God on the Throne: A Picture of Holiness

Holiness Describes Separation

There can be no personal revival without a right view of God. If you want more of God in your life, begin with more accurate.

What comes to your mind when you think about God?
What do you picture when you consider deity?
Not what do you think He looks like, but how do you envision God's capacities and interests?
What do you believe matters to Him, and where do you conclude His great interests and passions reside?
Write words or phrases that immediately come to your mind as you think about the essential nature of God and His work.


A.W. Tozer rightly observed that you what you think about God is the most important thing about you. It's true whether or not you realize it: your entire life revolves around your view of God. Your personal spiritual revival is waiting. The downpour begins with an exalted view of God.

The Bible repeatly reveals that God of teh universe resides in a throne room; He is there right now. Through the centuries God in His grace has allowed certain messengers to visit His throne room. We are going to see God's throne room afresh through our eyes.

What exactly is holiness? Holiness means: "to be set apart." Holiness does not mean being legalistic. Some people think of holiness you must take vow poverty and live like John the Baptist, eat honey and locust and wear carmel hair clothing. Holiness has nothing to do with being legalistic and living like John the Baptist. Holiness is saying "awesome" or "unbelievable" or "unfathomable." That's holiness! God is more righteous and pure, more piercing and powerfull, more strong and impentrable than anything we can imagine. We comprehend only fractionally, even infinitiesimally, all that He is. He's so different - so other - so holy. Every time you hear the word Holy, think separation, God is completely apart and entirely different from you and me.

If we're going to see revival in our lives, it has to start here: a right view of the infinately exalted nature of God Himself. All revival flows from this fountain: a biblical view of God Himself. He is holy.

Isiah 6 is the hub for our study on holiness. There Isaiah describes seeing God in His exalted holiness, and his life was forever changed. Isaiah saw the throne room of heaven and was captured by four insights into God's Spirit, what he wrote for us in God's Word.

Isaiah 6:1-4
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.
2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.
4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

From the life of Josiah: We need a downpour

As Josiah’s team rebuilt God’s temple, in ruins after generations of neglect, they found God’s Book buried in obscurity. At age 26 Josiah read God’s Word for the first time, and took him to his knees.

Josiah had not known that God had written down instructions. He had not heard the promises of warning and blessing based on obedience. And now his heart was exposed to God’s Word for the first time, and it convicted him to the core.

Josiah did not realize the wrath of God was against him and the people. “Great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.” 2 Kings 22:13 The clock had been ticking all the time God’s Word had been buried, and judgment was closer than they had realized.

Josiah, a man before God and a king before his nation, Josiah invited God’s Word to change their thinking.

• Josiah recognized that some things had to go. We’re going to live differently.
• Josiah repented of how his nation had walked away from God. We’ve been wrong, and we’ve turning around.
• Josiah and his people returned to the Lord. We’re leaving this sin behind us. We want what God has for us.
  

Josiah mission was again clear: Revive us, Lord! We need a downpour!

God blessed Josiah’s tender heart and his compassion for his people. In holiness God could not overlook evil that had been done, but He held back the clock so this repentant generation would not experience consequences.

Revival begins here: with a profound awareness of God’s absolute holiness, our absolute sinfulness, and our inability to bridge the divide that separates us. Revival always begins with God reaching down to us – not in a tickle of blessing but in a deluge of Himself that covers our past and welcomes us to begin again.

Josiah life should be inspiration to all of us. Finding a hide treasure, a manual for living, instructions how to lead and guide a nation, he accepted what God said in His Word. He obey the Word of God, and He gave a charge to the nation to repent and return to God.

Is God’s Word still refreshing to you? Is it a live? As I teach adults and young adults, I emphasis that God’s Word is a Living Word of God and it is real and powerful for our daily living. “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12