It’s Christmas time.  We remember the incarnation of Christ the King, the Light of the World, the Prince of Peace, laid in a manger.  We do well to remember that He came for the purpose of dying on the cross, in order to satisfy the Father’s wrath and redeem sinful humanity.  However, we must not forget why that is necessary:  God is absolutely holy!

It’s been just over 2 weeks since we looked together at the holiness of God during our Sunday morning worship.  I still have not gotten over the depths of God’s holiness… have you??  Recall with me some of the proclamations made in Scripture.

Moses: “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)

Hannah: “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)

Demons: “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” (Luke 4:34)

Living Creatures: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)

While emphasized particularly in His perfect moral purity, the beauty of God’s holiness is that He is set apart from everyone and everything because there is no one like him.  “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One (Isaiah 40:25).

So what does that mean for us?

As Jesus taught the disciples (and us) to pray, His first request was this: “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).  Although God’s name is holy regardless of our response, this is a request for God’s name to be honored as holy – in us, in others, and throughout the earth!

1. God’s holiness captivates us!

I like variety.  I have favorites of everything, but I don’t want them all the time.  It helps me to enjoy them in a unique way when I do experience them.

When the prophet Isaiah had his vision and saw the Lord in Isaiah 6, angels surrounded God’s throne singing “Holy, holy, holy.”  The thrice-repeated attribute of God emphasizes that God is so unlike any other, and it motivates their continual worship.  I’m sure there are plenty of other worship songs taking place in heaven, because there is much to sing about God!  However, all there is to sing about Him is rooted in His holiness, so that this chorus is a familiar tune that never grows old.  In fact, when the apostle John has his vision many, many years later, the living creatures are singing the same chorus: “Holy, holy, holy!” (Revelation 4:8).

I suspect, as has often been the case for me, that since our look at Isaiah 6, we were initially moved by God’s holiness and the reminder to honor God as holy, but as the holiday busyness moved in and took over, these thoughts have taken a backseat to the tidal waves of daily life.  God’s holiness never grows old or mundane.  Don’t lose your awe of God and His holiness!

2. God’s holiness excites us!

One of the biggest challenges throughout history is the tendency of mankind to settle into somewhat of an apathy, or indifference, toward God in our lives.  Yes, we believe.  Yes, we worship… at least on most Sundays.  Yes, we try a little harder.  But God is familiar in our lives, and we are comfortable in our routines.

God called Isaiah to go to His people in response to his vision.  His task?  “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10).  I believe that Isaiah didn’t actually cause this with his preaching; rather, by preaching, Isaiah revealed this state in the people of Judah.

Examination is necessary for each of us!  God is holy!  Doesn’t that knock your socks off?  Consider that this holy God is the one who sent His holy Son to rescue a sinful people and call us to relate to Him in holiness!  We don’t deserve salvation!  We don’t deserve to know Him personally!  We don’t deserve the hope and assurance that God gives freely!  Wow!

3. God’s holiness transforms us!

You cannot encounter a God who is above all and like no one else, and ever be the same.  God has called us to know His holiness, to honor Him as holy, and to relate to Him with our holiness.  He has set us apart as belonging to Him and uniquely defined as His.  “Be holy, for I am holy,” God instructs us (1 Peter 1:16).

And this is not burdensome!  There is both hope and joy in this command from God to live differently.  Life is now lived with meaning.  We get up in the morning with purpose.  We go to work with purpose.  We lead our families with purpose.  We interact with others with purpose!  As believers in Jesus, we have set our hope firmly on a God who stepped into His creation and became man, offering His righteous life to pay the penalty for our sins as our perfect substitute, and rose again, defeating the power of sin and death in our lives.

At Christmas…

This is the impact of the incomprehensible, holy-holy-holiness of God, revealed in visions of the Lord and seen firsthand in the person of Jesus.  That’s what we celebrate at Christmastime, and what we cling to dearly throughout the year, praying to God and pursuing in our lives: “Hallowed be Your name!”