All in Holiness
How do we come into the presence of God? Are we clothed in all of our sin, and wearing shoes that are filthy and covered in the dust of the world? As creatures of both physical and spiritual construction we can’t travel anywhere without both sides of ourselves being present. Only at death is that separation possible. So until then, we must be careful regarding the purity of both our body and our spirit when we come before the Lord.
Do you feel like you aren’t working hard enough at becoming holy? Do you believe that by your efforts you can become sanctified? Well as much as we might like to think this is possible, it is not. If we depend solely on our own efforts to win holiness then we are certainly lost. So let’s look at how sanctification is possible. How am I ever to become Holy?
Must we be Holy to come into God’s presence? This has been a point which has kept so many Christians marginalized in their faith. Such thinking makes Jesus into a halfway house, or an intermediary between ourselves and God, but He is much more than that... He is our key to the Holy of Holies, the one who opens the door and ushers us into the presence of God, and more.
What does the sabbath mean to you, is it simply a day of rest, a day off from work, or is there much more to this day than sleeping a little longer than usual, and going to church for a couple of hours? The Sabbath is the only day of the week that is called holy. God blessed it, and set it apart from all the rest, but did you know that there were three sabbaths celebrated during the first Holy Week of Passover?
How do you view holiness? Are you a humble and holy person? Are you this because you say you are, or because others see it in you and say “this person is humble, and holy indeed”? If you think you have achieved a certain degree of humility and holiness before God do you use it to separate yourself from those who have not? In Isaiah 65 we hear God speaking of such actions and He calls them rebellious.
How pure is your life? Are you cleansed and holy, or still allowing something to tarnish your relationship with God? Is His will paramount in your life, or are you still the center of your universe? Where are you in the process of holiness? Perhaps you think you are basically doing well and that your faith is flourishing, and yet things keep popping up in your day to day life that cause you to stumble. So you repent, ask forgiveness, and begin again. You are not alone in your labor.
Do you think God has abandoned you when you are in a season of suffering in your life? Do you look to Him and cry out in anger at your pain? Does doubt come from your strife, or, even the mere endurance of hardship... or do you trust in Him all the more? There is a mystery in suffering; we wonder why God uses adversity and pain to teach us some of faith’s most valuable lessons.
Do you have a desire to be Holy? Are you on a quest for sanctification, or is just leading the life of a believer enough? We can exist on the margins of faith by simply believing God to be the one true God, and Jesus to be His Son, but if we want to move past this milk toast existence, we must fully open ourselves up to them. We must become all that Jesus teaches us of the nature of God, and we must allow God Himself to make us Holy. Holiness, this is God’s true desire for us.
Being Holy is more than an aspiration or some lofty goal that only the most pious of Saints can ever reach. We are all called to be Holy. So what is holiness, and how can we be Holy? Well, we can study this at-nauseam but let’s boil it down to its most basic form. Let’s let Jesus gather us up in His arms and carry us with Him into holiness.
Do you have your body under control? Have you let yourself separate your spirituality of nature from the physical manifestation of that faith within your body itself? By this I am not asking if you treat yourself as a narcissist, but do you do those things that are godly and good with yourself, and treat your body as a temple of God? Our spiritual and physical beings walk hand in hand in our faith, and in our bodies we find the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Do you feel particularly unworthy this morning? When you arose did you feel dulled by the world as if you had lost your spiritual sheen? Well, cast that off because you are a living stone... a piece of heaven. When you look into the mirror rejoice, and see yourself a reflection of the Kingdom to come.
What do you do with fruit of great sacrifices that have been made for you? Do you take them like provisions into your larder? Do you consume them like a fine wine? Or, perhaps you distribute them among the deserving? This begs the question... what do we do with the great sacrifices, what do we do with the blood offering of Jesus?
Have you set yourself apart for God? In other words, are you holy? If you think you are then let's go a step further and ask ourselves "am I perfect!" These are hard questions and we often deflect them by saying that only Jesus is perfect, so how could I possibly be.