Missions-in-Focus - Opening Remarks

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Br. Tim Hadley THEME: His Holiness in My Service Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 INTRODUCTION: Our theme verse for MIF 2022 is “His Holiness for My Service.” This theme is threaded throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. As it has often been said, “It was God’s holiness that put man out of the Garden of Eden and it was His love that kept them out!” The actual word “holy” does not appear in our Bibles until Exodus 3, where Moses is being called to serve as the deliverer of the people of God. At the very beginning of his service, Moses had to learn that this holiness is the very character of God. Stephen Charnock, a preacher in the 1700’s, once wrote, “Power is God’s hand or arm, Omniscience is His eyes, Mercy is His bowels (heart), Eternity His duration, but Holiness is His Beauty.” Thomas Watson would add, “Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of His crown.” Holiness is central to biblical teaching, but we must ask whether it is central in our thinking today. Scripture says that our God is glorious in His holiness (Ex. 15:11). Hannah would declare, “No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:2). Isaiah would remind us, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Is. 57:15). The primary meaning of the word holy is “separate.” It comes from a word that means “to cut” or “to separate.” This is translated “a cut apart,” or maybe even more accurately, “a cut above.” The holiness of our God is more than simply separateness. His holiness is transcendent, meaning He is far above everything else and everyone else. He stands apart, and He stands above! He is transcendentally separate. In all that our blessed God is, He is Holy. He is holy in His love, holy in His mercy, holy in His justice, and holy in His knowledge. He is wholly holy! The wholeness of our God is His holiness, and the revelation of His holiness is His glory. A secondary meaning of His holiness flows out of the first. If He is holy in all that He is, then He is also separate from all that is unclean and immoral. Things to consider together this week: What comes to your mind when you think of God’s holiness? Have you ever been overcome by the truth of the holiness of God? What impact does the holiness of God have on your life?

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