THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT   <br><br>

PROGRAM AIR DATE: 4-15-18<br><br>

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LESSON TITLE: “WE HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS”<br><br>

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WELCOME<br><br>

      TODAY WE ARE BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL GIFT FROM GOD, THE BIBLE. THIS BOOK IS GOD'S LIVING WORD. IN ITS PAGES, WE ARE TOLD “FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND POWERFUL AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD.” IT IS IN THIS BOOK OF BOOKS THAT WE FIND THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF MAN'S QUESTIONS AND NEEDS. THIS MORNING YOUR AREA CHURCHES OF CHRIST WELCOME YOU TO A PROGRAM COMMITTED TO THAT PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY AS WE PRESENT THE LIVING WORD. NOW HERE IS YOUR HOST, RAY SULLINS.<br><br>

      WELCOME TO THE LIVING WORD PROGRAM ON THIS WONDROUS LORD’S DAY MORNING. IT IS ALWAYS AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. WE ARE THANKFUL YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO BE WITH US AS WE COMMIT THIS TIME TO THE THINGS OF GOD. IT IS OUR HOPE AND PRAYER THIS MORNING THAT WE MAY EACH PARTICIPATE AND DO OUR PART TO MAKE THIS TIME ACCEPTABLE BEFORE HIM AND ACCORDING TO HIS WORD. NOW LET’S BEGIN BY TALKING TO GOD THROUGH PRAYER! <br><br>

      PRAYER: OUR GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DAY AND THE GREAT BLESSINGS OF LIFE; THE PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILDREN AND TO BE SERVANTS IN YOUR KINGDOM. AND HELP US THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY TO SHINE AS LIGHTS IN THIS WORLD THAT OTHERS MIGHT KNOW YOU THROUGH US AND HELP US TO ALWAYS FIND THAT MOTIVATION THAT WE NEED IN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'LL NOT ONLY BE BLESSED IN THIS LIFE WHEN WE ARE FAITHFUL BUT WE'LL ALSO BE BLESSED IN THE LIFE TO COME. FATHER, MAY WE WORSHIP YOU THIS DAY, THE LORD'S DAY IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. <br><br>

      THIS MORNING WE WANT TO BEGIN OUR SONGS OF PRAISE BY BEGINNING TO USE OUR NEWLY TAPED SONGS FROM A FEW WEEKS AGO. I HOPE WE WILL ALL JOIN IN TOGETHER AND LIFT UP OUR VOICES TO GOD AS THOSE WHO LOVE HIM. OUR FIRST SONG TODAY REMINDS US THAT GOD ALWAYS LIGHTS THE PATH OF THE FAITHFUL! SO, AT THIS TIME, WON’T YOU JOIN IN WITH THE CONGREGATION AS WE SING TOGETHER, “I KNOW THE LORD WILL FIND A WAY.”  <br><br>

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DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS<br><br>

      IT SEEMS MORE AND MORE IN OUR SOCIETY THAT WE ARE FORGETTING THOSE WHO HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO BRING OUR COUNTRY TO WHERE IT IS TODAY. WHO AM I TALKING ABOUT? THE OLDER PEOPLE IN OUR NATION. CONSIDER WHY WE HAVE THE FREEDOMS WE DO TODAY AND THINK ABOUT THE SACRIFICE THAT MANY HAVE MADE IN PAST YEARS TO SEE THAT WE COULD LIVE AS WE WANT IN THIS COUNTRY. YES, THE FACT IS MANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE STILL ALIVE AND REMEMBER WELL THE PRICE PAID TO ACCOMPLISH THE JOYS AND PRIVILEGES THAT WE ALL SHARE IN TODAY IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. <br><br>

      BUT WHY DO I BRING THIS UP? WELL TODAY, MANY STAND STRONG AROUND THIS WORLD TO ENFORCE OUR CONTINUED LIBERTY. MANY HAVE STEPPED UP AND COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO PAY WHATEVER PRICE IS NECESSARY TO SEE THAT OUR LIBERTIES REMAIN INTACT. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THOSE MAKING THIS EFFORT TODAY, WE CANNOT FORGET THE MANY WHO HAVE MADE IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN THE PAST TO SEE THAT THIS DAY WAS EVEN POSSIBLE. TO DEFEND SUCH A GREAT COUNTRY THAT IS ESTABLISHED ON THE EQUALITY AND FREEDOM OF ALL MANKIND. <br><br>

      IF WE GO TO GOD’S WORD, WE FIND IT DEALS A LOT WITH HONORING AND RESPECTING THOSE WHO ARE OLDER IN AGE AND WHO HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH THROUGH THE LONG AND FRUITFUL LIVES THAT THEY HAVE LIVED. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT RECALL WHAT SOLOMON SAID IN PROVERBS 20:29. THERE WE READ, “THE GLORY OF YOUNG MEN IS THEIR STRENGTH, AND THE SPLENDOR OF OLD MEN IS THEIR GRAY HEAD.”  HERE WE HAVE ADDRESSED BOTH REALMS OF OUR DECISION THIS MORNING. THE YOUNG WHO STAND STRONG TODAY TO DEFEND OUR NATION. ALSO, THE OLDER WHO ARE NOW WISE, WHO HAVE TAUGHT US SO MUCH ABOUT WHY TO STAND AND WHAT TO STAND FOR. THIS CONCEPT OF GRAY HAIR IS USED IN AN HONORABLE WAY TO CONFIRM THE WISDOM OF THE ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE THE MANY UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE. <br><br>

      NOTICE WHAT ELSE SOLOMON SAID ABOUT THIS TOPIC IN THE SAME BOOK, CHAPTER 16, AND VERSE 16, WHERE HE STATES THAT WISDOM IS BETTER THAN GOLD. LET’S ALL REMEMBER THOSE AROUND US WHO HAVE SUCH A VAST EXPERIENCE TO SHARE WITH US TO MAKE US BETTER PEOPLE IN THE LIVES WHICH WE KNOW LIVE. FURTHERMORE, LET’S SHOW THEM THE RESPECT AND THE HONOR THEY DESERVE FOR BEING WILLING TO STAND DURING THEIR PRIME OF LIFE FOR THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE WORTHY BEFORE GOD. <br><br>

      TODAY WE ARE HAPPY TO AGAIN HAVE BROTHER BRENT GREEN WITH US TO LEAD US IN OUR STUDY OF THE MORNING. BROTHER BRENT IS THE MINISTER FOR THE HWY 13 CHURCH OF CHRIST, IN BOLIVAR, MISSOURI AND HE ALSO WORKS FULL TIME WITH THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF MISSOURI. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE HIM TODAY TO LEAD US IN OUR MAIN THOUGHTS FROM GOD WORD. THIS MORNING, WE WILL CONTINUE WITH OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “WE HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS OF…!”  OUR SPECIFIC TOPIC TODAY CONCERNS “HIS HOLINESS!” SO, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US THIS MORNING, AND AFTER OUR NEXT SONG TOGETHER, BROTHER GREEN WILL RETURN WITH THIS STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD. THE NAME OF OUR NEXT HYMN IS, “HE IS MY EVERYTHING!”<br><br>

      <br><br>

      LESSON<br><br>

      BRENT GREEN<br><br>

      WHAT A GREAT JOY IT IS TO BE ABLE TO OPEN GOD'S WORD AND STUDY IT. WE HAVE BEEN IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS, A VERSE THAT REMINDS US OF HOLINESS SO WE WANT TO BEGIN THERE. HEBREWS CHAPTER 12 BEGINNING THERE IN VERSE NINE, IT SAYS, “FURTHERMORE, WE HAVE HAD HUMAN FATHERS WHO CORRECTED US, AND WE PAID THEM RESPECT. SHALL WE NOT MUCH MORE READILY BE IN SUBJECTION TO THE FATHER OF SPIRITS AND LIVE? FOR THEY INDEED FOR A FEW DAYS CHASTENED US AS SEEMED BEST FOR THEM, BUT HE FOR OUR PROFIT, THAT WE MAY BE PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS.” THE IDEA THERE THAT IS INDEED IN THIS WORLD WE ARE CHASTENED BY HUMAN FATHERS AND IT SERVES A PURPOSE. BUT HOW MUCH MORE SO THE CHASTENING OF GOD TEACHES US SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT: HIS HOLINESS. THAT WE MIGHT LEARN TO BECOME LIKE HIM IN OUR ACTIONS AND OUR WORDS AND WE MIGHT LEARN TO BE IN OUR LIVES HOLY AS HE IS HOLY. WE COULD FINISH THERE THAT SAME IDEA IN HEBREWS CHAPTER 12 AND VERSE 11. IT SAYS, “NOW NO CHASTENING SEEMS TO BE JOYFUL FOR THE PRESENT, BUT PAINFUL; NEVERTHELESS, AFTERWARD IT YIELDS THE PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT.” THAT CHASTENING DOES SERVE A PURPOSE AND THAT IS A TRAINING TOOL, AND HERE IN THIS CONTEXT, THAT WE MIGHT BE TRAINED BY GOD IN ORDER THAT WE MIGHT BECOME RIGHTEOUS, THAT WE MIGHT DO WHAT'S RIGHT, THAT WE MIGHT BE PARTAKERS OF WHAT? HIS HOLINESS. <br><br>

      WELL, WITH THAT IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO BE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD AND BE AS HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY, SURELY OTHER VERSES COME TO MIND. I WANT US TO TURN A FEW PAGES IN OUR BIBLES TO WHAT WE FIND IN FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1. FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE 15 SAYS, 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.’” WHAT WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HERE IS AN ETERNAL PRINCIPLE. THAT IS A PRINCIPLE OF HOLINESS THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF GOD'S WILL UNDER ALL THE DISPENSATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS TO THE LAW OF MOSES, EVEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AGE. HOLINESS IS WHAT GOD EXPECTS AND WHAT GOD COMMANDS OF THOSE WHO WOULD SEEK TO FOLLOW HIM. THUS, IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING THERE JUST AS CHAPTER 1 WHERE GOD SAID, “LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE.” WE KNOW MAN IS NOT MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD PHYSICALLY BECAUSE GOD IS SPIRIT, JOHN FOUR VERSE 24. SO HOW IS MAN MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD? MAN HAS BEEN GIVEN AN ETERNAL SPIRIT AS GOD IS SPIRIT. WE HAVE A PIECE OF MAN THAT WILL NOT REMAIN HERE ON THIS EARTH. THAT WHEN WE DIE, THERE WILL BE A SEPARATION OF THE SPIRIT AND THE BODY AND THE SPIRIT WILL RETURN TO GOD WHO GAVE IT. GOD WHO MADE IT. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE LIKENESS, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. WE HAVE AN ETERNAL SPIRIT AND THEREFORE, WE NEED TO BE HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY. WE NEED TO PATTERN OURSELVES AFTER THE ETERNAL GOD. WE SHOW OURSELVES TO BE THOSE WHO ARE ALIGNED WITH THE CONDUCT THAT HE COMMANDS OF HIS CREATION. THAT WE BE HOLY IN OUR ACTIONS. THAT REALLY IS THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES. <br><br>

      THERE THE ECCLESIASTES WRITER GIVES THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES: IT'S, “TO FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS,” ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 12 VERSES 13 AND 14. I'M AFRAID THAT ALL TOO OFTEN THIS WORLD PEOPLE ARE LIVING FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE. THEY ARE LIVING TO FULFILL THE LUST OF THE FLESH. THEY ARE LIVING TO FULFILL THEIR DESIRES OF THINGS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THIS WORLD HAVING NO CONCERN, MANY TIMES, FOR GOD AND HIS WILL. THEY LIVE IN WHATEVER WAY THEY WANT TO. WE SEE PHYSICALLY THAT SO OFTEN OUR WORLD IS FILLED WITH POLLUTION AND MANY TIMES PEOPLE MIGHT FEEL THAT I CAN NEVER GET AWAY FROM IT. THERE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE POLLUTION AND THUS IT IS THE CASE, EVEN IN VERY RURAL PLACES, YOU GO OUT AND THINK SURELY I'VE ESCAPED ALL THE POLLUTIONS OF THE WORLD AND YET YOU CAN STILL SOMETIMES FIND PIECES OF TRASH LYING THERE ON THE GROUND. THE SPIRITUAL SENSE I'M AFRAID SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME IDEA. WELL, THIS WORLD IS FULL OF SIN. IT IS EVERYWHERE. HOW COULD WE EVER ESCAPE IT? HOW COULD WE EVER TRULY BE HOLY? GOD DOES NOT EXPECT SOMETHING THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. GOD DOES NOT COMMAND THAT WHICH CANNOT BE FULFILLED. CAN WE LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY? CAN WE LIVE PURE LIVES? CAN WE BE HOLY? SURE WE CAN! THAT'S THE VERY PURPOSE! THAT'S THE REASON GOD PUT US HERE. THAT WE MY FEAR HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. THAT WE MIGHT LIVE HOLY IN HIS SIGHT. THOUGH IT MIGHT BE VERY DIFFICULT, IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. SO WE HAVE AN ADMONITION THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE TO BE HOLY. <br><br>

      I WANT US TO FIRST GO BACK AND LOOK AT THIS STATEMENT THAT WE FIND HERE AS WE READ IN FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 THAT ACTUALLY GOES BACK TO THE OLD TESTAMENT. WHAT WE FIND THERE IS PETER SAYS, “‘BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY.’” YOU MAY NOTICE, AS YOU READ THE BIBLE, THAT WHAT IS FOUND THERE IS IN QUOTATION MARKS. WELL, IT COMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. PETER IS QUOTING THE OLD LAW. WHAT WE LEARN IS THAT GOD EXPECTED HOLINESS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. EVEN THERE IN THAT VERSE IN FIRST PETER ONE VERSE 16 IT BEGINS BY SAYING, “BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN.” THAT DIRECTS US OR SHOULD DIRECT OUR MINDS BACK TO THE OLD LAW WHERE GOD EXPECTED HOLINESS THERE FOR HIS PEOPLE. AGAIN, IT WOULD SHOW US THIS IS GOD'S STANDARD THROUGHOUT THE DISPENSATIONS. HERE IN THE LAW OF MOSES, GOD DEMANDED HOLINESS. <br><br>

      I WANT YOU, IF YOU HAVE YOUR BIBLES, TO TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. WE WILL FIND THAT THERE ARE FIVE OCCASIONS HERE WITH THIS EXACT PHRASE IS USED IN LEVITICUS. AND WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM AGAIN WHAT GOD DID EXPECT FROM HIS PEOPLE THERE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT'S, NAMELY HERE IN THE LAW THAT WAS GIVEN TO MOSES AND AS IT IS RECORDED HERE IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. THE FIRST ONE IS THERE IN LEVITICUS CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 44. THIS IS GOD DELIVERING HIS COMMANDS, HIS WILL TO HIS PEOPLE ISRAEL THROUGH MOSES THERE. WHAT DOES IT SAY? LEVITICUS 11:44, “‘FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL THEREFORE CONSECRATE YOURSELVES, AND YOU SHALL BE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY. NEITHER SHALL YOU DEFILE YOURSELF WITH ANY CREEPING THING THAT CREEPS ON THE EARTH.’” GOD EXPECTED HERE THAT HIS PEOPLE LIVE HOLY LIVES. AND IT IS EXPRESSED IN THE IDEA THAT THEY CONSECRATE THEMSELVES OR SET THEMSELVES APART FROM THINGS THAT WOULD DEFILE THEM. THAT'S WHAT GOD EXPECTED HERE OF ISRAEL. NOW WE CONTINUE THERE IN THE NEXT VERSE, VERSE 45 OF CHAPTER 11. THERE IT SAYS, “‘FOR I AM THE LORD WHO BRINGS YOU UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, TO BE YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL THEREFORE BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” GOD HAD A GREAT EXPECTATION HERE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES. HE WAS THE ONE BY HIS POWER THAT HAD BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. THEY WERE SUBJECT TO HIM. THEY WERE GIVEN A LAW BY HIM THAT THEY WERE TO FOLLOW. AND ACCORDINGLY, WHAT DOES GOD TELL THEM TO DO? BE HOLY BECAUSE I AM YOUR GOD. YOU DON'T SERVE IN EGYPT ANY LONGER. YOU DON'T SERVE THEIR GODS NOR WILL YOU SERVE THE GODS OF THOSE WHO WORSHIP THEM AS SUCH IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. MANY FALSE GODS THAT THE PEOPLE THE WORLD WORSHIP. GOD SAID, ‘I AM YOUR GOD.’ AND GOD TOLD HIM THERE, ‘I HAVE AN EXPECTATION FOR YOU. YOU ARE TO BE MY HOLY PEOPLE.’ <br><br>

      WELL, LET'S CONTINUE HERE TO LEVITICUS AND SEE THE NEXT PLACE WHERE SUCH AN IDEA IS EXPRESSED. LEVITICUS CHAPTER 19 AND VERSE 2. THIS IS WHEN GOD IS GIVING FURTHER STATUTES AND PRINCIPLES TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH MOSES. THINGS THAT WILL GOVERN THEIR MORAL LAWS AND THEIR CEREMONIAL LAWS. WHAT DID GOD DEMAND? LEVITICUS 19:2 SAYS, “‘SPEAK TO ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY TO THEM: “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM HOLY.”’” AND THE LAWS ARE GIVEN THERE THAT THEY DON'T GIVE THEMSELVES OVER TO IDOLS, THAT THEY MAKE SURE THEY TREAT THEIR NEIGHBOR PROPERLY, AND ALL THE OTHER EXTENSION THERE OF THE LAW AS IT WAS EXPOUNDED UPON HERE AS IT WAS FIRST GIVEN THERE IN EXODUS, THERE AS IN THE 10 COMMANDMENTS. IT WAS MUCH MORE THAN JUST 10 COMMANDMENTS, ALL THE DETAIL IS GIVEN HERE IN LEVITICUS. WHAT DID GOD EXPECT? THAT HIS PEOPLE FOLLOW THESE LAWS. THAT AS THEY FOLLOW THEM THEY WOULD BE A DISTINCT PEOPLE, THAT THEY WOULD BE SET APART, THAT THEY WOULD BE ONCE AGAIN A HOLY PEOPLE. <br><br>

      LOOK OVER TO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF LEVITICUS, LEVITICUS CHAPTER 20 AND VERSE SEVEN. HERE IT SAYS, “‘CONSECRATE YOUR SELVES THEREFORE, AND BE HOLY, FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM HOLY.’” THAT IS THE SAME IDEA THERE. CONSECRATE MEANS TO SET YOURSELVES APART FOR THE LORD. HERE THE PURPOSE IS GIVEN. NOT FOR THE SAKE OF ANY OTHER PEOPLE. NOT EVEN FOR THE SAKE OF A MAN LIKE MOSES. NO, SET YOURSELF APART. WHY? BECAUSE OF GOD. AND ISN'T THAT REALLY THE REASON WHY HOLINESS IS EXPECTED? BECAUSE GOD EXPECTS SUCH. GOD EXPECTED THESE PEOPLE ONCE AGAIN TO BE A HOLY PEOPLE. AND THERE IN THE SAME CHAPTER LEVITICUS AND VERSE 26 OF CHAPTER 20, THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT WE FIND. IT SAYS, “‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY TO ME, FOR I THE LORD AM HOLY, AND HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM THE PEOPLES, THAT YOU SHOULD BE MINE.’” HERE WE HAVE INDICATION OF OWNERSHIP. THESE WEREN'T JUST ANY PEOPLE. THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T BELONG TO ANOTHER KING OR TO ANOTHER NATION. GOD SAYS I BROUGHT YOU OUT OF EGYPT THAT YOU MIGHT BE MY PEOPLE. THEY BELONG TO HIM. THEY WERE HIS PEOPLE. AND WHAT HE EXPECTED OF THEM? YES, GOD HAD AN EXPECTATION OF HOLINESS FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR THESE PEOPLE. THEY BELONG TO HIM AND THEY WERE TO BE HIS HOLY PEOPLE. THIS UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRUE. IT WAS TRUE IN THE BEGINNING WITH ADAM AND EVE, IT IS TRUE HERE UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES, AND IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY. AS GOD EXPECTED HOLINESS OF THE ISRAELITES SO HE EXPECTS HOLINESS TODAY. <br><br>

      IF THERE'S ONE WORD THAT YOU CAN PLACE UPON THE ENTIRE BOOK OF LEVITICUS, THAT'S THE WORD: HOLINESS. HOLINESS IS ESSENTIAL IN THAT BOOK BY FOLLOWING ALL THE LAW THAT GOD HAD GIVEN TO THEM. THEY WOULD BE SET APART. THEY WOULDN'T TALK LIKE THE OTHER NATIONS. THEY WOULDN'T ACT LIKE THE OTHER NATIONS. THEY WOULDN'T WORSHIP, THEY WOULDN'T LIVE, WHAT THEY WOULD EVEN EAT, WHAT THEY WOULD WEAR, WHERE THEY WOULD LIVE, HOW THEY WOULD HARVEST THEIR CROPS, AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO WOULD ALL BE DIFFERENT FROM THE NATIONS THAT SURROUNDED THEM. BECAUSE AS THEY FOLLOWED GOD'S LAW, THEY WOULD BE SET APART. THEY WOULD BE HOLY. IT'S THAT PRINCIPLE THAT WE LEARN IN LEVITICUS THAT PETER BRINGS BACK TO OUR MINDS IN FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1. WHAT DID GOD EXPECT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? HOLINESS. WHAT DOES HE STILL EXPECT TODAY UNDER THE NEW LAW? HE STILL EXPECTS HOLINESS. <br><br>

      READ THERE WITH ME ONCE AGAIN THE WORDS OF FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE 16, “BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN, “‘BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” THAT'S STILL GOD'S EXPECTATION FOR HIS PEOPLE YET TODAY. AS WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS CALLING US TO. HE'S CALLING US TO LIVE UP TO HIS STANDARD. AND THAT'S WHY IN THE PREVIOUS VERSE, IN VERSE 15, PETER WRITES IT THIS WAY. HE SAYS, “AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT.” GOD HAS CALLED HIS PEOPLE TO BE HOLY. PETER, OF COURSE, IS WRITING TO CHRISTIANS. WE KNOW THAT. AND YES, GOD DOES WANT ALL MEN TO COME TO HIM, TO REPENT OF THEIR SINS, AND TO FOLLOW HIS PLAN OF SALVATION AND BE NAMED AMONG HIS FOLD AND OBEY HIS PLAN. BUT PETER IS WRITING SPECIFICALLY TO THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY GOD'S CHILDREN. HE'S WRITING IN CHAPTER 1 TO THOSE CHRISTIANS, THOSE PILGRIMS OF THE DISPERSION. THEY BEEN DISPERSED BECAUSE OF PERSECUTION. THEY ARE THOSE, IN VERSE TWO, WHO ARE CALLED THE ELECT OF GOD. THEY WHO HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED ALSO IN FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE TWO. THEY ARE THOSE WHO HAVE A LIVING HOPE IN VERSE THREE. HE IS NOT WRITING JUST TO THE WORLD IN GENERAL, HE'S WRITING TO THOSE WHO ARE GOD'S CHILDREN ALREADY. AND AS SUCH, WHAT ARE THEY TO BE? THEY'RE TO BE HOLY BECAUSE GOD HAS CALLED THEM TO BE HOLY. <br><br>

      I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS CALLING TAKES PLACE. IT'S NOT A MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE OR A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. IT IS NOT SOME FEELING OR MOTION. HOW DOES GOD CALL? HE CALLS THROUGH HIS WORD, THE GOSPEL. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SEE THAT NOT JUST FROM WHAT I SAY BUT FROM WHAT GOD'S WORD SAYS AND WHAT WE FIND THERE IN SECOND THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2 AND VERSE 14. HERE PAUL IS WRITING. HE WRITES THESE CHRISTIANS AND HE SAYS, “TO WHICH HE CALLED YOU,” THAT IS GOD, “BY OUR GOSPEL, FOR THE OBTAINING OF THE GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” WE ARE CALLED TO BECOME CHRISTIANS BY THE GOSPEL. BY GOD'S WORD. AND IT'S THAT SAME GOSPEL THAT ALSO CALLS US TO BE HOLY. <br><br>

      IF YOU TURN WITH ME TO THAT FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, WE FIND IN FIRST THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 4 AND VERSE THREE THESE WORDS, “FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD,” WHAT IS GOD'S WILL? IT IS WHAT HE HAS REVEALED US IN HIS WORD. WHAT IS HIS WILL HERE? “THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD, YOUR SANCTIFICATION: THAT YOU SHOULD ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY.” HERE'S ONE GENERAL UMBRELLA OF SINS THAT THESE CHRISTIANS ARE TOLD TO ABSTAIN FROM. REMOVE YOURSELVES FROM THESE SINS. WHY? BECAUSE THIS IS GOD'S WILL, YOUR SANCTIFICATION. DON'T BE CAUGHT UP IN SIN. NO, BE HOLY AS GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE HOLY ACCORDING TO HIS WORD. IN THE SAME CHAPTER THERE FIRST THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 4 IN VERSE SEVEN, HERE WE READ THIS, “FOR GOD DID NOT CALL US TO UNCLEANNESS, BUT IN HOLINESS.” GOD HAS CALLED US ACCORDING TO HIS WILL FROM HIS WORD THE NEW TESTAMENT NOT TO BE THOSE WHO LIVE UNCLEAN LIVES. NO, HE'S CALLED US TO BE THOSE WHO LIVE HOLY LIVES, RIGHTEOUS LIVES PURE IN HIS SIGHT. CHRISTIANS ARE COMMANDED TODAY TO BE HOLY. <br><br>

      IF WE GO BACK TO OUR MAIN TEXT THERE IN FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 WE ARE GIVEN SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THAT IS TO TAKE PLACE AND HOW WE CAN DO THAT. FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 VERSE 13, AS WE BACKUP A FEW  VERSES, IT SAYS, “THEREFORE, GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND, BE SOBER, AND REST YOUR HOPE FULLY UPON THE GRACES BE BROUGHT YOU AT THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST; AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN, NOT CONFORMING YOURSELVES TO THE FORMER LUSTS, AS IN YOUR IGNORANCE.” DID YOU NOTICE HOW WE AS CHRISTIANS CAN BE HOLY? WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR MINDS READY, THERE IN VERSE 13. OUR MIND HAS TO BE PREPARED. YOU NEVER LIVE A HOLY LIFE UNTIL YOU FIRST MAKE THAT DETERMINATION IN YOUR MIND THAT I'M GOING TO LIVE THIS WAY ACCORDING TO GOD'S STANDARD. YOU HAVE TO BE THOSE WHO TRUST FULLY IN GOD AND HIS WORD. YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE THOSE WHO ARE OBEDIENT. THOSE WHO ARE NOT CONFORMED TO SIN, YOUR FORMER LUST. WE LIVED IN SIN. WE LIVE IN WHATEVER WAY WE WANTED TO BUT NOT NOW, NOT AS CHRISTIANS. AS CHRISTIANS, WE ARE TO LIVE HOLY LIVES WHICH MEANS WE ARE SANCTIFIED. WE ARE SET APART FROM ALL THE SPIRITUAL POLLUTION OF THIS WORLD. THAT WE'RE NO LONGER GOING TO DEFILE OURSELVES BY ANYTHING SINFUL. KNOW THAT AS CHRISTIANS WE'VE BEEN SET APART FROM SIN. ACCORDING TO COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3 AND VERSE FIVE, WE ARE PUT TO DEATH FOR THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH. SO THAT ACCORDING TO ROMANS CHAPTER 6 WE HAVE DIED TO THE OLD MAN AND AS WE WERE BURIED WITH CHRIST IN BAPTISM, WE WERE RAISED TO WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. LET US WALK IN THAT NEW LIFE AS CHRISTIANS. NOT DEFILED BY SIN ANY LONGER IN ANYWAY BUT IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT, BE HOLY BEFORE JESUS CHRIST. BE HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY.<br><br>

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CLOSING COMMENTS<br><br>

      AGAIN, LET ME THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO BE WITH US THIS MORNING. I HOPE WE ALL HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED THROUGH OUR TIME SPENT TOGETHER. PLEASE REMEMBER, YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US EVERY SUNDAY MORNING AT 7:30, AS WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THIS SERVICE OF GOD. <br><br>

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      THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HE IS HOLY AND WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF STRIVING TO BE HOLY AS HE IS! THE QUESTION IS, “WILL WE MEET THE STANDARD SET BY GOD AND DO OUR BEST TO GLORIFY HIM IN ALL THINGS?”<br><br>