A Call to Holiness

Capture

Has anyone ever had something they only take out on special occasions? Maybe is an outfit like a suit, or a dress. Maybe it’s a pair of boots or shoes they we don’t want to get dirty so we only wear them at certain times. maybe we SET IT APART to keep it better than the rest. THIS is exactly what holiness looks like.

So what is Holiness?

Holiness is a Chief attribute of God. The word Holiness or Holy occurs over 900 times in the bible. It comes from the greek work Hagious which literally translates to “to separate” or “to cut”…. “to set apart”.

Prayer

when i was little and my family used to go to North Carolina every summer. I love it. it’s a second home for me. we’d go hiking, play in all the water falls, horse back riding, visit the Indian reservations, and one of my all time favorites was rock mining.

whos ever been rock mining?

so for those not in the know rock mining is very simple

(EXPLAINE ROCK MINING)

you see i was separating what was clean from what was unclean I was making it…pure.

That how God has called us to live our lives. we’re meant to be different. we’re meant to look, act, talk, present differently. when we live holy lives we are showing the world that we’re “set apart”

Connect

Who’s ever had someone tell them. Gods got a plan for their life?

God’s got a plan for you. you are called. you have a gift and God’s going to show you how to use it. you have a purpose, you have to answer the calling God has on your life. Who’s ever heard those words. I know I have.

I have spent years of my life asking God to lead me and show me, reveal to me what he’s calling me to do. A lot of time we get soo distracted trying to always figure out what Gods called us to do that we completely ignore God’s very first calling on our lives. ther first calling God has placed on us is to live a life devoted to him. To live a life that is Holy.

And let me make this clear this calling isn’t a suggestion. God never once has said “if you love me, maybe keep my commandments.” no he said “you will keep my commandments.” it’s not a suggestion the call on our lives we should treat as commands.

Leviticus 11:44–45 NLT

For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground. For I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 NLT

God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.

Consider

why is this important today? Why is living Holy important?

we live holy because we were made in Gods image. we live holy because he is holy. because we want to be like him.

in Liviticus God calls Israel to be holy because He is holy. This foundational understanding sets the stage for all of us today to see holiness as a true calling of God. It’s about being aligned with God's distinct nature. The reason this is so important is because the world today is so far removed from anything holy that we as believers, we as disciples, we as the light of the world and salt of the earth have to be mindful of how we’re living.

Guys it’s harder today that ever before to live a pure and holy life. there’s distraction after distraction after distraction. everything we know is right the world says is wrong.

we have got to get our heads in the game

Peter tell us in

1 Peter 1:13–16 (NLT)

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control.

(we have to keep our minds, our thoughts, our wants focused on the wants and desires of God it’s literally a choice of if we do this or not)

Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. (if you tolerate sin you will conform to sin. jesus died to save us from this. does are actions reflect that?)

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

there is is again. “because I am holy” guys this is more than an ideal way to live and it’s waaaaaaay bigger than just being good. it’s about purpose, it’s about following Jesus’ example. Bottom Line HOLLINESS IS OUR CALLING!!!

Collide

so if we’re living holy lives it means we’re going to look different right? it means we cannot look the same as the darkness of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 (NLT)

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. ( some translations will say “don’t be unequally yoked meaning don’t hitch your horse to their waggon.)

How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them

and walk among them.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,

and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.

Don’t touch their filthy things,

and I will welcome you.

And I will be your Father,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!!!

again if you tolerate sin you will conform to it. that means we have to be extra careful with who we allow to have influence over our lives.

do we surround ourselves with God fearing men and women?

see here’s the thing about sin. see the devil knows we’re too smart sometimes. he knows he can’t just come up to use and be like “hey do you want to live a life of total destruction and have never ending addiction, and lose all your money, and your friends, and have never ending depression>”

we’re too smart for that right. no see the way he worse is by little bits of compromise. it’ll be something small juste like how he tricked Eve in the garden. but see what starts as what we think is harmless compromise always ends in partnership, from partnership to slavery. ask yourself can you honestly sit here and say “i can be around, be in, and take part of, and never ever comprimise my calling.” my bet if none of us can.

when we’re alone. outside of church back into our routine’s I know you can get overwhelmed by constant distractions like social media and culture slapping you in the face and everything to pull your focus off of God. Guys to live a Holy life we can’t do it without help. we absolutely must be able to hear and listen to the Holy Spirit. we have to spend time in prayer. UNINTERRUPTED prayer. we need to be in the word. we need to actively be seeking out ways to deepen our relationship with God. Maintain focused on His purpose, his calling.

everyone this time of year tries to use the new year as a time to make changes in their lives. we make resolutions, we make hastag new year new me post on social media. well start off this new year i want to challenge you guys to get rid of the things in your life that influence you away from God. figure out the things in your life you know by any biblical standard goes against Gods will for your life and get rid of it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be holy. Let’s start off 2025 “Set Apart”

Prayer