BE HOLY
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14)
Hello Saints,
Can I call you “saint”? Is that the way you see yourself? Why not? Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you know God? Have you surrendered your life to God? That was last week’s message. If I truly believe He is who He says He is, then I can trust Him…with everything! If I believe that…I can surrender my life to Him and yield to Him my whole being – body, mind, soul and spirit. That is holiness! I am wholly His - every single part of me - 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 all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy" (1Pet. 1:13-16). “Be Holy as I am Holy” (Lev. 19:2) – a command given to God’s people under both, the old and new covenants. What does it mean? How can I be “Holy”? Well, I guess we had better know the answer to that question because, “without holiness no one will see the Lord”. Pretty sobering statement!
To be holy means to be called out and set apart for use unto God. Think of the temple of God and all its utensils and furnishing. They were first chosen and purified or cleansed for ritual use. They were dedicated and consecrated for one purpose – for the Lord’s work – set apart and declared different than all the other objects for common use. They were special and solely used for God’s purposes – to bring Him glory. The priests who worked in the temple were likewise called, chosen, set apart, ritually purified, and set into service unto God. There was a whole way of life they were to adhere to in order to remain in that sanctified state, always available for the Master’s use. That is what a Christian truly is – called, chosen, purified by the blood of the Lamb, sanctified (set apart) for God’s purposes, declared holy and set into service: “you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” (1Pet. 2:9). Those called to serve God are to be Holy. They are vessels of honor who keep themselves pure: “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2Tim. 2:19-22).
I have written about this before, but as we continually hear of “famous” Christians falling into sin, or should I say, their blatant sin being revealed, the call to holiness is evermore needed, as the bride is to prepare herself for Her Bridegroom’s return (Rev. 19:7-8). Holiness is not achieved by trying to eradicate sin from our life; it is achieved by consecrating ourselves to the Master’s use. We can take all the precautions we want to not get sick, but somehow, someway, that virus will find a way to infect us. The key is to believe that I am Holy, set apart for the Master – my hands, my feet, my mouth, my mind, my body are not my own – they belong to God. He owns me because He bought me with His blood; He has purified me, consecrated me into service. I am set apart for righteous and noble purposes, not to go on sinning in my pre-salvation way. If we see ourselves as “a peculiar people” called out of the world, set apart unto God, we will live what we believe about ourselves. If we continue to see ourselves as wretched sinners instead of sanctified saints, guess what the fruit will be…you got it…sin! Would God repeatedly give a command to, “Be Holy” if it was not achievable? If something as important as ‘holiness’ could determine whether I “see” God or not, do you not think God would have made a way for us to ‘be holy’. He did! It was the cross of Jesus Christ, and the blood of the Lamb, and the presence of Holy Spirit. It was our dying with Christ, where the old me died, and it is with the resurrection of Christ, where the newly sanctified and set apart me was raised to newness of life (Read Romans 6). Because He lives in me and through me, and I no longer live, I can live a Holy life where my whole being is offered to Him as an instrument of righteousness. Believer! You are “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1Cor 1:2). There must be a time in your life when you say, “I am no longer my own, I am entirely His, set apart for His use, consecrated to His service” – that is biblical holiness by which one can have certainty of seeing the Lord. When we surrender our whole being, and let Holy Spirit purify and seal us, and allow Him to continually, hourly, daily fill us, then we will have understood what it means to be holy. Again, it’s not choosing to stop sinning, it’s determining to be who you are in Christ! Meditate and go deeper in this truth!
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. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1Thess. 5:23-24)
Peace
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
Leave a Comment