Set Apart 1 - A Call to Holiness

• Illustration: Has anyone ever used fine china before? This may be a little old school, but some families have special dishes that they only use for special occasions. This is reserved for important guests, holidays, or birthdays, or any other occasion that would be “set apart” from a regular meal.

• Just like these plates, there’s something special about an item that is set apart for special use. Those plates are looked at and treated differently. This is an accurate picture of what holiness looks like if the life of a believer. There should be something different and set apart about the way we live our lives. Does your life look holy?

• Tension Question: What is holiness? Many might see it as legalism or rule-following, but it is so much more. The biblical definition of holiness is literally “to be set apart or different.”

• Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:7 — Holiness is more than a suggestion. It’s a calling on our lives from God!

1 Thessalonians 4:7 KJV 1900

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

Consider: What does this mean for us today?

• Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16 — The reason we live a lifestyle that is holy is because of our future, not our present. It’s about our hope for the future: eternity with Jesus.

1 Peter 1:13–16 KJV 1900

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 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.

• Verse 13 says “gird up the loins of your mind.” We have to make a mental choice that we will live a lifestyle that honors God.

• Verse 14 shows us the tension of the life we live every day: will you be conformed to the sin Jesus has saved us from, or will our lives reflect the character of Jesus who has saved us from sin?

• Finally, in verses 15-16, we see the big idea of the passage: God is holy and has called us to be like Him. Therefore, we, as Christians, are called to holiness.

“in all manner of conversation” - every single area of my life.

• It’s more than an ideal way to live. It’s bigger than good behavior. It is a calling for all who claim to follow Jesus. Your purpose and call in life is to live a holy life like Christ.

• Bottom Line: Holiness is our calling.

Collide: How do we apply this in our lives?

• Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 — If Christians are called to be set apart and look different, it means that we cannot look the same as the darkness of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 KJV 1900

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

• What we associate with will directly influence our character. If we associate and partner with successful people, we also will be successful. In the same way, what we allow to influence us, positive or negative, will dictate our spiritual health.

• What begins with compromise ends with partnership. Maybe you think a little worldly culture is harmless — it’s not going to change you. When we yoke ourselves in partnership to the world and darkness, it ruins the work of God in our lives.

• Align yourself in partnership with holiness! Be connected with godly men and women. Eliminate the things in your world that would influence you away from God. Associate your life with the things of God, not of the world.

• Application: Associate your life with the things of God! Call: How do we respond to the message?

• Altar moment: If there is something in your life influencing you away from holiness, eliminate it! Choose to stand in the light with God and His people.