Well, we're here today to talk about a subject that has not been often addressed in the Church. In fact, I can't ever remember a sermon that I've heard addressing this subject. I'm sure it has, but I just haven't had that opportunity. And I think certainly in the Worldwide days this subject wasn't addressed because some people might think it was syrupy or "Protestant-ey" or Catholic or something like that. And, as you know, many times in the Worldwide Church of God we would run away from anything that smacked of Catholicism or Protestantism.
But in the Bible, the word "holy" or "holiness" or derivatives of the word "holy" appear over six hundred times in the Bible. So, if that's the case, then this whole concept of holiness should be important. If God chooses to mention it that many times, maybe it's something we should look into. Now, if you do a study—and I have read every verse in the Bible that has holy or holiness or any of the other derivatives—and as you go through it, certain patterns begin to develop. And the word "holy" can refer to many things.
Now, obviously, the first thing that would come to mind is God Himself. So, let's go to John 17 verse 11 and see where Christ, who shortly before He was betrayed was talking, praying with His Father. Notice what He says in John 17 verse 11. This gives us an indication of how Christ viewed His Father and how we should view our Father. He says:
John 17:11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world [referring to His disciples], and [He says,] I come to [you]. Holy Father, (KJV)
So, not only is He just a Father, He is a Holy Father. And then He goes on to say:
John 17:11b. …keep through [Your] own name those whom [You have] given me, that they may be one, as we are. (KJV)
And we pray; many times, we'll kneel down and we'll pray, "Holy Righteous Father," or "Great Holy God," or use the term "holy" relative to God Almighty. As well we should!
Also, the word "holy" obviously refers to the holy spirit. We know—we won't turn there—but in a few chapters back in John 14, Christ promised the "Comforter" and says, "Which is the holy spirit." And that is the same Greek word in "holy spirit" that was used in John 17 "Holy Father."
But notice Romans 1 and verse 4. Here it adds a new dimension to God's spirit in Romans 1 and verse 4. And it's easy just to read right over these verses and not think much about it, but notice this. Romans 1 and verse 4, he's introducing this epistle and he says referring to Christ:
Romans 1:4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJV)
So God's spirit is holy and, it is a spirit when you think about it, it is a spirit of holiness. That that spirit imparts holiness. And that is going to come into play as we go through the sermon.
Also, the angels are referred to as "holy." We won't turn there, but in Matthew 25 and verse 31, it says, "Christ is going to come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him," referring to the angels that did not follow Satan. We don't know the exact process and this is one of the big questions I have is they are referred now to as "holy angels" and how did that happen? It will be interesting, but they are holy.
Also "holy" refers to God's throne. We won't turn there, but in Deuteronomy 26 and verse 15, it says, "God looks down from His holy habitation." That means where He dwells. And, so, the area where God dwells is referred to as being holy. And we're going to see that it's holy because that's where He is. And that's an important concept that we'll develop as we go through.
This is all by way of introduction, but now we're getting to the point. Notice this in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 27. Paul is closing his Epistle to the Church in Thessalonica and notice what he says. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 27, right at the end of the epistle, Paul says:
1 Thessalonians 5:27. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. (KJV)
Wow! He's referring to human beings—us—as holy Brethren!
Now the Greek word for "holy" is Strong's number 40 and it's the Greek word hagios (hag'-ee-os). And it can mean pure. It can mean morally blameless. In other words, having all our sins forgiven, there is no blame imparted to us. Or it can mean someone who is deeply religious. And so, this Strong's number 40 is the same one that we referred to in John 14:26, the holy spirit; or in John 17 where Christ said, "Holy Father."
What a concept to think that God's people—us here, you out there—are "holy Brethren," holy people! But yet, if we look at ourselves, I think most of us don't think of ourselves as being holy. We just don't. And why is that? Well, in part because when we were called, we were anything but holy. And we were anything but righteous. I know when I was called I was anything but holy. And so you come into God's Church in that situation and we have a hard time after we've been in the Church a while thinking of ourselves as being holy.
Notice Ephesians 2 and verse 3. We are told—and this is one of the reasons why we don't view ourselves as holy:
Ephesians 2:3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past… (KJV)
This was before our conversion.
Ephesians 21:3b. …in the lusts of our flesh [which we did], fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (KJV)
And that's the way we were when we came into the Church. But you see when we came in, we were called with a calling that was holy. Let's go to 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9 and see that. And this is all by way of introduction. We were by nature the children of wrath. And, then, God called us individually with a calling that in and of itself was holy! 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9, it says:
2 Timothy 1:9. Who [has] saved us, and called us with a holy calling [hagios again], not according to our works, (KJV)
No, because our works where we were children of wrath.
2 Timothy 1:9b. …not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (KJV)
And so, we now are referred to as "holy Brethren." We didn't come into the Church certainly that way. We were given a holy calling. And so, Paul is saying, "I want this epistle read to the holy brethren," but then when we were called we were anything but holy. So the only conclusion that we can draw from this is the fact that between the time we're called and some point in our lives, we must become holy.
And that's the title of the sermon: We Must Become Holy. We are to Become Holy. And that's a concept, I think, that escapes us sometimes. It's a concept that maybe we've never thought about. That part of our calling is to go from the children of wrath to holy people. And what a transition! But what a blessing it is in God's eyes when He looks down from His holy habitation that He looks upon us as His holy people. The issue is we have to become holy. We have to attain that.
Now we are to become holy as God is holy. He is our example. Christ is our example. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 1 and we're going to read verses 15 and 16. There are two principles that saddle us here. One, that God is holy. And the second one is that we are to become holy. 1 Peter 1 verses 15 and 16, notice what Peter says.
1 Peter 1:15. But as he which [has] called you is holy, (KJV)
And we just read that that calling in itself is holy. He says:
1 Peter 1:15. [Because He who has] called you is holy [because God is holy, he says,] so be [you] holy in all manner of [conduct—everything you do];
16) Because it is written, Be [you] holy; for I am holy. (KJV)
He's referring to Leviticus 11 and verse 45. So the Being that called us is holy. He called us with a holy calling. And so, it is our responsibility through that calling to become holy through the power of the holy spirit.
We are to become holy men. We won't turn there, but in Titus 1 it talks about the qualifications of an elder. And one of the qualifications of an elder is to be holy. What a responsibility! People can say, "Well, yeah, but I'm not an elder." Well, women are called to be holy woman. Let's go to 1 Peter 3 and verse 5, just a couple of chapters over. Women are to become holy. Notice what he says.
1 Peter 3:5. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: (KJV)
And, of course, women have the ability through God's spirit to become holy women. And it's interesting that being in subjection to their husbands is one of the ways a wife can become holy.
Well, what about our children? Did you know the Bible says that our children are holy also? Let's go to 1 Corinthians 7. 1 Corinthians 7 investigates and Paul is discussing marriage. And he goes on to the subject of what about our children when one is converted and one is not. One mate is in the Church; one mate is not in the Church. Notice what he says. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 14, he says:
1 Corinthians 7:14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified… (KJV)
That means "set apart" for a holy purpose.
1 Corinthians 7:14. For the unbelieving husband is [set apart for a holy purpose] by the wife [by the converted wife], and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean [he says]; but now they are holy. (KJV)
And what this tells us is our children have the door open to the holy calling that we've already talked about. The door is open. And if they walk through that door, if they respond to the calling, then God considers our children holy also.
Men, women and children—we are to become holy men, holy women, and children, but the fact is, it is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen the minute somebody is baptized. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. Becoming holy is a process that takes time. Some of us longer than others, some of us are a little more thick headed. Some of us are almost dragged kicking and screaming into being holy, but that is the end result. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, it says:
2 Corinthians 7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved… (KJV)
Promises of salvation.
2 Corinthians 7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (KJV)
We have to change from the old person to the new person. We have to get rid of the filthiness that we brought in and the baggage we brought in when we were called into God's Church and converted. And we have to begin perfecting holiness in our minds, and, as we're going to see, in our words, in our deeds. And become holy.
But this, as I said, doesn't happen overnight. God is looking at us over time. And some of us it's been decade after decade after decade. He looks to see if we are perfecting holiness over that period of time. Are we becoming holy? Are we working on becoming holy? Are we getting rid of the unholiness in our lives?
Now, that leads to the question: How are we to become holy? How does it happen? How do we go about it?
Well, let's go to Romans 6 and verse 22. God looks, as we know, at our fruit. Christ said, "You shall know them by their fruit." Look at Romans 6 and verse 22. We're told:
Romans 6:22. But now being made free from sin, (KJV)
When we began to turn and follow God's way through the power of His spirit and through the blood of Jesus Christ, we can be washed from our sins.
Romans 6:22. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, (KJV)
Notice this!
Romans 6:22b. …[you] have your fruit unto holiness, and the end [of holiness is] everlasting life. (KJV)
So we have to become holy by exhibiting fruits of holiness. Just like Paul tells us that somebody who has sinned has to demonstrate fruits that show they've repented. That's one thing you look at say before baptism. Well, we're being told here that over time we must exhibit fruit that shows that we are becoming holy; we are becoming holy like God is holy.
Now, let's go back in the Old Testament to Numbers 15 and verse 40 and see an obvious way that we can become holy, Numbers 15 and verse 40. It is interesting that those without God's spirit can be considered "holy" by their conduct. Numbers 15 and verse 40, it says:
Numbers 15:40. That [you] may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. (KJV)
Now that tells us by keeping God's Commandments that is the path toward holiness. That was true for ancient Israel. But it is truer for us because we're being told that keeping God's Law makes us holy, but we, unlike ancient Israel, are to keep the Law in a new way. In a way that they couldn't, in a way that they were incapable of because we have had added into our mind and into our understanding a new dimension.
Now Paul told us that the Law is holy and—this is the key element—it is spiritual. The Law is holy and it is spiritual. Let's go to Romans 7 and we're going to read verse 12 and then jump to verse 14. The Law is holy. It was true for the ancient Israelites, but they didn't have the spirit to understand the Law in a spiritual way. They didn't have the spirit to obey the Law in a spiritual way. Romans 7 verse 12, it says:
Romans 7:12. Wherefore the law is holy [hagios again], and the commandment holy [same word], and [it's] just, and good. (KJV)
Verse 14:
Romans 7:14. For we know that the law is spiritual: [Paul says,] but I am carnal, sold under sin [apart from God's holy spirit]. (KJV)
And, so, we have to get through in our heads that not only is the Law holy, the Law is spiritual.
And Christ in His very first sermon expanded and amplified the Law into the spiritual realm. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, we understand Christ is saying, "You've heard it said that 'If you commit adultery, it's a sin.'" But He's saying, "I'm telling you that what goes on between your ears, you can commit adultery in your head." And that's a spiritual concept. So, He added a dimension. He says, "You've heard of old, 'Love your brothers, hate your enemy.' I'm saying to you that if you're angry with your brother, that's hate in your mind." And He added a spiritual dimension. And He emphasized what we think. Not just what we do, but what we think. And He emphasizes our motives in doing what we do. Are our motives clean and pure? Or do we have an agenda to undo somebody; to do dirt to somebody, as we would say?
So, now, we understand as we are converted over a longer period of time that we should keep the Law not just only with our physical deeds—whether we show up a services, or whether we tithe or whatever it might be—but with our hearts and with our minds. We have to obey God's Law internally in our hearts, in our minds, in our motives. And that is only possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is only possible through His spirit in us.
Let's go to Colossians 1 verses 20 through 22. We can only become holy through the spirit that we have been given which is holy. Colossians 1 verse 20, notice what it says.
Colossians 1:20. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, (KJV)
We are reconciled to God through the shedding of Christ's blood.
Colossians 1:20b. …by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21) And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies [Notice!] in your mind by wicked works, [He has now] reconciled (KJV)
He says, "Not only were your works wicked, but the thoughts, the motives behind the works were also wicked." That's in the spiritual realm. Verse 22:
Colossians 1:22. In the body of his flesh through death, (KJV)
Christ made that sacrifice. Notice the purpose of it.
Colossians 1:22b. …to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (KJV)
So, when we are washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, when we have His spirit in us, when we have a clean heart and a clean mind, we become holy. And the more we do that, the holier we become.
And it's a concept that we need especially in these end days. As Neil was talking about in the sermonette, we're in the Laodicean Era. We need to become holy. We need to have God at the end of these days view His children as being holy. Otherwise, we will not make it!
Now, let's ask this question: If we are to become holy, what areas should we focus on that would help us to become holy as we live in these end days? If we want to be like God, if we want to be like Jesus Christ, what are some areas that we should pay particular attention to?
Now the list that I'm going to give you, the points we're going to go over are by no means comprehensive. You could spend ten sermons on how to become holy and get into specifics in various areas, but we're going to cover just a very few. I believe these are areas that we need to focus on as we live in the Laodicean Era.
The First One:
I. We must become holy in our thoughts, in our minds.
We must do that. We have to do that. We can't live a double standard—appearing holy on the surface, but down inside being anything but!
Remember Christ in Matthew 23 railed on the Pharisees? He said, "You're like whitened sepulchres. You're just this beautiful white-washed mausoleum, but inside it's full of rotten bones and ooze and goo." And He said, "You're like that." And we can't be that way.
Let's go to Colossians 3 and verse 12, just two chapters over. I'm going to read it out of the New King James. Notice what it says. He's telling us that our thoughts are important. Colossians 3 and verse 12:
Colossians 3:12. Therefore, as the elect of God, (NKJ)
And notice he calls the elect of God:
Colossians 3:12b. …holy and beloved, (NKJ)
We want to be viewed by God as holy and beloved. He says, "I'm telling you, the elect of God, if you want to be holy," he says:
Colossians 3:12 continued. …put on tender mercies, [put on] kindness, [put on] humility, [put on] meekness, [put on] longsuffering; (NKJ)
All of those, all of these holy characteristics begin in the mind, begin in our thoughts. Do we have merciful thoughts? Do we have humble thoughts? Do we have kind thoughts? Do we have thoughts of long suffering and forbearance, putting up with the faults of others? Do we do that?
We need to be constantly aware of where our minds are. It's a psychological term. It's called self-awareness or mindfulness. Meaning: we have to be able to look at our minds and analyze "Where have my thoughts been? What am I thinking about? Is what I'm thinking about holy or unholy? Is what I'm thinking about spiritual or is it carnal?" Not to say we have to think thoughts in our work and business and in grocery shopping and all of that. Yes, we have to think about physical things, but the point is "Are our thoughts overall, are they spiritual? Or just totally carnal? Are our thoughts outgoing toward others? Or is it all selfishness and coming into ourselves?"
Or sometimes it happens with me, my mind will drift on a subject and I'll think, "Where did that come from? How did I get on this subject?" A totally carnal thought or whatever and we know where that thought came from. It comes from our human nature. It comes from our adversary, but we need to be self-aware that we're having these thoughts and we need to get rid of them. We need to ask God to rebuke them and flush them out our mind.
So, we need to evaluate ourselves, say at the end of the day, maybe in our evening prayers given that day, "How much time have I spent thinking holy thoughts versus carnal human thoughts that are selfish or vain or hostile or whatever it might be?" So, we need as we get closer toward the end time, we need very much to evaluate our mind to see "Is our mind becoming more holy over time or is it becoming more worldly, more carnal over time?"
So, that's the First Point. We have to be holy in our thoughts.
The Second is that:
II. We have to become holy in our words, what we say.
Because Christ had a lot to say about our words. Notice Luke 6 and verse 45. Here's a principle that Christ gave early on in His ministry and something that we would well take heed of and evaluate ourselves often. Luke 6 and verse 45, He says:
Luke 6:45. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart [brings] forth that which is good [fruits again]; [but] an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart [brings] forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth [speaks]. (KJV)
So in our heart and out of our mouth should come holiness. If the words that come out of our mouth are carnal, what Christ is saying is we have to be careful because we speak from the heart. And if we have carnal stuff coming out of our mouths, that means that our hearts are carnal, our minds are carnal. And what we should have coming out of our mouths are holy things, righteous things, good things.
Remember—we won't turn there, but—in James chapter 1, James said, "If any among you seem to be religious and you don't bridle your tongue," he says, "You're deceiving your own self, your deceiving your own heart, and your religion is in vain." That's James 1 and verse 26. But then he adds to that in chapter 3 of James. Let's go there and we're going to read the first part of this, read the first thirteen verses. And let's analyze it from the concept of being holy in what we say, holy in our words. James 3 verse 1, the first thing he says is "Those of you who want to be teachers, you had better be careful because you are judged to a greater degree than those who don't."
James 3:1. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (KJV)
For those who get up and speak, it's a terrible responsibility because you don't want to lead anybody astray. You don't want to say something that is hurtful.
Verse 2:
James 3:2. For in many things we offend all. If any man [doesn't] offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and [also] able to bridle the whole body. (KJV)
And all of us have offended people in the past. We have! And I just grieve over the times that I've offended people and inappropriate words have come out. Or you speak from anger or frustration or fatigue or whatever it might be. And so, we're all guilty of that.
Verse 3:
James 3:3. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they obey us; (KJV)
"And with a small bit," he says, "you can turn a big horse around."
Verse 4, he says, "It's the same way with ships." He says, "The rudder is a tiny little thing, but if the master of the ship wants that ship turned, he turns that tiny little rudder and the whole ship heels about."
Verse 5:
James 3:5. Even so the tongue is a little member, [but it boasts] great things [he says]. (KJV)
Verse 6, he says:
James 3:6. And the tongue is a fire, (KJV)
Boy, talk about condemning our mouths! He says:
James 3:6. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it [defiles] the whole body, (KJV)
This one little thing can defile an entire body!
Verse 7, he says:
James 3:7. For every kind of beasts, [or] of birds, [or] of serpents, [can be] tamed, and [has] been tamed of mankind:
8) But the tongue can no man tame; (KJV)
That's true. No human being can. God can. God's spirit can, but not a human being.
James 3:8b. …it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (KJV)
And he says, "Therewith." He's talking now to converted people. He says:
James 3: 9. Therewith [we] bless God, even the Father; (KJV)
"And out of that same mouth, out of that same tongue," he says, "we curse men, which are made after the similitude of God or in God's image." Verse 10:
James 3:10. Out of the same mouth [proceeds blessings and cursings. He says,] My brethren, [this] ought not to be. (KJV)
We can sometimes be kind and then other times we can just offend and romp and stomp on people. And he said, "How can two different things come out of the same mouth?"
Verse 11, he says:
James 3:11. [Does] a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? [Is that possible?]
12) Can the fig tree … bear olive berries? [He says, No, it can't happen.] [Can] a vine [bear] figs? [He says,] so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. (KJV)
And what he's implying is that somebody who is truly holy is not going to exhibit characteristics of carnality and filthiness because he's saying, "Out of the heart the mouth speaks."
And we've all been there. We've praised God in our prayers in the morning and yet, we judge and condemn others in our words in the afternoon. We respect God and we honor Him in our prayers and then in the afternoon, we use euphemisms that show great disrespect to God. We say we are Christians and, yet, sometimes we even blaspheme.
And James is telling us that this should not be. You can't have bitter and sweet coming out of the same fountain. So, the heart is going to be one way or another ultimately. So, we need to analyze our words.
I try to do that. When I get into a situation or look back over my conduct over a period of time or I'm in the middle of something, I think to myself, "Now, what would Christ say right now? What would Christ do? What would He say or how would He say it? With what tone of voice? With what facial expression? What would Christ do?" Because what we want to come out of our mouths is what Christ would speak, because He is holy and we're working to be that way.
And we have to ask ourselves, "Is my heart, is my mind constantly on God? Do I think a lot about His Plan of Salvation? Do I think a lot about His blessings? Do I think a lot about His guidance and ask what would He do? And do I analyze myself, my thoughts, my deeds, my words in accordance with His Word?"
If my mind is on God, then my heart will speak accordingly. If my mind is on the matters of the flesh, my heart will speak accordingly. And so, if we're to become holy, we will have a holy heart and our words will reflect that. And that's what we need to work on as we get closer to the end. "Is my mind, are my words, is my heart holy in God's eyes?"
Now, we're talking about tongues. How much more should we direct our tongues during holy time like today? We're going to talk about that in just a second. Should our words, even during holy time, should our words not be more holy than they would the other six days of the week?
And that leads us to the Third Point.
The Second One being: We have to become holy in our words.
The Third:
III. We must become holy in our worship of God.
In how we worship God! It must be holy. It must be pleasing and acceptable to Him. Let's go to 2 Peter 3 and verse 11. Peter is just referring to the fact that everything physical is ultimately going to be burned up. He's talking about the end of days. I'll read it out of the New King James. 2 Peter 3 and verse 11, he says:
2 Peter 3:11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved… (NKJ)
Meaning the physical universe is going to be burned up at some point. He says, "Since this is going to happen," he asks the question:
2 Peter 3:11b. … what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (NKJ)
Good question! What manner should we be in holiness and godly conduct? And remember—we know this by heart—Exodus 20 and verse 8. "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy." That's part of holy conduct. That's part of rejecting the thoughts and the motives of the Laodicean Era and become holy in God's sight especially in our keeping of the Sabbath, because the Sabbath is holy time. The time becomes holy. And we are judged by how we keep that time.
Now let's go back to Numbers chapter 15 and see how God views this holy time and the seriousness with which he views this time. Numbers 15, we're going to read verses 32 through 36. Israel is tromping through the wilderness and notice what happened. Verse 32 of Numbers 15:
Numbers 15:32. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. (KJV)
He's just wandering out gathering sticks to make a fire. Verse 33:
Numbers 15:33. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34) And they put him in [a] ward, (KJV)
Meaning they held him captive.
Numbers 15:33b. …because it was not declared what should be done to him. (KJV)
"What do we do with a guy that's breaking the Sabbath? Working, gathering sticks on the Sabbath?" Verse 35:
Numbers 15:35. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones [outside] the camp. (KJV)
And in verse 36, "And all the congregation [took him outside] the camp, [they] stoned him with stones, [that] he died; as the [Eternal] commanded Moses."
Now, God did this so that everyone had a hand in the death of this individual. Everyone saw what became of a man that broke the Sabbath. And in this day and age, it sounds so harsh, but the fact is it's an example to us how God views the Sabbath, how God wants us to keep the Sabbath holy and not do things like the equivalent of gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day. And so we have to understand how seriously God views the Sabbath and we have to ask ourselves, "Do we honor God on the Sabbath by keeping the time holy? Do we do that?"
I'm here to tell you that the Laodiceans don't. The Laodiceans are lax. The Laodiceans tend to be worldly. "Don't tell me what to do. I don't need anything." And that's the attitude at this end time. We have to be, you see, just the opposite if we're going to be holy in God's eyes.
The Sabbath, when we come together on the Sabbath, it is a holy gathering. The gathering, the coming together is holy. Let's go to Leviticus 23 and see the first three verses—1, 2, and the beginning of verse 3. God is establishing a principle here that we hold today, that we understand applies today. Leviticus 23 verse 1:
Leviticus 23:1. And the [Eternal spoke to] Moses, saying, (KJV)
Verse 2 of Leviticus 23, He says:
Leviticus 23:2. [I want you to speak] unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which [you] shall proclaim to be holy convocations, (KJV)
Now the word "convocation" in the Hebrew means it is "something called out." Or in other words it is "a public meeting," a convocation where the public comes and gathers. And they are called out into this place. They're called away from their normal residences where they live to a special meeting place.
And He says:
Leviticus 23:2b. …[you] shall proclaim [this] to be [a] holy [convocation], even these are my feasts. (KJV)
Then He applies it direct to the Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:3. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation [a holy coming together, a holy coming out]; (KJV)
The Hebrew word for holy here is Strong's 6944. And it means consecrated or set apart for a holy purpose.
And what God is telling the Israelites is "The Sabbath is holy. The time is holy. And we're going to gather together on the Sabbath as a group. And that group at this point during this worship service is set aside for a holy reason or for a holy purpose."
And we are told that where we meet becomes a holy place. Now here we're in a Masonic Hall. And God is saying though to us that where we come together becomes holy.
Let's look at—we won't turn there, but—remember the incident of the burning bush in Exodus 3. We understand that when God was in the burning bush and we understand that Moses was walking up saying, "I've got to see this thing," he hears this voice coming out of the burning bush. And what was the first thing that he was told? "Take your sandals off your feet." And Moses, I'm sure he had a quizzical look. "Well, why should I do that?" And remember God said that "The ground you are standing on is holy ground."
Now why was it holy ground? Was the sand holy? Were the rocks holy? Of course not! The ground was holy because God was present there. The ground was present because God was right there nearby.
Now where we meet for the Sabbath, whether it's a home or whether it's a hotel or whether it's a hall like this becomes holy because God is here. Look at Matthew 18 and verse 20. Christ was trying to get this concept across to His disciples. I'm sure you know where we're going here. The ground was holy because God was present. Notice Matthew 18 verse 20:
Matthew 18:20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the [middle] of them. (KJV)
That means if Christ is here, which He certainly is, then this place becomes holy because Christ is here. His holiness makes this place holy. Not that there's anything special about the walls or the floor or the ceiling or anything like that, but it is because He is here. Let's understand that. God is present with us when we gather together to worship Him. Therefore, the place where we gather together is holy because God and Christ are here with us.
And we are judged by how we reverence this place. Meaning: not the physical building, but how we reverence the place in the sense of how reverent do we come in and how reverent are we during services and how reverent are we in our fellowship before and after services.
Let's go to Leviticus 19 and we're going to read verse 30. This is also repeated in Leviticus 26 and verse 2. Leviticus 19 and verse 30, this is a Commandment about how we should keep the Sabbath. It says:
Leviticus 19:30. [You] shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the [Eternal]. (KJV)
Now the Hebrew word for "sanctuary" is Strong's 4720 and it's miqdash or miqqedash (mik-dawsh'). And it means a holy thing or a holy place, or a consecrated thing or a consecrated place.
And He's saying, "You need to reverence on the Sabbath, the place where you are called to meet." Not only is the time holy, but the place is holy.
So, today where we meet to worship becomes a holy place. And as I said, it could be in a home. And if you read the New Testament, you quickly understand through the epistles that church services were held in homes. And we're kind of coming full circle now because in the scattered condition of the Church in many cases, we're meeting in homes. We did that during the two Sabbaths that we were in Illinois and Wisconsin—met in homes. And so that home becomes holy because God and Christ are there and we're worshipping them. And, therefore, the place becomes holy. And He says, "I want you to reverence this holy place."
So, how do we do that? Well, we're judged by our words on the Sabbath in this holy place during this worship service, during the fellowship before and after. Let's go to Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and read the first two verses. This is an admonition by Solomon. God is inspiring him to say, "Look when you go into the Temple, you had better be careful!" And the same would apply today. When you come to services, be careful! Ecclesiastes 5 verse 1, it says:
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep [your] foot… (KJV)
Meaning: "Watch your step!" we would say today. Ecclesiastes 5 verse 1, he says:
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep your foot [watch your step] when [you go] to the house of God, and [he says,] be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. (KJV)
Verse 2, he says:
Ecclesiastes 5:2. [Don't be] not rash with [your] mouth [watch what you say], and let not [your] heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: (KJV)
Because we know out of the heart, the mouth speaks. In other words, consider what you say before you say it.
Ecclesiastes 5:2b. …for God is in heaven, and [you're] upon earth: [he says,] therefore let [your] words be few. (KJV)
Because he's saying, "If we talk enough, we're going to sin." There are many Scriptures that say that. And so He says, "When you come to worship Me in this holy place, be careful! Watch your words. Watch what you say."
So, we're judged by the words that we say on the Sabbath. Are they uplifting? Are they outgoing concern for others? Do they add to a positive aspect to the atmosphere? Are they words that are on God and Christ? And that's not to say we can't ask, "Well, how was your week?" or "How have you been feeling?" or all that. But if we can go for two or three hours on the Sabbath and never even talk about God or talk about the services or talk about what we're studying or get involved in God's Word, then we're getting off track. We're becoming Laodicean. So, we have to be very careful. We are judged by our words on the Sabbath.
We are also judged by our dress on the Sabbath. And I have to say that I've been in Church services in the past where people walked in in sweats and flip-flops on the Sabbath. That happened back in the seventies and eighties. Well, not the seventies, but the eighties and nineties, it happened.
I can also remember being at the Feast in a couple of locations back in the seventies, late seventies and early eighties. And we happened to, Dorothy and I happened to be sitting where the teens sat. And it was just—you couldn't concentrate! They were passing notes and giggling and talking and doing anything but worshipping God! And their parents were nowhere to be found. And it just turned into a riot up there in the bleachers because—and also because, frankly, the way they dressed.
The problem is today—and we're influenced by our society—remember today America dresses like slobs. You go into stores, you take an airplane, take a train or whatever and you see people just dressed like slobs. And we are influenced by that.
If you look at pictures of the crowds at ballgames back in the 1920s and 1930s, one thing that strikes you when you look at the crowds: they're all dressed up! The men are in coats and ties, hats. At a baseball game!
And I can remember when I used to travel a lot and started traveling. People dressed up to travel on an airplane. People dressed up to travel on a train. But today, you go on an airplane or a train and you can see just about anything. You'll see some things you really don't want to see. We do; we just dress like slobs! And it affects us—God's people. We are influenced by that.
And, frankly, in the Church, some Brethren have come to Church very casually. No coats, no ties, sometimes dressed way down because they're making a statement. They're making a statement erroneously that "I'm not honoring men. So, therefore, I'm not going to dress up," as though they're coming before men. We don't come before men on the Sabbath. We don't come before each other on the Sabbath to impress each other. We come before God Almighty! And we cannot forget that!
So, if we come before God Almighty, would we not want to wear the best that we have? And I'm not putting down somebody who doesn't have the money to own a coat or a tie or the latest fashions. I'm not saying that at all. But we would dress in the best way that we could.
Now, we saw the Royal Wedding here a while back, a few months ago. And, obviously, people were dressed to the hilt. And if you were to come before the Queen of England, if we were ever invited to appear before the Queen, would we come in sweats and flip-flops? I don't think we would. Well, if the Queen is just a human, then how much more should we dress the best that we can to show respect to God and Christ whom we come before here at services? And I'm not saying "Turn again to an Easter Parade" like happens in the worldly churches, but I'm saying we should come in a respectful way, dressed accordingly. We are judged by our conduct.
And we've all been—at the Feast I was mentioning in the 1970s, teens were laughing, talking, walking around. And, yet, there's a guy down there trying to teach them about God and we're at a service where we're trying to worship God Almighty. And today, we see cell phones going off in Church sometimes. I don't think anybody does that on purpose. I've done that. I've had a cell phone go off while I was up there speaking! And it's very embarrassing, but that's a distraction. We also see today people out there texting out in services. To look out and see somebody out in the audience texting on their cell phone during worship service! Or with a computer up playing a video game or doing something like that, checking e-mail during services. And what does that say? Is our conduct holy at that time? Are we respecting the Sabbath?
Remember the Sabbath Day is a test command. It is an absolute test command. Let's go to Exodus chapter 31, just as a reminder. I know you know this. Exodus chapter 31 and we're going to read verses 16 and 17. We know the Sabbath was in effect long before ancient Israel came together as a nation, long before this Scripture was written, but notice Exodus 31 verse 16. It's just a reminder.
Exodus 31:16. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, (KJV)
And we are spiritual Israel. We keep the Sabbath.
Exodus 31:16b. …to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (KJV)
"Perpetual" means ongoing forever.
Verse 17:
Exodus 31:17. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: (KJV)
Why?
Exodus 31:17b. …for in six days [I] made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day [God says, I] rested, and [I] was refreshed. (KJV)
So, the Sabbath identifies us as God's people. And on the Sabbath, we're saying, "I’m going to go worship God Almighty, the One who is responsible for calling me, for this Plan of Salvation, for giving me His spirit, and Jesus Christ who sacrificed for me." And so, what we should always keep in mind is that in our keeping of the Sabbath, we show God whether we want to be His holy people. He says, "It's a sign between Me and you." And so the manner in which we keep the Sabbath tells God, shows God by our fruits whether or not we want to be holy, whether we want to be His holy children, whether we want to be with Him forever.
And so, let's understand this Third Point that we need to honor God and worship God in a holy manner on the Sabbath and to keep the Sabbath holy.
The Fourth and Last Point:
IV. We must become holy in our diligence to the details of living God's way.
To the details of living God's way! We won't go back there; we read earlier Numbers 15 and verse 40. "Do all My commandments and be holy." It means "all My commandments. Not just a few. And it means all My commandments to the last detail.
Holy in our prayer, holy in our study—in other words, our prayer and our study should be concentrated. We should be focused. We should be respectful. Not laying there in the easy chair at the end of the day and we're so tired we can't even keep our eyes open. And we're just kind of flipping through and just going through the motions or the same way with prayer. We've all been there praying and, yet, the back half of our mind is on something else. The back half of our mind is what I need to do in the next ten minutes, or I need to go here and do that. And we have to just grab the mind and bring it into control and focus on the fact that we're talking to God Almighty and what a blessing it is! So we need to be holy in our attention to the details of prayer and study.
We need to be holy in our tithing because like the Sabbath, tithing is a test command. We don't have time to get into that today. I'm working on a sermon on that, but tithing is a test command. Let's go to Matthew 23 and verse 1 to set the stage and then we're going to jump to verse 23. Christ is saying, "I want you to pay attention to the details because that tells Me 'Do you really want to be holy? Do you really want to delve into the details to be holy in everything you do?'" Matthew 23 verse 1:
Matthew 23:1. Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, (KJV)
And then he goes on to rail on the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. Verse 23:
Matthew 23:23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, [He says, you're] hypocrites! [He says, you] pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, (KJV)
And they literally would take the leaves and one leaf over here and nine leaves over there and one leaf over here and nine leaves over there. They would go to that detail in tithing. He says, "You do that." He says, "You pay tithes of these tiny little herbs, but:
Matthew 23:23b. …[you've] omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: (KJV)
But notice what He says!
Matthew 23:23 continued. …these ought [you] to have done [judgment, mercy and faith—the weightier matters of the Law, but He says, "I don't want you] to leave the [others] undone. (KJV)
So Christ is saying, "I want the details and I want the weightier matters. I want the big picture. I want the small details. I want you with a telescope, I want you with a wide-angle lens and I want you with a microscope in everything you do as far as your obedience to Me."
You see when God is—when we're—I'm saying this badly.
One of the definitions of character is what you do when nobody's watching. And sometimes we personify God and we think, "Hey, I'm here by myself and I will go do this." And we forget the fact that God is watching. We're not hiding it from anybody. Especially the One that counts! The One that either says, "You're welcome into My Kingdom," or "Hey, there's this fire here and I'm going to toss you in it."—He is the One that counts!
And so, in the details, in our diligence to the details, in our being holy, we have only one Person that we want to please and that's God Almighty. Not a human being. Not another human, but God Almighty. Of course, we know that God is always watching us. And by our fruits, we show Him every day whether we're going to be holy or not.
And we have to ask, "Is this book I'm reading holy? Would a holy man or a holy woman read this book? Would a holy man or a holy woman watch this TV program? Would a holy man or a holy woman be in this place?" And sometimes you just go into places that are not good. And we need to get out. We're watching something we shouldn't be watching. We need to get out. And we have to ask that question.
God is not only concerned with the big picture but the details also. And we have to do both. And so we need to remind ourselves, "Am I holy in the details? Am I holy in the mint, anise, and cummin?" And we have to ask ourselves that. And we should get better at it, more holy at it the longer we're in the Church.
So let's wrap this up. Let's conclude now.
Remember that becoming holy is a process. It does not happen overnight, but we should become more holy over time. And God's view on us is decades long. It would be centuries long if we lived that long, but we don't anymore. So, God views us, not only at the start of our lives, but He is most emphatic in how He wants us to end our lives. So, He gives us time to become holy when we started as anything but holy.
Now, as we get closer to the end time and as the Church gets older—I would venture to say the average age of the Church is in the fifties or sixties—as we get older, we know that tomorrow could be our last day—health wise, heart attack, whatever it might be, car wreck. We don't know when the end is going to come. God does.
You look at the world today and what's going on in the world and just even this last week, this house of cards of getting shakier and shakier—the potential of defaulting on the debt and the catastrophic thing that happen there, what's going on in Greece. The four nations—they're called PIGS—Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain, and those could fall. Greece cannot—I don't care what they say—Greece cannot pay its debt. They're just kicking the can down the road. You look at the numbers. There is no way Greece can pay its debt. That's hanging out there.
And you look at what's going on in the United States. You look at the disasters and the floods. We flew into St. Louis and looked down and the Mississippi and the Missouri are way off their banks. You see roofs of houses—houses underwater, just the roof sticking up. You see where the bank used to be and where it is now, maybe a half a mile away, a quarter of a mile away. Ands everything is underwater. And then in Texas, they're having the worst drought they've ever had. And the list goes on and on and on and on.
And so we don't know when the house of cards is going to get tipped and God's going to say, "Enough is enough." We don't know when the end of our days are, health-wise or otherwise. But the fact remains is that we should become holy over time. It is a process, but when we see the end coming, either because of our age or because of the society in which we live in, then we need to light the afterburner. We need to get moving. We need to evaluate and examine ourselves and ask ourselves. Am I becoming more holy over time?
Let's go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. This will be the final Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 3 and we're going to read verses 12 and 13. The Church there, and we today by extension, is being encouraged to become holy. And we should take this to heart in these end times. 1 Thessalonians 3 verse 12, Paul is saying:
1 Thessalonians 3:12. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, (KJV)
And we try to emphasize that. We try to—I think everybody who speaks, all of the Brethren try to show this love one toward another.
1 Thessalonians 3:12b. …and toward all [It says.]… (KJV)
The word "men" is in italics. And he's saying, "So, the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward another and toward all even as we do toward you," Paul is saying. Verse 13, he says:
1 Thessalonians 3:13. To the end… (KJV)
That's what he's telling us, this is the goal.
1 Thessalonians 3:13. To the end that he [God] may [establish] your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (KJV)
This is the goal—to be holy and to have our hearts unblameable and holy before God. That is the goal.
So, let's keep in mind that one of the purposes we're here on this earth is to change from the old to the new, to change from the filthy to the holy. And every day, let's evaluate ourselves and ask, "Am I becoming the holy man or woman or child that God wants me to be?" And let's recognize that we are here to become holy and to act and think and speak in a holy manner. Let's remember that as we go forward toward the end of these days.
Transcribed by kb July 21, 2011