Holiness Series

INTRODUCTION

- We are in week five of our Core 52 series.

- We are in a series called Core 52, looking at 52 verses of Scripture that will give the highest return on investment.

- When it comes to understanding the Bible, these 52 verses and the stories and ideas that go with them will take you further faster.

- We spent four weeks in Genesis looking at beginnings.

- In our first four weeks, we examined the beginning of the world and the beginning of humanity.

- We saw that God created the heavens and the earth, that God was the creator.

- In week two, we saw that God created humans in the image of God, an image that is hardwired into every person.

- We looked at how things got messed up during the fall.

- Jerry shared with you how God took the very first steps to make things right again as God made a covenant with Abraham.

- A covenant is an agreement based on a promise.

- God made this covenant with Abraham, with one person, so that one day He could bless every person.

- Over the next four weeks, we will move to another series within our Core 52 series.

- We all want to feel special.

- We love being chosen; we need to feel valued.

- This second series explores what God looks for in the people He chooses and how you can be part of his inner circle.

- The biographies of Moses, Saul, and David offer strategic insights into your best life.

- The message today will cover a very misunderstood subject: holiness.

- You may have heard or been called Holier than thou, or when we think of the word holiness, images of someone believing they are better than others may come to mind.

- Today, as we cover holiness, I hope to help clear up the misconceptions concerning the subject.

- Today, we will be in our memory verse for the week, Leviticus 11:45.

Leviticus 11:45 (NET 2nd ed.)

45 for I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, and you are to be holy because I am holy.

SERMON

I. What does it mean to be holy?

- What thoughts and images come to mind when you think of holy or holiness?

- Are the thoughts or images pleasant and positive, or are they negative?

- When you think about someone being holy, what comes to mind?

- Do you think of someone who believes they are perfect or possibly haughty and arrogant?

- Do you picture a person who thinks they are better than you?

- I have heard that one a lot in my life.

- It comes out like this: "You Christians think you are better than everyone else."

- Being holy has nothing to do with arrogance or thinking of oneself as better than others.

- Being holy means to "be set apart for a specific purpose.

- Isn't that simple?

- Mark Moore offers an example of this from our everyday lives.

- We take ordinary objects every day and make them holy.

- We set them apart for a special purpose.

- Take a toothbrush, for example.

- It's an ordinary brush with dozens of potential uses.

- You can use it to clean your grout.

- You can use it to apply hair dye.

- You can clean all sorts of hard-to-reach spots.

- My toothbrush is holy because I set it apart for a special service for me and me alone/

- My toothbrush is holy to me.

- I do not want my toothbrush used for any purpose other than brushing my teeth!

- Not only that, I do not want anyone else using my toothbrush; it is one of the few things that I selfishly protect.

- I do not want my wife to use my toothbrush to clean the toilet or her rings.

- I do not want my wife to use my toothbrush on her teeth because it is mine.

- I will kiss my wife all day, so it is not a germ thing; it is simply my toothbrush for my teeth!

- Many items were considered holy in the Tabernacle and later the Temple because they were set aside for a special purpose.

- All of the objects were ordinary objects outside of the Tabernacle or Temple; however, when they were called into the service in the Tabernacle or Temple, they were holy.

- When God tells us we are holy it is because we are set aside for serving Him.

- Leviticus 11:45 teaches us that to be holy means to reflect the character of God in our lives, living in a way that is set apart, pure, and dedicated to Him in all aspects of our being.