2023.07.30 SERMON NOTES. TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY - PART 1
William Akehurst HSWC
BIG IDEA: Be Holy, for I AM HOLY. How can we, who are of a sinful nature, be holy? Hint, it’s not about what we do, it’s what HE does IN us.
Scriptures: Titus 3:5-7, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 12:1-2
Titus 3:5-7
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1 Peter 1:15-16 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
GOOD AND HOLY IN THE BEGINNING.
GOD’s CREATION was good and very good.
In traditional Hebraic Jewish culture, everything is meant to be holy.
God created the universe and declared it to be “good”, but after HE made mankind, HE declared it “very good”.
Genesis 1:25, 31
25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
In Genesis 3, the man and woman sinned, and we now live in a fallen world.
But GOD is very much involved in the redemption of everything HE made because HE still wants all of it to be very good.
SET APART TO BE HOLY
That is why HE made a covenant with the descendants of Abraham to be a Holy People, a Holy Nation.
TO SHOW HOLINESS TO THE WORLD
GOD spoke to all of Israel at Mount Sinai and through Moses gave them the commandments, which separated them from unholiness.
They were given instruction to separate various items, seasons, times and days, and even their physical character.
These separations were to show the world what is holy from unholy; clean from unclean.
And yet, the people continued to sin; so GOD gave them judges and kings to guide, rule, protect, and deliver this chosen nation.
And Ultimately, HE sent their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua-JESUS, to spiritually redeem not only them, but HIS whole creation of mankind.
LIVING THE HOLY, SEPARATED SPIRITUAL LIFE
One way to become separated was to hide oneself from the dark evil world.
As a result, this belief contributed to the time known as the Dark Ages around 450 AD when Church clergy and others turned inward with to a monk-like, solitary lifestyle.
SEPARATION RESULTED IN DARKNESS AS THE LIGHT OF GOD WAS SCARCELY FOUND.
While those who kept away from the world, living a separate kind of spiritual existence, their separation from society as well as each other didn’t line up with a “Down-to-Earth” Savior, who both communed alone with God and spent time with family and friends, fishermen, and even tax collectors and prostitutes.
YET FROM THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CHURCH, THE APOSTLES WERE VERY MUCH INVOLVED WITH SERVING THE PEOPLE
In the days of the apostles, we saw the formation of the elders and deacons of the church who would shepherd and teach others. Whose authority was well honored, and yet, they were not separated from the people. They were intimately involved in serving the people (Acts 6:1–6).
JESUS CALLED HIS DISCIPLES TO ENGAGE WITH THE WORLD, FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
AND WE WERE CALLED TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
THEREFORE, A “HOLY-SEPARATED SPIRITUAL LIFE” MUST COINCIDE WITH THE PHYSICAL LIFE.
SO, WHAT IS THE HOLINESS OF GOD?
Psalms 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.
THE BIBLE DECLARES GOD’S INCOMPARABLE HOLINESS.
His moral perfection, absolute purity, and immaculate righteousness.
He is perfect in everything, all He is, does and says.
HIS WORK AND HIS WAYS
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
HIS LAW (WORD) IS PERFECT AND TESTIMONY IS CERTAIN (NO WAVERING)
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
HOLINESS IS THE FOUNDATION OF GOD’S BE-ING.
Everything about GOD is rooted in holiness.
GOD reveals Himself in Scripture as three Persons— FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT.
And Each Person of the Godhead is absolutely holy.
HOLY FATHER, HOLY SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
And Revelation 4:8 repeats the Threefold proclamation:
Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
HOLY HOLY HOLY.
These terms reflect being “set apart,” “different,” or “distinct.”
Regarding God, they indicate that He is separate from everything else, without equal.
1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
GOD FIRST DECLARED HIS HOLINESS to Moses in the burning bush
Exodus 3:2-5
2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
GOD’S HOLINESS IS A PRIMARY THEME THROUGHOUT THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS, which reveals how an unholy, sinful people can approach a holy God: “… be holy; for I AM Holy”
BE HOLY, CONSECRATE YOURSELF, SET YOURSELF APART
Leviticus 11:44-45
44 For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
This command is repeated from Old to New Testaments of the Bible.
Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
Leviticus 20:7-8 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Leviticus 20:26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
BECAUSE GOD IS PERFECTLY HOLY, HE CANNOT LOOK UPON SIN WITH PLEASURE, APPROVAL, OR ACCEPTANCE:
Habakkuk 1:13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?
THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR ALL HUMANS, WHO ARE FALLEN AND SINFUL.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We can’t relate to a Holy God, nor can we achieve holiness by our own efforts. Ultimately, we deserve death because of our sin.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
BUT, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US, GOD became Man in the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
JESUS LIVED A PERFECT LIFE AND DIED IN OUR PLACE TO PAY THE PENALTY FOR OUR SIN.
HE is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners”,
JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST HAS BECOME HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS
Hebrews 7:26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE THROUGH JESUS, DYING ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SINS. Romans 5:8-11
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
HOW CAN WE BE HOLY?
JESUS enabled those who believe in HIM to have a right relationship with GOD and to become Holy.
MANKIND CAN ONLY BE MADE HOLY IN GOD’S SIGHT THROUGH THE HOLINESS OF JESUS CHRIST.
THE REPENTANT (REDIRECTED-CHANGING) SINNER WHO TRUSTS IN JESUS’ ATONING DEATH ON THE CROSS IS MADE RIGHT WITH GOD.
THROUGH THIS JUSTIFICATION (BEING MADE RIGHT THROUGH JESUS), THE BELIEVER RECEIVES THE HOLINESS OF JESUS CHRIST AND CAN APPROACH A HOLY GOD IN A LOVING, FATHER-AND-CHILD RELATIONSHIP.
LITERALLY, BY THE WORD OF GOD, JESUS IS IMPARTING ON US, HIS HOLINESS TO MAKE US HOLY.
"Be HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY" (Leviticus)
1 Peter 1:15-16
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
AND THIS HAPPENS BY THE POWER OF HIS SPIRIT,
BY THE INDWELLING OF HIS SPIRIT IN THE BELIEVER,
BY THE WASHING, REGENERATION AND RENEWING OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT IN US. HIS HOLINESS IN US!
Titus 3:5-7
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Galatians 4:4-6
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons (GOD's CHILDREN), God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
OUR CALLING TO BE HOLY
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
BE FOUND BY HIM IN PEACE, HOLY AND FAITHFUL
2 Peter 3:14-15a, 18
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
AS FOLLOWERS OF THE HOLY ONE, JESUS CHRIST, LET US EARNESTLY PURSUE HIS HOLINESS.
”TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY” by William D. Longstaff
1. Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
2. Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
3. Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
4. Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Let’s Pray,
HOLY FATHER,
We give thanks for the HOLINESS of CHRIST JESUS, whom YOU sent to show us how to live. But also who took upon HIMSELF, our sin. And by the blood, and death on the cross, has made us right with YOU. We receive YOUR command to “Be Holy, as I AM HOLY” and pray YOUR SPIRIT would make the difference in us, guiding us in this Way and Truth and Life. Thank YOU LORD for YOUR SAVING GRACE, through JESUS our LORD, and by the POWER of YOUR SPIRIT in us. In JESUS’ Name, Amen.
BENEDICTION:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Bill
