As I was praying over what direction God would have me to go, God brought my attention to the fact that, as Christians, we have a unique vocabulary. We tend to use words that a non-Christian might not understand. So, when trying to witness to someone, we should be careful to use words they can understand.
But as I thought about it a little more, I realized that there are several words in our “Holy vocabulary” that even Christians don’t fully understand. So, I thought for the next few weeks, we might take a closer look at some of these Holy words to make sure that we fully understand them before we use them. Words like: lost, salvation, faith, sanctified, eternal life, and today’s word, HOLY. What does it mean to be Holy?
Did you ever have someone say to you, “You’re one of a kind.”? “You’re one of a kind, Kenny!” That statement can be a compliment or it can be an insult. That statement applies to you—to each one of us. No one is exactly like you. When you put all the pieces together—your physical makeup, your personality, your temperament, your interests—you’re truly unique. And God is big enough to put a different print on the fingers of each individual in all of human history. Not even your own fingerprints are all the same.
But even though we might each be unique, we’re also somewhat interchangeable. For instance, you can donate blood or receive blood from someone. You can donate certain organs that keep another person alive. Knee and hip replacements are proof that our parts can be replaced.
There’s only One, though, that is totally unique and completely unlike any other being in all of creation. And that’s the One that created all things. God is truly distinct. Our God is Holy. That might not mean a whole lot to you right now because you hear that all the time. But hopefully, by the end of this message, you will see why God has that characteristic—that of being Holy.
The definition of Holy is exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one is perfect in goodness and righteousness. Our God is so holy and set apart that Jewish people will not pronounce the covenant name God told Moses. That name is Yahweh, which essentially means I AM. Devout Jews shy away from using the name Yahweh. They replace that name with LORD in caps. So, why is this word Holy so Holy, and what does it mean?
Let’s turn to Isaiah 40:25-26 and read. Through the prophet Isaiah, God asked two foundational questions. (1) Who is like Me? And (2) Who is equal to Me? Now here’s the important thing to know. If you and I try to answer either or both of those questions with anything except the obvious answer “no One,” then we haven’t set apart God as Holy.
The word Holy describes someone or something that is devoted or set apart. For example, at the end of creation, God declared the 7th day holy, meaning it was set apart and different from the other 6 days. So, Holy definitely applies to God, because He is totally separate and unique from anyone and anything else. Would you agree?
Have you ever played with Play-Doh with a group of kids. Kids have this unique imagination. Try it sometimes and see if you don’t find out the same thing I did. Kids will make the weirdest shapes and then come up with names for what they have made. What I thought was a blue stick or a yellow ball would end up as a main character in their make-believe story. Each one had a name, a job, and a role to play in their story.
And then they would ask me to play. “Now you make something with us.” The only thing my brain could come up with was a bat and ball. I could never come up with things as imaginative as they could. My creative juices flowed like old motor oil. But the kids always seemed to come up with wildly original things.
On an infinitely large scale, the things we create are nothing compared with what God created. Our God is so creative and unique that He is totally unlike and far above anything we could ever think to create. So, God says through Isaiah, “Who created all the stars? God brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”
If anyone wants to know what makes God unique, the Holy One says this in v. 26, “Look and see for yourself. No one but God can bring out the stars, number them, and call them all by name. No one. The majesty of the stars announces God’s holiness, power, and glory.
Psalm 19:1, says it this way, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.” God wants us to realize that because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of the stars is missing.
No other being could have named and known each star. Psalm 147:14 says, “He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them.” We certainly don’t even know the names of each star. But some of them are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
• the Pleiades.
• Orion.
Of course, none of us could make a single star, yet God made each one. God stands alone in this, which goes to show us just how HOLY He is. Did you ever wonder why God created the stars? The Bible tells us why in Genesis 1: 14-18.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. 15 They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night—as well as the stars. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18 to rule the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.
God’s holiness is unmatched in creativity and can’t be undone by anyone or anything. This declaration of God really makes us realize how fallible and finite we really are. Our own attempts to be creative look like preschool Play-Doh games alongside God’s creative power.
In fact, God created the very elements in the Play-Doh we used to make our childish creations. The Master Creator didn’t need to gather materials together before He created; He created out of nothing by simply speaking. Only One who is all-powerful could do that.
READ Isaiah 40:27. When we ask how can God know all that is going on in our lives and the direction our lives are heading, we’re doing what the Jews did when they wondered if God had forgotten about them or had no direction for them. Did you ever think, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God?” Even when we are experiencing those “dry seasons” when we wonder if God has forgotten about us or has any direction for us, God is present, He knows us, and He knows what we need. That’s why He is God and we are not.
We can’t even begin to fathom God’s understanding. He never tires or grows weary of our questions and needs. God is without equal in His knowledge, and His infinite wisdom points to His holiness.
Has God ever shown Himself to be trustworthy in your life? Keep that thought in mind and share it with someone that you might have the chance to witness to. Think about that. If I wasn’t a Christian and someone started telling me about a low point in their life where God came through for them, I would want some of that. Show me how I can have this God in my life.
Read Isaiah 40:28. When God’s people, (that’s us), begin to question and doubt, Isaiah listed some theologically rich declarations about God. By doing that, it becomes even clearer to us that as Isaiah nails down these certain aspects of God, we should be reassured of how great a God we serve.
Just look at what is said. God is eternal or everlasting, having no beginning or end, so nothing existed outside of His knowledge. The Lord knew about the Jews circumstances then, and He know about whatever circumstance you are involved in right now.
Since God is the Creator of the whole earth, no nation or group of people escapes His knowledge or exists outside His control. Even in the biblical days, if the Assyrians or Babylonians worshiped another god, it had no bearing on God’s ability to act in Israel’s best interests. God’s creative power and control have no limitations.
We are told that God never becomes faint or weary in overseeing the earth and His people. His power extends to watching over the stars of the universe and to administering the affairs of people on the earth, yet He never becomes fatigued or exhausted.
God possesses unlimited understanding, so nothing escapes His watchful eye so that He loses track of any little detail on the earth. God is always watching.
Children lined up in the cafeteria of a religious school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The teacher made a note: "Take only one, God is watching." At the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A little boy wrote a note: "Take all you want, God is watching the apples."
Not so. God sees it all.
Isaiah affirmed that God, as the everlasting Creator of the earth, will never forsake His people. The Lord never grows tired or becomes overwhelmed by us. No problem escapes His view. Nothing becomes too much for Him to handle. Now what does that mean to you?
All this tells me that God will sustain us when we struggle. Have you ever struggled with something? Sure, you have. You might be struggling with something right now.
• Maybe there’s a difficult decision you need to make.
• Maybe there’s a relationship that needs mending.
• Maybe there’s a health issue you need to make a decision on.
• Maybe you’re struggling with trying to get your life back where it was before all this Covid isolation stuff.
• You might be struggling with whether to take the vaccine or not.
• Maybe there’s a career move that you are struggling with.
• You might be struggling with making a decision for Christ.
We all have struggles. These next verses assure us that God will sustain us if we truly believe that He is able. READ Isaiah 40:29-31.
When I was in my early 20s and a student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, I was, believe it or not, in pretty good shape. I jogged regularly. I was a karate student. I went to the gym 4-5 times a week. I truly was in good shape.
Now that I’m older, I’m realizing that I’m not what I used to be—by a long shot. My get up and go has done got up and went. I plan my outside chores in shifts now. Sometimes I have to come up for air three times just to tie my shoes. I’m weak compared to what I used to be.
Facing our weaknesses, though, isn’t limited only to the physical. We can struggle spiritually. We can feel weak when it comes to maintaining good relationships with each other, and a good relationship with God as well. We become weak as we struggle with temptation, or any type of difficulty in our life. We may want to do the right thing but we can’t stand on our own.
Thankfully, God tells us today the He will sustain us. In fact, God is the only One who can sustain us. To sustain means to strengthen or support mentally or physically.
The Bible tells us that we can renew our strength when we confidently look to God and His Word to fill us. We can rest in the truth that God is all we need. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God is all you need?
Where in your life, right now? Do you need God to sustain you? Why not turn it over to God? Why not go to God in prayer and turn your circumstance over to him?
Yes, we have learned today that we are unique. God made you that way. Everyone is a unique creation of an almighty God. And the church is for everyone--Believer and unbeliever, Rich and poor, Red, yellow, black and white, Old and young,
Extroverted and introverted.
We are all unique. We are all different--Different personalities, Different Strengths,
Different experiences, Different burdens, Different blessings. And yet, Everyone has the fingerprint of God on their souls. God has created each person, and He knows you inside out.
God has created each person and has plans and dreams for you. God has created each person and so you have incredible value. When we realize this, it changes how we see and treat each other. Accept one another. See them for who God has made them to be.
There is a place for everyone in our church. God does not turn anyone away. He accepts all who come to him. How can we ever turn anyone away? Won’t you become a part of the family of God today?
