The Gospel...Completing the Foundation

Isaiah saw a vision of God and thought he was going to perish.  He cried, "Woe is me!".  Why?  Because he, being a totally depraved, sinful creature had seen the perfect, holy God Almighty.  And he was undone.  He was terrified because the darkness of his sinful heart had been exposed by the brightness of God's holiness.  In the company of holiness, the sinful heart will seek the solitude of secrecy because, as Jesus told us in John 3:19-20, "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."  When the sinful person comes into contact with a holy God, the prideful heart will melt into a puddle of fear, awe, unworthiness and reverence.

Moses, when tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, had an encounter with the "angel of the LORD".  Literally, that means "messenger of Yahweh" and, in context, it turns out to be the Lord Himself talking to Moses out of the burning bush.  When the Lord spoke to Moses, He told him to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground.  And, when in the presence of the Lord and His holiness, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

At the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter, James and John witnessed Him in all His glory.  But in Matthew 17:5, when God the Father spoke and said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!", they fell face down to the ground, terrified, in verse 6.  Why?  Because this is a proper response when in the presence of the God of the universe.  

"Then I turned around to see the voice that was speaking with me.  And having turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands; and in the middle of the lamp-stands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.  His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.  In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.  When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man..." (Revelation 1:12-17  NASB)

When the Spirit of God came to John and, supernaturally, revealed this vision to him, John saw Jesus, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity.  John saw Jesus in all His glory.  John saw Jesus in all His blazing holiness.  John saw Jesus in all His might.  John heard the voice of Jesus in all its authority.  Keep in mind, this John had been with Jesus from the very beginning.  He had seen the miracles Jesus had done.  He was there when Jesus had healed people.  He had seen the transfiguration.  He had been in the garden the night Jesus was betrayed and was agonizing in prayer over what awaited Him on the cross.     He was at the cross.  He saw Jesus die.  He was at the empty tomb.  He saw the grave clothes of the Lord Jesus folded up and laying where Jesus had been and he knew that Jesus had risen.  He had been a witness to all of these things...and so much more.  How did John react to the vision of Jesus he saw?  He fell at the feet of Jesus as if he were a dead man.

So, why line all of these events from Scripture up and examine them?  Because they provide a picture.  They give a glimpse of what it is to be in the presence of a holy God, the transcendent creator of the universe.  Sinful mankind is brought to his knees in front of the radiant holiness of God.  We cannot stand next to His perfection.  And these men, all of them justified by grace through faith, saved from their sin, were terrified in His company.  When men truly know how sinful they really are, they will fall on their faces in reverence, awe and fear before an all righteous, infinitely holy God.

This is where the gospel starts.  
This is the foundation upon which the gospel is built...God's holiness.
This must be the starting point.
If men do not understand who God is, beginning with His holiness, then how will they ever be able to understand how desperate is their plight before Him?
If men do not understand how wicked they are before God, how can they ever understand their utter need for Him to step in and save them?