The Heart of the Matter
Leviticus 11:43-45
Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:43-45
When the bible speaks of something as “holy,” it is meant to be separate and uncommon. It is used to describe places, days, clothing, furniture, dishes, ground, water, oil, cities, words and people.
To be holy is to be unique. It is to be different from the rest. Distinctively better. Reserved for special purposes.
But is also has a moral overtone. It describes those things that are set apart and totally consecrated for spiritual purposes. They are pure... sacred... dedicated to a single idea: that of pleasing and serving God and God alone.
When the term “holy” is used to describe people, as we have seen in the passage from Leviticus, they are said to be separate from the rest of their culture on account of their uncommon love for God and for others. Their white-hot passion to imitate Christ consumes them. Their radical, almost fanatical obsession with God and to think of nothing else. That’s not to say that you become “so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” Your will becomes so inter-twined with the will of God that you want to please Him in ALL aspects of your life.
It is possible for common people to have an uncommon love for God. The Bible has said, and the happy experience of holy men of holy men in the past confirms, that whatever else holiness is. It is have able for the ordinary people today. It is possible to do what is right and like it. It is possible to hear sermons on sin and NOT leave feeling guilty about them. It is possible to be the kind of person we admire. It is possible to really KNOW we are pleasing God.
This is the sanctified life. This is the meaning of holiness. And this is the goal of all decent faith.
This morning, we will look at what holiness is. We have walked down the road where we have seen a holy God. Last week, we looked at sin and repentance. As we continue, let us look at what an obtainable, holy life truly looks like.
1. Holiness is a Pure Heart.
The Bible tells us that the heart is the seat of all affections and desires. It is the focal point of who we really are, buried deep beneath the layers of image, personality, attitude and behaviour. Everything we do, every pleasure we enjoy, every decision we make, every habit we form is found within our heart. It is not possible to act, think, speak, laugh, or cry for very long in a manner inconsistent with our heart. Vance Havner put it, “Whatever’s in the well, will eventually come up in the bucket.”
The Bible says our hearts may be purified from every selfish desire, and liberated to love God with all our soul, mind and strength; and then to love our neighbour as much as we love ourselves (Mark 12: 30-31). This, and nothing less, is entire sanctification. So purity in heart is the heart of the matter.
We may make mistakes. We may holler at kids or say more than we mean. We may rub people the wrong way. We may be, in our worst moments, irritable, overzealous, “slaphappy”, or downright obnoxious. But we care. We do not deny it. And we do not excuse it as “just within my character” if we know it isn’t in God’s. And we do not ask each time that these transgressions be forgiven, but cleansed.
A poem describes what a pure heart looks like.
When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ - that is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence - that is dying to self.
When you can stand face to face with folly, waste, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it - that is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after condemnation; when you can truly love to be unknown - that is dying to self.
When you see your brother prosper and have his needs met while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances - that is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, and can humbly sit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart - that is dying to self.
And this...and nothing else... is a pure heart.
2. Holiness is a Renewed Mind
If you mind were a movie, what would it be rated? Could they show it in church? Too often the answer is “no,” and we hide behind the explanation that we live in a sensual and violent culture. With all that we face each day, is it impossible for a pure mind? I believe it is difficult, but not impossible.
It is one thing, as any failing Christian will tell you, to admire the mind of Christ. It is something entirely different to have it. We may want it, teach it, explain it, interpret it, profess it - and never have it. But those who truly CRAVE it will one day find a growing semblance to the likeness of Christ.
A renewed mind allows us to begin to think like Christ (“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5). We not only act, but also we re-act like Christians should (To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23).
We not only read the Word of God, we LOVE it (“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Psalm 199:97). We even marinate our minds in it (“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16).
3. Holiness is a Sincere Faith
The Bible calls this a “faith unfeigned,” which means it is without hypocrisy (“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned” 1 Timothy 1:5 KJV). That is, we do not say we believe something, then practice something else. One pastor admitted of his church, “We believe these things, we even teach these things, but we don’t do these things.”
But in His Word we find there is another kind of faith possible. When our hearts are pure and our minds renewed, it is possible to have a faith that makes the supernatural world seem like it is right next door. We can believe so strongly in God and the next world that this one does not overwhelm us.
Like Christ, we can kneel in our agony and pray, “not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We may be asked by God to do unusual things - as was Noah, and to go out on a limb - as did Abraham, or to pray for miracles - as did Elijah, or even to look into the flames and sings hymns - as thousands of our brothers and sisters have done.
4. Holiness is a Passion for God.
In the days of false prophets and reckless fascination with the supernatural, holy people know their God. We may or may not be formally educated, but our fire comes from having been with Jesus. We may or may not prophesy or cast out demons, but there is a certain confidence in our stride, an authority in our voice, a familiarity in our prayers which says we are on a first-named basis with One whom others can only preach. Our fun even flows naturally in the midst of this passion for the Holy One whom Isaiah met in the temple.
This passion for a Holy God will cause us to deny that which has no real meaning for the church. We keep disciplines the lukewarm church considers extreme. We not only obey the Word of God, we love it. We are not only interested in God, we thirst for Him. And these are the very things that push us to the edge of so called “safe” Christianity, the Christianity that says the salvation experience in enough.
This passion for a Holy God is literally shown in all we that we say and do. It becomes natural for us to give all glory to God in ALL circumstances. It helps to “pray without ceasing.” It calls us to an extreme faith that trusts God in all things and for all things.
Conclusion:
By now, we have seen the height to which we are called when we are first converted, and though it may seem impossible and far out to reach, we can be sure of this: “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thess. 4:7). From this, and in closing, we can make four assumptions:
1. This life is really possible - It is an invitation to many, not an advertisement for the few. God’s desire that His people be holy (“...you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...” Exodus 19:6)
2. Even though this life is possible, it means a good deal more than we think it does. We are not holy because we say we are. We are holy because we have learned to say “no” to ungodliness, and we have renewed our minds until our desires are those of Christ, and our hearts have been purified from selfishness.
3. Even though this life is possible, it means a good deal more than we think it does, and because of this, most who profess to be entirely sanctified...aren’t. It does not bother them that they love themselves and defend themselves the way unholy people do. To themselves, they are still sanctified because they have jumped through the hoops of certain prayers and testimonies, without ever stopping to ask themselves whether or not they resemble the lives of David, Paul, or Christ. The real tragedy is that they often settle for a lesser relationship with Christ.
4. Even though this life is possible, it means a good deal more than we think it does, and because of this, most who profess to be entirely sanctified aren’t, nevertheless this life is STILL possible, or whole sections of the New Testament go unexplained. For hidden inside our deep desires for a better life is the fundamental hope that such a life is somehow possible.
The separating thing in our denomination is our call to holiness. We have looked at a holy God. We have seen sin, and heard of true repentance. We have now seen the aspects of a holy life. We are journeying even further down this road next week, but I need to ask you, where is your heart today? What drives you?
Perhaps you are one who has never surrendered your life to Christ. You have never asked for forgiveness for your sins. He wants to meet with you this morning.
Maybe there is one here today that is saved this morning, but have never made the commitment to walk deeper with Him, and you would like to make that profession today.
Perhaps there are others who need to surrender parts of their lives to Christ. He has been asking for certain things, and the Holy Spirit has impressed you to surrender them this morning.
What ever you need may be, you will follow the Spirit’s prompting this morning?
