 --> 00:04:27,370 In Jesus name, Amen. 60 00:04:29,610 --> 00:04:33,410 This message is somewhat of a reprise on 61 00:04:33,410 --> 00:04:36,689 a teaching I gave a month ago in a midweek gathering. I don't know if 62 00:04:36,689 --> 00:04:38,250 it's a reprise or a part two. 63 00:04:40,490 --> 00:04:43,970 And I was called several weeks ago and asked if I would give a message 64 00:04:43,970 --> 00:04:47,470 on holiness again, to which I was kind of feeling, please 65 00:04:47,470 --> 00:04:51,030 no, don't send me in there coach, 66 00:04:52,470 --> 00:04:56,150 not into the pulpit, but into holiness. Like 67 00:04:56,150 --> 00:04:59,590 that. The Old 68 00:04:59,590 --> 00:05:03,430 Testament tells us that the high priest would enter the holy of holies 69 00:05:03,430 --> 00:05:07,150 one time per year to make atonement for sin. You know what 70 00:05:07,150 --> 00:05:10,950 that tells me? God's people should not enter 71 00:05:11,030 --> 00:05:12,710 into holiness casually, 72 00:05:14,870 --> 00:05:18,590 without fear and trembling. And I was 73 00:05:18,590 --> 00:05:22,070 reading a book by R.C. sproul, who said the irony of when he would bring 74 00:05:22,070 --> 00:05:25,790 a teaching to his congregation on holiness is that they 75 00:05:25,790 --> 00:05:29,590 would assume that somehow by his knowledge, that that mirrored a life 76 00:05:29,590 --> 00:05:33,430 of holiness. When he said, in truth, behind the scenes, what he was learning is 77 00:05:33,590 --> 00:05:37,110 no, the more I know about God's holiness, the more I understand 78 00:05:37,350 --> 00:05:39,510 just how far away from it I am. 79 00:05:42,260 --> 00:05:45,780 And during my midweek teaching, I posed the following question 80 00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:48,740 to the congregation. If holy 81 00:05:50,020 --> 00:05:53,820 is the characteristic of God, the only characteristic of God in 82 00:05:53,820 --> 00:05:57,620 Scripture that's sung or lifted to the third degree, 83 00:05:57,620 --> 00:06:01,380 he is holy, holy, holy. If his 84 00:06:01,380 --> 00:06:05,140 holiness is declared nearly a hundred times in Scripture, and if Scripture 85 00:06:05,140 --> 00:06:08,870 tells us another several hundred times, then that when 86 00:06:08,870 --> 00:06:12,470 his holiness touches or inhabits something, that thing becomes 87 00:06:12,470 --> 00:06:15,910 holy as well, then is it reasonable to say that 88 00:06:15,910 --> 00:06:19,390 Scripture calls His people to think on his 89 00:06:19,390 --> 00:06:23,030 holiness often? And if that's true, 90 00:06:24,870 --> 00:06:28,710 why do we hardly ever hear about it or 91 00:06:28,710 --> 00:06:31,110 talk about it or teach about it? 92 00:06:32,470 --> 00:06:35,830 And I offer two observations in this midweek gathering. 93 00:06:35,830 --> 00:06:39,350 Firstly, holiness guys is really difficult 94 00:06:39,430 --> 00:06:43,230 to explain and articulate. If I were 95 00:06:43,230 --> 00:06:46,630 to tell you the primary definition of his holiness is his set 96 00:06:46,630 --> 00:06:50,230 apart sacred otherness, his transcendence, you 97 00:06:50,390 --> 00:06:54,070 should rightly come to me and go, can you elaborate on that a little 98 00:06:54,070 --> 00:06:57,870 bit? That's kind of those words in itself. 99 00:06:57,870 --> 00:07:01,270 And I would have to go, I'm so sorry. That's all I got for you. 100 00:07:05,010 --> 00:07:07,890 Here's the thing. He is the Creator. 101 00:07:08,690 --> 00:07:12,530 He is not created. He is the existing 102 00:07:12,530 --> 00:07:16,250 one. He did not come into existence. And the only thing 103 00:07:16,250 --> 00:07:19,570 each one of us has at our disposal to try to explain 104 00:07:19,810 --> 00:07:23,410 his set apart sacred otherness, his transcendent 105 00:07:23,410 --> 00:07:26,690 existence, are things that only exist because of Him. 106 00:07:29,420 --> 00:07:33,100 And in that way, we're kind of always going to come up short. 107 00:07:33,900 --> 00:07:37,660 A teacher kind of has an uphill battle there. But 108 00:07:37,660 --> 00:07:40,780 my encouragement is that biblically, I think we're in good company. 109 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:45,740 Listen to this vision of the Lord's glory and holiness from Ezekiel, 110 00:07:45,740 --> 00:07:49,420 chapter one. And above the expanse over 111 00:07:49,420 --> 00:07:53,220 their heads, there was the likeness of a throne in appearance 112 00:07:53,220 --> 00:07:56,990 like sapphire. And seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness 113 00:07:56,990 --> 00:08:00,750 with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his 114 00:08:00,750 --> 00:08:04,590 waist, I saw as it were gleaming metal like the appearance of 115 00:08:04,590 --> 00:08:08,150 fire enclosed all around and downward from what had the 116 00:08:08,150 --> 00:08:11,390 appearance of his waist. I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire. 117 00:08:12,350 --> 00:08:16,110 And there was brightness around him, like the appearance of the bow that is in 118 00:08:16,110 --> 00:08:19,670 the cloud on the day of rain. So was the appearance of the 119 00:08:19,670 --> 00:08:23,470 brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of 120 00:08:23,470 --> 00:08:25,230 the glory of the Lord. Get it? 121 00:08:28,830 --> 00:08:32,430 That's like the clearest, most unclear picture, 122 00:08:32,830 --> 00:08:36,470 right? But listen to this. And when I 123 00:08:36,470 --> 00:08:39,630 saw it, I fell on my face 124 00:08:40,190 --> 00:08:43,950 and I heard the voice of the one speaking. Those 125 00:08:43,950 --> 00:08:47,670 verses suggest to me that for a believer, the most 126 00:08:47,670 --> 00:08:51,110 important part of knowing God's holiness is not so we can 127 00:08:51,110 --> 00:08:52,870 describe it well to other people, 128 00:08:55,750 --> 00:08:57,990 but so we can be moved by it 129 00:08:59,910 --> 00:09:02,230 when we see it, when we perceive it. 130 00:09:03,830 --> 00:09:07,430 The way Isaiah was moved and transformed by this vision of holiness, 131 00:09:08,150 --> 00:09:11,750 it messes me up quite often. Woe to 132 00:09:11,750 --> 00:09:15,020 me, I cried. I am ruined. 133 00:09:15,340 --> 00:09:18,580 I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean 134 00:09:18,580 --> 00:09:20,780 lips. And my eyes have seen the king. 135 00:09:22,220 --> 00:09:25,340 So a prophet in the Old Testament oftentimes 136 00:09:26,380 --> 00:09:30,220 was probably somebody, when compared to the standard of holiness around 137 00:09:30,300 --> 00:09:34,060 him, probably seemed like an upstanding, righteous 138 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:38,100 guy. And a prophet was called oftentimes 139 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:41,100 in the Old Testament to pronounce woes on God's people. 140 00:09:42,010 --> 00:09:45,730 You know, Jesus even does this in the New Testament. Woe to you scribes 141 00:09:45,730 --> 00:09:49,050 and Pharisees, right? But the thing is, 142 00:09:51,210 --> 00:09:54,970 is when Isaiah comes face to face with a holy God, the 143 00:09:54,970 --> 00:09:58,450 true standard of holiness, the first thing he does as the 144 00:09:58,450 --> 00:10:01,850 prophet, before acknowledging anyone else's sin, 145 00:10:02,810 --> 00:10:04,170 pronounces judgment on. 146 00:10:08,740 --> 00:10:10,420 Woe is me. I am ruined. 147 00:10:13,620 --> 00:10:17,300 We never want to make the mistake of looking at someone else's sin 148 00:10:17,460 --> 00:10:20,020 and thinking compared to that person, I'm doing all right. 149 00:10:23,700 --> 00:10:26,260 If we're doing that, we're looking at the wrong standard. 150 00:10:28,180 --> 00:10:29,380 He's the standard 151 00:10:32,100 --> 00:10:35,940 we want to be looking toward God's holy standard so we understand 152 00:10:36,260 --> 00:10:39,960 just how clearly we need Him. That 153 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,720 word ruin means to be cut down and shredded, 154 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,840 undone, shredded. Not like Pastor Justin, in a different 155 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:48,200 way. 156 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,480 So my second observation is that we don't bring it back. 157 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,000 Okay? My second observation is that we don't 158 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,640 speak or think or teach about God's holiness often 159 00:11:06,180 --> 00:11:09,900 because we don't. It doesn't feel good to 160 00:11:09,900 --> 00:11:12,980 be in the presence of that which leaves us undone 161 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:17,660 and shredded apart. We love to think 162 00:11:17,660 --> 00:11:21,500 on the qualities of God that feel good, the warm and 163 00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:24,980 fuzzies. But I'm not saying that 164 00:11:24,980 --> 00:11:28,460 despairingly. I love his mercy. I love his 165 00:11:28,460 --> 00:11:31,700 goodness. This is not a diminishment. This is 166 00:11:33,020 --> 00:11:36,740 get the full picture. We love to think of the qualities of God 167 00:11:36,740 --> 00:11:40,340 that make us feel good. But we're content oftentimes with keeping his 168 00:11:40,340 --> 00:11:42,620 holiness at a good, safe distance. 169 00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:47,980 And one of the things that I've been trying to keep in mind lately is 170 00:11:48,059 --> 00:11:51,900 in these New Testament stories where we go to to build 171 00:11:51,900 --> 00:11:55,380 our sermons on his goodness and his mercy. Maybe the woman caught in 172 00:11:55,380 --> 00:11:59,150 adultery or something like that. No doubt his goodness and mercy is 173 00:11:59,150 --> 00:12:02,230 all over that story. His holiness is in that story too. 174 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:08,030 He does not set his holiness aside in those 175 00:12:08,030 --> 00:12:11,830 moments. I would suggest it's his holiness that makes his love 176 00:12:11,830 --> 00:12:15,550 in that moment so otherly his 177 00:12:15,550 --> 00:12:19,150 mercy so otherly that it causes the Pharisees to drop those 178 00:12:19,150 --> 00:12:22,830 stones. The doorpost in the threshold had the common 179 00:12:22,830 --> 00:12:24,230 sense to shake in his presence. 180 00:12:29,850 --> 00:12:32,970 So for me, it's not a question of whether his holiness is there. 181 00:12:33,610 --> 00:12:36,970 It's just a matter of if we're perceiving it to be there or not. 182 00:12:38,810 --> 00:12:42,490 Here's an example of what I believe is his holiness being present 183 00:12:42,490 --> 00:12:46,323 in a context I don't. I didn't expect. Luke 5, 7, 184 00:12:46,390 --> 00:12:50,130 8. This is Jesus after he instructs the some of the disciples to 185 00:12:50,130 --> 00:12:53,680 cast the net on the other side. After they've been unsuccessful, 186 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,040 they catch a bunch of fish. They signaled to their partners in the other boat 187 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,760 come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they 188 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,480 began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw 189 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:09,320 it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, 190 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,760 depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O 191 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,360 Lord. That word saw is connected to the same word 192 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,360 Isaiah says when he says, my eyes have seen the King 193 00:13:20,730 --> 00:13:24,410 beholding and perceiving something different here. This is 194 00:13:24,410 --> 00:13:28,170 a incredible testimony of God's 195 00:13:28,170 --> 00:13:29,850 favor and goodness. 196 00:13:32,090 --> 00:13:35,850 But while everybody else is celebrating this, Peter's response is much different. 197 00:13:36,730 --> 00:13:40,330 Here's my suggestion about this. Peter is a lifelong 198 00:13:40,330 --> 00:13:44,050 professional fisherman. He's done a lot of fishing. He 199 00:13:44,050 --> 00:13:46,730 knows when the fish are biting and when they're not. He knows when they're going 200 00:13:46,730 --> 00:13:50,560 to and when they're not. He's caught a lot of fish or 201 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:54,160 very little fish. He's never seen anything like this before, 202 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,880 but it's kind of familiar. He's not just hearing, 203 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:02,680 he's understanding. He's not just seeing. He's perceiving that this is 204 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:06,440 a holy moment and the one standing in front of 205 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,920 him is holy too. And Peter's first 206 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,640 instinct with the knowledge of the holy is to be moved 207 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:14,320 to humility. 208 00:14:17,510 --> 00:14:21,310 And his second instinct is to try to create 209 00:14:21,310 --> 00:14:25,150 as much distance as he can between him and 210 00:14:25,150 --> 00:14:28,910 the Holy One. Depart from me. So biblically, it 211 00:14:28,910 --> 00:14:32,390 kind of makes sense, guys, that our instinct is to shrink back 212 00:14:32,470 --> 00:14:35,270 and create distance from that which cuts us. 213 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:40,310 But this is what God, Jesus does in 214 00:14:40,310 --> 00:14:44,070 Isaiah and Peter. He calls them closer, 215 00:14:45,270 --> 00:14:48,950 he calls them deeper. He makes a way. 216 00:14:49,350 --> 00:14:52,990 Why? Because as much as we try to 217 00:14:52,990 --> 00:14:56,470 create that distance, we serve a God, a holy God, 218 00:14:56,550 --> 00:15:00,070 who's desired to close that distance. 219 00:15:00,230 --> 00:15:04,030 That he sacrifice his one and only holy Son Jesus to make 220 00:15:04,030 --> 00:15:07,270 a way. And for that reason, 221 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,440 knowing his holiness actually makes his 222 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,880 gospel, the gospel, taste so much sweeter. 223 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:21,000 Because if you understand just how much ground 224 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,760 he had to cover to rescue us back, 225 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:29,560 help us, Jesus. 226 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,680 Isaiah was brought into the holy of holies, most likely 227 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,880 expecting death, but instead purified by a hot coal taken from 228 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:42,610 the altar. A sacrifice, indicating that a 229 00:15:42,610 --> 00:15:46,410 sacrifice had been made that Isaiah didn't have to be a part of. 230 00:15:48,650 --> 00:15:52,410 And it was after this moment of purification that Isaiah 231 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:56,210 hears the voice of the Lord, clearly hears the call, whom 232 00:15:56,210 --> 00:15:59,890 shall I send? And Isaiah responds in a very interesting 233 00:15:59,890 --> 00:16:03,210 way. Here am I not. Here I am. 234 00:16:04,570 --> 00:16:07,970 And I think, here I am is an 235 00:16:07,970 --> 00:16:11,530 offering of location. Here am I 236 00:16:11,610 --> 00:16:13,290 is an offering of self. 237 00:16:16,410 --> 00:16:20,090 I'm here, Lord. There is a call and a 238 00:16:20,090 --> 00:16:23,530 response to God's holiness. 1st Peter 239 00:16:23,530 --> 00:16:26,970 1:14, 15. But just as he who called you 240 00:16:27,850 --> 00:16:31,050 is holy, so be holy 241 00:16:31,050 --> 00:16:34,830 response in all that you do. As obedient children, do not 242 00:16:34,830 --> 00:16:38,630 conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 243 00:16:38,630 --> 00:16:42,470 And you ask, we ask in ignorance of what? Not knowing. Any 244 00:16:42,470 --> 00:16:46,030 better? No, I don't think so. When we lived in 245 00:16:46,030 --> 00:16:49,630 ignorance of not knowing a holy God who has a 246 00:16:49,630 --> 00:16:53,110 holy Son that he gave for our forgiveness of sins. 247 00:16:53,990 --> 00:16:57,710 And we've been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Renewed hearts, renewed 248 00:16:57,710 --> 00:17:01,230 minds, renewed affections for him, so we can turn and be 249 00:17:01,230 --> 00:17:04,830 healed. He is holy, holy, holy. 250 00:17:08,110 --> 00:17:11,550 The question is, when we hear the call to 251 00:17:11,550 --> 00:17:15,350 holiness, are we responding? And one of the ways I believe 252 00:17:15,350 --> 00:17:19,109 we can respond in holiness, according to what I see in scripture, is 253 00:17:19,109 --> 00:17:22,190 with pride, which I don't recommend. 254 00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:27,310 Just make that clear. Don't recommend it. 255 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:33,000 And I say pride because Isaiah 6 opens with these words in 256 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,800 the year King Uzziah died. And I was like, who is 257 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,120 this Uzziah guy? I gotta look this up. 2 258 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:43,320 Chronicles 26 tells us that he 259 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,160 receives the kingdom at 16 years old. 260 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:51,680 And I was like, people don't even trust their 16 year old with the 261 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,460 keys to their car, right? Imagine giving 262 00:17:55,460 --> 00:17:59,300 one the keys to the kingdom. And 263 00:17:59,300 --> 00:18:03,140 while that's hard to fathom, Scripture tells us he reigns faithfully 264 00:18:03,140 --> 00:18:06,900 for 52 years. And the reason it's 265 00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:10,700 faithful is because it says during that time he seeks the Lord. He 266 00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:14,100 does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and he holds to an 267 00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:17,740 understanding of God that is taught to him by the prophet 268 00:18:17,740 --> 00:18:21,410 named Zechariah, whose Scripture says instructed him in the 269 00:18:21,410 --> 00:18:24,770 fear of God. And that word fear, 270 00:18:24,930 --> 00:18:28,050 again, actually is translated as vision. 271 00:18:28,930 --> 00:18:32,410 It's the same word that Isaiah uses when he says, my eyes have seen, my 272 00:18:32,410 --> 00:18:36,210 eyes have a clear vision. I am beholding and perceiving 273 00:18:36,210 --> 00:18:39,970 God clearly. When our eyes have a clear vision of who 274 00:18:39,970 --> 00:18:43,810 God is, we have a clear vision of who we are and who he's 275 00:18:43,810 --> 00:18:47,620 called us to be. But this is the thing I 276 00:18:47,620 --> 00:18:51,380 thought about Uzziah's life. He was taught this vision 277 00:18:51,380 --> 00:18:53,660 from somebody else. And how many know that 278 00:18:55,500 --> 00:18:58,620 we cannot be sustained by someone else's vision of God, 279 00:19:00,460 --> 00:19:02,460 someone else's experience of God? 280 00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:07,940 My parents, I love them. They tried their best. They 281 00:19:07,940 --> 00:19:11,780 really did. Bless their heart. They told me 282 00:19:11,780 --> 00:19:15,590 about God. I didn't listen. I had 283 00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:19,350 to see God for myself. And when I 284 00:19:19,350 --> 00:19:22,310 did, everything changed. 285 00:19:25,750 --> 00:19:29,590 It goes on to say, when King Uzziah sought God kept a correct vision of 286 00:19:29,590 --> 00:19:33,430 the Lord, that God's presence and power went before him. 287 00:19:34,230 --> 00:19:37,990 Everything he touched was successful. It was the favor of 288 00:19:37,990 --> 00:19:41,750 the Lord was all over him. He was able to defeat armies, rebuild cities, build 289 00:19:41,750 --> 00:19:45,580 strongholds. The land was fruitful. Everybody was happy, 290 00:19:45,820 --> 00:19:49,620 having a good time. But at some point, we're told that in the 291 00:19:49,620 --> 00:19:53,100 course of that, that place of favor becomes a place of 292 00:19:53,100 --> 00:19:56,820 pride in his heart and in his pride. He 293 00:19:56,820 --> 00:20:00,460 enters the temple, the holy place, casually, 294 00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:04,220 and decides, I'm going to make a sacrifice to the Lord, 295 00:20:04,540 --> 00:20:08,300 which is strictly forbidden for even a king 296 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:11,620 to do it. This is for consecrated, set 297 00:20:11,620 --> 00:20:14,180 apart priests. He took 298 00:20:15,540 --> 00:20:19,260 holiness casually at this point. And 299 00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:23,060 it's an incredible scene, guys. Second Chronicles 26. 300 00:20:23,380 --> 00:20:26,900 It says he is surrounded by priests who are saying, 301 00:20:27,300 --> 00:20:30,420 please don't do this, please don't. 302 00:20:32,580 --> 00:20:36,070 But instead of repenting, he becomes 303 00:20:36,070 --> 00:20:39,870 angry. He digs his heels in. But, you know, I want to 304 00:20:39,870 --> 00:20:42,590 be fair to this. Just like I said in the New Testament, I think there's 305 00:20:42,590 --> 00:20:46,110 these stories where His Holiness is there. When his mercy is 306 00:20:46,590 --> 00:20:50,030 in these stories where His Holiness is there, his mercy is there, too. 307 00:20:51,230 --> 00:20:54,870 Because all the time, several times in Scripture, when people 308 00:20:54,870 --> 00:20:58,030 took His Holiness, his presence casually, they were just. 309 00:21:01,170 --> 00:21:03,810 I didn't even have to say it. Everybody said, right, that's right. 310 00:21:04,770 --> 00:21:08,410 That didn't happen to Uzziah. He was 311 00:21:08,410 --> 00:21:12,250 given leprosy. I 312 00:21:12,250 --> 00:21:15,730 think that's actually an act of mercy. When King 313 00:21:15,730 --> 00:21:19,490 Uzziah lost sight of who God was, he then lost sight of who he was. 314 00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:24,130 He no longer feared the holy, and it was his lack of being 315 00:21:24,530 --> 00:21:28,000 ruined by it which brought him to ruin and the end. 316 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:32,760 And I promise you, somebody can check my 317 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:36,280 Google search. I was like, is there anywhere in the Scripture that says he 318 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,120 repented? I. I want to say something happy to these people. 319 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,240 And I. There was nowhere. And I was like, well, that's 320 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,480 unfortunate. But, you know, sometimes 321 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,360 I think scripture leaves those things unsettled so that we 322 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,810 can think about it a little 323 00:21:54,810 --> 00:21:57,930 deeper. Scripture says 324 00:21:58,410 --> 00:22:01,930 that he remained king in the kingdom. Isaiah 325 00:22:01,930 --> 00:22:05,130 6 still refers to him as king. 2nd Chronicles 326 00:22:05,210 --> 00:22:09,009 26 refers to him as king. They don't take away the title. And 327 00:22:09,009 --> 00:22:12,850 he's still surrounded by the spoils of the kingdom. But all the 328 00:22:12,850 --> 00:22:15,850 power of the kingdom transfers to his son. 329 00:22:16,570 --> 00:22:20,010 He has to live in a separate house from everybody, and he's not allowed to 330 00:22:20,010 --> 00:22:23,580 go into the temple of God anymore, which. That 331 00:22:23,980 --> 00:22:27,580 messes me up. That's a humbling reminder. 332 00:22:29,580 --> 00:22:32,940 What good are the titles and all the 333 00:22:32,940 --> 00:22:36,060 spoils of the kingdom and all the good stuff 334 00:22:36,940 --> 00:22:39,420 in Christianity if there is no presence? 335 00:22:42,060 --> 00:22:45,580 It's nothing. Paul says, 336 00:22:45,580 --> 00:22:48,780 indeed, I count everything as loss 337 00:22:49,180 --> 00:22:52,700 because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ 338 00:22:52,860 --> 00:22:56,560 Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I 339 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,760 have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that 340 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,560 I may gain Christ. How else 341 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,400 Uzziah's story speaks to me is this. Firstly, again, context. 342 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,560 52 years of faithful ministry before this 343 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:15,120 happens. Firstly, we never mature past our 344 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:18,600 need for Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. 345 00:23:19,970 --> 00:23:23,810 The full picture, not just Savior, not just Lord. 346 00:23:23,810 --> 00:23:27,570 Lord and Savior. We never mature past the need for the 347 00:23:27,570 --> 00:23:31,250 Holy Spirit to be revealing in us these 348 00:23:31,250 --> 00:23:35,090 places that need deep, deep healing in our 349 00:23:35,090 --> 00:23:38,050 hearts. And pride. 350 00:23:38,610 --> 00:23:41,890 Pride is a scary thing to me in these 351 00:23:41,890 --> 00:23:45,490 scriptures because in this story, it kind of builds up over time, 352 00:23:46,630 --> 00:23:50,150 goes under the radar a little bit. It's hard to. It isn't 353 00:23:50,150 --> 00:23:53,990 obvious. And pride is anything in our lives. I think that we say, 354 00:23:54,230 --> 00:23:57,190 you know what, God, I know better than you in this. 355 00:23:59,350 --> 00:24:01,910 I know better than what your word says in this. 356 00:24:03,750 --> 00:24:07,590 Pride says, yeah, I know what your word says about sexual immorality 357 00:24:07,590 --> 00:24:11,190 and impurity and idolatry and discord and jealousy and drunkenness 358 00:24:11,270 --> 00:24:14,630 and selfish ambition and gossip and things like this. 359 00:24:16,620 --> 00:24:19,980 But God, this time's different. 360 00:24:21,420 --> 00:24:24,460 This relationship I'm in is different. You know, my Heart. 361 00:24:26,380 --> 00:24:30,020 Have we ever been in that conversation with the Lord? Nobody 362 00:24:30,020 --> 00:24:33,820 answered that. The 363 00:24:33,820 --> 00:24:36,060 problem there is, I think we don't know his heart. 364 00:24:39,180 --> 00:24:42,780 R.C. sproul says God does not lower his standards to 365 00:24:42,780 --> 00:24:46,280 accommodate us. He remains altogether 366 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,280 holy, altogether righteous, altogether just. 367 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,000 And here's the thing. That list I just read, 368 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,000 read off Galatians 5. 369 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,880 His word cuts. According to 370 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,160 that, we're all getting cut. You understand? 371 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,280 Ain't nobody making it without him. 372 00:25:10,890 --> 00:25:13,370 His word cuts when we come to it. 373 00:25:14,810 --> 00:25:18,090 But we are called to depend on the Holy Spirit 374 00:25:18,410 --> 00:25:22,250 to cut out the things in our lives that do not reflect his 375 00:25:22,250 --> 00:25:26,050 holiness. And I was just 376 00:25:26,050 --> 00:25:29,890 really. I was thinking about that. That verse in 377 00:25:29,890 --> 00:25:33,570 Isaiah 6 Make the heart of this people calloused. And I was like, 378 00:25:33,570 --> 00:25:37,290 how does that. How does callousing happen? I think it's when we 379 00:25:37,290 --> 00:25:40,920 keep coming back to what cuts us casually, and 380 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,320 we're no longer moved by it, and we're no longer changed by it. 381 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,640 I have, as a guitar player these really thick calluses 382 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,520 on my fingers from years of playing. And what it 383 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:56,320 means is I can play guitar for hours with no pain, no feeling. I 384 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,960 can touch a hot pan on a hot stove, 385 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,400 freakishly, you know, doesn't bother me. 386 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:06,080 And the way that happens is I would pick up a guitar when I first 387 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,600 started, and those tiny little metal strings, they literally will cut 388 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:15,160 fingers. And if you play long enough, those things will turn into blisters. 389 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:19,640 And if you're stubborn enough to come back 390 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,880 over and over again and you don't 391 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,000 dress the wounds that are being exposed, 392 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,760 then those blisters become hard places. They become 393 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:34,600 calluses. 394 00:26:37,650 --> 00:26:41,170 So Uzziah's life, 395 00:26:44,610 --> 00:26:48,450 I look at that and I go, man, that's in my heart. 396 00:26:50,370 --> 00:26:53,090 I don't want to make the mistake of thinking I'm better than that. 397 00:26:54,690 --> 00:26:57,330 It changes my prayer life. We pray God, 398 00:26:58,290 --> 00:27:01,970 please, please, Lord, reveal these places in our 399 00:27:01,970 --> 00:27:05,470 hearts that are callous and no longer moved by your 400 00:27:05,470 --> 00:27:09,190 holiness and bring us to brokenness so we might 401 00:27:09,190 --> 00:27:12,190 turn and be healed. Help us be transformed. 402 00:27:14,270 --> 00:27:17,950 One day, my wife was sitting on the couch, and our 403 00:27:18,030 --> 00:27:21,670 youngest son, or young son. Youngest son. Was that prophetic? Oh, 404 00:27:21,670 --> 00:27:23,950 no. Oh, no. I take that back. 405 00:27:25,710 --> 00:27:27,150 Whoo. Okay. 406 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,640 Our young son was sitting on the floor, and I was 407 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,280 standing next to my wife, and she was looking at my 408 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,200 son, looking at me, looking at my son, looking at me. And I said, what 409 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,880 are you looking at? What are you doing? And she said, I'm trying 410 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,480 to figure out what traits he has of yours. 411 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,560 And she says, he has your lips. And in that moment, 412 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,840 Quickly, I lean in and I give her a kiss. 413 00:27:55,490 --> 00:27:58,210 And I say, no, you have my lips. 414 00:27:59,170 --> 00:28:00,770 And I stood up with this. 415 00:28:03,250 --> 00:28:06,610 I still got it right. 416 00:28:07,810 --> 00:28:11,090 Pride. And when I took a step back, 417 00:28:11,810 --> 00:28:15,490 I tripped over this giant Paw 418 00:28:15,490 --> 00:28:19,010 Patroller truck that my son had in the floor. Just, oh, 419 00:28:21,180 --> 00:28:24,780 forever changed by that moment. I 420 00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:26,780 don't got it. You know what I mean? 421 00:28:28,860 --> 00:28:32,660 That's revealed. And you know what? I guess I could pretend that didn't 422 00:28:32,660 --> 00:28:36,340 happen. But, you 423 00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:40,060 know, who knows? It happened. My 424 00:28:40,060 --> 00:28:40,460 wife. 425 00:28:43,740 --> 00:28:47,590 And that brings you to humility. My recommended 426 00:28:47,670 --> 00:28:50,870 response to God's holiness is humility. 427 00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:55,750 When Moses encountered God in the burning bush, 428 00:28:58,310 --> 00:29:01,790 something wonderful happened. I'm going to put the verses up on the screen so you 429 00:29:01,790 --> 00:29:04,070 can reference what I'm telling you. 430 00:29:05,590 --> 00:29:09,430 Moses is in the desert tending these sheep at the bottom of this mountain. 431 00:29:10,550 --> 00:29:14,230 I think he's aware that there is a burning bush. And 432 00:29:14,230 --> 00:29:18,070 also, I don't think it's unusual for there to be a burning bush in 433 00:29:18,070 --> 00:29:20,830 the desert. Why? Because it's hot 434 00:29:21,870 --> 00:29:24,670 and bushes are flammable. Okay. 435 00:29:26,190 --> 00:29:29,950 Sheep are also flammable, and people are, too. 436 00:29:30,830 --> 00:29:33,870 So I think Moses is going, well, let me do what I got to do 437 00:29:34,270 --> 00:29:37,790 and keep you guys safe, you know? And. And at some point, he 438 00:29:37,790 --> 00:29:41,300 starts to realize in his mind, man, you know, 439 00:29:42,740 --> 00:29:45,860 what's usually familiar to me is not 440 00:29:46,500 --> 00:29:50,220 acting like it usually does. And this 441 00:29:50,220 --> 00:29:53,500 is what I love. He's writing this down. Moses says. And he puts this in 442 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:57,140 quotes, which means he says it out loud, which 443 00:29:57,140 --> 00:30:00,860 means one of two things, because he doesn't know God is there. He's either 444 00:30:00,860 --> 00:30:03,460 talking to himself or he's talking to the sheep. 445 00:30:04,660 --> 00:30:08,410 And I like to think that he's talking to the sheep. He's just going, 446 00:30:08,730 --> 00:30:12,250 hey, this is crazy. I'm talking to 447 00:30:12,250 --> 00:30:15,050 sheep. I'm going to turn, 448 00:30:16,090 --> 00:30:19,850 and when I do, I'm going to see something wild. 449 00:30:20,410 --> 00:30:22,650 And I'm going to have to deal with it. I don't even know why I'm 450 00:30:22,650 --> 00:30:26,450 telling you this. I think the heat has got to me. I might 451 00:30:26,450 --> 00:30:30,170 be dead. And if that's the case, you know, good luck finding your way home. 452 00:30:32,900 --> 00:30:34,340 This is the message translation. 453 00:30:42,580 --> 00:30:45,460 And when he turns. Listen to this. 454 00:30:48,339 --> 00:30:51,380 When the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see. 455 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:55,620 And that word see is vision, perceive. 456 00:30:56,340 --> 00:31:00,130 Behold, same as Isaiah, when 457 00:31:00,130 --> 00:31:03,930 he perceived God called to him out of the bush. Moses, 458 00:31:03,930 --> 00:31:07,610 Moses. And he said, here I am. Then he said, do not come near. 459 00:31:08,810 --> 00:31:12,130 Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is 460 00:31:12,130 --> 00:31:15,610 holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your Father. 461 00:31:16,090 --> 00:31:19,770 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And Moses 462 00:31:20,010 --> 00:31:23,410 hid his face. And it brings me to that throne room 463 00:31:23,410 --> 00:31:27,030 image of those seraphim hiding their face. For he 464 00:31:27,030 --> 00:31:30,790 was afraid to look at God. So 465 00:31:30,790 --> 00:31:34,390 Moses right there becomes aware of the holiness that is 466 00:31:34,390 --> 00:31:37,150 before him, and he's moved to humility. 467 00:31:39,630 --> 00:31:42,670 And that is a story where God's presence inhabits something. 468 00:31:43,390 --> 00:31:45,950 And that thing doesn't burn the way it used to. 469 00:31:48,030 --> 00:31:51,750 I don't walk like I used to. I don't 470 00:31:51,750 --> 00:31:53,270 talk like I used to. 471 00:31:55,590 --> 00:31:58,550 And I began to think. Worship team, you can come out, please. 472 00:32:01,190 --> 00:32:04,390 I began to think, what does humility 473 00:32:05,190 --> 00:32:08,470 require of us? 474 00:32:10,790 --> 00:32:13,270 And the word that came to me was surrender. 475 00:32:15,670 --> 00:32:17,510 Surrendering to the holy. 476 00:32:21,460 --> 00:32:25,060 Surrendering to that which breaks us and shreds us 477 00:32:25,060 --> 00:32:28,660 apart and cuts away when we want to shrink 478 00:32:28,660 --> 00:32:32,220 back from it. There 479 00:32:32,220 --> 00:32:36,020 is hope in surrendering to the holy. 480 00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:41,140 There is healing and restoration in surrendering to 481 00:32:41,140 --> 00:32:43,700 what is holy, to a holy God. 482 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,320 A few weeks ago, I was outside building a playset for our kids, and 483 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,200 my daughter got a splinter 484 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,880 in her finger and my wife had to take her inside. And 485 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,200 when she took her inside, I just heard the worst screaming coming out of our 486 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:08,040 house for the next 20 minutes. It's because the fear of 487 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,700 what my daughter was going through, just like, oh, this is going to 488 00:33:11,700 --> 00:33:15,300 hurt. And you know the thing about a child? They will try to 489 00:33:15,300 --> 00:33:19,100 convince you, negotiate with you to leave 490 00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:22,820 that splinter in. They'll say, no, no, no, no, 491 00:33:22,820 --> 00:33:26,340 no, no, no, no. I can play 492 00:33:26,580 --> 00:33:30,380 just fine. It's not even a thing. It's no big 493 00:33:30,380 --> 00:33:33,700 deal. But, you know, as your mother and father, 494 00:33:34,180 --> 00:33:37,730 we know that if you don't handle that thing there 495 00:33:37,730 --> 00:33:41,530 that's being exposed, it could 496 00:33:41,530 --> 00:33:45,370 turn into something worse that's much harder to deal 497 00:33:45,370 --> 00:33:49,050 with over time. It could turn into a greater 498 00:33:49,050 --> 00:33:52,890 infection. It could cause longer lasting pain, and we don't 499 00:33:52,890 --> 00:33:56,490 want to see her go through that. But you kind of have to come to 500 00:33:56,490 --> 00:33:59,890 a place in all this fighting, this 501 00:33:59,890 --> 00:34:03,520 resisting, where you just go, look, do you want to be 502 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:04,360 healed or not? 503 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,320 And I was driving the other day and I thought, do you want to be 504 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:14,080 healed? And I just thought, man, I bet that's really hard 505 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:17,640 for Jesus to say, knowing 506 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:24,040 that one touch of his holiness could make that go away for 507 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:27,880 them. Many of us 508 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:31,440 who experienced this before with children understand 509 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:35,400 the process is much easier when the child 510 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,000 stops resisting and starts surrendering. 511 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,160 And I'm drawn back into this throne room vision where that hot coal 512 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,960 touches Isaiah's lips. And I go, man, that's 513 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,400 A searing pain that 514 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,680 probably took quite a while to heal. There's a process 515 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,980 to surrendering to the Holy Spirit. And Isaiah says, 516 00:35:00,060 --> 00:35:01,260 for how long? 517 00:35:03,980 --> 00:35:07,740 For how long, Lord, Do I have to be in 518 00:35:07,740 --> 00:35:11,580 this? Do I have to be a part of this process of cutting? 519 00:35:13,260 --> 00:35:15,340 And the Lord responds with this list. 520 00:35:17,420 --> 00:35:21,020 The cities, the homes, the fields, the land, it's all 521 00:35:21,420 --> 00:35:24,860 going to be cut away. All of the things that were built up 522 00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:28,920 under Uzziah that the people put their trust in, that was not the Lord 523 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,200 had to be cut away. Why? 524 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:39,880 Because we serve a holy God who is not 525 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,200 interested in preserving our idols. 526 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:47,240 He's interested in restoring our worship, 527 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,160 healing our hearts, and drawing us 528 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:55,000 closer to Himself. He's closed the distance, 529 00:35:56,170 --> 00:35:57,370 and that's what he's about. 530 00:36:00,090 --> 00:36:03,370 There is good news in his holiness. 531 00:36:04,890 --> 00:36:08,170 The end of that passage in Isaiah, it is a 532 00:36:08,170 --> 00:36:11,849 promise that after everything 533 00:36:12,650 --> 00:36:16,050 is cut away, which 534 00:36:16,050 --> 00:36:19,730 hurts, no doubt, after 535 00:36:19,730 --> 00:36:22,170 everything is cut away, there is one thing that remains. 536 00:36:23,470 --> 00:36:25,790 The holy seed. Jesus. 537 00:36:27,550 --> 00:36:28,750 Is that not good news? 538 00:36:35,790 --> 00:36:39,470 This morning, instead of closing with the time of prayer in the altar space, I'm 539 00:36:39,470 --> 00:36:43,270 just going to have Michael and Brittney lead us in a song. And I 540 00:36:43,270 --> 00:36:46,990 just want us to take some time to think on God's 541 00:36:46,990 --> 00:36:50,760 holiness. If there are places in our 542 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:54,040 heart that we need him to reveal to us, which I think we all have 543 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,440 it, now is the time to 544 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,600 surrender that to him, lean into that 545 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,199 brokenness instead of shrinking back from it. This 546 00:37:04,199 --> 00:37:08,040 morning, you can do this in your seat, or the altar space is open. If 547 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,480 you want to come and be moved by his holiness, let's 548 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:11,960 worship.