Sermon Series:
Sermon Title: Personal Holiness
Text: Daniel 1:1-21
Page in Pew Bible:
Introduction: As a child I used to sing the following song in Jr. Church…
O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES WHAT YOU SEE
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in Love
O be careful little eyes what you see
O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EARS WHAT YOU HEAR
O be careful little ears what you hear
For the Father up above is looking down in Love
O be careful little ears what you hear
O BE CAREFUL LITTLE MOUTH WHAT YOU SAY
O be careful little mouth what you say
For the Father up above is looking down in Love
O be careful little mouth what you say
O BE CAREFUL LITTLE HANDS WHAT YOU DO
O be careful little hands what you do
For the Father up above is looking down in Love
O be careful little hands what you do
Unfortunately we are not careful – there are things we see, hear, say and do that damage our relationship with our heavenly father.
God’s people are called to be a holy people. Lev 11:44, I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
The word Holy means to set apart and in the OT Holiness was marked by Separation.
· Separate Land – Promise Land
· Separate diet
· Separate way of worship
The reason for all the separation – God was preparing his people for the coming Savior – The lamb who would take away the sin of the world. Now that the messiah has come in Jesus, we are no longer required to be holy to prepare for the savior; holiness is required to participate with the savior.
In the OT holiness was seen in the temple – there was a place that drew people to holiness – the HOLY PLACE, (The KJV the holy of holies) the most sacred inner room in the TABERNACLE and the TEMPLE, where only the HIGH PRIEST was allowed to go. This room, separated from the rest of the worship area by a sacred veil, represented the visible presence of God in all His power and holiness. In this room was the ARK OF THE COVENANT, covered by the sacred MERCY SEAT, Ex. 25:10-22 tells us this is the place where the priest would meet God. Once a year on the DAY OF ATONEMENT, the high priest entered the Holy Place with sacrificial blood and made ATONEMENT before God for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16). (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
Today our focus of worship is no longer a building in Jerusalem for God does not dwell in an earthly building, No, 2 Cor 6:16 tells us; we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
He previously stated in 1 Cor 6:19, our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.
Now since God dwells in us should we not desire to live holy and lives before him?
But it can be difficult – we live in a depraved world. Our eyes, ears tongues and hands are contaminated daily by the sin that is all around us.
The Hebrew writer speaks of holiness this way; Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Heb 12:14
· Encouragement – Make every effort
· Warning – without holiness, no one will see the Lord!
When I read a verse like this I agree with Mark Twain – It ain’t those
parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.
Today I want to talk about the issue of personal holiness. Holiness is a frontline issue in our world today.
The psalmist asks a pointed question – How can a young man keep his way pure? Ps 119:9
Before we look at our text – I want us to take a test this morning – we will call it a holiness test. I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOLINESS IN YOUR LIFE.
THE QUESTIONS WILL BE ON THE SCREEN.
1. What kind of moral or ethical challenges do you face in the work place or school?
- Do you fudge on time
- Do your eyes wander to another classmates paper
- Do you take office supplies
- What about gossip and inappropriate behavior
2. Are there areas in your life where you feel like you are compromising your spiritual values?
- Relationships or associates
- Thought life
- Recreation or entertainment
3. Do you wrestle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to holiness?
- Do you feel you cannot measure up to a set standard
How did you do? If we are honest we can all do a better job in the area of holiness
Today let’s look at the example of one man’s holiness and draw out some lessons for our life,
READ TEXT DANIEL 1:1-8
Background
· The year is 605 bc Nebuchadnezzar takes control of the city of Jerusalem, the city will not completely fall for another 17 years, But Neb. has control
· Captures a group of royal teenagers and takes them back to Babylon, we do not know why he took these young men there may have been several reasons…
- As trophies, to be made a show of for the evidencing and magnifying of his success.
- As hostages so the parents would submit while under captivity
- As a seed to serve him. He took them away to train them.
· While being trained for service they receive the very best of care, they are highly educated, given the choice diet and well pampered. Yet they lived in an unholy land and were in danger of loosing their distinctiveness as a God’s holy people.
· Vs. 8 gives us the foundation for holiness – But Daniel resolved not to defile himself. Daniel became a person of distinction
Daniel teaches us three lessons about holiness
1. Holiness is not determined by external advantages.
Daniel and his three friends had it all, the choice diet, education and residence. Yet that did not make them holy. We live in a world today where we have all the external advantages for holiness;
· We worship in a beautiful building
· We have freedom to worship
· We have ample ministries to meet one another’s needs
But friends the external’s of our church will not make us holy! Holiness comes from allowing God to work in your life. Sifting out the poison’s that will rob us from having a relationship with God. Although we become Christians instantaneously by faith in Christ, knowing God and developing holiness is a gradual process. There are no shortcuts to maturity. It takes time to be holy.
External advantages can give us a false sense of security. We can believe we are becoming holy because we belong to a certain church, or practice a certain discipline, but holiness comes from the inside.
2. Holiness is not determined by our location
Daniel found himself 500 miles away from Temple of Jerusalem – which was the holy place. But where did he determine to be holy? In the Palace of a pagan king.
Have you noticed how we tie holiness to a church building – We tell our children not to run in the sanctuary. We make certain pieces of furniture holy places, There are certain activities we will or will not do if they are in the sanctuary – After all this is God’s house. Now let me say this WE SHOULD RESPECT THIS BUILDING AS AN AREA DEDICATED TO GOD and as GOOD STEWARDS.
But your holiness is not determined by your location, it is determined by your heart. You are not holy because you are in the sanctuary any more than you are a car because you slept in your garage.
3. Holiness is a choice.
Vs. 8, Daniel resolved not to defile himself. The NAS – Daniel made up his mind. In other words Daniel chose not to – DEFILE – himself. DEFILE that is an interesting word, Daniel resolved not to DEFILE – Literally; BRING HIMSELF DOWN. In Holiness we have a relationship with God, but when we become unholy we bring ourselves down to the level of Satan. We only have one of two choices to be holy of to be unholy.
Daniel made the choice to be holy. He resolved, he made up his mind, he determined in his heart. HE WAS GOING TO BE HOLY.
Holy has the root as the word W-h-o-l-l-y, it means complete. A man is not complete in spiritual stature if all of his heart mind soul and strength are not given over to God. Saying yes to God means saying not things that offend his holiness.
Daniel was willing to say no to the pagan king so he could please the Eternal King - God.
For Daniel it was being a man of distinction to be different, to be holy. That is the key to holiness – When we come to Jesus Christ, we are set apart as people of distinction, people noted for being different who are becoming more like Christ than our culture.
Daniel chooses not to follow the culture but to follow his God.
HOW CAN WE MAKE WISE CHOICES WHEN IT COMES TO HOLINESS TODAY?
1. Live to please God. 1 Thes 4:1, You already know how to please God in your daily living, for you know the commands we gave you from the Lord Jesus himself. Now we beg you-- yes, we demand of you in the name of the Lord Jesus-- that you live more and more closely to that ideal. (TLB) We are to walk on the narrow way of Christ. Matt 7:13-14, "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. We need to examine our lives daily to discover are there items like the choice food of Daniel defining us - bringing us down
2. Learn to trust God. Rather than having to depend on the whims of culture and shifting standards of society, we have received a new and dependable source of authority on how to live. Ps 119:9-11, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. What God has asked us to do is found in his word, it is the map to holiness
3. Limit the world’s influence. Rom 12:2, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. Why is it we desire to model the world, God has told us how we are to live and yet daily I see us, the church model the world.
· Relationships – we harbor grudges, we end marriages
· Personal dealings – we become deceitful, dishonest
· Emotions – we are quick to become angry, slow to trust
Friends it is time we followed God’s influence and not the influence of the world – YOU ARE TO HOLY BECAUSE I AM HOLY.
The old hymn says it best
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.
As God’s church we must be holy and the only way for God’s church to be holy is for individuals to be holy. And for individuals to be holy, they must first give their life to Christ. Holiness is not the way to Christ, but Christ is the way to holiness.
This morning we sing an invitation hymn
