Why Holiness Reveals the King of Glory: Week 2
Who is this King of glory?
We already discovered how creation reveals the King of glory in Psalm 24:1-2.
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” (ESV)
And how this particular Psalm is the only place in the Bible that mentions the phrase, The King of glory.
Yet, not only does creation reveal the Lord’s glory, but also holiness as in our next two verses.
“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” Psalm 24:3-4 (ESV, emphasis added)
The King of Glory Came for Our Holiness
Jesus Christ came as the King of glory, arrayed in holiness. But He also came to make a people holy and whole.
Jesus Christ came as the King of glory, arrayed in holiness. But He also came to make a people holy and whole. #Glory #holy Share on XThe “hill of the Lord’ and “his holy place” reveal the Lord’s holiness and why the King of glory came for our holiness, too.
Jesus came as a holy King to make a people holy. So Christ is the answer to the questions in Psalm 24:3 in how we grow into the likeness of His holiness.
Do we desire clean hands and a pure heart? Or, do we really want truth to define our lives and not falsehood or false gods?
The imagery in these verses makes my soul leap and causes me to pause. Because David knew what it meant to stand in God’s holy presence. And he knew how sin separated him from a holy God.
Created to Stand in the Lord’s Holy Place
The Lord created our souls to desire the ascent up His hill and to stand in His holy place.
And we were always created for clean hands and a pure heart.
But, since the fall of the first man and woman, this kind of holy living requires we submit to the Lord’s holiness in our lives and allow Him to cleanse us from sin.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (ESV, emphasis added)
Further, it means wholly following the King of glory.
Wholly following Jesus Christ by praising His holy name, knowing the Truth, and walking in purity, makes us holy and whole.
Wholly following Jesus Christ by praising His holy name, knowing the Truth, and walking in purity, makes us holy and whole. #Glory #holy Share on XHoliness Reveals the King of Glory
Jesus Christ is holy and full of glory.
(1.) Isaiah’s vision describes the Lord’s glory and holiness.
“…I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ Isaiah 6:1-3 (ESV, emphasis added)
(2.) John’s revelation of the throne in heaven depicts both creation and holiness in the King of glory:
“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’” Revelation 4:8-11 (ESV, emphasis added)
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Is. 6:3b) "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (Rev. 4:8b) ESV #holy Share on XWholly Follow Jesus in His Holiness
Will you wholly pursue the King of glory this Christmas and all year long? Do you desire clean hands and a pure heart?
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Purposeful Faith/Recharge Wednesday/Worth Beyond Rubies/Tune in Thursday/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected/Candidly Christian, Faith On Fire and Faith and Worship Christian Weekend.
© 2020 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Holy is the King of Glory! Thanks for these verses and insights into His holiness. Merry Christmastime to you!
A thousand Hallelujahs, Bethany!
Karen, I’m so glad you are focusing on the holiness of our God.
I especially love this reminder:
Wholly following Jesus Christ by praising His holy name, knowing the Truth, and walking in purity, makes us holy and whole.
Glad this is encouraging to you, Beckie. Oh, to wholly follow Jesus Christ in these ways and with a whole and committed heart!
May the holiness of the Lord fill all our hearts, cleansing and purifying them, so we can praise the King of Glory!
Blessings, Karen!
Agree, Martha! Holy are You, Lord!
Holy Holy is His name. Thanks for talking about God’s holiness. I think we often forget that aspect of God. We take His holiness for granted too. Great post and much needed discussion. Thanks
Yvonne, I agree we often focus on other aspects of the Lord. But He IS high and lifted up and His train fills the temple! A holy God on His holy throne!
Karen, I love your messages. I am singing His praises right now. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! What a glorious day!
Melissa, appreciate your kindness. Let’s sing praises to our holy Lord daily and throughout our day!
This is such an uplifting post detailing the glory of the Lord and the beauty of his holiness. These passages from Isaiah are some of our favorites, and the graphics you prepared deliver the message beautifully. Being awed by the Lord, his ways, and his past revelations brings such joy to our hearts and peace to our souls. Thank you for this post, Karen!
Melinda, I like how you expressed this, “Being awed by the Lord, his ways, and his past revelations brings such joy to our hearts and peace to our souls.” Amen! Lord, we stand in awe of YOU! We are forever amazed by your holiness and majesty!
Such an inspiring post, Karen. You brought out our Lord’s holiness beautifully. May we walk wholly in His holiness today and always. 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you, Karen. I hope and pray these aren’t just words on a screen, but we let God’s Word about holiness well up in us and our lives like never before as we worship in His holy place.
What a beautiful testimony of His holiness! Thank you for this time of worship, Karen.
Cathy, I pray we desire holiness in our lives and really desire the ascent up God’s hill so we can stand in His holy place.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! This post has my heart overflowing with worship and praise! How great is our God! Thank you, Karen, for reminding us that Jesus is the King of glory and He has come in holiness to make us holy. Oh what a gift! Oh what a Savior! Thank you for this scripture-based encouragement!
Hallelujah, Melissa! May we wholly follow Jesus Christ by praising His holy name, knowing the Truth, and walking in purity, to make us holy and whole.
Karen, I’m so thankful for this call to focus on the Holiness of the King of Glory. And “the Lord created our souls to desire the ascent up His hill and to stand in His holy place” is such an accurate statement of our hunger and thirst for Him.
Lisa, I like how you said it describes our hunger and thirst…for a holy God. And Jesus, the bread of life and the everlasting water, is the only One who satisfies our soul.
Too often, Christians and their teachers want to gloss over this important characteristic of Christ. Well said; and most important ma’am. Thank you!
J.D., So true. The holiness of our God and becoming holy like Him is an aspect of the Christian journey we simply cannot deny!
Thank you for the great reminders of the holiness of God.
Appreciate you commenting, Lisa. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11 (ESV)
Such a great point – He came for our holiness, too… to show us the way.
Yes, Jessica, Christ is the answer to the questions in Psalm 24:3 in how we grow into the likeness of His holiness. In how we have clean hands and a pure heart and acsend the hill of the Lord.
Celebration and worship are one in this season! Thank you for inspiration here!
Agree, Michele. May we celebrate and worship this Christmas like never before and all year long.
Karen, I become overwhelmed sometimes when I consider God’s holiness and His amazing love for us. May we have hearts that worship Him and live for Him wholly! Have a wonderful Christmas!
That’s my prayer, Jeanne. For holy, holy, holy is our Lord! Merry Christmas!