Set Apart To Fall In Love

SET APART TO FALL IN LOVE

IAN JOHNSON www.papelim.org.nz

When Satan, tempted the woman in the garden, (Gen 3:6) it wasn’t with great theological issues or points of doctrinal difference that he spoke to her about. Rather it was an appeal to her senses.

Look! Doesn’t that fruit look good! And the taste! Surely a loving God wouldn’t keep something this good from you! You must have misunderstood his instructions!

He used that strategy then and he uses it today!

Satan knows that Sin is pleasing to our senses and it is very foolish for us to pretend otherwise.

The Lord commands us to be Holy and the truth is, we have made doctrines around being holy! Abstaining from things that are pleasing to our senses to gain a level of holiness or to live a holy life seemed the right way to go.

But we have seen even the great fall into temptation and sin! And we wonder, will any one make it?

There is half a truth in keeping ourselves apart from the things our senses desire

It’s true some things are displeasing to God!

We know that God thinks a lot about Holiness and sanctification and it is very important to him. But how do we attain holiness?

Isa 35:8 And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-hearted people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there

The Hebrew word translated Holy is Qodesh it means a sacred place or object set apart consecrated and dedicated to God

The Altar of Incense was Holy because it was set apart for a very specific use.

The moment a priest used it for any other purpose, even to warm his hands it was defiled and made unholy!

There’s a hint, set apart for a purpose!

In your cupboards you may have some fine China and crystal glassware! You don’t use it every day, but on special occasions you bring it out and use it.

Its set apart for special use, and to use it for any other purpose would negate its “special status” it would loose its glory and value.

So to be Holy before the Lord is to be set apart to Him. Not set apart from an object or influence!

Bear with me it may change your thinking and transform your life

In the Church we have viewed Holiness as a defensive act against!

But really it is an offensive action towards.

I’m not holy because I don’t sin, that’s called purity, and purity is about cleansing and purging and refining our lives into the image of Jesus Christ!

Holiness is higher than this. It’s about being set apart for a purpose.

God the Father is worshiped in heaven & earth, not for his ability to remain sinless that is part of who he is anyway. He is worshiped because He is Holy, being set apart to be God. Yahweh means self existent one. He doesn’t need anyone or anything to make him who he is. He can exist alone apart from any other influence. That’s why we worship him!

Jesus is awesome! Because he came to earth and walked in sinless ness, He is the only one to have ever done that.

But He is also holy, because he is set apart before the foundation of the world to be the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the whole world!

He couldn’t have fulfilled purpose if he hadn’t walked in sinless ness, but he did!

He was Holy before the foundation of the world because he was set apart for this purpose the Bible says.

Hebrews 10 14 For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says, 16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them, and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them. 17 Then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”*

Jesus made you and I perfect on the day we were saved. Set apart for a purpose!

The key to us walking in purity is for us to see that we are Holy ~ Set apart for a purpose! Set apart to walk in purity.

Right from the beginning the enemy has tried to steal our vision of who we are in Christ! Because in doing so he can make us ineffective, always striving to become holy! The truth is you are holy!

When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden he was tempting her with something she already had! Because God made man in His own image (Gen 1:26)