God thrice holy

March 26, 2017
Erlo Stegen

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Sunday service, Erlo Stegen, 26 Mar 2017

Is 6:3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Here we read about the holiness of God and the wickedness of sin. It was the year that king Uzziah died that Isaiah saw the Lord here. He wasn’t a bad king, but as time went on certain evil things crept into his life. He uplifted himself and made himself to be the high priest too. But that wasn’t his position given by God. And God judged him severely.

God blesses the humble but judges and resists the proud. (James 4:6)

God revealed Himself to Abraham. And Abraham humbled himself. God told Abraham to leave his country and people and go to the land that He will show him, and Abraham obeyed.

God reveals Himself to His people. He also revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush. And to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord’s army.

Of Job God said that there was no one like him in the earth. But when God revealed Himself to Job he fell on his face and repented in dust and ashes.

So too when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up he fell on his face and humbled himself and acknowledged his own sinfulness.

But this king Uzziah uplifted himself and was struck with a deadly disease and died shortly thereafter.

All of us will die one day but the question is whether you will be prepared to meet God?

Isaiah rebuked the people and showed them the ways of God. Isaiah knew that God was above the king. He also knew that there was no escape and no salvation unless we hide in God. True refuge is found in God alone.

We shouldn’t just know about God but we should know Him personally, as our Heavenly Father and we as His children. There’s nothing greater in this world knowing that you’re a child of God, kept by Him.

Note that the seraphs cried, “holy, holy, holy”. He is thrice holy. There’s no other place where God is called thrice love or another attribute three times. We must take note of this. This describes God’s holiness to us in an amazing way!

We cannot fathom or measure His holiness. He is high and lifted up and sovereign and nobody can prescribe to Him what He must do. He does as He pleases. It shows to us that God has nothing to do with sin. God’s eyes are holy and pure and cannot look upon sin. Everything He does is right, in accordance with His plan.

Many on earth treat God with disrespect. But when you see God you see your own sin. The more you see of God’s holiness the more you fear Him. When you meet with God you will humble and purify yourself. If that is not true in your life you haven’t met Him.

The first thing that happens when you meet God is that you confess your sins, then you’re cleansed from your sins and then dedicate your life to Him, just as had happened with Isaiah. You don’t need water to cleanse your uncleanness, but the all consuming fire of God. Have you met Him in this way?

The wonderful thing is, when Isaiah confessed his sin, a seraph took a live coal from the altar of God and touched his lips with the coal and cleansed him. That’s where he was unclean.

It shows to you that if you humble yourself and repent from your sin, God forgives. The effect is immediate.

Your lips must be purified, for you will have to give account of every idle word spoken.