Holy and Profane
Yellville, AR 03/12/11
Good afternoon everyone! It's good to see all of you here today.
I Hope you all had a good week.
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are almost upon us. In five weeks those of us that are baptized will be taking the Passover.
Are you ready to take the Passover?
Out of all of God's appointed times, the Passover is the only one that Scripture tells us to examine ourselves before we take it.
Those same Scriptures also tell us the penalty that God Himself, enforces, if we in any way, take the body and blood of Jesus Christ lightly.
1Co_11:17-32
I hope that we have not been deceptively misled so that we are wasting this time that God has given to us.
1Pe_1:15-16 quoted from Lev_19:2
So, is your conduct holy? Have you examined how holy you are?
1Co_10:1-12
let's look at Israel's approach to God
Isa_58:1-5
can we command God to accept our fast? No. If it's not done as he commands it simply will not accept it. Here, we see Israel approaching God from a haughty and arrogant mindset.
You know, HOW YOU APPROACH GOD means everything. How you approach God depends on your level of respect toward God.
If God is not first in your life, the Scriptures guarantee you, that you will not approach God in a manner that pleases Him.
Not one of us here are immune to haughtiness or arrogance. Human beings tend to believe that they can approach God as they are. As a matter of fact most people give very little thought to their approach to God.
It's been about three years since I gave a sermon on the difference between the Holy and the Profane. God views the Holy and the Profane very differently. The world does not understand this truth.
SPS
Today I would like to cover the Scriptures on this subject, so we can be very clear about the difference God places... between the Holy..... and the Profane.
2Ti_2:15-26
V.25 those that oppose themselves G475
meaning people that are at odds with themselves even though they don't know it. Who could this be?
Obviously it's people that could have a relationship with God, but because of a lack of understanding and knowledge, they choose to live in a manner that God will have nothing to do with.
That is why they oppose themselves because they refuse to repent of a sinful lifestyle that keeps them from ever understanding the truth.
Very simply.... How they choose to live, keeps them from having what they want.
Everyone likes to believe that if they repent of their sins, that God "is bound to" or "has to" forgive them.
Verse 25 says "if God peradventure or perhaps will grant them repentance into the acknowledging of the truth"!!!!
So can any of us dictate our terms of repentance to God and expect him to accept them? No!!
Unless we have a thorough understanding of what God considers to be holy and profane, we simply cannot understand what to repent of.
God has placed a great difference between what he has made holy and what he considers to be profane.
Is there a clear distinction in the way you treat God's holy things versus the profane ways and thoughts of this world?
Before the Passover is a good time to revisit this subject, and see once again the difference between the holy and the profane.
Let's understand that God's viewpoint is the only one that matters on this subject. What we believe about the difference between and the holy and the profane does not matter unless we are in complete agreement with God.
Peter tells us that God is putting together a royal priesthood that is going to rule with Jesus Christ forever.
For that reason, God has given each of us a holy calling.
Let's turn to:
2Ti_1:7-9
The words holy calling actually mean that God has given us an invitation to become sacred, pure, and morally blameless just like He is.
This invitation is not because of anything great or good that we have done, Scripture says that it's not according to our own works that we have done.
Have you become holy since the time of your calling?
In order to answer that question you would have to know the difference, from God's viewpoint, between what is holy and what he considers to be profane.
Eze_44:4-10 beginning in chapter 40 Ezekiel was told to measure God's temple to show the unrighteousness of it.
12-13
speaking of the sons of Zadok 21-24 v.23 holy and profane.
Israel never learned to put a difference between the holy and the profane. That's why they'll be in the second resurrection.
Isa_57:15 our God is God, only He can make something holy. IT IS HIS NAME.
We show our character every day by our treatment of God's holy things.
God judges everyday how we treat the things He has made HOLY.
Let's consider some of the things God has made holy.
Exo_20:8-11
the seventh day it is consecrated and made sacred.
It is set apart from all other days as holy.
Before our conversion we had no knowledge of holy things.
Lev_11:42-47
Our food should not defile us. Deu_14:21
Lev_19:1-8
we are holy.
Lev_22:31-33
We are not to profane God's holy name.
At baptism, You entered into a covenant with God.
You in effect said, all that the Lord has said we will do.
As a result, You have been bought and paid for through the blood of Jesus Christ. God the father now owns you.
Lev_20:1-8; 22-26
v.26 we are severed from other people, we cannot do as they do and expect to be holy. How other people choose to live, simply has no bearing on how you must choose to live. Since God is holy, you must be holy. God places a great difference between those of his who are holy, and those of the world that are profane.
When God calls you and puts His Spirit in you and converts you, you must become HOLY! You must be holy, and everything about you must be holy!
You are severed from others, you are cut off from ever being like the world.... SO BE HOLY!!!
Do you understand this very deeply? Do you give thought to this regularly? We can never... ever resort to self-justification. We can never allow sin of any type to remain in our lives if we expect to be holy!
Let's look at some of the things that Israel did to become an abomination to God and go from being His holy people to become profane before Him.
Eze_22:8-14; 23-31
God destroyed Jerusalem, because no one made up the hedge.
God wanted someone to say, I'll go to Jerusalem and tell them to repent, I don't want to see anyone be hurt.
We must look at holy and profane things as God does or we cannot stay holy.
Mat_23:23-36 keep in mind we are looking at the things that made God's people an abomination to Him.
vs. 37-39
once God makes as holy we must choose to remain holy. Just because God loves his people does not mean he will put them in the first resurrection. Jesus loved them, but they forced him to condemn them.
We need to Think about that the next time we are tempted to sin.
The people in the Church of God today... really... do not even realize that God has cursed and condemned much of the church, because they don't treat the holy things of God with reverence.
1Co_6:15-20
When you realize that you are holy, then you realize that you have to be different from virtually every person you meet everyday. When you become joined to the Lord, you cannot become joined to anything that is yet profane.
You simply will not get into the Kingdom of God if you are not holy.
It will not happen. It... will...not ...happen.
Rev_14:1-5 these people are holy. This can be us!!
This is our calling!
Do you love this truth?
Do You love the truth even when it shows you that you can't have things the way you want them.
Being holy in a profane world is not easy.
We must continue to change and grow and overcome.
It is required, for us to be holy.
Joh_15:16-19
do you want relationship with God like that?
The bringing forth of Godly fruit in our lives is how we prove that we love this truth. Greater obedience means more Godly fruit.
We must learn the difference between the holy and the profane and embrace that which is holy, so that in the Kingdom of God we can teach people how to be Godly.
God has given us a holy calling that requires is to love holy things and hate and depart from the evil or profane things of this world.
Do you want protection from God? Do you want God to live at your house?
Let's look at what God told the Israelites.
Deu_23:9-14
if there are no unclean things or profane things with you, then God will be with you because you are holy.
1Co_2:6-14
what you must do to be holy is foolishness to the world.
Eph_4:11-24 true holiness-- the choosing of that which is holy every time!!
25-32
in conclusion
God tells us what it takes to be holy.
2Co_6:14-18
we cannot be tied to this world.
The spring holy days are upon us! During this feast, Let us learn a little more how to please God. LET'S SEPARATE FROM PROFANE BEHAVIOR AND BE HOLY!
Let us be holy, because God is holy, and we want to be like Him!
If we do this we will be ready to take the Passover and be one of the144,000 that set an example of holiness forever.
