Holiness Part One

Beginning today, we together being a new series called, “Unveiled: Revealing the sanctuary of our hearts.” All thought the Bible God is calling his people to be set apart. To be holy for he is holy. 4 times in the book of Leviticus found in the old testament, you read God calling the children of Israel into a life of holiness. And in each of those four instances, God say, I am holy, for you are to be holy. Or I am holy who sanctifies you holy. Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus reminds us in the very first chapter of his first letter, that since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) Paul to the Thessalonians also reminds us, For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. So today, it’s important that we ask the question. Well, what is holiness?

Have you ever been put in a situation where you didn’t know what to do? Of course, You’re alive right. Most often, everyday we find ourselves asking what in the world do I do? Life is full of situations that leave us going, “How do I navigate this?” How do I figure out this problem? Where do I go? Who should I ask for help? And those are moments, and situations where I dunno about you, there not my favorite. I don’t go looking for confusion. I want answers. I want a road map to life. A little confession here, I didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid. Our kids, have flown on planes to Puerto Rico, Gabe and Chloe have been on planes to go from Colorado to Pennsylvania and back. But when I was a kid, if, and I mean if I traveled, it was usually boo longer than 200 miles or less and always in the back seat of a car. But When it comes to flying, I didn’t fly until I was in my 20’s, when Halliburton wanted to relocate our family to the Engineering training center in Brighton Colorado to work in the research lab. And I was terrified to fly. I think most of my freight was the fact that when flying, I had no control. Flying in an airplane wasn’t anything like driving where you can see danger, or react to danger or you can come to a moment where you’re kind of scared, like those moments driving in the snow, and you turn the radio off to concentrate better, and if it gets scary you can pull over and just rest your nerves. But you cant fro that in a plane. And I had so many questions that came to mind when flying. Where do I check in? Where’s the bathroom? Will miss my next flight. So many questions, and so many fears. We all have some sort of fear just like that. And so, what do we do? We try to be prepared. We try to find the rules.

Did you know we do the same thing with our faith? We come to church and we get around people and we have all kinds of fears. Fears of wondering if we would be accepted. Sometimes the Fear that our kids wont be accepted in the congregation. There’s the fears of knowing the right christian language. What should I say, when to say amen, epeiclaly during pastor Matthews sermon. And so, just like life, we want our life of faith to be comfortable, and we want to know how to fit in, and the rules to living a good faithful life and we desire to do what is right. For many, we might find ourselves feeling the same way in our relationship with Christ. Okay, Jesus my life is yours, I’ve come by faith and I trust in you, and you alone, and I know You love me, but how do I navigate life now? How do I make the right choices in life? What does it mean to “follow Christ”? What does it mean less of me and more of you. What does it mean to consecrate my life? Is that once, or daily, or every other month? How about last week? How many of us agree with Paul. I have a desire to do what is right, but I find that I keep dong what is wrong. There's a war going on within me. And so, every time… every time anyone comes to faith in Christ, we ask, What are the rules?! What can I watch? Is it okay if I hang out with this person? How does tobacco or alcohol fit in. How much is good to give when it comes to tithes and offering. We also live in the day and age of social media. And so, we ask, what do I post? Was this too judgey? Is this going convict someone to where they think I am talking about them when I wasn’t. Life is just hard to navigate and we want to know the rules. And to be honest, I think we also want to play by the rules. But sometimes life gets hard. Sometimes our faith gets so bogged down with trying to figure out the right and wrong ways to navigate it too. Can I tell you some good, but unsettling news? The rule book you are looking for doesn’t exist. Because Jesus didn’t come to give new rules, He came to give a new identity. I think this is the best foundational truth when it comes to holiness. Holiness is more than just what we do, and how we do it, and what is right and wrong.. Holiness, in its simplest form is us, taking on a new identity in Jesus Christ. So who are you?

As we dive into this new series over the few weeks, there’s one verse that we’re going to keep coming back to, because it speaks so much to who we are in Christ.

This verse comes from 1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So holiness… what does the Bible say about holiness? One of my favorite moments of Jesus was when he was asked what was the greatest commandment. In essence, a scribe in Marks gospel that was speaking with Jesus was saying, what is the greatest rule. Whats are the rules to a life of faith. So he was asking Jesus, what rules should I follow. What commandments should I adhere my life to. What rule should govern my actions and decisions in life. So in essence he’s asking, what must I do. And the thing he didn’t realize was, he was trying to ask what can I do in my own power to make sure I am holy. So Jesus, answers his question by simply reciting the Shema from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4-5 says, 4 “Hear, O Israel: dThe LORD our God, the LORD is one.1 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. This word Shema is a word in Hebrew that means ‘to hear or listen’. But in the rich meaning of this word, it’s not just listening and hearing, but listening and hearing with the intent to obey. And so, Jesus answers the scribes with a rendition of the Shema.. Jesus says in Marks gospel, , “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And to love your neighbor as yourself. Who’s our neighbor? We spoke about this last week… it’s anyone I come into contact with. And so, when Jesus answers the scribes question, what he’s saying was this… It’s not so much about following rules, or commandments as much as it’s about God wanting Himself to be the center of your love. God wants to be the center. And not just center, but also king of that area. Surrendered to His will. And I think this is the danger.. so many of us with trying to find the rules, we try to put God in the center, but he has no control over our life. Its like, we want God to abide by our rules. And so, who am I to do that?

I was thinking about this question, who am I… this week, and I was thinking about the fact that sometimes, through circumstances of life, we can lose a grasp on the reality of who we are. Most often, the things we do, that are not good things. Like lying. Being overly aggressive towards others. Letting anger control us. Having unhealthy sexual addictions. Not being so loving towards others. Showing no grace or mercy to those who make mistakes. And so what do we try to do to fix these issues.. we look for rules. We seek to ways to change these things in us, and in the end, they never really change us, as much as we find ways to suppress them. Rules, more or less alleviate or lessen the effect more than get to the root of the issue that’s deep down. And the issue is, We have a heart issue. Our heart has the identity of our old life, there needs to be a process… a cleansing, and renewing of the heart.

But how do we get there, if theres are not new rules? How do we begin to recognize in our own life who we are meant to be? First, we need to recognize the enemy that is without. I Peter chapter 5 verse 8 says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Peter Knew this from experience. Jesus said to him before his three denials, in Luke 22:31, ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Jesus even knew what it was like to be sifted by Satan. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness and the word says, the enemy left him for a more opportune time. Which became the garden moment where Jesus prays in the garden for the Fathers will. The book of James reminds us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Secondly, acknowledge the brokenness within. James 1:14-15, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” It wasn't until Simba acknowledged his brokenness that he was healed. He had to acknowledge his brokenness. We’ve got to come face to face with the reality that the temper we have, the desire to say hurtful things to others, and even the desire to think hurtful and wrong things about ourselves is not God. We have sin in our hearts that God sent his Son t die for…. So, When you know who you are in Christ, you’re able to see yourself for who you truly are made to be. Thirdly, Understanding your part. 2 Peter 1:5, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…” How have you added to your faith this week? Or let me ask you this… have you added to your faith, or have you neglected your faith. You see, you play a part in holiness. And it’s the only part that is your part. Do you know what it is? It’s repentance. Repentance is your part. Do you know what repentance is? Repentance is responding to God love. Hear that again.. repentance is responding to Gods love. And the proper response is this: move over and Let go and Let God. With whatever it is your holding onto. 1 Peter 5:5, Peter says later on, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility…” John 3:30- John the Baptist, “He must become greater; I must become less.” Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 Holiness isn’t trying harder to make yourself clean, it’s getting out of God’s way.

And Finally, Understand the Holy Spirits part. 2 Timothy 2:20-21, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” Paul is speaking here while Ising the imagery in what the holy Spirit does with us. He moves us from items of wood and clay- that may be in the house. To instruments of gold and silver- used by the master’s hand. Do you know how that is done? Malachi 3:3 tells us, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” Do you know how a silver smith does this? Refines silver. It’s not an easy process.. because it takes time, and heat. The smith throws the ore into a kettle. And as the heat melts the metal, and then he takers the dross, Dross means the worthless stuff. It’s mineral waste, but its the impurities, the things that are not perfect. They come to the top. They surface.And then the silver smith, one by one takes them away. He scrapes them off. When you ask the silversmith, How do you know when the silver is pure… He says, when I look into the kettles and I take out all of the impurities and I see me. There a Disney cartoon that shows us this. It’s called the lion king. Think of the Disney movie, The Lion king. Simba is a young cub. He loves his father. His identity is in being like his father. He wants to be brave and a good king, just like his father. It the same with us. In the beginning of humanity, Adam and Eve, when they were created by God, they had this perfect union with Him. Our greatest reflection of Gods righteousness in us was in the garden, before sin entered into our life. But then, Trouble strikes. Simba loses his father and then he was lied to, the enemy prowls like a loin to steel and kill what we have. And so, with the enemy, saying Simba had killed his father, Simba runs away so he runs away and meets Timon and Pumba. Its the same with Adam and Eve. In their shame when they had sinned against God, Adam and Eve hid from God. They ran from him. Now, I love Timon and Pumba, but they begin teaching Simba something contrary to his real identity. And, so over the years, Simba begins to live as a forager for bugs. Contrary to his real identity as a lion. Until one day, he meets Nyla and is reminded of his past hurts. Of why he ran away. Rafiki, he reminds me of the Holy Spirit. Through this word, prevent grace, The spirit keeps reminding us… who are you? What reflection are you reflecting? And so, Rsafiki reminds Simba his father is alive, He is in him as he shows the reflection to him. Lets watch this moment together.

I love this movie. Simbas father lived in him. It wasnt until Rafiki showed him that After this moment, Simba has a moment with Rafiki about how the past hurts, but his identity isn’t in the past… his identity is in who he was called to be… and he was called to be the king of the pride. So he has a choice. Return home and return to his idienty, or stay where he is and be the person he was not meant to be. And What we realize is this: When you know who you are, you’ll know what you’re supposed to do. Simba chooses to be who he was destined to be, and he ends up going home and facing his past.

This morning… you have an opportunity, no obligation, only opportunity this morning…. To come and get out of God ways. To give over to him the wheel of your life. To allow the silversmith to do his work. You see, friends, God wants to do his greatest work at the spot of your greatest resistance. God wants to do his greatest healing at the spot of your greatest pain. God wants to deliver his greatest strength at the spot of your greatest weakness. Will you give these to him? Will you do it right now? Heavenly Father, there are things in our life that are like wood and clay. There materials for building yes, but you want to come into our lives and make our hearts one where you see your own reflection in our life. You desire to see your love being reflected back to you, from within us. I pray this morning with boldness. Come. Refine us. It’s a process that takes heat. It takes time, and it takes great suffering at times. Come. Clean our life. And give us new life in your son, our savior and Lord, and his name is Jesus. In his name we pray.. amen. *