Responding with Holiness
Does much of what we see playing out now in our world, in our media, in social media, in our nation - does much of it feel 'holy'? When you think of the word 'holy', what comes to mind? Do you think about an inspirational cathedral? Maybe you think of 'sacred' objects like the cross, or a Bible or maybe the Ark of the Covenant? - Do you ever think of yourself as holy?
Last week my message focused us on responding in prayer to all of the turmoil that's going on - responding to evil in prayer. - And praying is something you do. When we talk about holiness, that's not so much something you do as it is something you are. A person can be religiously faithful to prayer, or to Bible reading, or to giving and generosity or even service and yet still... not be holy. Holiness is about your heart, your attitude, your desire to become more like Jesus in purity.
The idea of holiness is something that many people want to relegate to just their 'religious world'. It's okay to talk about holiness while in a Church building surrounded by other 'saintly' people, but what about in your home? What about at the work place? What about when you're driving? What about when you're alone?
The problems we're seeing in the headlines, the fighting, the division - the answer to these problems is not found in politics. Certainly politics have taken center stage in many minds - but in the aftermath of all of these various stories and events - most people aren't first turning to politics. People are turning to God in prayer! We've seen massive prayer vigils - because even many 'un-churched' people understand - we desperately need God's help!
Charlie Kirk wasn't assassinated because of his politics. Yes, he was outspoken politically - but many people are today. Charlie Kirk was killed because of his outspoken faith in Jesus Christ. Many people have now responded by going back to the Church looking for answers. What many people may not even understand they are now seeking is holiness - found only in Jesus Christ!
Holiness is not just something you 'do' in addition to other things. Holiness is something that affects every aspect of your life. It affects how you pray, how you serve, how you treat others, how you work, how you speak, how you think – it's not really even a 'religious' work or action, but who you are! I want us to think about…
I. God's call to holiness
Everyone who wants to follow Jesus is called to holiness. Holiness is really not an optional thing for a Christian. When the Apostle Paul was giving instruction to the Church at Thessalonica about their conduct in regard to 'sin'; evil in their life, he wrote this, in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV)...
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Purity is extremely important to us in our drinking water. If a bottle of water said on its label, "Only 30% sewer water" – would that be acceptable to you? The vast majority of it, 70%, is completely pure water – so what's the problem? What if they dropped it to 10%? 5%? What if it was only 1% water from your own septic tank – would that be acceptable? - No, thank you! We want to drink pure, unpolluted water.
We're called to live a pure life, a holy life. But trying to live a 'holy life' in a 'secular world' will always bring problems. 'Holy' doesn't mean we act religious 'most of the time' and are only 'drunken, lying, thieves and adulterers' 2% of the time. No, we are called to be holy - but...
A. Why?
Why is it so important? Why are we called to such a high standard? Why does God want us to be holy, to be pure? First - because pursuing holiness is actually what's best and most fulfilling for our lives! God isn't calling us to holiness to 'ruin our fun' in this life, or to be mean or judgmental - it's because it's His design! And when we live closer to His design of holiness - the better our lives will become!
But there's also another reason why God calls us to holiness...
1 Peter 1:14-17 (NIV)
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (15) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; (16) for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (17) Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
We are called to be holy, called to be 'set apart' - because God is holy! And even as we try to understand 'holiness' in human terms, we can't really fathom exactly how 'holy' God is. To try and give us a little insight, I've got a brief video taken from a message from the theologian R.C. Sproul... Video - "The Holiness of God"
Another theologian, A.W. Tozer wrote, "God's holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God's power and admire his wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine."
God is so perfect, so pure, so holy – He desires us to pursue holiness because He is holy! When you get up in the morning – is 'being holy' the first thing you think about? If you're the average person - probably not. We're usually more concerned with getting ready for our plans for the day, not necessarily focusing on being holy so we can be useful for God's plans. However, holiness should become...
B. A priority
As we look at the idea of 'holiness' from the Bible, it needs to be understood that there's a definite sense of urgency attached to this call; the idea that 'holiness' needs to be extremely high on our priority list. We find this in 2 Peter 3:9-12 (NIV)...
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
(11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives (12) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
According to that description, it sure sounds like a good idea to make holiness a priority in your life – and to do it quick. If we truly believe that Jesus is coming back – we should care a great deal about holiness in our lives! And again, to try and get a clearer picture of what we're talking about, let's spend some time making sure we're all…
II. Understanding Holiness
Holiness is demonstrated in what we value and then living out those values. But, where do we get those values? I know we're supposed to get them from the Bible - but I want you to really examine where you get your values, the ones you actually live by each day. Do the values you live out match up with those the Bible teaches?
Does the way you live match more closely with your non-Christian friends or co-workers than with the Bible..? Does the way you live match more closely with people you see on TV than with what the Bible teaches? I'd suggest that many people, even Christians, maybe unconsciously get their values from their friends or popular culture more than from the Bible. That way of living doesn't lend itself to holiness.
Author D. A. Carson, wrote this insight, "People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom. We slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."
The Bible is clear that God's way and man's way are two very different things. One leads to salvation and the other leads to destruction. Many Christians live just like everyone else and then expect different results for their lives. Did you catch the phrase 'live your lives as strangers' from the passage we read earlier from 1 Peter 1:17? As Christians in this world, we are…
A. Called to be different!
That's not always a popular thing. We don't want to be different, we want to fit in - we don't want to be hated. But this world in which we live is not a very holy place... And the darker it gets here, the more that culture fights against anything that even smacks of holiness - the harder it is to stand firm. When the times are evil - any person even talking about righteousness stands out and becomes a target. And Jesus warned that there is a price to pay for following Him - but it's worth it!
There's an awful lot in this world with which we should feel very uncomfortable. As a follower of Jesus, if you feel totally comfortable with this world as if it's your home, as if you feel you truly belong here – that's a problem. We're called to be different than the world - not in a 'self righteous better than others' sort of way. But we are called to be 'set apart' from the sin and immorality of this life.
Paul said this, rather emphatically to his readers in Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV)...
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. (20) You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.
(21) Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We are called out of this world! We are to live differently from the way we lived before we knew Jesus! Not in any way because we're somehow superior to anyone - no, but because of whose we now are. Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 2:9-11 (NIV)...
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (10) Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (11) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
We are called out of the world! Our standard for goodness or holiness is not our neighbor or co-worker or even our own hearts or thoughts! We can always find someone with whom we can compare ourselves to make us look good - but how do we stack up when compared to God's holiness?
We're called to be 'set apart' from the world in order to draw closer to God! When we focus on holiness, when we allow God to completely transform us, we become useful for God's purposes! And to encourage us - we also need to remember, holiness is both…
B. A description and a process
It's a bit confusing, but let's look at what the writer of Hebrews says about God's will from Hebrews 10:10-14 (NIV)...
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (11) Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. (12) But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
(13) Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, (14) because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been made perfect; we have been made holy even as we are being made holy! I'm not going to pretend to fully understand that, except that our sins have been covered by Jesus and we are to be working to become more like Him in our lives. Jesus did His part to make me holy, now it's up to me to continue in my part of this 'process'.
We know we are saved by grace through Jesus - and only Jesus. We know we can't earn salvation by how good we are, but as we read all of these verses – I hope it becomes amazingly apparent that holiness is crucial! I wrestled with what word I wanted to use. Should I say, vital, critical, essential…? I decided on crucial as I read this from Hebrews 12:14-15 (NIV)...
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (15) See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
We certainly can't say that what we do, how we focus on becoming holy isn't important. 'Without holiness no one will see the Lord'. - Sounds pretty crucial to me. Pursuing holiness is crucial if I want to see God. Holiness is crucial if I want eternal life. Which brings us to…
So What?
We know we should pursue holiness - but my biggest problem is me. In my inner being, I don't always want to be holy. I guess, maybe I do want to, but I don't always want to do what it takes to become holy...? Do you ever feel that way?
Paul wrote, "No immoral, impure or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Since that is true – I need to change. I need to become holy. I know what I'm supposed to do, but...
- Back in the Old Testament, in the book of Ezekiel, God was talking to the nation of Israel about their need to change, to become holy. He said this, in Ezekiel 36:24-26 (NIV)...
'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. (25) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. (26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.'
Did you notice all of the "I" statements in God's words...? God will make me holy - if I let Him. I'm supposed to live my life in such a way as to become holy, but I'm not alone. Jesus died and rose again to wash my sins away and to make me clean! God placed his Holy Spirit in me! Will I ever be able to live up to the description of 'holy' that I have been given as one of God's children? - Only with God's help.
"Without holiness no one will see the Lord". I'm challenging each of us to live holy lives in a very unholy world so that we will see God!