Theme:
God is holy.
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Scriptures:
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Exodus 15:1-21
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Leviticus 19:1-4
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Joshua 24:19-28
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1 Samuel 2:1-3
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Psalm 99
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Proverbs 9:7-12
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Isaiah 5:13-25
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Isaiah 6:1-6
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Ezekiel 39:1-24
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1 Peter 1:14-21
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Revelation 4:8-11
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Objectives:
(From the D6 Fusion Sunday School Lesson book)
Know:
God is the Supreme Being in existence.
Think:
Understand the holiness of God as foundational to proper respect and
worship.
Do:
Worship God with confidence, knowing His ways are truly best.
A2
Holiness
B1
Defined
C1
Words
D1
Hebrew: קֹדֶשׁ
qôdesh
(and related words) which means something set apart, separateness.
D2
Greek
E1
ἁγιάζω hagiázō (and related words) which means separated,
purified.
E2
ὅσιος hósios which means something sanctioned by God to be
holy, without sin, etc.
C2
Uses
D1
Hebrew
E1
Exodus 3:5 (MEV) He
said, “Do not approach here. Remove your sandals from off your
feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
E2
Leviticus 10:10 (MEV) so
that you may differentiate between what is holy and common and
between what is unclean and clean.
D2
Greek
E1
Matthew 6:9 NLT - Pray
like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
(Holy is γιάζω hagiázō).
E2
Matthew 23:17 CSB - "Blind
fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified
the gold?
(Sanctified is γιάζω hagiázō).
E3
Revelation 15:4 NKJV - Who
shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are
holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your
judgments have been manifested."
(Holy is ὅσιος).
B2
Holiness is not the same as sinlessness.
C1
No human, except Jesus Christ, is sinless.
C2
God does not pronounce anyone sinless, except His son, Jesus Christ.
C3
God does mention being blameless.
D1
Zacharias and Elizabeth were declared blameless: Luke 1:6 NKJV - And
they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
D2
Us
E1
Philippians 2:14-16 CSB - Do
everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be
blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked
and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the
world, by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the
day of Christ that I didn't run or labor for nothing.
E2
1 Thessalonians 3:13 CSB - May
he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.
B3
Consider:
C1
Exodus 3:5 (MEV) He
said, “Do not approach here. Remove your sandals from off your
feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
D1
The ground, dirt, pasture, whatever was there, would have looked
exactly the same as the non-holy ground. Moses didn’t even know the
difference, but God did.
D2
What made it different?
D3
The universe and everything in it was holy when God created. It was
pronounced good.
D4
After Adam’s sin, God cursed the universe and everything in it. It
had become contaminated and not good.
D5
The ground where God commanded Moses to take off his sandals was holy
ground that was not cursed. It had been sanctified by God. It was not
cursed ground; it was holy ground.
D6
This is the first use of קֹדֶשׁ
qôdesh
in the Scriptures.
C2
God is holy. Here are some uses:
D1
His name: Psalm 33:21 (MEV) For
our heart will rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy
name.
D2
His throne: Psalm 47:8 (MEV) God
reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
D3
His character and His speech: Psalm 60:6 (MEV) God
has spoken in His holiness: “I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem,
and measure out the Valley of Sukkoth.
C3
Difference between holy and unholy: Leviticus 10:10 (MEV) so
that you may differentiate between what is holy and common and
between what is unclean and clean.
D1
The
word for holy is קֹדֶשׁ
qôdesh.
This something separated, set apart.
D2
The word for common/unholy is חֹל
chôl.
This is something common, not separated. It is something
contaminated.
A3
What is holiness?
B1
We must start in Genesis 1. We must understand Genesis 1 in a plain,
normal sense. If we cannot, we have no choice but to reject
everything in its plain, normal sense.
B2
After creating, God reviewed everything and pronounced it good:
Genesis 1:31 (MEV) God
saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the
evening and the morning were the sixth day.
B3
The standard God used to judge creation, is the standard we call
holy/holiness. Thus, it is always separate from what is not holy,
that is, common or profane, for those things are stained by sin and
the God’s curse.
B4
God’s standard is always the best for society, family, church,
business, government, environment, etc.
B5
God does not change His standards: Malachi 3:6 NKJV - For
I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O
sons of Jacob.
Also see Hebrews 13:8.
B6
The Old Testament was for Israel, a DNA, a people who has a land with
boundaries. This will not change: Genesis 15:18 NKJV - On
the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:
To
your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to
the great river, the River Euphrates—
and many other places (Genesis 17:8, Genesis 24:7, Numbers 34:3,
Joshua 1:4, Nehemiah 9:8, Psalm 105:11, etc.
B7
The New Testament is the standards of doctrine and practice for
Christians. Again, all must be understood and interpreted in the
plain, normal sense. It is the standards for preaching the Gospel,
building a church, a family, and an individual. We do not need to
follow some other plan, for the other plan will not measure up to
God’s standards.
A4
Scripture
B1
1 Samuel 2:1-3 (MEV) Hannah
prayed, saying: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in
the Lord. My mouth is bold against my enemies, because I rejoice in
Your salvation. There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none
besides You, and there is no rock like our God. Do not multiply proud
speech, nor let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is the
God of knowledge, and by Him actions are examined.
C1
Is any human—other than Jesus Christ—who is holy like the Lord?
C2
Will following any other standard be the best for the church, the
family, society, business, leadership, government, etc?
B2
Some things
C1
We worship in holiness: Psalm 105:3 CSB - Honor
his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
C2
Everything about God is perfect: Deuteronomy 32:4 CSB - The
Rock —his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God,
without bias, he is righteous and true.
C3
We follow His standard, because: 1 Peter 1:16 CSB - for
it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.
B3
Psalm 99:4 (MEV) The
King’s strength loves justice; you establish righteousness, and You
execute judgment and fairness in Jacob.
C1
What 3 things are declared to be holy?
C2
What is justice?
D1
Justice is making a decision involving another.
D2
We are to make a just decision, too.
E1
For the poor, that is, not to decide for the rich because he is rich
or the poor because he is poor: Exodus 23:2-3 CSB - You
must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit
and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. "Do not show
favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.
E2
One of the reasons for the book of Proverbs is: Proverbs 1:3 CSB -
for
receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice,
and integrity.
E3
Not loving truth results in a lack of understanding for justice:
Proverbs 28:5 CSB - The
evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD
understand everything.
D3
How has God administered
justice?
C3
What is fairness?
D1
It has the idea of being equal and even handed.
D2
Jesus is completely fair. We see this prophesied and in the records
of His life. This passage was not fulfilled in His first coming but
will in His second. Isaiah 11:4 (MEV) but
with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and reprove with fairness
for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
C4
What is righteousness?
B4
Proverbs 9:10 The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding.
B1
Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom?
B2
Bill Crowder writes on this passage: Albert
Einstein was heard to say, “Only two things are infinite, the
universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”
Sadly, it does seem that far too often there is no limit to the
foolishness we get ourselves into—or the damage we create by our
foolishness and the choices it fosters.
It
was in such a season of regret that David poured out his struggle and
complaint to God in Psalm 38. As he recounted his own failings, as
well as the painful consequences he was enduring because of those
failings, the shepherd-king made an insightful comment: “My wounds
are foul and festering because of my foolishness” (v.5). Although
the psalmist does not give us the details of those choices or of his
worsening wounds, one thing is clear—David recognized his own
foolishness as their root cause.
The
answer for such destructive foolishness is to embrace the wisdom of
God. Proverbs
9:10 reminds us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Only by
allowing God to transform us can we overcome the foolish decisions
that cause so much trouble. With His loving guidance, we can follow
the pathway of godly wisdom
[emphasis is mine].
A5
A few more questions
B1
What is holiness?
B2
What is the standard for holiness?
B3
Why are we required to be holy?
B4
How do we become holy?
B5
How do we stay holy?
B6
Is holiness the same as sinlessness?
A6
Next week:
B1
In control
B2
Theme: God is sovereign
B3
Scriptures:
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Deuteronomy 10:17-22
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1 Timothy 6:13-16
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Isaiah 46:5-13
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Acts 4:23-31
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Psalm 97:1-12
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Jeremiah 23:23-24
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Jonah 1:1-10
