Holiness
St Mary Bredin
3rd June 2012
Holiness
Going to look at three things this evening
• The Holiness of God
– What it means for God to be holy
• The Holiness of Believers
– Holiness and Humans through the Bible
• The Price of Holiness
– What happens when we seek Holiness
Holy God
Holy – ‫קָ דֹוׁש‬
Meaning – Divide, Separate, Sanctify
God as the source of Holiness
The one who is different
All holiness derives itself from him
Priests
Holy Places
Symbols (Firstborn)
“Contingent Holiness”
Images of a Holy God
Isaiah 6:1-3
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above
him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two
wings they covered their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy,
holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full
of his glory.”
Images of a Holy God
1 Samuel 2:1-2
Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart
rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is
lifted high. My mouth boasts over my
enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no
one besides you; there is no Rock like our
God.”
Images of a Holy God
Psalm 99:9
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy
mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
Revelation 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and
was covered with eyes all around, even under his
wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who
was, and is, and is to come.”
Issues with God’s Holiness
Joshua 24:19
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the
LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not
forgive your rebellion and your sins.”
God is Holy and we are NOT!
1 Samuel 6:20
The men of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the
presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the
ark go up from here?”
Humans and Holiness - OT
Status of “holiness” in Old Testament
Unclean
|
Clean
|
Holy
Humans and Holiness - OT
“Clean” and “Holy” are not the same thing
Mosaic Law
Clean is default
Unclean by defiling yourself
Holy by Ritual Procedure
Aaronic Priests
Sacrifices and Offerings
The nearer to God, the holier the person / thing
Holiness - NT
Greek “Hagios” – Holy / Hallowed
“Our Father in Heaven, Holy is your name”
Mark 1:24 – Demon recognises Jesus as “the Holy
one”
Hebrews 9:1 – “Earthly Sanctuary” (Hagion
Kosmikon) for Old Covenant
Hebrews 9:24 – Jesus enters Heavenly Sanctuary to
make his sacrifice
Clear signal that the “Earthly Sanctuary” isn’t up to
Heaven’s standards
Humans and Holiness - NT
Christ’s death makes those who trust in it “Holy”
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.
Hebrews 10:14
By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are
being made holy
Holiness – Sanctify - Saint
Humans and Holiness - NT
Call to be a Holy People
1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be
self-controlled; set your hope fully on the
grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is
revealed. As obedient children, do not
conform to the evil desires you had when you
lived in ignorance. But just as he who called
you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is
written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Humans and Holiness - NT
Because Christ’s death and resurrection has, for
those who trust in it, made us perfect in the sight
of God, we are called to live lives that represent
our Holy God
But notice that our election by God is not
contingent on being holy
1 Peter 1:3-4
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that
can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for
you
Humans and Holiness - NT
How do we set ourselves apart?
v13 – Prepare your mind
v13 – Set your on the future grace that will fill
our being
v14 – Do not conform to evil desires
v22 – Love one another deeply, from the heart
We do this by asking God to help us
v17 – “Since you call on a Father...”
The Cost of Holiness
What is often the consequence of wanting to dedicate
our lives to God?
Isaiah 6:5-8
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.“
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in
his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin
atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I
said, "Here am I. Send me!"
The Cost of Holiness
Holiness can appear to be painful
As it approaches fear rises
We see the sacrifice that it is to be holy
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act
of worship. Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is--his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
The Cost of Holiness
Philippians 3:10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in
his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection
from the dead.
The Cost of Holiness
What is the price to be paid for wanting our lives to
be holy?
Pain – Choosing the right action, not the easy one
Martyrdom – The Early Church knew this and the
Church today knows this
“Share in his sufferings – becoming like him unto
death”
The Cost of Holiness
But equally, what is the benefit?
To know Christ better
To see him at work in your life and to be used by
him
To go *deeper* into experiencing God
Holiness
God is Holy – any other holiness comes from
him
We are called to be holy – OT points to Jesus’
sacrifice
Holiness has a cost but also benefits