HOLY GOD

“I can’t comprehend YOUR infinitely beautiful and perfect love, oh, I’ve dreamed dreams of majesty as brilliant as a billion stars, but they’re never bright enough, after all, YOU are HOLY, Oh HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY” (David Crowder, “After All (Holy)” <– click to view the music video).

Holy (Heb. qāḏôš) is an attribute of God.  Holy is who He is!  He is His Holy Awesome, Holy Excellent, Holy Incomparable, Holy Righteous, Holy Glorious, Holy Worthy!  Oh how we ought to be compelled to offer praise to the Holy God (Heb. hāʾēl haqqādôš) for who He is!  Even though finite words could never fully express the infinite majesty of Holy God, we do have a responsibility to respond to His Holiness in sincere repentance and reverence and rejoicing.

Deuteronomy 10:14-21 speaks of the Holiness God and of our responsibility to respond: “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe…You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name [loyally remain in covenant with Him].  He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen” (vv. 17 and 19-21, NASB95).

Psalm 145:1-21 equally speaks of the Holiness of God and of our responsibility to respond: “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable…On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.  Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness.  They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness” (vv. 3 and 5-7, NASB95).

Isaiah 40: 12-31 speaks of the Holiness of God and of our responsibility to respond as well: “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?  With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?  And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?  …To whom then will you liken God?  Or what likeness will you compare with Him?  … Do you not know? Have you not heard?  Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is He who sits above the circle of the earth…who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in…“To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing” (vv. 13-14, 18, 21-22, and 25-26, NASB95).

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 “And it feels like there’s not enough praise inside of me, with all these words, all my heart can sing is HOLY, YOU are HOLY, JESUS CHRIST YOU bled YOUR love, laid down YOURSELF and gave me life, in naked shame YOU hung and YOU were lifted high, here I lay in awe and wonder, I am afraid for no one’s ever sacrificed and loved me this way so on my face I fall under YOUR heavy grace, here I lay in awe and wonder” (Leeland, “I Wonder” <– click to view the music video).

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John bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  He was exiled to Patmos where God gave him the Revelation of Jesus Christ to make known to us.  The Holy Spirit took John to witness the throne of Holy God in heaven where He, the Eternal Living Lord, is worshiped day and night without cease– “”Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is in and who is to come”…”Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created”” (Revelation 4:8 and 11, NASB95).

In the right hand of God who is seated upon His throne, John saw a sealed scroll and a mighty angel who proclaimed, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (Revelation 5:2, HCSB09)  And John cried because no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.  BUT “one of the elders said to me [John], “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals.”  Then I [John] saw One like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of the One seated on the throne” (Revelation 5:5-7, HCSB09)!  Heaven was filled with praises and prayers of worship to the Lamb– Jesus Christ the only Holy, only Worthy “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, NASB95)!

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“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slaughtered, end You redeemed people for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth….The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!…Blessing and honor and glory and dominion to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever” (Revelation 5:9-10 and 12-13, HCSB03)!

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 This Easter season is not meant to be just another consumer holiday, it is a HOLY-DAY. It’s a HOLY-DAY because it is a day meant to be set apart for us to respond to the Holy Lamb of God in a special commemorative celebration of repentance and reverence and rejoicing.  “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10, NKJV82)!  He has saved us because He alone is Holy Awesome, Holy Excellent, Holy Incomparable, Holy Righteous, Holy Glorious, Holy Worthy!

Praise be to the majesty of Jesus Christ!

Have a blessed Good Friday and Resurrection Celebration!

 Victoria

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Humility – A Dirty Word

The Request of James and John…

“³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”  ³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked.  ³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your glory.”  ³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said.  “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”  ³⁹ “We can,” they answered.  Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”  ⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.  ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  ⁴³ Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  – Mark 10:35-45 (NIV84)

This scripture begins with Mark 10:35, “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him.  “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”  Let’s stop for a second…this is going nowhere good.

Jesus, do whatever we say, ok?

Can you imagine what would come next if our spouse, our kids, our friends, or those we work with asked us that question?  But these brothers, John and James, were bold.  They wanted the premium seats, the ones right beside Jesus, where He is enthroned as King.

Disregard the other ten, and let us take the first places, Jesus.  Ok?

This begs the question: which would be on the left and which on the right since the person on the right had the higher honor, but they were willing to fight that one out later.  The bottom line… they wanted to be first.  They believed that they deserved it.  Perhaps they felt that they were more intelligent, even more loyal than the others.

Or maybe it is easier to identify with one of the other ten disciples… watching someone covet what you would like, but are not bold enough to request yourself.  The NIV translation indicates that the disciples became “indignant” with James and John.  This does not imply that they felt Jesus was being betrayed and they empathized with him, but that THEY wanted the premium seats, the power and honor for themselves.

In the words of one pastor, “They may as well have asked for a 20 scoop ice cream cone.”  Such audacity.  Such arrogance.  If they only knew what they were requesting!  If they only knew what was to come!  If they only knew the cup that Jesus begs His Father to take from Him!  But they don’t.  They only knew what they want- the first, the most, the best.

How does Jesus respond to this?  He knows they do not understand the situation. The text doesn’t share any emotion from Jesus.  Was He annoyed that He had given His all to these people and they still quest for power and not His Father’s kingdom?  Was He angered that He was about to sacrifice His life for people who would betray Him and seemingly just want to use Him for His power?  Or perhaps He is compassionate, understanding the human condition.  Maybe He accepts that we all fall short and that it is His role to bridge that gap so that sins may be forgiven and we may have eternal life.

His response is simple: you guys just don’t get it.  Furthermore, He says that it’s not His decision who is to His left or right, and “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45, NIV84).

Humility is almost a dirty word in our society.  We equate humility with lack of self-worth or with letting people walk all over you.  But, according to Jesus, that is not humility at all.  Humility is powerful and strong.  It is the way of Christ.

Micah 6:8 says, “And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV84).

In order to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God”, we must first look at ourselves.  We must purge ourselves of the things that are not of God.  Humble ourselves to HIS will.  Ooops… I said it.  HIS will.  Not, Lord, I really need a new job or please bring me more money… but if it is Your will please open these doors.

Jesus is trying to teach us to be servants to others, but we cannot do that without submitting to Him and His will.  We are to be servants, not the seat of power.  We are not to seek prestige, but to “walk humbly”.

 Carrie (Guest Contributor)