Who Can Make You Holy?
Holy, Holy, Holy • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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For the last two week we have been talking about the holiness of God. Rememebr holiness means to be “set apart”, different… but God’s holiness also points to his character. No one has the character of God. He is perfect. He does not lie, he does not cheat, he does not change. If he said it, he will do it.
Two weeks ago we saw the holiness of God come down from heaven and it was seen in a burning bush before Moses.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
The presence of God came down into a burning bush and even the ground which was around the bush was holy…WHY? Because a Holy God was there. What about last week?
Moses and all of thiose who have traveled through the wildreness were given instruction of how to build a tabenacle that would move with them wherever the journeyed through the wilderness on ther was to the Promised Land. And as all of the details of the tabernacle were complete and they were careful put together, the holiness of God came into the tabernacle, the temple and resided there.
Look what it said in Exodus 40, when Moses finished the work…
Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.
The holiness of God was with them. They could see it with their own eyes. Cloud by day, fire by night, and when they came to a place and stayed for a while, that cloud, that fire, would come and rest inside the most sacred place of the tabernacle… the Holy of Holies.
The presence of God was there..they could see it.
But why in the bIble do they say HOLY three times? Many times it is declared… HOLY< HOLY< HOLY. Do they have to say it three times in case God did not hear them the first time? No. To proclaim HOLY HOLY HOLY in Scripture is recognized as the most respected way to declare his holiness.
Its the highest praise towards God that anyone can proclaim. That’s why what Isaiah saw is so important…. Isaiah 6:1-3
It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
These angels were declaring the HIGHEST Praise to the Lord because of his holiness.
We know that he is holy, right? We know that all glory and holiness is only from him right? But did you know that you can be holy as well? You can, and we are called to be holy. BUT WHO CAN MAKE YOU HOLY? That is the question for this morning. WHO CAN MAKE YOU HOLY?
First, lets stand up and declare what we beleive about the Bible.
***CREED
The Bible is The Word of God.
The Truth of the Bible will change my life.
Lord open my heart and awaken my mind
And give me grace to respond.
Change me for your glory and my joy, Amen.
Open you Bible to 1 Peter Chapter 1.
Peter is writing to a group of believers who are now living as foreigners in a land not their own. Today we can see this place as the country of Turkey. These people believed what they had been taught about Jesus. About his resurrection and a hope that was secure because they had put their faith, hope, and trust in Him.
So Peter wrote this letter to those people to encourage them to stay strong in their faith, but also to live their lives in a way that would be pleasing to God, who saved them.
Lets look at 1 Peter 1:13-21
So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. 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. 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.”
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
We have talked about the holiness of God. We have seen his holiness displayed when God came to the burning bush. We have seen the holiness of God as he came down to the tabernacle. We saw the holiness of God through the eyes of Isaiah as the angels flew around him declaring HOLY HOLY HOLY.
But now, Peter is telling these early believers that the holiness of God can be in them. How can that be? The bush and the ground that was made holy because of his presence, the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies made holy because of his presence, the throne of God that Isaiah saw made holy because of his presence, then how can WE be made HOLY?
Look at verse 1 Peter 1:13-14
So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. 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.
Peter list four things there that will help us to begin to live a life knowing that we can become Holy before our God. We need to prepare ourselves.
Think ahead and be ready
prepare your minds for action
Exercise self-control
Where does your hope reside?
Don’t go back
(1) Not long ago we talked about putting on the Armor of God. And we don’t put it on after we are under attack by the enemy, we do it before, so we are ready for the attack, we are prepared. When those fiery arrows begin to come from the enemy, we must be dressed and fully ready. So Peter tells them, prepare your minds for action. Get ready. Its coming.
(2) Exercise self control. This is simply staying true to who you are, no matter the temptation that may come. If you want o steal something, you know that stealing is wrong, so you say in your mind, no I will not do that, God doesn’t want me to do that. That is exercising self control.
(3) Remember where you hope is, your eternal hope, it is through salvation that you did not deserve but was freely offered.
(4) Then Peter says ‘don’t go back- go back to what? What you were before you came to Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Don’t go back to the time when you would satisfy your own desires, but stay in the rememberence of what he brought you from.
But look what he says here… 1 Peter 1:15-16
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.”
We are to be holy. How can that be? We know God is Holy, he is perfect, he is from everlasting to everlasting….HE IS HOLY… and here Peter say that we must be holy. Peter even points back to a time before in Scripture that we ar called to be holy. Where is this?
There are three different places in Scripture where this is said and here is one of them. Lev 11:44-45
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.
2. Look at the way you live your life
And we can see it in verse 1 Peter 1:17
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”
We are all temporary residents. You know this world is not our home. We were not created for this life only. How many years your alive is only a small piece of what you were created for. Everyone, will live for an eternity. You know this right? Peter says that for the time we are here on this earth we must have revenant fear. These words reverent fear point to a respect of God, not fearing him. That word fear doesn’t mean you are frightened… but that you hold him in the highest reverence.
But I want to make something very clear…listen… when it says…HE WILL JUDGE OR REWARD YOU ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU DO… that is NOT talking about salvation. This is not about you going to heaven or hell. If you are a Christian and you sin, and sin, and maybe even sin again, you will not be judged so that God will take heaven away from you. Or the same thing, if you are a sinner, and unbeleiver, and you are a nice guy and you give to the poor, but you never made Jesus your Lord and Savior of your life… you will not go to heaven.
THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS IS TALKING ABOUT!
Remember who he is talking to? Who? Believers, Christians. So he not talking about go to heaven, they are already on their way, but the New Testament talks about crowns that sone beleivers will enjoy in heaven, WHY? Because of their faithfulness here as “temporary residents.” Here’s an example:
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
And another
Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
For those who stand up in their righteouness, they will recieve crowns, rewards. What does that look like, I don’t know. But is important in our holiness to stay faithful and have reverant fear, respect, for our God.
So as a believer, how can we be considered holy?
Think ahead and be ready
Look at the way you live your life
We can only be holy, because he is holy
Look at verse 1 Peter 1:18-20
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
The very reason you can be holy, is because of what Jesus did. He shed his blood, a perfect sacrifice who did not deserve to die for you, but he did. And this was God’s plan before he created the world. He knew what Adam and Eve woudl do. He knew that his chosen people would turn away from him, he knew. But he had the answer, long before it was needed… and the answer was… JESUS. And he has been revealed to you.
He can make you holy. Only him.
What will you say to him today? Yes I want to be holy. I want to be set apart from the world. I want my life to show righteousness and faithfulness towards you.
Its up to you. What will your choice be. Turn to him, or turn away?
Peter quotes the words of the prophet Isaiah … 1Peter 1:24-25
As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
