Beholding.
A podcast about beholding Jesus and becoming more like him.
Beholding.
HOLY
In this episode, explore the profound nature of God's holiness and its implications for our spiritual growth and intimacy with Him. By reflecting on Isaiah's vision and personal encounters, we highlight how recognizing God's perfection can lead to transformation and deeper worship.
• Understanding the meaning of holiness and its significance
• Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness and its impact on him
• The role of seraphim in proclaiming God’s glory
• Personal encounters with God's presence and reverence
• The transformative effects of recognizing God’s holiness
• How pursuing holiness aligns our lives with God's desires
• The gradual journey toward embodying holiness through intimacy
• The invitation to live as God calls us to be
Beholding podcast is about beholding Jesus and becoming more like Him in the process.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18
Hi everyone, welcome to this episode of Beholding Podcast with me, your host, sese Zai Peresu Please call me Sese and I'm excited for this episode. And I'm excited for this episode. I'm excited that we're in this theme this year for the podcast, which is pursuing intimacy and crucifying complacency. So that's, that's actually the over. What is it Not the overlying? The word underlying is a word, but is there a word called overlying? I don't know, but that's the umbrella theme for the podcast this year. So if you haven't checked out last week's episode I mean the last episode, so the first episode of the year If you haven't checked that one out, I believe it's episode 13. Make sure you go back and watch that, because we kind of set the stage for what it is. We're going to be unpacking throughout this year. So I'm excited for us to be on this journey of pursuing intimacy and I'm excited because we are definitely going to grow. The more that we draw near to Jesus, the more that we draw near to God is, the more that he draw nearest to us and we see that relationship we have with him grow and we get more revelations of who he is. And speaking of revelations, today we are talking about God's holiness. So the topic for today's episode is holy, that's just it. That's where we're going to sit today. We're going to sit and stew in it. We're going to unpack it. We're going to sit and stew in it. We're going to unpack it. We're just going to dive into this amazing facet and characteristic of our Father, and it is that he is holy.
Speaker 1:So when we say the word holy, what do we mean? What does it mean? I know, growing up in a Christian home, in Christian circles and all of that, we hear that word a lot Holy, holy, holy. We sing it a lot, right, but what does it mean when we say god is holy? So the word holy means to be set apart, it means to be separate and, um, to be in perfection in that separation.
Speaker 1:So I guess, similarly, when we say the word holiness, it's that state of perfection, being fully sanctified and set apart, and that's it. It's just this fact and truth that God is God all by himself, that there is no one like him. He is truly, really above everything and everyone else. And so when we begin to understand his holiness and how awesome he is, we can start to see that the fear of the lord is ignited in us because we live in reverence of who he is. We live in reverence of this holy God. He's far above principalities, he's seated on a throne that is above all other thrones and he clothes himself with light.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to share two experiences that I had last year when I really had encounters With this holy God, and obviously I aim to To have daily encounters with God. And in those daily encounters, in those daily devotions and appointments with God, there are times when he really His presence, comes down so tangibly, and that's the holiness of God coming down in his glory. So it's a beautiful thing to begin to understand, and I would say, just scratch the surface, because the depths of God can never be searched out right, we can never reach the end of it, and so he wants us to be holy, as he is holy, and our holiness is unto him so that he gets the glory. So let's let's obviously start with diving into some scripture, and this passage, this particular passage of scripture, is one that um has really instilled reverence and awe in me, and every time I read it I definitely feel the fear of the Lord. And so let's go to Isaiah, chapter 6. We're going to read from verse 1 to 6. So some of you may already know what we're about to read right here, because this is a very popular passage of scripture. But let's go ahead and start in verse 1, isaiah, chapter 6.
Speaker 1:In the year of king isaiah's death, I saw the lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with a train of his robe filling the temple. Seraphim was standing above him, each having six wings, with two each covered his face and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. Let's just pause right here, because this description right here, this visual, is something out of this world. Right, is something out of this world, right? We watch sci-fi movies. We watch all of these movies where it's very imaginative and creative, but this is real. This is a look into the spiritual dimension, this is a look into the throne of God and what is happening around him.
Speaker 1:So I want us to, when we read scriptures like this that are describing things that are hard to grasp with our physical and natural understanding, I want us to approach it with a soberness and an understanding of this is real. Guys, there is a creature that exists with two wings that cover its eyes, its feet, and two wings that it uses to fly. This is real. Can we just form just like this?
Speaker 1:Some passages of scripture really blow my mind and they show that creativity of god, because who even comes up with this? Who even thinks I'm gonna create such such a creature? You know, most of what we have on earth is inspired, but by what's already in existence, right. But god, he, he's imagination is beyond anything we could ever comprehend. So anyway, that's not the point. But I was just gonna say, like, if you wake up one day and you see this creature in your room, this is the seraphim, a type of angel you're like. Excuse me, am I dreaming? Is this real, you know? Or maybe you just run out of the room? How about that? Or some of us would just close our eyes and be like, nah, this can't be happening.
Speaker 1:But verse three continues to say and one called out to another and said holy, holy, holy is the lord of armies. The whole earth is full of his glory and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him, who called out while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said woe to me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. For my eyes, I've seen the King, the Lord of armies. Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin. Wow, okay. So let's go to verse three, which says holy, holy, holy.
Speaker 1:This three-fold repetition of the word holy is really cementing just how holy God is and just how revered he is, because whenever something is repeated in scripture, it's something we need to take a note of. It's important in saying hey, pay attention to this, hey, this is important. So that's there. Then the next line says the whole earth is full of his glory. His glory, it fills the earth, it surrounds us, it's everywhere in creation, in what he's created and in his manifest presence when he comes down. So God is holy.
Speaker 1:And what is the reaction to God's holiness? I love this part. So, isaiah, here he reacts by saying Woe to me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips. This is what the holiness of God does. It instills a fear of the Lord in us, and this is not like a scary type of fear, it's a reverence. It's this. God is so magnificent. How am I able to be in his presence? And that is the beauty of being in relationship with him and having intimacy with him is because we don't deserve it. He is so holy but yet he still calls us into communion and fellowship with him.
Speaker 1:And another thing I wanted to point out that was just interesting to me was that in verse 4 it says the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him. Who called out angel, who's calling out holy, holy, is doing it with such passion and such power because of what he's beholding and seeing that the foundations, the thresholds, are trembling. That's how powerful this voice is. It's causing the foundations to tremble and the temple is filling with smoke because of god's holiness. So this holiness, because of who? God is he set apart? If there's no one like him, he is god all by himself. The response is one an angel calling his holiness out to an extent that the surroundings are trembling and are also having a reaction to God's holiness.
Speaker 1:And then, two, the man, the prophet, who's seeing all of this unfold, falls to the ground and says I cannot be in this God's presence because he is unfathomably holy. I'm unclean, I'm surrounded by unclean people. It's not just me, but the place that I dwell in. I cannot be in this place. And then the angel says hey, calm down, here's a coal. A call touches his lips. Hey guys, imagine a call touching your lips. This is just a surreal experience. And this is the god that we serve. This is the reality of the god that we serve. It. It is not a myth, it's not a fairy tale, it's not just a story. It is the truth of the character and nature of God.
Speaker 1:He is holy and it blows my mind that this holy God calls us to live as he is. He says to us to be holy as he is holy. His word says to us to live as he is. He says to us to be holy as he is holy. His word says to us to be holy as he is holy. What? How can I do that? It is only by his grace and it's only by the spirit of god that I and begin to live at such a standard. But I think to myself. I think to myself. That's the least I can do If this God, who has saved me and sanctified me, is asking me to live as he is holy. That is the reasonable sacrifice that I can give and offer to him my life To die to myself, to separate myself from everything else that is worldly and sinful, and say this life that you have given me belongs to you. And that's how we become holy.
Speaker 1:As he is holy, we align ourselves with the identity that God created humanity for, and that is to reflect him, to be image bearers. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't it that beautiful that we are being redeemed to the original design that God had for us, and he loves us? I wish you could see yourself the way that God sees you. I wish you could see yourself the way that God sees you. I wish you could see yourself the way that the righteousness of God has set you apart and allowed you to become a beautiful creation in God's eyes. The enemy is fighting that image. He's fighting that restoration to divinity, that opportunity we have to be saved and enter into holiness, enter into the holy of holies.
Speaker 1:And in Revelation 1. There's a similar reaction. Let's go there real quick, because I want us to understand that God is holy and the revelation of God's holiness produces something in us. There is that initial reaction. And then there is the life that we live in accordance to this knowledge, to this wisdom, to our eyes being opened. Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go. I don't want to dwell too much on that. So this is john, right, he's.
Speaker 1:He's also having visions of um jesus and in verse 17 it says when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man and he placed his hand, his right hand, on me, saying do not be afraid, I am the first and the last. What's happening here? These people in the word of God, in the Bible, are literally falling down, fainting, as if they're dead, because they're seeing the holiness and perceiving the holiness of God. It's powerful. It's a powerful thing to get a glimpse of glory, to get a glimpse of God's glory, of his holiness, and when we do, it changes us, us forever.
Speaker 1:And I'll share this one experience that I had. I was at a church conference last year and I remember just meditating on such passages of scripture in preparation for this gathering, and during worship we were singing and I felt this tangible fear of the Lord come on me, where the eyes of my spirit were opened and I could see him and I could sense his presence so strongly that all I could do was just sink to the floor, and it wasn't like a falling out or like, oh, I've lost control of my body, but it was this reverence just caused me to sink to the floor and say God, my God, you are holy. There is none like you. You are worthy of all the praise I can't even begin to describe, and that's why the angels, they sing holy, holy, holy, holy.
Speaker 1:The 24 elders sing holy, holy, holy, because this word so beautifully describes what we could try to explain in our natural languages. But it all comes down to this God who is set apart, who is far above everything we could ever imagine. He is holy, and I I hope that we begin to have these encounters and revelations of god's holiness and when we do, a fear and reverence of god will be instilled in us, where the things that we struggle with before, the temptations, the things that we're like I don't want to let go of that, you know, it's comfortable, it's nice, it's good for my flesh or whatever it's enjoyable, whatever it is that is not holy and is sinful those things will begin to fall off. Those things will begin to fall off Because, as you look at this holy God, you cannot help but become holy as you are in his presence. You cannot help but become. That's why the call.
Speaker 1:He had to say I'm a man of unclean lips. Isaiah had to say that and he had to receive that atonement, because in God's presence, things that are there can be no, no darkness. It has to be made holy, and that's one litmus test that you. You know that you've been spending time with god and it can happen over a long period of time, over a short period of time, but you begin to see a change in your appetites. You no longer desire things of the flesh, things of the world and all of that. You no longer crave things that push you away from god, because you're becoming more and more like him. You're becoming holy as he is holy. And that's where I'll end today, because I want us to meditate on this and I want us to pray and ask god for more revelation of him and his holiness.
Speaker 1:Just begin to take the next month to really press into his presence so that, even on your own, your eyes are opened, whether it's visions, you, I had a vision one time in my room. No one was there, it was just me, in in prayer, worshiping god, and I I saw this brightness, just like the heavens opened up and it was rays of light just piercing my room and I just fell to the ground and I felt so unworthy to be experiencing this glory. But God says come in, my child, come up higher. There's more that I want to reveal to you. This is God, and I know sometimes it's not normalized. Not normalized, it's like, oh, you need to spend 10 hours praying and that's when you begin to see angels and all of that.
Speaker 1:But no, god is saying, hey, there's more I want to show you. I want to open your eyes, I want to make it so that these things are not crazy supernatural, once in every 10, 15, 100 years encounters. But I want you to live here in my presence, where you see me and feel me so dear and near to you. And I know it's not about feelings, but it's an awareness of his presence, an awareness of his holiness. So let's walk in this, let's pursue this.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for tuning in friends, thank you so much for committing to intimacy, because god is worthy, he's, he's worth us pursuing him and desiring him, and I know it's not something that comes naturally to us. Hey, it's something that doesn't come naturally to me. There's's some days I'm like, oh God, I'm in my daily encounter and I'm just like, hey God, hey Daddy, you know, okay, I'm not like that, but you know, sometimes it's not about this high, but it's about coming into his presence and having an awareness of him being in his word, even when you don't feel like it. So thank you so much for tuning in. I hope you're blessed by this episode and, hey, make sure you subscribe to the channel. If you're watching on YouTube, follow me if you're listening on any podcast platform and don't just stop there. Share this episode with someone who you think will be blessed by it. Let's spread the word. Thank you so much, friends. Bye.