Jehovah Mekadesh - The God who sanctifies

Bible Passage: Le 20:7–8, Ex 19:1–25

We are in the middle of a sermon series called the names of God.

We started with:

Jehovah Jireh – the God who provides

Yahweh Elohim – The Mighty God of Creation that knows us by name

El Roi – The God who sees us

Jehovah Rapha – The God who heals.

Jehovah Nissi - God is our banner

This morning the name we are looking at is Jehovah Mekadesh - The God who sanctifies

The Importance of Holiness in the Bible

The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

There’s no question holiness is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word “holy” occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify, and sanctification. You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with him forever in a holy heaven.

The whole system of Israel’s worship revolves around holiness. That’s why you have holy people (the priests), with holy clothes, in a holy land (Canaan), at a holy place (tabernacle/ temple), using holy utensils and holy objects, celebrating holy days, living by a holy law, so that they might be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

X. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification - Manual

10. We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son.X. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification 10. We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son.

1. Preparation for Presence

Remember Moses has led the Israelite people out of Egyptian slavery. God promised them a new land. He parted the Red Sea. He turned bitter water sweet and provided a place for them to rest with springs and palm trees. When they were hungry he provided manna from heaven in the morning and quail at night. And again when they needed water he had Moses strike a rock and water flowed from it.

Last week read about the Israelites facing their first battle again the Amalakites who attacked them at their weakest place. Joshua was chosen to lead the battle, Moses went to high place with the staff of God and as long as he raised it, the Israelites were winning. Then he needed Aaron and Hur to come along and hold his arms up for him.

And now they're camped out at Mount Sinai, where God is appearing in fire and smoke on top of a mountain. And God is meeting with his people and now reshaping them.

Look at Exodus 19 starting at verse 5-10

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and [b]laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” 10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

Essentially is what's going here at Mount Sinai, God has come to this place and he's freed them from physical captivity and now he wants to teach them and form them into a certain group of people for a purpose. God has a purpose in this.

From Abraham and his family to the whole nation of Israel, God has a plan to bring redemption to the whole world. And so he's gonna use this group of people to reveal himself to the whole world. And so he says, you will be a holy nation.

You will be a kingdom of priests. That is a group of people that would be a way for the rest of the world to encounter God. That they would look at this group of people and see who God is.

And then come to know God as they engage through these people. God, over and over again, decides to work through his creation. I don't know why it seems like maybe not the best plan, but that is the way God does it.

And so he says to these people, you will be my people. And so he says, here's the way you're going to do it, right? Here's all my commands, you obey me, I'm going to be in relationship with you, and then you will be these representative group of people.”

This again is covenant. God’s covenant with Abraham was I will be your God and you will be my people.

God now makes a covenant with Moses. The Mosaic covenant is I will make the nation a “kingdom of priests” who will represent Him before the nations of the earth and demonstrate submission and obedience to Yahweh.

I've rescued you from slavery. You will be my people. I will be your God.

And now I want to teach you how to not live like slaves anymore. I want to teach you how to live freely and in relationship with me. And so he says, here are the laws.

As God gives these laws, this is what he is saying to them. The purpose of the laws are to form the people, to shape them in a way that the rest of the world would see who God is and what does it mean to live in relationship with him.

They say, we'll follow you. We got it. We're in.”

Now know how quickly they would break this covenant. They were not all in. As soon as adversity came they were in fact, out.

In the next chapter God gives the start of the law, the 10 commandments. He is trying to make it as easy as possible at this point. Start here… These are the basis for everything in my character that I want you to duplicate. Love me, don’t put other gods in front of me. Love your parents, your family, love others, don’t harm them or be jealous of them and take a day and rest.

Ex 19:11-15

11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.”

They are preparing to meet God and how many days is it until he comes. He is coming on the third day.

They have two days to prepare. And Moses tells them how to do it. Most of all, look and don’t touch. You can’t approach the mountain unless you are told to. And then wash your clothes. Stay pure and be ready.

The mountain was set aside for God’s presence.

So Moses goes back down the mountain and sanctifies the people.

He sets them apart.

2. Reverence for Revelation

Ex 19:16-25

16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and [c]the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”

23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Yahweh’s appearance is accompanied by thunder and lightning, a thick cloud, and a very loud trumpet blast. Such blowing instruments function to sound a powerful signal for all to hear, even over a considerable distance. The trumpet sound in this passage signals that the ban on touching the mountain is lifted, in fulfillment of its provision in Exod 19:13. The people may approach the foothill (v 17).

■ 17 In v 16 God makes his appearance on the mountain; in v 17 Moses leads the people up to previously forbidden ground to meet with God. Verse 17 lays out the fundamental understanding of worship as the people of God approaching the holy presence of God; in awe and reverence they stand at the foot of the mountain to worship God, who appears on the mountain.

The people are privileged to have an audience with God.

There is an interesting correspondence between the this appearance of God division of the tabernacle (the courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place)

There are three zones on Mount Sinai (the foot or foothill, the main mountain itself, and the top of the mountain).

The Lord’s self-revelation takes place in the summit, the most holy place, which is accessed by only one mediator, either Moses (v 20; 24:18) or the high priest. Only select leaders (elders or priests) are permitted to enter the holy place or the holy mountain (24:9–11).

The ordinary people are allowed to access only the outer court, where the altar of burnt offering is located, or the foot of the mountain, where an altar is built (24:4).

Moses’ task here is to lead Israel to their meeting with God. God, who is holy and majestic and transcendent, initiates this meeting.

God requires that the people be holy and that they approach him with reverence and care. Everything that takes place at the top and at the foot of the mountain is regulated by God; the people come to see God, to hear him speak and give instructions for their life in the world.

One commentary said…. This is an odd way of worship for most evangelical churches in the Western world. “Most of our worship takes place well short of the mountain, where we can seize and maintain the initiative, imagining God at our beck and call” \

The Holy God of Mount Sinai will have nothing to do with such worship programmed, controlled, and even manipulated by the worshipping community.

The Sinai accounts show that the presence of God comes to us in a variety of ways, whether “clothed” in a fire and violent earthquake or in quietness and gentleness.

There are dangers of not recognizing and rejecting God’s presence and work because of our hardness of heart. In the text, God comes with a sensory overloading display of power and glory, but the Israelite eyewitnesses still doubt and reject God.

For us, This dramatic encounter reveals the seriousness of God's call to holiness.

4. Consecrate: Set Apart Lives

Le 20:7

7 Consecrate[d] yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

CONSECRATION, a devoting or setting apart any thing to the worship or service of God.

The Mosaical law ordained that all the first-born, both of man and beast, should be sanctified or consecrated to God. The whole race of Abraham was in a peculiar manner consecrated to his worship; and the tribe of Levi and family of Aaron were more immediately consecrated to the service of God.

The New Testament furnishes us with instances of consecration. Christians in general are consecrated to the Lord, and are a holy race, a chosen people.

Ministers of the Gospel are in a peculiar manner set apart for his service; and so are places of worship.

This verse calls believers to consecrate themselves, suggesting holiness is both a status given by God and a daily practice. Christ's life and death exemplify perfect holiness and empower believers to pursue it in their own lives.

The verse speaks to personal sanctification, emphasizing internal transformation fueled by God's presence. It’s setting the people up for Jesus, who in His ministry, exemplified a life of holiness in a corrupt world, offering a model for us to emulate as we pursue sanctity amidst cultural pressures.

God through his son Jesus, calls us to be set apart from the ordinary, initiating a lifestyle of consistent devotion and faithfulness.

5. Obey: Live Out Holiness

Le 20:8

8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who [e]sanctifies you.

This verse links holiness with adherence to divine law, highlighting Christ's role in fulfilling the law and enabling believers to walk in obedience.

The challenge for us is to demonstrate our commitment to God's statutes in everyday actions, thus being a testimony to non-believers about the transformative power of faith in Christ.

Let me leave you with two quick points.

First the Lord God is holy and because he is holy we are to live in that holiness.

Holiness speaks of his uniqueness. The basic root idea of the word holy is to be set apart. So when God says, I am holy, what he's saying is, I am set apart from everything and everyone else.

There's none like me. I am totally other, I am totally different, I am totally unique, I am set apart, I am transcendent above the created order. I am holy, I am different.

Holiness is the chief attribute of God because it encompasses all of his other attributes.

What makes God unique? What sets God apart? w

Well, it's his justice.

It's his sovereignty. It's his kindness. It's his patience.

It's his grace. It's his mercy. It's his love.

It's his truth. I mean, all the attributes are summed up in the idea that he is holy.

And God desires to have a people that are set apart to reflect his nature to the rest of the world.

Here is the second point, God always sets His people apart with a purpose.

So when he says to Israel, you're going to be a kingdom of priests, what he's saying is, you're going to be a mediator. Don't miss this, it's so important. You're going to be a mediator between me and all the other nations.

You're going to show the other nations what I'm like, how great I am, by living according to my rules, so that they will have a desire to worship me the way you worship me. And so God's desire to set-apart the Jews as His chosen nation was not to say, okay, these are my people, I don't want anybody else. He set them apart, so that they could show how great He was to the other nations, so they would come and worship Him too.

He always sanctifies with a purpose. God just trying to steal people's fun.God showing the rest of the nations what it means when God is your king. What life looks like, how ordered and whole life is when you live according to God's commandments for your life.

God is a God that sanctifies. God is a God that sets apart.

He sets apart for purpose. Now, God sets us apart. We're followers of Christ, he sets us apart.

So what does that mean for us, what is the point.

Turn over to 2 Peter 1:1-11

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the [c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control [d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither [e]barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So God wants you to be holy, sanctified, set apart, so that you can get lost folks' attention. And say, hey, look at my life. This is the difference Jesus makes.

He changes me. He gives me hope and peace and joy and fulfillment and life and meaning and purpose and joy and all of that. And if you'll follow Jesus, you can get all of that too.

That's what our lives are meant to be. Sanctified, holy, different than the world, different than the ungodly. So the ungodly can see the difference that Jesus makes, right?”

And so that's what sanctification is all about. God wants to change you. He wants to transform you.

He wants to make you much, much different than you used to be. And much, much different than the ungodly folks that live around you. So that the ungodly folks that live around you will have a desire to taste and see that the Lord is good the way that you have.