Hello. I'm Mack Lyon. The program is In Search of the Lord's Way. Our message today is titled, “Holy God, A Holy People.” We are so glad you have joined us today. We pray we’ll both be blessed.
Thank you, my friend, for inviting us into your home for Bible study In Search of the Lord’s way to be reconciled to God in His Son and to live in His good graces all our sojourn here. We're so glad you have joined us today.
Like a few other people with whom I’ve talked and maybe those whose books I’ve read, I'm very deeply concerned about the widespread irreverence for God in our society, and even, well, perhaps I should say, “especially” in postmodern American religion. I'm thinking that may be the root cause of (1) the breakdown of the family in our nation, (2) the rapid decay of our moral order, and (3) the loss of confidence in American-style Christianity. (And because it has distanced itself so far from Christianity in the New Testament, I’m reluctant to even call it “Christianity”). Anyway, I believe, all that, if not corrected, will inevitably lead to the fall of our civilization. I promised in a recent program, I would address the problem of irreverence in another program later; and this is it.
If you think you might want a free printed copy of it, or a CD or an audio cassette tape of it, titled, “A Holy God, A Holy People,” our address is In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. Or we have a toll-free telephone number you are welcome to use, too. It is 1-800-321-8633. Oh say, friend, we would like you to visit our web-page, too! Phil Sanders prepares a devotional thought for you there every day. And, there’s a lot more at www.searchtv.org. Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us now as we sing; and then I’ll be back and we will read 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 13 through 19.
We are reading today from 1 Peter chapter 1. We will begin at verse 13. “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” We read through verse 19. Now let’s go to God in prayer. Holy God, our Father in heaven, Father of our spirits, we are so happy to be called Your children; and we are thankful that You have called us to be so. And we know that the world did not accept Jesus; and we know that the world will not accept His disciples. But give us boldness and courage to live for You and be the holy people that You intended us to be. In the name of Jesus we pray You. Amen!
The apostle Peter was God’s penman for the text we just read. He emphasized in that first chapter, verse 24 that the Scriptures that he and others wrote by the inspiration of God “lives and abides forever.” So, while what we read was addressed specifically to some Christians of the first century who might have grown bitter because of the persecution that they were enduring, it applies with equal force to Christians in the 21st century who in times of ease and freedom have grown casual about God. He begins the epistle by saying, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect (or chosen according to the New American Standard Version) according to the knowledge of God the Father...” Now, we could engage in a geographical study of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, and all that area; and probably some preachers would do that; but I am not going to. There are more relevant matters, I should say, to study here. Or, as much as we’re tempted, we might do otherwise, but we must not permit ourselves to be distracted so that we miss the point of the passage. We’ll address the idea of the “election” in another program. The thought that we’re pursuing today is that the people to whom Peter wrote (then and now) are the “elect,” the “chosen,” the “called” people of the one truly and holy God. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John chapter 3, verse 1).
“Therefore,” Peter says, “gird up the loins of your mind.” This is an obvious reference to the characteristic outer-dress of the people in those lands and in those times. When they had hard work to do; when they had to run or to work or to be “active” for any reason, they gathered-up or tightly “girded up” those long flowing outer garments about them so they would be no hindrance to their performance. Of course, Peter used the imagery figuratively in reference to the mind. “Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober” (meaning, serious). That’s an interesting observation, especially as it applies to our present-day thinking of “casualness” toward God. My friend, it’s time we Christians “gird up the loins of our minds” and get serious about God and Christianity. There is nothing casual or nonchalant about our relationship with God. God is not the “good ole bosom buddy,” the old “pal” that He is often perceived to be. Peter continues, saying: “...as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, [or the former lusts being as you once did] in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.” Oh say, Christians! We are people who are called of God, no less; and we are called to live holy lives.
First, let’s suppose we study about The Holiness of God. What does it mean? The word “holy” and “holiness” are words found frequently in both the Old Testament and the New; and when applied to God, they mean He is absolutely and perfectly and morally and ceremonially clean; and “holy” declares His separateness, His distinctiveness, His uniqueness.
The Scripture says, "Holy and reverend is His name" (Psalm 111 and 9). A person's name is often used to refer to his person. We speak of honoring someone's name, or lifting his name in prayer to God. Or we speak of a person's "good name," when we really mean his reputed conduct. The apostle Paul said that before his conversion, he thought he "ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts 26 and 9). But, it was Jesus he was persecuting (Acts 9 and 5). Of course "Holy" as it’s used in our text, carries the thought of separation or dedication. "Holy" is His name, means then, not only that He is absolutely and perfectly morally and ceremonially clean, but that He is the one and only such One that is so. Well, if that seems too exclusive for you, you might want to read Ephesians 4, verses 1 to 6.
“Reverend” is from the Hebrew word which means "to fear, or to revere, or to frighten, to make afraid, to be terrible.” And, that's the one that is used in the Scriptures exclusively for God? Yes! That’s true! That is the King James Version. The New King James translates it, "holy and awesome is His name." The American Standard Version says, "holy and reverend," and the New American Standard has it, "holy and awesome." The Revised Standard translates it, "holy and terrible is His name." The idea is that the name of God, or God Himself, is holy, reverend, awesome, terrible. Since we use "reverend" so commonly referring to mere men, sinful men; and since we have trivialized "awesome" to mean just about anything, even the pizza we eat, anything that's a bit unusual or exciting or delightful; perhaps the word "terrible," just may be the most fitting of those three English words for God. "Holy and terrible is His name." Did I hear someone say, "That's not my God you are talking about as “terrible" or frightening?" Well, maybe so. That’s certainly not the god that you are hearing preached today! It’s a characteristic of the nature of God, though, that's revealed in the Scriptures and modern man just doesn't care to know about or to think about. Modern man would much prefer to perceive God as a loving grandpa type gift-giver, a pal, someone you don't have to dress up for; someone you can just go casual or even dirty, or unbathed, or unwashed, or uncombed and slouchy with; someone who is a jovial good ole boy you can joke with or you can joke about; someone that just gives you a good feeling about yourself, someone you can kind of just treat about any ole way and he'll forgive and forget, and it will be alright. "Yeah!" someone says, "that's my god." Well I wouldn't spell it with a capital "G," if I were you. And since that's the dominant attitude even among many church people nowadays, the preachers aren't saying much about it either. In fact many are preaching that kind of a god.
There is a great story in the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth chapters of Genesis that sheds some light on what we're studying today. As you probably know, Isaac was the son of Abraham through whom God promised to bring the Savior into the world. Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob means "supplanter," or one who overthrows or rules by tripping others up. Well, you know the story of Esau and Jacob, how by tripping up his father, Jacob received the blessing that would have otherwise gone to his brother.
Isaac didn't want Jacob (God later changed his name to Israel anyway) Isaac didn’t want Jacob to marry a woman of the Canaanites. He wanted him to go back to their own land and find a wife from among their own people. Well, Jacob set out on the long journey, and when night came, he took one of the stones there in that place, and used it for a pillow and lay down to sleep. He had a dream that night. This was not an ordinary dream like you or I might have, or even like Jacob doubtlessly had had many times before. No, no, it was a very unusual and most extraordinary dream! It was one in which God appeared and made the promise to Jacob that He had made to his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham, that made Jacob the father of a great nation and put him in the lineage of the Messiah. Well, you can read about it in Genesis chapter 28, verses 10 to 22. Verses 16 and 17 say, "Then Jacob awoke from the sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome (or fearful) is this place! This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate to heaven.”
Then, some centuries later, there was God’s call of Isaiah to be His prophet. It’s in Isaiah chapter 6, beginning at verse 1: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord,” Isaiah wrote and said, “sitting on His throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings; and he covered his face with two, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me!”
Many more centuries passed, and Jesus Christ was born, lived among us and died for our sins. He was God’s proven to be God’s only begotten Son when He was raised from the dead. He then ascended to the Father’s right hand in heaven. The apostle John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos for preaching all that, when He received a “vision” or a “revelation” from God, very similar to that of Isaiah’s. In that vision he was invited to the Throne Room of heaven and in chapter four of this account of the event, by inspiration of God he said, “Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back....The four living creatures had six wings....They do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!....You are worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory and honor and power; You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Well, there’s more to that! Don’t go away! Let us pray. Holy Father, bless this message if You will to the hearts of people to exalt God, exalt Thee as God in their lives. In the lovely name of Jesus, Amen!
“As He who called you is holy, be you also holy in all your conduct, because it is written Be holy, for I am holy.” What a strong appeal God makes to His children to be like Him: morally, ethically and obviously clean; obviously separate from, and distinctively different from the culture of which you were a part before you knew any better. Be holy children of the holy God, in your work and in your worship, also!
Moses went upon the mount to be in the presence of God to receive the law of commandments written on tables of stone. The people were not permitted to go with him up there. They were not even permitted to touch the mountain, under the penalty of death. However, they were carefully and cautiously instructed to wash their clothing and to bathe and to be ready. Does that sound like God doesn't care, or take notice, of how we appear in His presence? Lest any of them should take it lightly or casually, God sent Moses the second time to tell them to bathe, to wash their clothes, not to touch the mountain. You can read about it in your own Bible in Exodus chapter 19. Hebrews 12:21 tells us, "And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” Oh me! Friend, I have no personal axe to grind with anybody, and I’m not seeking a quarrel with anybody. I’m certainly trying not to be judgmental. I just sincerely believe with all my heart that false religions are an inevitable result of false conceptions of God. I believe, too, that those false images of Him that we carry around in our hearts are as idolatrous as if they were being carried around in a cart. Some of us sing, “We place you on the highest place.” But, is it really true? Do we really exalt God to the highest place in our lives, even in our worship? Oh me, how we need more study, more teaching, more preaching about the God who said to the children, “Be holy” (meaning: painstakingly morally clean) and distinctly separate from the world of which we are a part until we learn differently, or we were a part until we learned differently. No, no, no! We will never, never, never, friend, we will never convert the world to Christ by thinking, talking, acting, dressing, worshiping, and being like the world, the culture around us. My friend, it’s impossible for the church to present Christianity as the better way to live and worship than the life of the unconverted culture if… if…. if it isn’t different!
Well, if you would like a free printed copy or an audio cassette tape of this message, you may have it simply by addressing your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. By e-mail it is searchtv@searchtv.org. You may use our toll-free telephone number if you like. It’s 1-800-321-8633. You won't be needing to send money. We will be back next week the Lord willing. Hope you will, too. God bless you. We love you.
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