“HIGH AND HOLY GOD”
Isaiah 57:5
WELCOME to our to-day’s topic. Our discussion will be based on the holiness and love of God. Our quotation reads as follows: “The high and lofty one, who lives in eternity, the Holy one says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crashed spirits of the humble and receive the courage of those with repentant hearts”. Our true God is holy. He stays above the skies, no person can find his home. His holiness is surrounded by His goodness and mercies.
Holiness simply means, that which is sacred. What is separated or set apart, from what is sinful. That which is sanctified. Our God is fully separated from sin. And He hates sin. Sin does not come near Him. He feels sorry for humanity who are being controlled by sin. This is the reason for saying in Issaiah1:18, thus: “Come let us settle this, says the Lord”. Though sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool”. Sin therefore cannot be part of God. Sin is so bad that Jesus Christ said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands”. This shows the seriousness of the problem of sin. Jesus Christ had very strong words about sin.
The holiness of God became known at the creation of the earth and the heavens. He used his Word, to create what is seen from what is not seen. (Genesis1:1-3). The Word He used became man and was born here on earth. (John1:3) We are told in the Bible that the very Word, was God. And He was called Emmanuel, God with us. Our God is great, greater, greatest than anything else, either in heaven or on earth (Exodus18:11). He is righteous. He decided to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstones and fire out of heaven. (Genesis 19:24). Sin is wickedness in the sight of the Lord. The Lord decided to take the life of Er, early in life because of his wickedness. (Genesis 38:18). God is holy because no sin comes near Him. Equally we must do our utmost to remove sin among us, as believers in our true God. All deliberate sin should not be mentioned among us. We must avoid corruption, stealing either at our working place or outside. We should avoid all manner of sin. Sin is most likely to cause us die early in life as it happened to Er. It is true that as humans, we can also be holy, after all God demands that we should be holy, for Him God Almighty, Jehovah Jireh is holy. (Leviticus19:2). We must ruthlessly reject sin, before it can take control of our lives. Evil should not be tolerated wherever we may be as believers in our Lord God, the Most High. We should try to come out from among them. (2nd Corinth 6:17).
He is holy because he blesses humanity. Man can bless man, but God endorses the blessings. To bless is to confer prosperity or happiness upon a person. In the book of Genesis 1:22 we read as follows: God blessed them”, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth”. This means that God has the power to bless even animals of the forest, birds that fly and vegetables of every kind can be blessed by God. He even has the power to bless land. He is a powerful God. ‘’Lord! There is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God’’. “This statement came from Hannah, who received a baby boy as a blessing from her God. Hannah, for a long time never had a baby. But through prayer, Hannah had a baby boy and named him Samuel. 1st Samuel 1:1. And so Hannah sees right to call her God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as Holy God. Many people of the Bible received blessings from God and even today, so many of us continue to receive blessings from our true God of Israel. He is Holy God.
Our God the Most High is Holy because He forgives sins. We must remember that sin separates us from God. (Isaiah59:2). The only way we can be brought near our God is when sin has been forgiven. In Leviticus 4:1-35, forgiveness of sin was somewhat cumbersome. But with the birth of Jesus Christ, it was made very easy. Jesus also forgave sin (Luke 7:48). Jesus was born hundred percent human and hundred percent God. But He never sinned, despite being born human. No human being can forgive another person’s sin, except God. Because He does not allow sin to come near Him. This is what makes God a holy God.
It is written in Exodus 15:11, thus: “who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises doing wonders”. This song was sung when the Israelites were saved from the Egyptian soldiers at the banks of the Red Sea. (Exodus14:15-31). The Israelites called their God as holy, after He had saved them, from what was going to be instant death. Wonders and miracles that followed Jesus Christ, like the raising of Lazarus from the tomb. (John11:34-44) where all because of holiness of God and Jesus who was born God. But the miracles that were performed by Jesus’ disciples occurred because they did their work in the name of Christ Jesus. It shows not only the holiness of God but also his glory. The glory of God is His presence among His people with wonders and miracles. Even today miracles continue to occur among individuals. Certain things happen in their lives, which they are able to recognize as a miracle. What is most important is to recognize when something strange occurs in our lives. Then we should remember God Almighty, Jehovah Jireh as Holy God.
God is holy because He is the giver of life. He decides who is to live or die.
It is written in the Book of Job10-12 as follows “You gave life and showed me unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care”. It is God who saves us from all manner of diseases and accidents. And so we remain with life. Our being alive, there is nothing we can boast about it. It is because the holy God wants us to live this far. When we get sick, He heals us, He provides the Holy Spirit to nurse us, and so we remain with life. We cannot boast about it. In our mother’s womb He gave us life. This is the holiness of God.
In the book of John 14:6, the Bible says: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father, except through me”. Life also belongs to His Son, Jesus Christ. It is not that we are clever in any way that we are still alive. Everything pertaining to our personal life depends upon God. In His wisdom he decide who holds to life and who dies. In the book of 1st John1:1-3, the Bible describes Jesus as the Word of life. We should be therefore submissive to our holy God, who gives and protects our lives to this day. It is written in the book of John1:4 thus; “The Word gave life to everything that was created and his life brought light to everyone’’. Now we know, the life that we hold to very dearly, is not ours. It can be taken away by the maker, any time He wants. Meanwhile let us be thankful to him that we are still alive, thankful to Holy God.
He is holy because He is full of love. It is written in the book of Isaiah54:10, thus; “for the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken” say the Lord, who has mercy on you”.
The love of God for humanity is eternal. Even if you say there is no God. (Psalm14:1). The Lord God loves everybody equally. We all receive the same fresh air, which fills the atmosphere, we receive the same amount of rainfall to bless our land with food and trees and grass and rivers. And God so loved the world that he gave His begotten son, that whoever believes in Him, shall never perish. (John3:16). He is holy God. He loves us all. He presented Jesus Christ, His Son, to us, so that whosoever believes in Him, will certainly have everlasting life. It is up to us to make a choice between life and death, or between light and darkness. It is written in the book of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose”. When this is true, it is also true to say that God loved us first. Certainly, in all circumstances in life, if God is with us, no one can be against us (Romans8:31). We can have several enemies, but to God they will yield to nothing. That is the love of God, and that is the holiness of God.
Last but not the least, God is self-creation. Nothing created God. He is Alpha and Omega. He has no beginning and no end. The wisdom of man is foolishness to Him 1st Corinthians 1:19. He is holy God.
May He the God of Israel bless our Republican President and continue to pour love and peace upon our nation Zambia Amen.