Created for Holiness! (Part 1 of 4)‏

Hello Friends!

Happy 4th of July!  

This is the day that marks the blessing of “freedom” in which our country’s Founding Fathers believed in and represents the historic leadership they demonstrated.  Look up the word "freedom" in the dictionary and you'll find many definitions, such as this one: The capacity to exercise choice.  

In celebration of our freedom from tyranny and oppression as "One Nation Under God" during this Independence Day weekend, I'd like to share a thought with you:

What if we as a nation would focus more on our personal holiness in Jesus Christ – rather than our personal happiness through materialism? How much more godly would our nation, cities, churches and families be today?

We were created for Holiness!

Today we seldom hear preaching about holiness. It is not a popular topic for those preaching a false prosperity “gospel” message, a renewed allegiance with Rome or charismatic witchcraft from the pulpit. However, there is a thirst for God’s Living Waters that cannot be quenched by anything or anyone else! Many true Christians lack peace – shalom – in the depths of their souls but don’t quite know what is missing. The answer is… HOLINESS!

Please join us for the next few weeks as we explore this eternally important topic for the Christian Church today… 

Have a blessed and safe weekend!

Created for Holiness! (Part 1 of 4)

What is Holiness?

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness – Psalm – 29:2

Digging into Hebrew, the word for holiness is QODESH (pronounced Kodesh). It means something consecrated or set-apart for Divine service. Using the Law of First Mention, Qodesh first appears in the Old Testament book of Exodus in Moses’ Song of the Sea. It is expressed as a praiseful attribute of God:

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? – Exodus 15:11

Holiness is the consummate quality of God. In the Torah, God commanded this word – Qodesh – to be engraved on the gold plate of the high priest’s crown (see Exodus 28:36). 

The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ is our high priest:

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus – Hebrews 3:1

Holiness is His! As Believers, we have the Holy Spirit to enable us to live set-apart lives:

and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead – Romans 1:4

The Apostle Peter teaches us we can be partakers of the Divine nature to be set-apart:

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust – 2 Peter 1:4

But what does that mean in practical terms? (NOTE: This is not referring to Salvation. This refers to how we walk OUT our Salvation - Sanctification) The Holy Spirit equips us to avoid sin, yes. But what does the Bible teach us about gaining higher levels of holiness, true peace – shalom – spiritual power and true joy?

 

A Lifestyle of Loving Him!

 

Many think that being set-apart or having rules for our lives is restrictive or being a legalist or “Judaizer.” But it is not really about restrictions, it is about the wonderful freedom of loving Jesus Christ! After all, He does say:

If you love me, keep my commandments – John 14:15

If we really love Him, we must open ourselves up to Him, obey the Holy Spirit and do as He leads. Do not follow man-made dogma – follow the Bible! Be obedient! The beauty of Holiness awaits!

 

If we love our spouse, we love doing things for them – even things that may otherwise be tedious. Why? Because we LOVE them! True, deep love puts wings on the feet of service! So, what service can we do for our Heavenly Master? Many things. In fact James says:

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 – James 1:27

We are to help the needy and be unspotted from the world. How do we do that? Well, some of it relates to lifestyle – to our entertainment choices and even how we dress. I am not here to tell you what you need to do, because that is between you and the Lord. But I DO wish to suggest some guidelines. A lifestyle of loving the Lord should not include indulging in media that is full of sex, violence or the occult. Nor would it include listening to music that glorifies such things.

 

As to dress, neither men nor women should dress in a way that accentuates their sexual attributes. True modesty means not drawing overt attention to oneself in that way.

in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing – 1 Timothy 2:9

It is about having decorum (a word all but lost in today’s vocabulary). It does not mean acting like a stuffed shirt, but does mean moving and relating to others with quietness and humility. I have seen men and women who claim to be “Spirit- filled apostles and prophets” dress like gigolos or harlots. Sadly, the world’s fashion sense is now in the gutter and too often the church is beguiled through fleshly, vain imaginations. Where is the godly leadership?

Beloved, when we avoid dressing in a way that draws attention to our sexuality, 

something amazing happens. Your inner beauty begins to shine forth! There is an amazing beauty that emanates from a person when they are pure and absolutely sold-out for the Lord Jesus Christ! We glow! His Light fills us! As Believers we should not conform to the world’s idea of beauty!

 

NOTE: I am not saying we have to dress like the Amish. However, if we dress just like the world, then we are salt that has lost its savor:

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men – Matthew 5:13

How we dress should NOT arouse those who see us! 

 

Ask yourself these questions: Can anyone tell I am a sold-out Believer by the way I dress? Am I setting a godly example for other believers to follow?

 

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of God’s HOLINESS!…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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