Chasing Holiness

God’s Holiness.

Introduction-

Last week, we had studied the second portion of 1 Peter chapter 1.

I was quiet happy with it, and ready to move forward into 1 Peter 1 verses 17-25.

God is calling us to really slow this series down today.

The last verses we read where 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But 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.”

Last weeks sermon was titled, “Be Holy.”

This week, we are going to really expound those two verses.

The Holiness of God is a topic that we could spend much more time on, but in the context of this study, it is crucial that we slow down and focus on the Holiness of God.

The call to holiness-

We touched on this very briefly last week, but let’s first look at the call towards holiness.

1 peter 1:15-16 “But 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.”

Peter says, “He which has called you is Holy.”

Of course peter here is talking about God the father.

As God the Father is Holy, we too should be Holy, but why?

Why is Holiness something worth pursuing?

A lot of times people are afraid to ask why, or to even question anything in scripture.

If we do not take time to question things in scripture, we will not take time to search for understanding.

The first thing we must know, is this the first time anyone is called to be Holy in the scripture?

Of course not, Let us look at other times God’s people are called to be Holy.

Leviticus 11:45 “For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

Here in Leviticus, God is speaking to Moses, and Aaron.

Aaron is the First High priest for the people of Israel God is Giving Aaron and Moses laws here that will separate them from the rest of the world.

The nation of Israel is being established in Leviticus and God is giving them commands that will separate them or help them to be Holy.

In chapter 11, the majority of the chapter is food Laws that God gave the Israelites as a way to separate them from Everyone else.

The end of chapter 11 God says To be HOLY because he is Holy.

This is the first time we have this command.

It continues 3 different times in Leviticus the command to Be Holy because God is Holy.

Friends, it is crucial that we follow this command from Our Lord. Be Holy.

We talk so often about how we want to be Like Christ, we want to love the way Christ love.

We want to see people the way Christ saw People,

We want to live radically the way Jesus Lived.

We want to be like Jesus, but refuse to be Like God when it comes to Holiness.

Holiness is total separation from Sin and the world system.

The world is evil.

Man because we have fallen short of the glory of God are evil.

We are born Living in rebellion against God.

The moment that we are converted, we should begin to live a life wholly separate from who we where before Christ.

We are called to Be Holy.

What about some new testament scripture on the call towards Holiness this morning.

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Beseech means, to Call to, to implore, to beg.

Paul is begging his readers, that through God, you need to give your Bodies over as a Living sacrifice, HOLY, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

Your are to be Holy, this is your reasonable form of worship.

1 Peter 1:15-16 “But 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.”

BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY.

There is no doubt this morning that God is calling you, instructing you, begging you, to be Holy because He is Holy.

A lot of people ask What is God’s will for my life.

The number 1 thing I know God wants for you and for me is to Be HOLY like his is Holy.

To separate ourselves from Sin and evil.

To go as far as giving our bodies over to the work of the Lord in a Holy, and acceptable way.

This is our Calling towards Holiness.

The pursuit of being separated from sin and evil.

If you are a follower of God, you are called into Holiness. Not waiting until eternity, but pursuing Holiness now.

A man and his son went to YMCA to play basketball. The son wanted to show his dad what he could do. The son was about 11 years old, and he takes off and he dunks the ball. The dad is of course amazed until he realizes that the son had the maintenance man lower the goal so he could dunk.

Folks God’s call to holiness is a goal that we can’t lower. A lot of times we say “Well God understands so I’m just going to do it this way.

The goal is not ours to adjust. God calls us to holiness, that is the goal, nothing lower then that.

Your job is to grow into that goal that God has called us to do.

What Holiness Looks Like-

So we have the call toward holiness, but what exactly does Holiness look like?

Lets stay in 1st Peter for a moment.

1 Peter 1:15 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;”

Peter says be Ye Holy in all manner of conversation.

When you talk you should speak in a manner that is Holy before God.

Most of the time, our talk reflects who we are.

When I was younger I could talk sports all day.

I knew pro football pretty well, I could talk about the players, teams, coaches, rules, scores, Different facts about the game.

Why? Because I enjoyed it, I enveloped myself in it.

I listened to podcasts about it,

I read about it,

I watched it,

so My communication followed, and that’s what I would talk about.

My communication was fixed on the things of Pro football.

What you put in interests in will eventually be what your conversation is all about.

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

Folks communication is an important part of our daily lives, and the way we communicate shows a lot about who we are.

It is no mistake that in the same sentence Peter says to be Holy, that he immediately starts talking about conversation.

Your conversation, the things you talk about, the way that you talk should be Holy, separated by God from sin and evil.

God calls us to be Holy, and we should start with our conversation.

Get rid of the nasty words we use.

I was at a celebration for a Pastor one time, it was his 20th year serving that congregation.

People shared some of their feelings about the Pastor, and one of the guys said

“One thing I can say about our Pastor is, I’ve never heard him Cuss.”

Now Folks that is a low bar when you are talking about a Pastor.

People hold this idea up that Pastors should be more Holy, they should separate themselves from the world more then anyone else, but folks God is calling all of us to Holiness.

God is calling you to holiness today.

When I was younger in High school my language was terrible. I would come here on Sunday mornings, Sunday Nights and Wednesdays, then throughout the week would talk however I wanted at school.

That was unholy communication.

After High school, I really felt the Lord calling me into a deeper relationship with him. I knew that the me in High school wasn't who God called me to be.

One of the first things I did was clean up my language around my friends.

They noticed.

They could tell the difference.

When I met liz’s dad for one of the first times, he said “I bet you cuss all the time.”

Now that’s an odd thing to say to someone who’s dating your daughter, but I looked at him and said “Actually I don’t at all.

ANd I was able to mean it.

Not because I was given some special ability to clean up my language, but because I knew that is what God wanted of me.

Once My language cleaned up so did a lot of other messy areas.

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

When the Bible talks about our tongue, it’s not just the cuss words that it’s talking about. It’s talking about any communication that does not bring glory to God.

Lies, do not bring glory to God, Deceiving someone, does not bring glory to God, being hateful to someone does not bring glory to God.

Proverbs 6:16-19 “These six things doth the Lord hate: Yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, Feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.”

When you look at those things the lord Hates, a lot of those have to do with our communication.

God’s holiness is a form of Communication.

God communicates his character to us, through his Holiness.

Holiness is a filter through which every other aspect of God passes through.

We communicate with the world that we are separate from evil when we show Holiness.

What is an appropriate response to Holiness.

The great Bible scholar Martin Lloyd Jones says

Holiness is not an experience you have; holiness is keeping the law of God.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

We must keep the things the Lord Commands.

This is a simple thing to say to a room full of professing Christians,

but the Holiness of God can not be overstated.

We must chase after holiness this morning.

We must clean up our lives, or language, our communication.

Everything we do must reflect beautifully back to Our Lord.

Do you know how Holy God is?

God Is so Holy, that no man can look upon him and live.

Exodus 33:18-20 “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

Exodus 33:21-22 “And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:”

God is so Holy, that no one can see his face and live.

The rest of this encounter Goes, that God places moses in the cleft of the rock and covers moses, until his glory passes in front, and moses gets to see just the back of God, but that was enough to cause moses to fall down and worship him.

Moses was so changed by this experience that when he left the mountain, after 40 days that his face shined so much that he had to wear a vail anytime he spoke to the people.

That was just from seeing the back of God.

He is so Holy that it completely changed moses appearance for a time.

God is Holy separated from Sin and Evil.

This is what God is calling you and I to.

Be Holy, be separate, when People look at us, they should see the difference right away.

This is something you’ve heard here hundreds of times, but this morning, is the time to do something about it.

You must pursue holy Living.

You must start with your communication.

Are you talking like someone that has experienced the Holiness of God.

Those that profess repentance must practise it.

Matthew Henry

The best repentance is turning to God and away from our sin—and not doing it any longer!1

A. W. Tozer