April 7, 2019: You will discover that the greatest battlefield for holiness is on the inside.

SOME THINGS ARE STILL SACRED:

Leviticus 20:7

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for
I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 7:6

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God;
the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people
for his own possession, out of all the peoples that
are on the face of the earth. (26:19; Jer 2:3)

January - Sunday night I mentioned in a sermon on
“BACK TO THE BASICS:” = THE HOME PLATE:

The width of home plate never changed.

• It is always 17 inches wide.
• Players can choose uniforms, hats, shoes, and bats.
• But the plate, is unchangeable and its size non-negotiable.
• Its dimensions were never up for discussion.
• It is always 17 inches wide.

When a pitcher couldn't throw the ball over the 17-inch
wide mark, the umpire didn't offer to widen it.

• He never said: "Hey, buddy, I'm going to get a new
• plate just for you. Would 25 inches help?"
• The width of the plate was immutable.
• We might even say that the width of the home
• plate was "holy."
• That's a bit of a stretch, I know.
  
  Yet the idea of holiness in the Bible is, in many ways, like the home plate in baseball.
  
  Holiness describes something that is "set apart" and predetermined by God.

• Popular opinion cannot change it.
• Majority rule does not alter it.
• My preference does not affect it.
  
  The Supreme Court cannot change it.
  
  
  When God deems something as holy, it is holy from Little League to the Majors, from the beginning
  of life to the end of life.
  
  GOD IS HOLY:
  One characteristic of God often ignored by folks in general today is His holiness, and His requirement of us to be holy as well.
  
  We must approach God with reverence to be acceptable before Him.
  
  This has always been the case.
  Leviticus 11:45 = He told Israel long ago, “'For I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; thus you shall be holy for I am holy."
  
  In fact, if you'll notice, the first 4 of the 10 commandments deal specifically with treating God as holy by living holy ourselves (Exodus 20:3-11).
  
  Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
  
  
  HE STILL DWELLS IN HOLY PLACES!
  It was called the Holy of Holies
  Into the shekinah presence of God!
  Only one man
  Only one day per year
  They tied a rope to ankles: he dies could drag him out.
  Some things are still sacred.
  The inner sanctum of the temple, called the Holy of Holies (Lev 16), was the ultimate holy place in the world.
  Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies
  
  The Shekinah presence of God was present there in a very special way, on what was called the mercy seat, in between 2 carved cherubim:
  
  
  Exodus 25:21-22
  21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
  
  22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
  
  It was so holy it could not be touched, and hence it was transported with poles that ran through rings on its side (Ex 25:13-15).
  
  In fact, on one occasion, when it was about to fall over while being moved, after the oxen stumbled, one Uzziah merely reached out to steady it and was immediately struck dead:
  
  2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
  
  
  The men of Beth-shemesh also died when they simply looked inside the ark:
  
  1 Samuel 6:19 And he slew some of the men of Beth-she'mesh, because they looked into the ark of the LORD; he slew 70 men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had made a great slaughter among the people. (Ex 33:20)
  
  
  It was not that God was “cruel.”
  
  WE DON’T UNDERSTAND: He’s a HOLY God – and Has Holy Things… OFF LIMITS…!
  
  He had to get through to stubborn, sinful men, the notion that some things are SACRED… sanctified or holy : so much so that they have to be approached with the utmost reverence and solemnity, and are not even to be touched.
  
  
  It's a bit like the child touching the hot oven.
  
  They learn not to, when they get hurt by it.
  
  Once a few Israelites were killed by touching holy things, the people learned very quickly.
  
  God is a transcendent “Other” and completely holy.
  
  To get too close to Him is as frightening as it is exhilarating, as the Bible illustrates in many places.
  
  
  Mt. Sinai was holy due to God's tangible presence there, in the burning bush (Ex 3:5).
  Just before the Hebrews were to receive the Ten Commandments, God charged the people to not even touch the mountain, or its “border,” on pain of death (Exodus 19:12-13).
  
  
  GOD DWELLS IN THE HOLY PLACES
  
  Holy of Holies
  
  Holiness
  
  Services – Inhabits the praises
  
  Holy Praise
  
  IT might be wise, then, for us to take note of what God considers to be holy
  
  DEFINITION: Something that is sacred OR HOLY is Dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of GOD, AND considered worthy of respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers.
  
  Dictionary definition: —A life of holiness or sanctity is total devotion to God.
  
  The state of being holy or sacred, that is, set apart for the worship or service of God.
  
  Bible Dictionary definition: Holiness: Consecrated to God’s service; conformed in all things to the will of God.
  
  Holiness: is consecration, dedication and commitment to God.
  
  Holiness is sometimes described as “living that pleases God.”
  
  Therefore, holiness is my relationship with God.
  
  The key is to “Keep out of your life all that will keep Christ out of your heart.”
  
  We have to make up our mind to protect our relationship with God at all cost.
  
  It is amazing to me how many people claim to know God … but they refuse to learn of His holiness.
  That is especially amazing when one considers that “God is holy.”
  
  HOLINESS
  Holiness is an expression of our love for God.
  Holiness is a matter of the heart.
  Holiness is a measurement of the depth of our commitment to God.
  Holiness is a desire to be Godly (or to imitate the very nature and character of God)
  Holiness is inward and outward purity.
  Holiness is how we respond to God's voice—How Quickly—How Concisely—and, How Completely!
  Holiness is my desire to do His will.
  Saying yes to God means determining to say no to things that offend his holiness.
  
  Holiness causes us to have the desire “To Be Like Jesus.”
  
  Our mind begins to think, “I want to be like Jesus.”
  
  Samuel Lucas = “The essence of true holiness is conformity to the nature and will of God.”
  
  GOD'S HOLY NATURE
  
  If we are to please God, we need to understand the nature of God.
  
  Holiness is an essential aspect of His nature.
  God's call, "Be ye holy," has reverberated through the Scriptures from the days of Mount Sinai (Lv 20:7)
  
  The call to holiness is intimately intertwined with the nature of God.
  
  Everything that exists in His presence must be holy, clean, and righteous.
  
  Even the dust of the desert was made holy by the presence of God.
  
  Holiness is to be separation from sin and the world, and to be dedicated to God, set apart for Him.
  
  Separation is moving away from worldliness and moving toward holiness.
  WHICH WAY ARE YOU MOVING?
  
  We are not to love the world, identify with it, become attached to its things, or participate in its sinful pleasures (James 4:4; James 1:27).
  
  1 John 2:15-16
  “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”
  
  1 Corinthians 3:16-17
  “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”
  
  
  James 1:27
  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
  
  
  Acts 2:40
  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation
  
  
  GOD HAS HOLY THINGS:
  
  1. HOLY PEOPLE
  God has a holy people.
  I do not imply by this that these people are some pious-looking stained glass figures.
  They are real flesh and blood people.
  The New Testament calls them saints (Rom. 1:7).
  These holy people have trusted in the Christ the Savior for the forgiveness of their sins.
  They are called holy because of his great mercy.
  They are thus separated from the world, and in time God will not only declare them holy but will actually make their holiness a reality in every sense of the word (Heb. 10:10).
  
  2. You are holy.
  According to Peter: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." (I Pet. 2:9 NIV).
  If you are a Christ-follower, there is nothing hum-drum about you.
  By virtue of your union with Jesus, you participate in the life of God: He dwells in you, and you dwell in him.
  As such, in Christ, God's holiness is your holiness.
  
  3. Human life is holy.
  God sanctifies human life.
  Every beating heart matters to God.
  Whether that life is in the womb of a mother, the cell of a prison, the hallway of a convalescent home, or the corner office of a Wall Street high rise, that life is holy to God.
  "For God so loved the world, he gave his one and only Son." (Jn. 3:16 NIV).
  
  4. Marriage is holy.
  When the wedding officiant speaks of holy matrimony, the term is accurate.
  Jesus described a marriage as "…what God has joined together." (Mt. 19:6)
  
  Marriage is unlike your friendship at the bridge club or your relationship with your siblings.
  
  It is "set apart" from business partnerships.
  
  5. The Sabbath is holy.
  Let six days be used for work and acquisition.
  But set one aside for spiritual and physical restoration. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Ex. 20:8)
  Under older covenant, this day was Saturday.
  As Christians, we set aside Sunday.
  The day of the observance matters less than the message of the observance- God wants us to worship and to rest.
  He designates the 1st day of every week as holy.
  He does the same with the 1st dime of every dollar.
  
  6. The tithe is holy.
  "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD." (Leviticus 27:30)
  The first 10% of everything you earn is, in God's eyes, holy money.
  We never give it to God, we return what is already his.
  The tithe is holy.
  
  7. The name of God is holy.
  No using the name of GOD, your God, in curses or silly banter; GOD won't put up with the irreverent use of his name. (Exodus 20:7)
  Satan never prompts us to say: "Satan-dammit" or "demon-damn you."
  Profanity is his way of rubbing the luster off the name of God.
  He has a simple ploy: dilute the divine name by making it common.
  For that reason, God-fearers revere the very name of God. It is holy.
  
  8. HOLY WORD - The Bible.
  Today this word is ignored by the masses.
  It is “watered down” by Christians.
  The theologians dissect it as if it were some cadaver.
  Yet the word of God is an eternally living thing (Heb. 4:12)
  Like a dried root or shriveled seed it can suddenly sprout and bring forth new life to the individual and to the world.
  God’s word cannot fail.
  Regardless of what modern and postmodern theologians say.
  Jesus expressed implicit faith in the word of God.
  In fact, he was and is the Living Word.
  Jesus knew that the word of God could not be broken (Jn. 10:35).
  He knew that the smallest curlicue, on the smallest Hebrew letter of the Bible, would not pass away (Matt 5:18)
  9. The New Testament continues to refer to Jerusalem as the “holy city”
  WE use the terms “Holy Bible” and “Holy Land”.
  
  In so doing, they tacitly acknowledge the notion of “holy things”:
  
  So WE MUST KNOW: What is holy to God?
  Why is it holy to God?
  Is it holy to me?
  
  Search the Scripture for what God considers holy and the list may surprise you.
  
  Holy places
  Holy Name
  Holy Church
  Holy People
  Holy Hands
  Holy Bride
  Holy Ghost / Spirit
  Holy place (Exodus 26:33-34)
  Holy altar (Exodus 29:37)
  Holy sacrifices (Exodus 29:33-34)
  Holy garments (Exodus 28:2-4)
  Holy ointment (Exodus 30:31-37)
  Holy vessels (1 Chronicles 22:19)
  
  God has designed us to become I Peter 2:9-11
  9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
  
  10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
  
  HOW? 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.
  
  I Peter 1:14-16
  14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
  15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
  
  16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy
  
  TODAY I REMINDING YOU… SOME THINGS ARE STILL SACRED!
  For example, we might agree that human life is sacred.
  
  For some people this is explained by God’s wishes, but others might think there's just something about human life itself.
  
  If something is sacred, there are certain things you simply don’t do to it or with it – OFF LIMITS
  Something taboo is not simply wrong on-balance, it's just out of the question.
  Not to be considered.
  By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things.”
  Are there places you won’t go?
  Are there words you won’t use?
  Are there clothes you won’t wear?
  The worldly constantly competes with the sacred for our attention and priorities.
  
  1 John 2:17
  1 John 2:17 = And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
  
  Titus 2:11-12
  “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”
  
  CHURCH OUGHT TO LIVE IN THE HOLY REALM!
  If there are places you would not live… what about God?
  Are there bodies he will not want to live in?
  
  He will clean you up first
  OUT OF PRISON – LIVE AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN!!!
  
  Pastor’s job and the church’s job to teach the Holy… won’t find it on TV … Media… School… Job…
  
  Go into a Christian Bookstore… or look at the bestsellers in the Christian market.
  
  Much of those books in the Christian section of Barnes and Nobles are oriented toward: financial responsibility, healing emotional hurts, managing negative emotions, gaining acceptance in the world by not being so strident in our views and beliefs, and the last (maybe largest) genre was those of fulfilling dreams with God’s help.
  
  I did not find any books on how to be holy.
  
  I did not find any books on how to separate myself from the world.
  
  I did not find any books on cross-bearing and sacrifice.
  
  That is the challenge of our times—finding an atmosphere that is encourages holiness to develop.
  
  You will discover that you will have to seek out places that will encourage your own mind and heart to pursue a higher level of communion with God—not a lower one.
  
  Carlo Carretto wrote:
  The world and the Cross do not get along too well together, and comfort and holiness do not share the same room. -- Carlo Carretto
  
  Biblical Passages on Holiness:
  Just a quick look through the New Testament reveals that it is full of unique commands and specific calls for personal holiness.
  
  1 Peter 2:11 . . . abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
  
  Romans 8:13 . . . mortify the deeds of the body.
  
  Romans 13:14 . . . make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
  
  1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. . .
  
  2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts. . .
  
  Ephesians 4:22 . . . put off . . . the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
  
  Ephesians 4:24 . . put on the new man . .
  
  Philippians 4:8 . . . think on these things.  Whatever is true, pure, lovely, honest, just, and of good report.
  
  Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly . . .
  
  Ephesians 6:14 Stand . . . having on the breastplate of righteousness;
  
  1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection. . .
  
  
  Romans 12:1 . . . present your bodies a living sacrifice. . .
  
  
  James 1:21 . . . lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word. . .    **** Engrafted word  (see at the end)
  
  2 Corinthians 7:1 . . . let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness. . .
  
  1 Peter 2:1 . . . laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
  
  1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
  
  You will discover that the greatest battlefield for holiness is on the inside.
  
  You have to fight the battle within before you will ever win those on the outside.
  
  Holiness is not a cultural battle although our world does not promote holiness in any form.
  
  Holiness is not a political battle as we are realizing our nation can no longer be cast as a Christian nation.
  
  Years ago, a Boeing 707 crashed into the side of a mountain in Spain.
  The black box flight recorder brought an amazing discovery.
  Several minutes before the airliner crashed, the flight recorder captured the voice of an electronic warning given to the pilots.
  The message was to adjust the flight pattern due to an obstacle in the flight path.
  After the alarm continued to go off until the pilot finally ordered it to be turned off.
  The warning voice was silenced and all lives were lost. This is how far too many treat their conscience.
  
  This is the dilemma of leprosy.
  The nerve endings become so desensitized that you get to a place of being desensitized, you cannot feel a thing.
  So limbs are injured and destroyed because pain is no longer felt.
  
  "What is the world?" so I know what not to love.
  What does the world love? = world. Love not the world ..
  
  II Corinthians 6:17
  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
  
  
  1 John 3:2-3
  2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
  3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
  
  
  Romans 12:1-2
  1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
  
  2 And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
  
  SOME THINGS ARE STILL SACRED:
  Do we agree with God's definition of holiness?
  
  As a society, as a country, are we submitting ourselves to heaven's view of the sacred?
  
  How could the answer be anything but "no"?
  
  We disregard the value of life and abort thousands of babies each day.
  
  We make a mockery out of marriage by re-defining it.
  
  Promiscuous sex is seen as a badge of honor and open-mindedness.
  
  We work first and rest later, rather than worship so we can work better.
  
  Is anything sacred?
  
  The mark of a deteriorating society is its disregard for the sacred.
  
  God's commands are meant to help us, not to burden us.
  
  He knows what we need to survive in this society.
  
  A Sabbath day for rest and worship.
  
  A view of sex that won't leave us brokenhearted and bruised.
  
  The discipline of giving our money before it takes hold of us.
  
  A high view of God that leaves us unwilling to disrespect his name.
  
  Like speedbumps and curbs, these acts of holiness are meant to slow us down and keep us on the road.
  
  Let's be clear.
  
  We are saved by grace, not by being good.
  
  None of us are good enough to deserve the forgiveness of our King.
  
  We have fallen short.
  
  But Jesus Christ tilts the scale in our direction.
  
  We are evaluated according to his holiness, not ours.
  
  When His grace does its work, it creates a hunger for holiness; a desire to do what is right.
  
  Let grace do its work in you!
  
  The width of home plate is not up for discussion, neither is God's call to holiness.
  
  
  Isaiah
  I saw the Lord
  Moses… when coming up to God
  Wash that you die not!