Holy God - Holy People

“Holy God – Holy People”

October 13, 2019

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

“I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy... I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44-45

“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:1-2

Our God is an awesome God! He is all powerful! He is all knowing! He is always present. Omnipotent; omniscient; Omnipresent. All Christians in every church would agree with that. They would agree that our God is a holy God – pure and perfect in word and deed and intent. Who could disagree with that? If you read God’s Word just a little bit you can easily see that. If you know God or even know a little bit about Him – you would see that. I didn’t. I grew up in the Church but if I thought about God at all – I thought of Him as a stern, angry old Man who was waiting to bop me over the head for my mistakes and imperfection.

Why did I, and why do many others, have that idea of God? Because of our sin. Our sin separates us from God. We know we don’t deserve love. We live in this verse,

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Hebrews 10:26-27

When we live in sin – we live as enemies of God. Sin is willful rebellion against God. We know, intuitively, or perhaps through the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we are deserving of hell and separation from God. And we have this fearful expectation of judgment and punishment. And that is a good thing. Fear and respect is required before we can learn to love.

But I wasn’t afraid of God. Truth be told – I thought very little of God. He wasn’t in my thoughts and had little to do with my choices and actions. But the day came when I sought God – and He found me. I confessed my sin and committed myself to serving Him. WOW! Everything was different. The grass literally seemed greener and the sky bluer! It was amazing! I felt so loved and clean. And I was.

Before long, though, I discovered I had a problem. I would stub my toe and out would come the foulest language. I immediately asked forgiveness – but I hated that. I would see a pretty girl on TV or maybe on the street – and I would find myself thinking ungodly thoughts; sexual, impure thoughts. And I hated it. I knew something wasn’t right. Living the Christian life; living the life the Bible demanded – was impossible. I was frustrated. I read in the Word,

“…be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

I knew I was not holy. I knew I was saved – because I had the witness of the Word and the witness of the Holy Spirit about that – but I was not holy. That was not God’s fault. He did everything He could to provide holiness for me. Jesus died for me – not only to bring salvation – but to make me right with God and to make me holy. The Scripture says,

“…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Most Christians stop right there. They say they are made righteous through Christ and there is nothing they can – or need to do. They receive the Holy Spirit at Salvation and go on and live their defeated lives in a sinful state with God – always falling and repenting in an endless cycle that is described in Romans 7 – knowing God’s will but unable to do it; hating sin, yet doing it over and over.

Friends, that is not the Christian walk that God wants for us. We are not saved to sin! We are saved to have a loving and pure and sinless relationship with God. And God did His part in this relationship. Jesus did His part in this relationship – but a relationship takes two willing participants. Both have to agree to it and work at sustaining it. God did His part – what do we need to do. The Bible tells us,