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Holiness Unto the Lord A recent series of deadly hurricanes reminded me of an amazing incident that took place off the shores of California in January of 1983 during a horrific storm. A San Diego surfer carelessly risked his own life, as well as others, trying to catch "the big one." Having lost control of his board and suffering a severe head injury, a courageous lifeguard pulled him from the surf and onto the sand at the base of a very steep cliff. Then, several firefighters risked their lives bringing him up in a stretcher. …another killer storm hit the coast. This time, two of the three surfers, who were about to wade out into the turbulent waves, stopped when lifeguards ordered them out. The third, however, stubbornly ignored their appeals and proceeded into the deeper waters. The surfer was arrested, and you guessed it—he was the same one rescued two months earlier…and the same lifeguard who had rescued him, now arrested him. Believe it or not, we do the same thing spiritually, with far more devastating consequences. How? When we ignore the holiness of God, and what that is intended to mean in our daily lives, we thumb our noses at His grace. Several years ago, fourteen-year-old Jason Van Boom won his local spelling bee by guessing the correct answer. He himself even says, "It was sheer luck, that's all." Furthermore, he didn’t have the least idea what the word even meant. Christianity, however, is all about something different. Any attempt to guess, especially by this world's standards, what holiness is all about, will not be successful. It is not something to be guessed, it is something that must be known and experienced. Any attempt to get around this reality, will only result in risking your own eternity, and even that of others, as you blatantly flaunt your own so-called rights over God's holy expectations—and not just once, but over and over and over again! So, join me in these next paragraphs as we journey through the Scriptures to discover God's heart on this. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, holiness refers to something being sacred, and when something is sacred, it is consecrated, dedicated, and hallowed. Certainly, all true holiness and purity begin in the heart of God. Over 600 times in the Bible, the word "holy" is used—usually describing some aspect of the Lord—His ground, His house, His word, and even His priest's garments. Exodus 28:36, in describing the exact detail of the hat, or mitre, that Moses' brother Aaron was to wear as the High Priest, puts it this way: "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD." It would be a permanent reminder of how the spiritual leaders of the people, as well as the people themselves, were to see God as holy. Other reminders would be given along the way—1 Chron. 16:29 tells us, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." When the armies of Israel were sent forth to defeat Moab and Ammon, the enemies of the Lord, they were led by the praise of God for a very special thing—"…he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever." (2 Chron. 20:21) But that is only part of the picture—it is not just about God's holiness, but also the holiness that He will instill in His people. I say "will", because if they refuse, and persist in doing their own thing, they will no longer be His people—God's people will be holy. The Holy Spirit—and He ought to know—said in 1 Peter 1:15 and 16, "…as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." Oh, so its all about our conversation?—we just have to talk holy? No, of course not—"conversation", in the Greek, refers to the entire life as it is lived. Psalm 93:5, in referring to the majesty of God, says, "Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever." This speaks clearly of God's people, being "at home" with holiness—finding it to be what they want and not an unbearable burden. In fact, all of life will be transformed by the holiness of God. In prophesying of a coming day, including our own day, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke, "In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts." (14:20-21a) In other words, there will no longer be a distinction between the spiritual part of our lives and the common, everyday living of our lives. No longer will there be "religion" on Sunday morning, and a living of the rest of our lives apart from that. Oh, but wouldn't that make us "fanatics?" What would others say? Well, God saw that objection coming—Jeremiah said, "Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets—(referring to the false prophets)—all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of His holiness." (23:9) Holiness will indeed shake up our lives, but a good shaking is exactly what we need to break us from this world. But remember—It isn't you just cleaning up your life; it is far deeper than that. A.W. Tozer once wrote concerning this, "True holiness is not something that can be humanly cultivated…It is the presence of God that comes upon the humble heart and life with a sweet and radiant fragrance that gives meaning to our witness." Oswald Chambers echoed this when he wrote, "…If we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes." True holiness begins within—as we allow His life to be our own, we become holy! Yes, it is an enduing of a spirit of consecration, that ALL of life would be lived unto the Lord—seven days a week. Take, for example, just believing His word to be true. Recently, the Genesis Project's satellite, intended to gather solar particles so as to ascertain the composition of the sun and discover the origin of the Universe, reentered the earth's atmosphere. Even though it had a parachute, to ensure a safe touchdown, NASA employed a Hollywood helicopter stunt pilot to snag the chute and set it down gently. We all know what happened—CRASH! I could have saved them millions of dollars in their quest; I would have shown them the original Genesis Project—"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Genesis 1:1,3) Forget that nonsense about the Universe coming from a "Big Bang"—all of the matter in space condensed into a dot the size of this period (.) and then exploding to produce the perfect order we see in space now. The Big Bang, if you want to call it that, didn't begin everything, but it will play an integral part in the end—"…the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness…?" (2 Peter 3:10-11) Not unbelievers in God's word, that's for sure! And He isn't just expecting us to believe Him concerning creation—what about His word concerning homosexuality, "gay" marriage, abortion, lying, adultery, hatred, heresy, drunkenness, pride, rebellion, and a whole list of other sins. So many people today just ignore His word and run right back out into the churning sea of self-fulfillment. Where is the holiness in that? God's word is truly holy—believe it! Later this month, on Halloween, Satan worshippers will sacrifice both animals and people. On the same night, countless millions the world over will have "fun" while focusing on skeletons, devils, monsters, and a whole myriad of symbols based on death and damnation. Holiness unto the Lord? And what about returning to the surf of perpetual guilt over sin—even after you are forgiven and truly saved? Where is the life-transforming holiness of God in that? Or are you just waiting for God to "make" you be obedient to Him, so that you don't have to take that step? You see, holiness is extremely practical. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without holiness, the Lord can't even be seen! What is God's divine purpose in this?— "To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." (1 Thess. 3:13) So, take up your position in Christ in holiness and proclaim Him with every fiber of your being until His soon return. Remember—today is the day of salvation—today He comes to the rescue, through the Cross; any day now, He comes to arrest and judge—all in holiness. Seek Him, and be filled with HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD! ! Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
