Isaiah was a man of God, a Prophet to the people of Judah during the reign of four kings. We often read his prophetic words at Christmas time regarding the birth of Christ, “Therefore the Lord will give you a sign, behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel.” And “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” But in chapter 6 Isaiah writes about Holiness. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” And Isaiah says, “Woe is me for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. And then God assures him that his iniquity has been removed and his sin has been purged and then asks him, “Whom shall I send, who will go for us?” And Isaiah said, “Send me.” Ordinary, sinful, full of shortcomings, far less than perfect old me.
When we think of Holiness what comes to mind?
Listen to the words of the text from the book of Hebrews chapter 12, verses 14 & 15. “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord; looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. We are to live our lives in such a way that people will see the Lord, by pursuing peace and holiness. What does it mean to be Holy? We have talked about this before. To be Holy is to be set apart, to be different according to the world’s standards. In this epistle, it is explained as drawing near to God with full faith and a cleansed conscience; a genuine acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Savior and sacrifice for sin. You see unbelievers will not be drawn to accept Christ if believers’ lives do not demonstrate the qualities God desires, including peace and holiness.
To be Holy is to be set apart. And how are we set apart? By loving one another, by pursuing peace and by truly striving to be Holy. Not striving to be religious. There are lots of religious people in our world, in our country, in our state, and in our community who are set apart. You know who they are. The untouchables, whose actions fall way short of their words, a “Holier than Thou” attitude. Today we call them cynics. In Jesus’ day they were called Pharisees.
Peter the disciple writes in his first letter chapter 1 starting with verse 13; “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is Holy, you also be Holy in your conduct, because it is written, be Holy, for I am Holy.”
Peter says, be Holy. We should set our minds on striving to be Holy in how we conduct our lives. Obedience, living in the world, but not according to the world’s standards, understanding that God’s grace is freely given even when we fall short – but we should strive to be Holy – set apart for You Lord. I choose to be, Holy. Holiness is a choice. Holiness is a way of life. Holiness is at the foundation of our Christian walk.
Holy people know the importance of Scripture, God’s Word. To be drawn to our Bibles, to find meaning and comfort in spending time reading. There is one thing I do know as I spend more and more time in both the Old and New Testament. When I re-read familiar verses, they always speak to me in different ways. And oftentimes when I read something familiar, it is as if I am reading it for the first time. Every book of the Bible is different, common themes true, but each inspired book or letter will give us tremendous insight in living every day. What is your favorite verse in the Bible? What is your favorite book? Is there a book that you’ve never read, or find hard to understand? This incredible collection of writings span over 1500 years by over 40 different inspired authors, and there are no contradictions. 2 Peter 1:20-21. To date there are over 600 prophesies that have been fulfilled, none of them have ever been proven false and archeology continues to support them. I believe we as Holy people should immerse ourselves in the study of God’s Word.
And Holy people spend a great deal of time in prayer. I know, you’ll say “my schedule doesn’t allow me enough time” and I’ll say, “we need then to rearrange our schedules.” We have talked a lot about prayer and the importance of prayer in our lives. But to be set apart, to be Holy requires communication with God. And as we have also talked about, communication is as much listening as it is talking. In our Wednesday evening Bible study, we are soon to finish the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a man of God, a prophet in Judah during the time of the Babylonian captivity. He truly was the voice of God, yet his voice was ignored. Yet, he was a man of constant prayer. Jeremiah was approached by the people of Judah asking if they should flee to Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. And Jeremiah replied that he would take it to prayer and let them know when he received an answer from God. So he did, for ten days straight. Ten days! And when he gave them the answer he received from God, they still ignored him because it wasn’t the answer they were looking for. Cheryl calls it “shopper on the line.” Talking to one person after another until you receive the answer you want. I believe we as Holy people should spend a great deal of time in prayer.
Holy people should strive to be Christ-like. There have been so many books written on this subject, hundreds of thousands over the centuries. It has really become a catch phrase. But in every decision, in every encounter shouldn’t we model our lives after the life of Jesus? Holy people do. Remember holiness is to be set apart, not untouchable. Jesus was certainly Holy, but always within reach. His holiness led him to people in low places, not the rich and famous in high places. And we can sum it up in one word – “sacrifice.”
Read the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 3, verse 10; “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power out flowing from His resurrection; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness even to His death.” Sacrifice – putting others first before our own needs. And we read in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 verses 1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice.”
