Wholly Holy
Context: 1 Peter 1
Text: 1 Peter 1:14-16
"Be holy, because I am holy." What does that statement mean to you? What does the word "holiness" bring to your mind? When I was growing up holiness meant not doing whatever the Baptist’s were doing. I’ve heard sermons on short-sleeved dresses, big necklaces and dangly ear-rings. And I’ve heard sermons on the sins of wearing make-up that makes you look like you just kissed a freshly painted barn door or had been working in a coal mine all day and when you were done, forgot to wash around your eyes. It meant putting on a happy face at the church door Sunday morning despite all the yelling and tears and tension in the car just a few minutes before. Now, as men, I’m sure you’ve not personally struggled with short-sleeved dresses or overdone make-up. So what was holiness for you? Total abstinance? Not going to dances? No movies? Maybe no television - remember when television was a sin. I do. Or was it sitting in pious intelligence as everyone else in your youth group frantically searched for Hezekiah 2:11? Or was it being able to recite some obscure chapter in the Bible? Maybe holiness wasn’t an issue for you. Maybe you hardly ever heard it mentioned. Or maybe you heard tell of it, but it was the negative label for "the other guys"!
Holiness, sanctification, Christian perfection. We don’t hear many sermons anymore even mentioning these words let alone a whole sermon on them. Why is that? Maybe it’s because of too much bad press in recent years. Or maybe holiness has been such a controversial issue that we’ve been afraid to preach about it. But Warren Wiersbe and John Stott in their respective booKs about preaching both say that it’s disrespectful to the Word and to our congregations to avoid a subject just because we’re afraid of it, or because we think we haven’t got it. Well, I admit to both this afternoon. I’m smack in the middle - I’m afraid to preach on it (I’m afraid I won’t be true to the text) and I don’t think I’ve got it (there aren’t many days when I feel very holy - maybe only those days that I don’t get out of bed and I don’t think a single solitary thought!)
So, in honour of God’s Word and you, my congregation let’s share and learn together what the Word has to teach us about holiness - it’s there - it’s biblical, and we dare not ignore it.
I did a little experiment while I was preparing this message. I went to the canteen to get a cup of coffee and I asked the young men standing there, around 19 to maybe 23 years old, "What it holiness?" Their reaction was quite interesting - "Whow! Phew! Oh - let’s see, holiness. One guy said "Purity" another "blameless" another piped in, "Well, God has made us holy." "Has he?" said another. "He made us sinless before God, but is that holiness?"
Clearly, we need to preach on this important subject because we are told in Hebrews that if we’re not holy, we will not see the Lord. Someone has said "The Bible is its own best commentary" and when it comes to the subject of holiness, Keith Drury in his book "Holiness for Ordinary People" says, "It’s everywhere!" And indeed it is. And the Bible itself answers some of the questions most often asked and most often ignored in our Twentieth Century world today.
The first question we most naturally would ask it why. Why be holy? If we’re going to preach messages on holiness and encourage our churches to be holy, we can expect about 90% of them to ask why? Gone are the days of doing things just because the preacher declares it. I’m a Baby Boomer - we have a wonderful habit of asking "Why" to everything. And we’ve instilled it in our children. So, unless your church is made up entirely of seniors, you’d better get ready!
Come along with me and let’s do a little tour of scripture. Keep your finger in our text and flip way back to the book of Leviticus. Look at Lev. 11:44-45: I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God: therefore be holy, because I am holy. Now scoot over a few chapters to 19:2: Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ’Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. Look at 20:7 & 8: Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them, I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Drop down to verse 26: You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. Now go back to our text: 1 Peter 1:16 says, "Be holy, because I am holy." Do you notice any kind of pattern there. Tell me - what does it say here in these verses -
Be holy (Why?) Say it with me -
1. "Because I am holy.
That’s it - that’s the "why" answered right there - We’re to be holy, because God is holy. Now that’s not going to be good enough for some people. It’s like telling your kids, "because I said so." But look at what the first part of our text says, "As obedient children." Aha! Now there it is. You guys who are dads, you know the sheer pleasure, the absolute delight in your heart as a father when your children obey.
Illustration:
I couldn’t help but think about something that happened a couple of Sundays ago because it illustrates so beautifully the fullness of the message of this part of the text. It was after Sunday service and Anthon and Jamie and his family and I went out for lunch - Yes, we were eating out on Sunday - and we had finished our meal and Anthon asked his youngest little fella, Noel, to put the garbage in the garbage pail for us. There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation. He made trip after trip to that garbage can. He obeyed. Not out of some lofty idea of gaining benefit but just because his dad had asked him. You know, I can still him now, as we handed him handful after handful of garbage and each time, he went to the can and dumped it in. Do you see the bigger picture here? Do you see what a little 3 year old boy is telling us?
Be Holy (how?)
2. As obedient children.
Get rid of the garbage. The world will hand you bagful after bagful of garbage - and you’ve got to keep dumping it. Be obedient - dump the garbage - be holy! Oh that we could grasp the deep significance of being obedient children. Noel’s focus was on his father - he didn’t play around with the garbage, he didn’t try to hang on to it. He dumped it. And I think sometimes in our world today, we get so focussed on the sin in our lives, maybe we get so focussed on not sinning, that our minds are consumed with the sin, instead of being consumed with holiness, consumed with obedience. A friend said to me recently, Remember Betty, a focussed life, is a powerful life. Where’s your focus? Are you just trying to skirt sin. Trying to be good enough to get by. You see focus involves choice - it involves an awareness of good and bad. That’s why its such a great delight as children grow and continue in complete obedience to their fathers. And Peter here is calling the Gentiles away from their loose, lust-filled pre-Christian days to a life focussed on Jesus Christ. Not so God can give them peace of mind or a happy feeling inside but because God has called them to be holy. They’re not to live their former lives of ignorance. They’ve been called, converted, born again - They now know what God prefers because Jesus always did the things which pleased the Father. And we’re called, And we KNOW what pleases the Father.
Look at Matt. 5:48 - Be perfect therefore (What’s the therefore there for - look at vs 45, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Obedient children - sons.
2 Cor. 6:18 and 7:1 - "I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters say the Lord Almighty." And since he has promised us this, "let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." "Purifying ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit" - Getting rid of the garbage. Again, let’s ask ourselves the most important question in all of the world - so they tell us anyway. Why? Why? - Because of Calvary. Look at our text - "just as he who called you" Why? Because we’re called. Because we’re new creatures in Christ, called, converted, born again. Just like the Gentiles Peter was talking to. Did you notice back when we read Leviticus 19:2, God told Moses to tell the "whole assembly of Israel." It’s not just for a select few - we’re ALL to be holy. Israel wasn’t holy because of her own efforts. Israel was holy because God chose it for her. BUT Israel’s sin and shame and Israel’s glory were in direct proportion to her faithfulness in letting the kingdom and power and the glory of God shine through her. Peter makes it clear here in his quotation of Lev. 11:44-45 that the members of the Christian church are the new Israel - grafted in - and they’re called by God the Father’s grace, to be holy.
One of those guys I mentioned earlier that I was talking to at the canteen, said, "Holiness is all about grace."
Now turn back to Thessalonians. Look at Thessalonians 3:13 - blameless and holy ... when our Lord Jesus comes. Go down to chapter 4:1 - we urge you in the Lord Jesus, verse 2 - by the authority of the Lord Jesus, live in a way that is holy and honourable. How do we live holy lives - by the authority of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit which (vs 8) God has given us. God has given us - Grace. By his grace.
Now if we choose to be holy (Why?) - because he is holy (that’s our first point), and if we are living (how?) as obedient children (that’s the second point), What’s it going to look like? Well, let’s look again at our text - Peter doesn’t leave us dangling here. Verse 15: Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. Another translation reads "in all manner of conversation."
Be Holy (where?)
3. In all manner of conversation
Now do you notice that little word there in both these translations (ask for other translations??). See that little word which comes before what happens. ALL. All you do, All manner of conversation. If I were to title this message this afternoon, I’d call it wholly holy - w.h.o.l.l.y. h.o.l.y. - because this is where the rubber meets the road. That "all manner of conversation" means every area of life, every conceivable situation. It means being holy in all activities - even activities where you’re all alone. That’s the way it was in the OT. That’s the way it was in the NT. And that’s the way it is today, here, in your world and mine. God commanded the Israelites in the OT first and foremost to have no other gods before Him. Jesus reinforced the high standard of holiness. He established it as the "most important commandment" when he said "Love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." He wants our whole being, not part, not even most. All. - ALL means 100%.
One of the sources I was reading in preparation for today, regretted that the newer translation said "all manner of conversation" because the writer thought we might fall into the trap of thinking it’s just our ’talk’ that’s important. But you know, the more I thought about it, the more I thought what an appropriate translation this actually is. Because it’s out of the substance of the heart, that the mouth speaks. You let me listen to your conversation, let me hear the words you say to your friends, to your wife, to your children, and to yourself when you are in private. Let me hear ALL your conversation, and I’ll tell you what kind of a heart you’ve got.
Now just before you maybe start feeling too guilty. You see holiness has a lot to do with guilt. And if the devil can keep us focussed on the guilt part instead of the holiness through grace part, he’ll be happy. BUT being holy doesn’t mean being strong. We might not be strong. We might not be perfect. That’s why Peter said "As obedient children" That’s why he reminded us we have been called - the redemptive power of the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ is ours to enjoy as we walk in holiness. And that’s why Peter backed up what he was saying with sacred Scripture. Holiness doesn’t have to be a struggle. It does require discipline - just like the children. And it does require choice - just as children grow and choose to obey. But just as children obey out of a heart flowing for love for an imperfect, earthly father, how much easier should it be for us to obey out of a heart full of love for our perfect, heavenly father who loved us, and sent his only Son to die for us, so that we might be holy. Amen? That’s one thing about the holiness movement. If nothing else, we knew how to say a good hearty AMEN!
Back in 1967 (when I was a VERY young girl!) I read a poem on the back of my church bulletin. And I was in the habit then of collecting poems and wonderful sayings and keeping them in a scrap book. But this poem really tugged at my heart and the last stanza of it has stayed with me down through the years. It sums up holiness better than anything I think I’ve ever seen written about it apart from the Bible itself. The poem was written by a young man who went to be with the Lord in his senior year in high school. It goes like this:
So let me live that those who see, the naked, open side of me,
May say, "He’s even purer when you see the side not shown to man."
Our text says:
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
When I started my message to you this afternoon, I asked you what holiness means to you. As I close now, I’d like to share with you some of what holiness means to me.
It means:
Having Jesus on my mind, every minute of every hour of every day.
It means asking myself "How will this bring glory to God"
It means being Spirit-driven, self-controlled, and bathed in a tubful of GRACE.
It means getting out of bed in time to spend an hour with HIM, just to sit at his feet and listen to what He has to say.
It means passion, prayer and praise.
It means erupting into the doxology every time my old car starts.
It means counting the steps, not the falls.
It means: taking the extra creamers back to the cafeteria that I took for coffee later
It means: making sure I’m charged enough at the checkout counter
It means: leaving the movie theatre if I wouldn’t want to be there with Jesus
It means: loving Jesus so much, because he first loved me, that I’m free to love others.
It means: sharing my apartment with total strangers and leaving for school not knowing what I’d find when I got back recognizing that all I have belongs to him - so that what’s mine is yours, and I’ll share it with you.
It means: coming home from school to find a lovely thank you note from the angels I have entertained unaware.
It doesn’t mean I can’t wear big necklaces or dangly earrings. It doesn’t mean I can’t wear makeup. But it does mean I’ll try to wear those things which reflect the beauty of Christ in me, not me.
It means doing it all, not out of obligation or vain-glory, but with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
What does holiness mean to you?
God bless you.
