Pt. 1 - What Standard?
I. Introduction
You can just say the name of the city and most people instantly, without any additional information, recognize what you are talking about. Canton, OH, Springfield, MA, Cooperstown, NY. Hall of Fame for football, basketball and baseball. These special places enshrine the best of the best. Their hallowed halls pay homage to the heroes of the fields and courts. Each of these places see over 200,000 people come through their doors annually to catch a glimpse of a photo, a glove, a helmet or some other piece of sport's history. There are arguments, blogs, tv specials debating who is in these halls of fames that should not be and who has been held out that should be included. There are those enshrined that everyone would agree on and then there are those on whom the jury is split for a variety of arguments ranging from lack of certain stats or lack of character. So, their worthiness is up for debate. It is a conversation that will rage on until eternity. There is also a Hall of Fame for faith. Unlike these other establishments, this Hall of Fame isn't connected to a geographical location. Nor is it contained inside a building of brick or steel. Instead these people are enshrined in the ink of a page. One chapter. As synonymous with a Hall of Fame as Canton or Cooperstown. It is Hebrews 11. The Hall of Fame for faith records the heroes of faith. However, since the list includes names like Abraham (a bonafide liar), Jacob (a professional con man), Moses (a murderer), Rahab (a prostitute), Samson (a womanizer), and David (an adulterer) there is very little debate about the fact that most of those included, if not all, don't seem to belong! There can be no argument about that. The folks in this hall were not those of stellar character or perfect credentials. They didn't always perform up to our expectations. They were just a little suspect. So why are they in the Hall of Fame of Faith?
The simple but extremely complicated answer is the standard is . . . holiness.
You can simply go back to some of the earliest instructions given by God to the chosen people of Israel and see the standard that is in demand.
Leviticus 11:44 (NIV) - I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:45 - be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 19:2 - “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel
and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,
am holy.
Leviticus 20:7 - “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.
You can even fast forward into the New Testament and see the same standard demanded.
1 Peter 1:15 - "But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."
So, it is apparent that God demands that we are holy. This rattles many of us because we know ourselves and we know we are not perfect. Fortunately, I can point you back to the Hall of Fame and say perfection is not the standard. In fact, the writer of Hebrews makes this clear in Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Holiness is the qualifying feature of inclusion in the ranks of the Hall of Fame of Faith.
I don't do this much but, in this case, I think it is helpful to us. The Hebrew word for holy is “qodesh” and means “apartness, set-apartness, separateness, sacredness” and “otherness, transcendent and totally other." In the New Testament, the word for holy is “hagios” and means "set apart, reverend, sacred, and worthy of veneration.”
So, for a working definition of holiness that gives us some direction or help in living a Hall of Fame of Faith worthy life (SLIDES 7&8) "holy" literally means "To be set apart."
You will remember that last week I stated that we should have shared morals and there should be a collective ethic. I believe that with all my heart and think Paul backs that up in his writings. The question then is what is the collective ethic? Who determines it? Who/what sets the standard of holiness that we are supposed to subscribe to? That has been a debate for decades and the result is we have made the standard of holiness either unnecessary or unobtainable and both positions are wrong and a mess because we made it about rules instead of relationship.
How many grew up in holiness background? If you did, then you know holiness was a mess because we made it about clotheslines and hemlines. Did you notice that the standard was generally more difficult for women and lenient on men? The agreed upon standard also hardly ever addressed the sins we were the most comfortable with. The result was people running around with no makeup and very modest clothing who wouldn't go to a movie but wouldn't pass up a buffet. The standard usually had very little to do with inward transformation and much to do with outward conforming. So, holiness became a mess. It became the fodder for arguments about legalism vs. license. Rules that were out of reach or in a knee jerk reaction we would swing the pendulum to an extreme other side where there were no rules so that we could explore the limits of grace.
Either position is a misunderstanding of holiness. If we are going to strive to be holy so that we can be like God and so that we can see God, then it is necessary for us to have a very clear understanding of what holiness is!
So, if we want to be holy or set apart, then . . .
1. We must know the standard to live by the standard.
How can you be set apart if you don't know what you are supposed to be set apart from? If you aren't sure, then whoever has the microphone or the loudest voice in your life will be the determining factor of what is acceptable.
The biggest issue in our struggle with holiness is that since most of us never read the book we have no idea of what we are supposed to be set apart from! We are trying to compete in the race without knowing the rules of the race. We are trying to win with no idea what constitutes a win!
A recent LifeWay Research study found only 45 percent of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week. Over 40 percent of the people attending read their Bible occasionally, maybe once or twice a month. Almost 1 in 5 churchgoers say they
never read the Bible.
So, in the place of knowledge of the Scriptural instructions we take the easy/convenient/comfortable route and we allow our culture to become our Christ. When we do this the result is that we begin to ask the questions I mentioned last week. Can I still do this and be intimate with or be like God? Can I do what I want to do and still claim salvation? What is the limit of grace? However, I want you to know that the cultural standard is actually irrelevant. Martin Luther said, "Be careful not to measure your holiness by other people’s sins." It really doesn't matter what our world says is right or wrong. What is relevant is His standard. Why? Because holiness standards will continually shift if society is the standard! Holiness is hard enough when we know for certain what is required. I don't want some shifting or changing scale. The good news is that God's standard never changes. It has been the same from day one!
How can we live by a standard we aren't familiar with?
It is absolutely imperative that you discover the standard. You may say well what I want an answer to really isn't in the book. Really? How do you know? Because what I have discovered is that the Book pretty much covers it all. Here is just one example.
Since, I read extensively out of 1 Corinthians (1 Passion) last week let's go back there for an example.
1 Cor. 6:9-11 NLT
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
So, this one passage alone deals with sexual sin, consumerism (really - yep - worship idols), adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, stealing, greed, drunkenness, abusive behavior, and cheaters. Then it says, when we call of Jesus for forgiveness from these things, we are made holy. It puts the standard in black and white and tells us that holiness is on the other side of being set apart from those things.
So, let's be honest. The reason that most of us fall short in the area of holiness isn't that the standard isn't given. The issue is that we haven't read it, or we don't like it because we prefer societies standards!
This lack of knowledge or lack of willingness to submit to The standard is why we tend to settle for things that are easier. So, we want to say we are holy because we attend church on Sunday. But being set apart is not just doing something different than other people do on Sunday morning. Being set apart is aligning oneself with the standard set by Scripture! Too many of us are arguing with Scripture rather than aligning with it.
2. If you are set apart, then when people see you, they see Jesus!
Ask yourself a question? Do people see Jesus when they see you? Not the North American version of Jesus. The Biblical version of Jesus. The Jesus that was unaccepted, controversial, zealous, full committed, in touch with the Father, and intimately familiar with His Word. If the answer is yes, then that is holiness. If the answer is no, then there’s your answer. How did people recognize Jesus' disciples after Jesus was gone? When they saw the disciples, they saw them representing Jesus well! It was said of them that they had been with Jesus. We will become holy as we spend time with Him!
The truth from 1 Corinthians and a host of other passages is this . . . you can keep all the lists and still not be holy. Holiness is only obtainable one way . . . But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Holiness can only be found in Him. Our holiness and our ability to meet the standard is only found in and through Jesus.
Holiness really doesn’t have to do with religious things. It has to do with the nature of God invading and pervading your nature.” – Pastor Jack Hayford
The truth is most of us would love to have our name included in the list found in Hebrews. Enshrined because of either our great level of faith or our achievements for God. However, we want their highlight reel without their holiness. Think about the list. They were all less than perfect, but they were holy.
The standard we are striving for is not perfection! It is holiness. Do you know the standard? Are you even trying to live up to the standard? Or have you become comfortable with what the world says is different, set apart, and acceptable?
I remind you again of the command given . . . be holy because I am holy. This isn't a suggestion. It is a direct order and the mandate we have if we want to be in the Hall of Fame of Faith. If we want to find ourselves receiving approval of the Father.
