The Lord is Holy. The word holy basically means “set aside” or “separated.” You’ll find the word holy used over 431 times in the Old Testament alone, a sign that it’s very important to God and therefore should be to us. You see, God is Holy, He is set aside, separate from His creation. He is without sin, we are not. He is omnipotent, we are not. He is omnipresent, we are not. He created the world, we did not. He has perfect, limitless, patient love, we do not. He is worthy of worship and praise, we are not. The Lord is Holy.
But did you know that He called us to be holy as well? Listen to what God says about it:
“You shall be Holy for I am Holy” Lev 11:44, 19:2
“So we should live a life of holiness, at least as much as is possible with us.” 1 Peter 2:9
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, since it is written, “you shall be Holy for I am Holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer your spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5
But you might be asking, “If I’m born with a sin nature, that is, a propensity to rebel against God and His statutes, how can I possibly become holy? What a great question! Have you been studying your Bible? You see to better understand that question, you have to better understand just exactly how God can make us holy.
Most people think that when something is holy it is somehow magical. That if you were to be holy that you would float a foot off the ground and have a glowing halo. Or if water is holy that it can somehow better ward off vampires. Too many movies on both counts. Remember the meaning of the word holy is “set aside.” And for us, a more applicable human definition would simply be “set aside for the use of God.”
You see, there is nothing we can do on our own to be holy, but through God, He can allow us to become holy as we allow oursleves to be used solely by Him by becoming more like Him. Read this great quote from christianswanttoknow.com:
“God the Holy Spirit is the One Who works in us to sanctify us and make us more like God over time. Have you ever noticed that the Spirit’s name is always associated with holiness? Why isn’t it God the Holy Father and the Holy Son of God? Perhaps it’s because the primary work that the Spirit of God does is to make men and women holy by convicting them of their sin, bringing them to repentance and confession of sin, and driving them to the cross for the mercy of God through Jesus Christ while making them live a life that is more pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit then is designated as “Holy” because that is His primary work in the believer’s life. He is making us holy, day by day, and it takes a daily walk with God to stay focused on a Holy God.”
This morning in Exodus 39 we see the completion and presentation of the temple to God. All the planning, details and information that flowed from God to Moses, then Moses to the people and then finally from the craftsmen’s hands to completion, brings us right here to chapter 39. And the important thing to see is that even though it is nothing more than wood, gold, silver, bronze and linen, it is holy. It is set aside for the use of God. The temple is holy in that this is where the people will worship Almighty God.
If you go to church, the building is holy in that it is set aside for the use of God. The church vans are holy. The pews are holy. Even the carpet is holy. You see these common things can be holy, but they don’t have the Holy Spirit of God and we do. We are instilled with the Holiness of God to become more like Him in order to be used by Him to achieve work for His Kingdom.
Today if you have called upon Jesus as your Lord, you have the Holy Spirit living within you and you are called to be holy. But recall the other part of the definition, “to be separated.” As you walk this world today in holiness, you will be different than the world. If you are walking in the Holiness of God today, you will be very different indeed. The world is full of darkness, evil and sin, if you stand for Jesus and His ways, you will be separated quickly. Be ready to stand alone at times. Be ready to receive some stares. Be ready to even be hated. Be ready to have your holiness questioned. The ways of God are not the ways of the world. The darkness does not blend with the light.
Walk firmly today in the holiness of God. You are set aside for God’s use and to do that, you must be separated from a world that does not know Him.
Pray for each other as you stand firm in the Holiness of God.
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