Leviticus 19_1

Leviticus 19:1 “Be Holy”

Intro: Quarterback come ESPN commentator Joe Theismann, allegedly explaining to his soon-to-be-ex second wife why he had an affair: "God wants Joe Theismann to be happy."

For many us happiness in life is our greatest desire but the creator of each of us has a different desire for us, it is to be holy as He is holy.

It has been said that God’s desire for us is not to be happy but to be holy, but I am convinced that holiness brings true happiness.

We live in a fast paced world with many things reaching out for our devotion and we trust people, possessions, and positions to do for us what only God can do for us.

In the context of Leviticus we see God’s people in the wilderness and they are being taught how to live in the presence of God who is to dwell in their midst. They were use to a life of bondage in Egypt and are adapting to a life of faith in the living God. God is teaching the Israelites a lesson in holiness because they are about to enter into a good and spacious land that they did not toil for and they will be tempted to forget Him who brought them out of Egypt and into this land of promise and to live like the heathen people of the land around them.

The temptation is real for Israel as it is for us to forget Him who delivered us from the bondage of sin and granted us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus and it is possible for a blood bought born again believer who has become a new creation to again live like the heathen people around us, to look for the pleasures of the world to fulfill our desire and pursuit of happiness.

For the Christian holiness should be our desire while here on earth and I am convinced that when we live a life pleasing to God separated from the common things the world has to offer…. Then we will find true happiness.

CPS: Today I want you to leave here with a desire to pursue holiness because it is God’s desire for you.

Holy (qâdôwsh, kaw-doshe´) = to be removed from common use. It means to be being unique and pure. It means to posses essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human in nature.

The command to be holy is a universal command.

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel

The command to be holy is a unique command.

Ye shall be holy

The command to be holy is an unequaled command.

for I the Lord your God am holy

After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left.

Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark