The Holy Spirit Promise Part 9 (Holiness)

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The Holy Spirit Promise

(Part 9)

Good Morning – Welcome to Jesus Church

Jumping back in to our series on the Holy Spirit

• We have gone through who the Holy Spirit is
  • We have gone through what the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are
  • Still have a bit to go on all that…
• But my prayer is that we can live out and share these teachings
  • #1 reason for series: Surveys show most Xians know little of Spirit
    • And if Jesus gave us the Spirit as part of commission to work
      • • Many Xians don’t have all they need to succeed
        • Like you dig ditches for a living
        • Instead of a shovel… you use your hands
    • So our hope is not that this is just a good multi month series for you
      • But that this is something you take to the people you know
      • Because if you really care about someone
      • You’ll want to give them the tools to succeed

Now when talking about the Holy Spirit

And our desire is to grow closer in relationship w/ Him

• I believe one thing H.S. is stirring in us: Desire for Holiness
  • That we as a church would understand and live Holy lives
  • Focused on God and what He is calling us to do
• Makes sense that one of the things the Spirit is up to
  • Is to make you, me, and Jesus Church as a whole more Holy
  • And if we are going to operate in all of the “stuff Spirit does”
    • We have to grow closer to God – which means to be Holy
• Problem w/ idea of Holiness: It seems old, out of touch, unpopular
  • I think we think of the concept “Holier than thou”
  • And that it takes away from others… but Biblically it doesn’t
• Need to take this concept – Understand the life giving power in it
  • Holiness not some religious, legalistic, church of yesterday thing
    • So today we are going to look at Holiness
    • As a mid series context refresh before we get to deliverance
      • So lets start with prayer…
      • Then a 5 minute intro Video from “The Bible Project”
      • On Holiness – Super well done – Then go from there

[Pray]

[Video on Holiness – Bible Project]

• One thing about this video – Prophecy about the water
  • That was spoken prophetically over our church as well
  • That we would be a river of fresh water that brings life to salty
  • Those waters would be teeming with all sorts of life
• Now with all of the in the back of your mind
  • Lets dive into the scriptures
  • See what they have to say

Lev. 19:1

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy.”

The word HOLY in Hebrew is: Kadash

• One definition of Holy is – “Unique”
  • So the opposite of Holy isn’t necessarily “EVIL”
  • It’s to be common/ordinary/normal/how everyone else does it
• But Kadash also means: PURE – CLEAN
  • As opposed to: DIRTY – UNCLEAN
• Also means: GOOD – To be very special – Like no other
  • Theologians speak of God as the “OTHER” w/ capital O
  • Meaning he is like nothing else
  • He is unparalleled to any other being in the universe
    • He is the epitome of Good – God is Holy

So for US to be Holy means…

For US to be like God – Or to live in alignment w/ His character

• Early Church Theologians called this – Imatagio Dei (Imitation of God)
  • As God’s people we are to mirror what God is like to the world
    • God is holy – We are holy
    • God is just – we are just
    • God is merciful – we are merciful
• All through Leviticus 19 – Read this odd phrase “I am the LORD”
  • Examples…

V.3 – Each of u must respect ur mother and father, and you must observe my sabbath. I am the LORD your God.

V.4 – Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

• What an odd phrase – Like if I asked kids to do something
  • “Lyla: Go clean your room – I am Aaron your Father”
  • “Joey: Go do your home work – I am Aaron your Father”
  • “Michelle: Go make me dinner – I am Aaron your Husband”
    • Last one wouldn’t be odd – it would be deadly

OT scholar Chris Wright

All throughout the chapter runs the refrain “I am the LORD” as if to say: Your quality of life must reflect my character. This is what I require of you because this is what reflects me. This is what I myself would do.

TAG: So to be Holy is be like God

But also: To be Holy is to be more human – Not a common view of Holy

• As we become more like God… we become more like true self
  • This means as we become more Holy
    • Its not that we become a bunch of cookie cutter drones
    • We all like the same thing
    • We all listen to the same music… same clothes
• Instead we become more holy – SPECIAL/UNIQUE/DIVERSE
  • The variation in community goes up… not down
    • When we live as God intended we thrive as human beings
• That word Holy can be translated – WHOLE
  • When we live as God originally intended
    • We live as a WHOLE not just a PART
    • This is for us individually and as a community

Flip side: To be UNHOLY

Means to be unlike God – Out of sync with God’s character

• God is pure, holy, clean, just – Unholy is none of the above
  • God is just – Unholy doesn’t care about oppression/injustice
  • God is merciful – Unholy is Critical, unkind (especially online)
• To be Unholy is to be unlike God

But its also to be something less than human

• Think of word “Dehumanizing”
  • When a sin is so wrong, awful, upside down
  • We call it dehumanizing
• B/C when we sin – we don’t live how God originally intended
  • Could be in our body, mind, relationships, sexuality
  • As a result: We warp and distort ourselves of the life meant for us
  • And the society around us as well

This has tons of implications for us in our everyday life

When we sin – We sin against God (Needs to be said – Not how we think)

• Sin is 1^st & foremost offense against the God who made everything

Ps. 51:4 (NLT)

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.

Num. 32:23

But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

• And this isn’t b/c he is mean – uptight – bossy – religious rules God
  • It’s because He is Holy, clean, pure
  • Anything that is around God which is unholy
    • It is a direct offense against the God of the universe

When we sin – We sin again ourselves

• Sin isn’t just wrong b/c it’s off limits – It’s off limits b/c its wrong
  • It is not best for your life – It’s bad for you
  • So when I tell my kids not to play in the street
    • It’s not b/c I’m a legalistic dictator
    • Or b/c I don’t want them to have fun
      • It’s because I don’t want them getting hit by a car
      • I want them to have a long life – b/c I LOVE THEM
      • And honestly my kids don’t have the wisdom on own
• This is the idea behind all the commands in the scriptures
  • Example in 1 Corinthians by Paul
  • Writing about sexuality outside context of marriage
    • “But whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
• People who drink too much and get drunk
  • It’s sinning against your mind and your liver
• Fascinating language: B/C Sinning is an offense to God
  • But it is also an betrayal against the core of your humanness
  • We actually sin against ourselves
  • Which is why we are called to be HOLY

2 misconceptions on Holiness we must deal with

1 – Holiness is all what you shouldn’t do

In Reality there are 2 sides to Holiness

• First: To be set apart FROM the “WORLD”
  • It doesn’t mean set apart from culture or humanity
    • Means the pieces of culture at odds w/ ways of Jesus
    • To be Holy is to stand apart from brokenness of humanity
  • Here is what most of us think about Holiness
    • Don’t smoke or chew or go with girls that do
    • That’s how many of us gauge our holiness
      • If you don’t do bad things
      • If you aren’t addicted to anything
      • If you don’t cuss out people in traffic
  • If you don’t do these things: You are Holy
    • And all of that can be true
    • But it is only HALF the equation
• Second: To be holy is also to be set apart FOR “God”
  • To set apart a time, place, thing, mind, body, community to God
    • This is why you can have “HOLY THINGS”
• Think of Moses and the Burning Bush
  • God says “Take of sandals for this place is Holy Ground”
    • How can ground be Holy???
    • This is out in the desert – Sand is morally neutral
    • It isn’t good or evil… it’s just sand
    • But it can only be Holy b/c God is there
• In Leviticus there are Holy Pots and Pans & Cooking Utensils
  • How can you have a Holy Spatula… as far as I’m aware
    • Not a good spatula
  • And the evil spatula from Hell… it’s non-moral
    • But in world of Leviticus if something was set apart for God
    • If it was used in the temple for worship
    • Then that ordinary object can become Holy

Point is that Holiness is in the NEGATIVE and POSITIVE

• It’s about what we do – As well as about what we don’t do
  • It’s about being set apart from the World
  • It’s about being set apart for God in worship

2. Holiness is only individualistic – Prevalent in culture

Today we start w/ individual then work out implications for community

• Throughout most of history (Including ancient Hebrews)
  • Start with the community first
  • Then work out implications for individual
    • This isn’t the way we do it today in the world we live

Our Holiness or Unholiness: Whether we r pure or impure – clean or dirty

• It affects ourselves (Body, Mind, Family)
  • But it also affects community, city, neighborhood, church
    • So not a surprise that scriptures written by Hebrews
    • That Holiness has to do with relationships in community
    • Especially in relation to justice and mercy

Examples

V.3

Each must respect your mother and father

V.9-10

When u reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

V.11-13

Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

V.18

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but (Jesus famous line) love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

• Notice almost every command is about relationships in community
  • Specifically its about how you treat the unimportant people
    • Your enemy – The weak
    • The poor – Foreigner
    • The socially outcasts… the older generation
• So its about Justice & Mercy… but also Relationships w/ community

And Jesus has a ton to say about all this as well

• Luke 6 – Middle of famous teaching – Mostly on relationships
  • Right after speaking about how to treat poor, weak, enemy
  • Jesus gives this fascinating line…

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful… SOUND FAMILIAR???

• Jesus is actually “restating” Leviticus chapter 1 here
  • Any 1^st Century Jew would know exactly what Jesus doing here
  • Jesus is saying – Most important aspect of Holiness is Mercy
  • Saying Holiness is specifically how we treat
    • Poor
    • Social Outcast
    • Enemy
• To be holy is to show mercy
  • IN Jesus’ mind we are merciful because of one reason
  • Because the Father is what… MERCIFUL
  • Or as God says in in Leviticus – Be Holy because I am Holy

But there is one more thing to cover on Holiness

Turn to Leviticus 10 – In this I want us to see how big a deal this is

• It would be easy to think of course the pastor says “Be Holy”
  • Same old, Same old
  • But there is something crucial here to understand

Lev. 10:1-3

Aaron’s sons Nabad and Abiquiu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.

• These are the priests of Israel
  • Aaron is the first priest and his sons follow after him
  • And all of this was against the law God set up

So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said, ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.

This is a super heavy story – About worship of God in the tabernacle

• Story: Humanity left God with the choice of SIN in the garden
  • But God isn’t done – He desires to be with his people
  • So God sets up the tabernacle (Place of Meeting)
  • We see this theme of God pursuing us from very beginning
• The downside is if sinful people get to close to holy God – Not Holy
  • Like Aaron’s sons – You just do what you want… YOU DIE
    • But God doesn’t want that
    • He wants to be with his people
    • So he makes a way for that to happen – Through laws
• This is basically what Leviticus is about – Hard to see w/ all the laws
  • But what is going on is God making pathway into His presence
  • EXAMPLE of how to approach God/Presence

Lev. 16:2

The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

This is about a place God creates – Room in middle of Holy of Holies

• Had a thick curtain wall to keep people unholy out of God’s presence
  • Beginning film called it “Hot spot of God’s presence”
  • Entire temple and laws were a pathway to this place
  • They were series of cleansing stations
    • To make priest clean, pure and holy
    • So Priest could come into God’s presence
• There is an entire chapter about what they have to do
  • Special Holy Tunic… Sash… Turbin
  • Had to wash himself
  • Had to make a sin offering for self & community – burnt offering
  • List goes on and on

Point we have to see today – If nothing else

• Law wasn’t to pacify God’s anger… it was to experience His presence
  • We have to see this every time we read the OT
  • Law wasn’t b/c God was just waiting to lose His temper
  • It is to create a PATHWAY to experience God’s presence
• It was never – OT is the mean legalistic God / NT is nice loving God
  • There were people that tried to make it that (Pharisees)
  • But that was never what God intended for the law
  • Leviticus is probably most grace-filled book in the Bible
• Entire point of OT: Make a way for God to be with His people
  • The people who turned their back of Him

Now all of it was huge sign pointing to need for Jesus

Because God behind a curtain was never the endgame

• Jesus comes – Brings us to a place where God has fully come to man
  • But that doesn’t mean Holiness is less important now
  • If anything I would say it is more important

Heb. 10 – Book about reconciling OT law to NT living

• Says there was a time for priests, laws, sacrifices…
  • But that is no longer needed
  • Because Jesus is a better way
  • Jesus fulfills everything needed in the OT

Heb. 10:19 (Conclusing after 10 chapter on all this)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place (remember that) by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us (here is the point) draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

• Now because of Jesus life, death and resurrection
  • There is a direct path into the presence of God
  • We can now draw near to God
    • And you don’t have to come to church with a goat
    • You don’t have to stand in front of a priest
    • I don’t have to wear a weird turbin and sash
      • No matter where you are – church, mountain, bedroom, office
      • You can come boldly into the presence of God – Unashamed

1 Cor. 6:19

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…

• So the Spirit of God is no longer in the temple of Jerusalem
  • It is now in your body – mind – soul – heart
  • All you have to do is draw near to God

Heb. 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone (back to relationships) and to be HOLY; without holiness no one will see God.

Why: Because if you could care less about your community

• If it’s all about you – Your agenda, comfort, safety, life
  • You will look like everyone else in the world
    • Survival of the fittest… look out for #1
    • And that is NOT Holiness/Unique – It is common/everyone else
  • And people will absolutely see you
    • But they will absolutely not see God
• How can you fulfill the great commission if people just see you
  • You can’t – and you won’t

And it doesn’t say OTHERS won’t see God – It says NO ONE will

• Which means you as well – Not talking about salvation
  • It’s talking about fulfillment/wholeness
  • That if we don’t pursue holiness
    • We won’t relate God fully
    • We won’t walk in His power fully
    • We won’t experience fulfillment fully

End with this – Next verse

Heb 12:15-16

See to it that no on falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

Saying there are obstacles b/w you and God’s presence

• Jesus wants to crush and remove those obstacles (3 examples)
  • Bitterness or Unforgiveness – See that no bitter root comes up
    • Metaphor: Weed that starts small and gets out of control
    • Says it defiles MANY – This is an issue for a lot of people
    • This is an obstacle against the presence of God
      • Tears away that closeness to Him
  • Sexual Immorality – See no one is sexually immoral
    • Pornea: Any sexual outside context of man/woman married
    • All of that will keep you from fullness of God’s presence
    • Not from God’s love – From life sensing nearness of God
  • Godlessness – Doesn’t mean Athiest (Worldly or Unholy)
    • Idea is someone who lives as if God does not matter
    • Like God isn’t the most important thing in universe
    • As if pleasure and convenience of culture is more important
• All three of these look to destroy ur nearness to God – Relevant to all
  • These really are the greatest traps to hurt closeness to God
    • Bitterness – Family, Friend, Ex, Boss
      • That weed is choking out the life out of your Spirit
    • Sexual Immorality – The digital age is suicide for holiness
      • Male or Female
      • And sexual immorality is absolutely socially acceptable
      • Keeps tons of people away from God’s presence
    • Godlessness – This is the society we live in
      • Eat and drink for tomorrow we die
      • It is a temple to the God of selfishness

Whatever it is for u – These 3 or addiction to alcohol or pot or materialism

• Whatever is keeping u from saturating urself in God’s presence
  • Not being perfect – But setting yourself apart (Unique & Holy)
  • It is not worth it
  • God is so much more fulfilling that your temporary answer
    • Nothing better than Jesus