WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:09.185 Before I dive in, andrew is at home from Kazak this weekend and, with many of you, have supported him in prayer and some monetarily. 00:00:09.185 --> 00:00:17.588 So I've asked him to give just a brief update of what has been happening in his life the first month here of the new year of 2024. 00:00:17.588 --> 00:00:21.146 So, andy, if you want to come up and just give us a brief update, that would be great. 00:00:28.871 --> 00:00:29.292 Good morning. 00:00:29.292 --> 00:00:41.104 So yeah, I've been in Kazak for the past year and a half now and my second year of training kind of finished up in August, so super excited about that. 00:00:41.104 --> 00:01:01.482 This second year started in September and since then I've just kind of been all over, been in West Virginia, been out of the country once, and on that trip I was in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and so got to experience the Muslim culture there a lot, and so that was a lot of fun. 00:01:01.482 --> 00:01:05.828 Then since the new year I've just been in Lancaster. 00:01:07.602 --> 00:01:35.987 I'm in a nine week segment right now where the goal is basically to get us to be able to just be in training or have the mental capacity to go, have the stamina to go long distances without having a break, and so we have, roughly out of nine weekends, we have roughly two weekends that we have off and then from there we have seven days a week of training. 00:01:35.987 --> 00:01:46.585 So I have four more weeks of that and so far we've been doing I've been in Vermont doing surface ice rescue and confined space. 00:01:46.585 --> 00:01:59.427 I've been doing quite a bit of hiking and a lot of scenarios and so just getting our skills down to where they're second nature to us, and also been doing some academic stuff. 00:01:59.427 --> 00:02:08.187 Other than that, this summer I'm going to be out of the country this summer and in March I'll be out of the country as well. 00:02:08.187 --> 00:02:13.962 So, yep, I really appreciate all you guys' prayers and all the support you guys have shown me. 00:02:13.962 --> 00:02:14.724 So thank you. 00:02:18.953 --> 00:02:32.950 Thank you, andrew, and it goes without saying that we always enjoy when we hear that he's coming home for a weekend, and it's always good to have him at home and just catch up with him and reunite with him. 00:02:32.950 --> 00:02:45.372 I'd like to this morning, grab your hymn books and I'd like to sing Numbers 116 as we go into the sermon. 00:02:45.372 --> 00:02:47.826 The Lord is in his holy temple. 00:02:47.826 --> 00:02:56.288 The Lord is in his holy temple. 00:02:56.288 --> 00:03:04.733 Let all the earth keep silence before him. 00:03:04.733 --> 00:03:18.685 As we will sing it once, and before we add the amen, I'd like just to go back about halfway back in the last frame and again repeat keep silence, keep silence before him. 00:03:18.685 --> 00:03:20.902 And then attach the amen. 00:03:27.901 --> 00:03:38.473 No, the Lord is in his holy temple. 00:03:38.473 --> 00:03:46.454 The Lord is in his holy temple. 00:03:46.454 --> 00:03:54.653 Let all the earth keep silence. 00:03:55.400 --> 00:04:47.519 Let all the earth keep silence before him, keep silence, keep silence before him, keep silence, keep silence before him. 00:04:47.519 --> 00:05:01.273 Amen. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:08.908 Let all the earth keep silence before him. 00:05:08.908 --> 00:05:13.326 God is holy. 00:05:13.326 --> 00:05:20.793 This is the second message for me in preaching through the core values. 00:05:20.793 --> 00:05:28.466 The first was on worship a few weeks ago, and this morning I'd like to cover the subject of holiness. 00:05:28.466 --> 00:05:47.408 Excuse me, after I sent in the title to on the WhatsApp group for the church bulletin I this morning, as I continued studying, I looked at the title and I was like what a generic title. 00:05:47.408 --> 00:05:48.779 God is holy. 00:05:48.779 --> 00:05:50.547 It's very profound but it's very generic. 00:05:50.547 --> 00:05:53.687 And I'll admit, part of that was yesterday afternoon. 00:05:53.687 --> 00:06:04.588 I was working out in my shop and all of a sudden I thought oh, I forgot to send in my info to the church bulletin and I had not yet titled my sermon. 00:06:04.588 --> 00:06:08.889 So I quickly, in about 30 seconds, came up with the title and I sent it in. 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:15.649 And then I was a little bit okay, that's a generic title, but God is holy. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:32.968 This morning I'd like to look at a number of scriptures, starting in Exodus and going through the Old Testament, touching a few scriptures in the New Testament and looking at God's plan for holiness. 00:06:32.968 --> 00:06:44.033 When we think of the word holy, I would be curious what you would define as being holy. 00:06:44.033 --> 00:06:49.367 Some of the things that often come to mind are moral purity. 00:06:49.367 --> 00:06:55.764 God is a moral person, so he is holy. 00:06:55.764 --> 00:07:00.083 We talk about being set apart First. 00:07:00.083 --> 00:07:01.620 Peter talks about being set apart. 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:08.593 We talk about being a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. 00:07:08.593 --> 00:07:11.247 God is holy. 00:07:11.247 --> 00:07:34.141 What I mentioned as far as living lives of purity, making sure that we are set apart from the world, making sure that we are set apart to God that is all included in holiness, but it goes beyond that. 00:07:34.141 --> 00:07:44.848 It is actually a lot more exciting than trying to keep our lives in tune and up to date. 00:07:44.848 --> 00:08:05.168 That gets burdensome at times For me it does to constantly try to stay back from the line of sin, to constantly make sure that my life is up to date, and as I was studying the subject of holiness, I discovered that it is a lot more than that. 00:08:05.168 --> 00:08:08.841 So, what makes God holy? 00:08:08.841 --> 00:08:12.379 What makes God holy? 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:34.187 A lot of the thoughts that I'll be using this morning I gleaned from the Bible project and listening to some podcasts and then following some of their scriptures, following through with some of their scripture readings, and I was inspired with the holiness of God. 00:08:35.355 --> 00:08:36.818 What makes God holy? 00:08:36.818 --> 00:08:41.181 God is the Creator. 00:08:41.181 --> 00:08:45.544 He is the creative force behind the whole universe. 00:08:45.544 --> 00:08:48.703 I know that's not new for us. 00:08:48.703 --> 00:09:03.086 We know that We've read through Genesis, we've read through the creation many times, but he is the only one with the power to make a world full of such beauty and life. 00:09:03.086 --> 00:09:11.076 This morning, during the course of the sermon, you will hear living and you will hear life quite a bit. 00:09:11.076 --> 00:09:21.004 Life and living is one of the central parts of holiness, as opposed to death and disease. 00:09:21.004 --> 00:09:40.058 Because God is the only Creator, because God is the most powerful source of life, we get to call Him holy. 00:09:40.058 --> 00:09:53.687 God is totally unique to any other being and because of that we call Him holy. 00:09:55.875 --> 00:09:59.904 I like to use the sun as a metaphor this morning, and this is not original with me. 00:09:59.904 --> 00:10:02.419 I got this off of the Bible project. 00:10:02.419 --> 00:10:06.120 The sun is unique within our solar system. 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.379 It is actually called a star. 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:16.506 For us, as humans, it is the star that we get the brightest light from. 00:10:16.506 --> 00:10:22.283 Obviously, we know that and, by the way, how many of you enjoyed yesterday afternoon. 00:10:23.695 --> 00:10:37.025 I had been looking at the forecast all week and I'm always amazed at how right on the meteorologists can be, and even at times they can be way off. 00:10:37.025 --> 00:10:45.741 But I knew that Saturday afternoon it said that the clouds are supposed to kind of go away and the sun might actually come out. 00:10:45.741 --> 00:10:48.022 And what a beautiful day it was. 00:10:48.022 --> 00:10:56.583 I was working outside in my shop and I went in towards evening and I told Renita I don't even want to come inside, and then this morning we have bright sunlight. 00:10:56.583 --> 00:10:58.259 Last night there was not a cloud in the sky. 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:05.128 I went out to tie up the dog after dark and the stars were shining. 00:11:05.128 --> 00:11:06.818 It was beautiful. 00:11:08.095 --> 00:11:10.922 So the sun is unique within our solar system. 00:11:10.922 --> 00:11:22.937 It is a really really, really powerful star and it is the source of life here on our planet Earth. 00:11:22.937 --> 00:11:42.166 The very power and goodness that generates this life can also be very dangerous If any of us would travel even not much closer in relevance to how far away the sun is. 00:11:42.166 --> 00:11:43.352 I believe the sun is what? 00:11:43.352 --> 00:11:45.238 93 million miles, is that right? 00:11:45.238 --> 00:11:54.572 And I don't know how close we would have to get to the sun before we'd be totally annihilated or we'd be totally destroyed. 00:11:54.572 --> 00:12:00.321 In the same way, there is this paradox with God's holiness. 00:12:00.321 --> 00:12:10.801 If I am impure, his holiness is very dangerous in a good way. 00:12:10.801 --> 00:12:17.099 God and impurity cannot coexist. 00:12:18.269 --> 00:12:29.802 Starting in your Bibles to Exodus, chapter 3, I'd like to start with Moses and the burning bush, and then we're going to take a travel through some Old Testament scriptures back into the New Testament. 00:12:29.802 --> 00:12:36.883 I encourage you, if you have your Bibles or your online Bibles, please follow along this morning. 00:12:36.883 --> 00:12:39.365 I don't want to lose any of you and I don't want to bore any of you. 00:12:39.365 --> 00:13:02.937 I'm going to be reading a lot of scripture, but there's a pattern that I hope we can share in a clear, distinct way of what is God's holiness in going through scripture, exodus, chapter 3, I'd like to read verses 1 through 6. 00:13:02.937 --> 00:13:04.922 1 through 6. 00:13:05.672 --> 00:13:19.740 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horib, the mountain of God, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:25.640 He looked and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 00:13:25.640 --> 00:13:30.495 And Moses said I will turn aside to this great sight why the bush is not burned. 00:13:30.495 --> 00:13:33.375 When the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see. 00:13:33.375 --> 00:13:37.573 God called to him out of the bush Moses, moses. 00:13:37.573 --> 00:13:39.759 And he said here I am. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:42.416 Then he said do not come near. 00:13:42.416 --> 00:13:48.581 Take your sandals off your feet for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 00:13:48.581 --> 00:13:54.852 And he said I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 00:13:54.852 --> 00:14:00.537 And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 00:14:05.950 --> 00:14:08.937 Here we have a supernatural thing happening. 00:14:08.937 --> 00:14:17.663 Have any of you ever seen something that is on fire but it's not consumed? 00:14:17.663 --> 00:14:34.783 We've seen many gas logs burning, but I'm talking about a real fire, to where it is not supplied by gas, it is not fueled by a manmade thing, but it's a fire that's supposed to be consuming something. 00:14:34.783 --> 00:14:48.139 When you watch it and it's not being consumed, I bet that would get our attention For sure if you're out in the back 40 and you're tending sheep and all of a sudden there's an angel and there's a bush on fire, but it's not being consumed. 00:14:48.139 --> 00:14:52.437 God was getting Moses' attention. 00:14:52.437 --> 00:15:07.340 Here was Creator God, a totally unique being from any other being on earth, and he was showing Moses a supernatural happening and showing him that he is God. 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:12.856 But he says Moses, don't come closer. 00:15:12.856 --> 00:15:17.557 Actually, take off your shoes, because you're standing on holy ground. 00:15:17.557 --> 00:15:20.676 And that ground was not anything special. 00:15:20.676 --> 00:15:28.691 It was anything special before God appeared, but it was special because God's presence was there. 00:15:33.210 --> 00:15:35.878 I'm not going to spend much time here, but I'd like to move on. 00:15:35.878 --> 00:15:43.583 The intensity of God's presence increases as we look into Leviticus. 00:15:43.583 --> 00:15:59.736 We're not going to read a lot in Leviticus or even more in Exodus, but I'd like to take just a moment to look at the temple or the tabernacle that was being built by the Israelites to house God's presence. 00:15:59.736 --> 00:16:15.495 The importance of purity when coming into the presence of God intensifies as we look into the, the nation of Israel in building the tabernacle. 00:16:15.495 --> 00:16:32.639 In the center of the tabernacle that they built at the end of Exodus and then going into Leviticus, in the center of the tabernacle was a room called the Most Holy Place, and you can read this in one of the latter chapters of Exodus. 00:16:34.283 --> 00:16:48.592 In the room called the Holy Place, you had to be ceremonially and ritually pure to even be in the vicinity of this space, because it was where God dwelt. 00:16:48.592 --> 00:16:54.869 Even the priest, the high priest, was only allowed to go in once a year. 00:16:54.869 --> 00:16:57.697 The people that were not in the priesthood. 00:16:57.697 --> 00:17:05.557 Even to come close, to step inside the tabernacle, they had to be total, totally, richly pure. 00:17:05.557 --> 00:17:08.082 What does this mean? 00:17:08.082 --> 00:17:16.605 To be richly pure, separated from anything that was associated with death, anything that was associated with disease. 00:17:16.605 --> 00:17:29.212 It could mean certain bodily fluids, it could mean somebody passed away and you for sure didn't want to touch the body, anybody that had leprosy or any of diseases. 00:17:29.212 --> 00:17:36.771 If you touched that person, the disease would transfer onto your body. 00:17:36.771 --> 00:17:59.355 In Leviticus, god gave the Israelites very clear instructions on what to do to make sure they were not richly or physically impure before they entered the tabernacle, before they entered his dwelling place of his presence. 00:17:59.355 --> 00:18:24.205 The idea here is that if I want to become holy, it is by honoring and acknowledging God as the Creator and author of life, opposite of disease, opposite of death, and I do this by disassociating myself with anything that brings death. 00:18:24.205 --> 00:18:31.180 What in your life today is snuffing out your life? 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:34.346 What is snuffing out your joy this morning? 00:18:34.346 --> 00:18:40.240 Are you in contact with anything that is bringing death into your life? 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:46.012 Are you in contact with anything that is bringing disease into your life? 00:18:46.012 --> 00:19:02.450 This is the theme of Leviticus enrichly purifying themselves before they enter into God's presence, before they even come into the vicinity of God's presence. 00:19:05.395 --> 00:19:11.385 Let's fast forward to Isaiah, prophet Isaiah, turn in your Bibles to Isaiah, chapter 6. 00:19:11.385 --> 00:19:32.321 Isaiah, chapter 6, I'll be reading verses 1 through 7. 00:19:32.321 --> 00:19:36.390 Before I go into the reading, I'd like to just set the stage here. 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.192 So here is Isaiah. 00:19:38.192 --> 00:19:43.407 He knows the Levitical ceremonial laws. 00:19:43.407 --> 00:19:50.405 He knows where God's presence dwells in the tabernacle, and here they call it a temple. 00:19:50.405 --> 00:20:04.193 He knows the laws given to Israel as far as before you come into the presence of God, you need to be pure or clean, ceremonially clean. 00:20:04.193 --> 00:20:08.298 And here Isaiah has a vision. 00:20:08.298 --> 00:20:10.186 And where does he find himself? 00:20:10.186 --> 00:20:14.296 In the temple, in the presence of God. 00:20:14.296 --> 00:20:29.108 And he's terrified because he knows he shouldn't be there without going through the ceremonial law before he steps into the temple and puts himself in the presence of God. 00:20:29.108 --> 00:20:36.118 Through that lens, let's read Isaiah, chapter 6, verses 1 through 7. 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:44.848 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 00:20:44.848 --> 00:20:46.853 Above him stood the Seraphim. 00:20:46.853 --> 00:20:53.077 Each had six wings With two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 00:20:53.077 --> 00:21:00.859 And one called and said and one called to another and said Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:08.175 The whole earth is full of his glory and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him. 00:21:08.175 --> 00:21:14.715 Who called and the house was filled with smoke Another supernatural happening. 00:21:14.715 --> 00:21:19.326 A supernatural happening in Isaiah's vision. 00:21:19.326 --> 00:21:38.632 And at this point he finds himself, unclean, in the temple, in the presence of God, and having known what he should have done according to the ceremonial law before he put himself in this space Verse 5,. 00:21:38.632 --> 00:21:50.284 And he said Woe is me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 00:21:50.284 --> 00:22:18.750 I fully believe Isaiah thought he was going to be annihilated right here, but look what happened Verse 6, then one of the Seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongues from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said Behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. 00:22:18.750 --> 00:22:28.363 Can somebody tell me what just happened here? 00:22:29.484 --> 00:22:38.856 What very important aspect of this setting is different than back in Leviticus and Exodus? 00:22:38.856 --> 00:22:59.050 In Leviticus and Exodus, if you came into contact with anything that was unclean, death disease, anything that they deemed unclean, that disease spread to you. 00:22:59.050 --> 00:23:14.634 And here, all of a sudden, you have this burning coal, the Seraphim with a burning coal, a very pure object. 00:23:14.634 --> 00:23:24.969 Instead of the coal becoming unpure, isaiah becomes pure. 00:23:24.969 --> 00:23:44.643 The script is flipped Instead of Isaiah being annihilated, he becomes transformed by the burning coal used by Seraphim. 00:23:44.643 --> 00:23:55.057 Isaiah isn't destroyed by God's holiness, he is transformed by it. 00:23:56.821 --> 00:23:58.246 Hebrews 10, 1,. 00:23:58.246 --> 00:24:13.642 For since the law has but a shadow of good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near Isaiah. 00:24:13.642 --> 00:24:16.189 10, 19, 20, and 21. 00:24:16.189 --> 00:24:43.278 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 00:24:43.505 --> 00:24:51.211 Now let's, let's fast forward to another prophet, ezekiel, turning your Bibles to Ezekiel, chapter 47. 00:24:51.211 --> 00:25:09.068 Ezekiel, chapter 47. 00:25:09.068 --> 00:25:14.953 I like to read verses 1 through 9. 00:25:14.953 --> 00:25:21.747 So here we have another prophet, here it's a prophet Ezekiel, and we have another vision. 00:25:21.747 --> 00:25:34.189 So we have the, the Levitical law and the tabernacle, the ritualistic impurity and purity. 00:25:34.189 --> 00:25:46.217 Then we move to Isaiah, where the script is flipped to, where, all of a sudden, isaiah is transformed instead of destroyed, even though he approaches God's throne in an impure state. 00:25:46.217 --> 00:25:58.385 And now Ezekiel takes that thought further yet, and this is also concerning God's holiness Ezekiel 47, verses 1 through 9. 00:25:59.007 --> 00:25:59.955 Then he brought me back. 00:25:59.955 --> 00:26:00.919 This is also a vision. 00:26:00.919 --> 00:26:09.858 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple and behold, water was issuing from the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. 00:26:09.858 --> 00:26:15.205 The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 00:26:15.205 --> 00:26:27.711 Then he brought me out by the way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east, and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. 00:26:27.711 --> 00:26:33.965 This is another supernatural happening, although, be it, it was a vision. 00:26:33.965 --> 00:26:37.357 The water coming out of the temple. 00:26:37.357 --> 00:26:47.638 And behold, the water was trickling out on the north side Verse 3 going eastward. 00:26:47.679 --> 00:26:54.884 With a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cupids and then led me through the water, and it was ankle deep. 00:26:54.884 --> 00:26:59.784 Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water and it was knee deep. 00:26:59.784 --> 00:27:04.682 Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water and it was waist deep. 00:27:04.682 --> 00:27:11.547 Again he measured a thousand and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. 00:27:11.547 --> 00:27:16.886 It was deep enough to swim in a river that could not be passed through. 00:27:16.886 --> 00:27:20.682 And he said to me son of man, have you seen this? 00:27:20.682 --> 00:27:23.155 Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 00:27:23.155 --> 00:27:37.414 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on one side and on the other, and he said to me this water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into into the Araba and enters the sea. 00:27:37.414 --> 00:27:49.942 When the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh and wherever the river goes, every living creature that swims will live and there will be very many fish. 00:27:53.646 --> 00:28:07.027 God's holiness coming out of the temple to refresh and to make alive what was dead. 00:28:07.027 --> 00:28:22.403 No longer did the people need to be pure when they go into God's presence, but now God was letting his presence flow out. 00:28:22.403 --> 00:28:29.839 His holiness flow out of the temple to refresh and to make alive what was dead. 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:43.847 It went from a trickle to a stream, to a river, into the Dead Sea, making everything fresh and alive. 00:28:43.847 --> 00:28:48.118 What an abundance of living water. 00:28:48.118 --> 00:29:01.335 Instead of becoming pure and going into the temple, here God's holiness comes out of the temple, making things pure and bringing them back to life. 00:29:03.897 --> 00:29:07.321 Now turn your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 9. 00:29:07.321 --> 00:29:49.261 And here we have Jesus coming on the scene, matthew, chapter 9, and I like to read verses 18 through 35 and as I'm reading, try to in your mind make the connection, starting back with the Levitical law through the script being flipped when Isaiah was transformed, to the river of God's holiness flowing out of the temple. 00:29:49.261 --> 00:29:51.145 And now Jesus comes on the scene. 00:29:51.145 --> 00:29:55.394 Matthew 9, verses 18 through 35,. 00:29:55.394 --> 00:30:04.715 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying my daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live. 00:30:04.715 --> 00:30:07.788 And Jesus rose and followed him and his disciples. 00:30:07.788 --> 00:30:14.930 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment. 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:19.705 For she said to herself, if I only touch this garment, I will be made well. 00:30:19.705 --> 00:30:25.185 Jesus turned and seeing her, he said take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well. 00:30:25.185 --> 00:30:27.612 And instantly the woman was made well. 00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:36.173 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping. 00:30:36.173 --> 00:30:37.857 And they laughed at him. 00:30:37.857 --> 00:30:43.276 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand and the girl arose. 00:30:43.276 --> 00:30:46.488 And the report of this went through all that district. 00:30:46.488 --> 00:30:53.030 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him crying aloud have mercy on us, son of David. 00:30:53.030 --> 00:30:59.789 When he entered the house, the blind men came to see him and Jesus said to them do you believe that I am able to do this? 00:30:59.789 --> 00:31:01.701 They said to him yes, lord. 00:31:01.701 --> 00:31:06.813 Then he touched their eyes saying according to your faith, be it done to you. 00:31:06.813 --> 00:31:13.732 And the rise were opened and Jesus sternly warned them see that no one comes about it. 00:31:13.732 --> 00:31:17.413 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. 00:31:17.413 --> 00:31:24.015 As they were going away, behold a demon, oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 00:31:24.015 --> 00:31:32.961 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke and the crowds marveled, saying nothing was anything like this seen in Israel. 00:31:32.961 --> 00:31:38.675 But the Pharisees said he cast out demons by the Prince of demons. 00:31:38.675 --> 00:31:49.666 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 00:31:52.230 --> 00:31:58.762 Jesus is touching a lot of quote impure people. 00:31:58.762 --> 00:32:31.220 When he touches them, their impurities should actually be transferring over into his body, but instead his purities are being transferred over to them and they're being healed and being purified just like the holy coal or the hot coal in Isaiah's vision. 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:38.374 Jesus was God's holiness in human flesh. 00:32:38.374 --> 00:32:46.907 Jesus and his followers were now God's temple in which he dwelt. 00:32:46.907 --> 00:33:14.277 No longer was God's holiness confined in the temple in a building to where they had to be pure before they entered the presence, but now God's presence was among them and instead of their diseases being transported into another body, they were being healed Through Jesus and his followers, his disciples. 00:33:14.277 --> 00:33:24.371 God's holy presence would go into the world and bring life and healing and hope to the lost and impure. 00:33:24.371 --> 00:33:38.786 John 737-39 reads like this on the last day of the feast, the great day, jesus stood up and cried out if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 00:33:38.786 --> 00:33:45.887 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 00:33:45.887 --> 00:33:56.693 What was flowing out of the temple in Ezekiel's vision, rivers of living water bringing life and purity to anything it touched. 00:33:56.693 --> 00:34:04.269 Let's look at one more vision, and this one's by John. 00:34:05.112 --> 00:34:07.759 Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 22. 00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:13.347 Revelation 22. 00:34:13.347 --> 00:34:19.795 I'd like to read verses one through five of Revelation 22. 00:34:19.795 --> 00:34:28.112 Another vision, and this one by the Apostle John Revelation 22. 00:34:28.112 --> 00:34:38.965 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, brightest crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb Through the middle of the street of the city. 00:34:38.965 --> 00:34:46.005 Also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month. 00:34:46.005 --> 00:34:50.373 It sounds very similar to what we read in Ezekiel. 00:34:50.373 --> 00:34:53.909 The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 00:34:53.909 --> 00:35:02.820 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him. 00:35:02.820 --> 00:35:06.728 They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. 00:35:06.728 --> 00:35:08.572 The night will be no more. 00:35:08.572 --> 00:35:10.364 They will need no light. 00:35:10.364 --> 00:35:14.797 They will need no light of lamp or sun for the Lord. 00:35:14.797 --> 00:35:52.764 God will be their light and they will reign forever and ever, not only as a presence of God, no longer contained or confined in a building, and not only as a presence of God in the parts that Jesus and the disciples physically walked to, but now John is seeing in a vision that the whole entire earth has become God's temple. 00:35:52.764 --> 00:36:05.771 Ezekiel's rivers are flowing out of God's presence, immersing all of creation, removing all impurity and bringing everything back to life. 00:36:07.974 --> 00:36:08.894 So where do we fit in? 00:36:08.894 --> 00:36:12.842 Where do we fit in? 00:36:12.842 --> 00:36:17.333 1 Peter, 1, 14 through 16. 00:36:17.333 --> 00:36:21.826 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 00:36:21.826 --> 00:36:26.460 But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. 00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:30.409 Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. 00:36:30.409 --> 00:36:35.461 I'm going to break it down into some very simple terms. 00:36:36.103 --> 00:36:52.405 This morning, holiness is a matter of are we life giving or are we death? 00:36:52.405 --> 00:36:58.855 What are you in contact with this morning? 00:36:58.855 --> 00:37:11.476 Do you have streams of living water flowing out of you that helps heal and bring others to our holy God, or am I? 00:37:11.476 --> 00:37:16.224 Are you in contact with something that is bringing death into your life? 00:37:16.224 --> 00:37:24.016 Are you the one healing or being healed? 00:37:24.016 --> 00:37:35.820 We all have times where we need to come, fall on our face before God and beg for that burning coal to purify. 00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:43.630 Where are you this morning? 00:37:43.630 --> 00:37:54.510 Am I a source of life to those that I touch and come in contact with, or am I in contact with that which brings death and impurity? 00:37:54.510 --> 00:38:00.385 Am I the burning coal and the living water bringing God's holiness to others? 00:38:00.385 --> 00:38:16.634 Am I God's holiness in human flesh or am I the person in Leviticus that has come in contact with death or disease and I need that cleansing? 00:38:16.634 --> 00:38:29.532 Am I the burning coal and the living water bringing God's holiness to others, or am I the one in need of the burning coal in order to restore purity and life to my soul? 00:38:32.820 --> 00:38:39.054 The second core value of Grace Point is holiness, and this morning I challenge each one of us. 00:38:39.054 --> 00:39:19.483 If we want to be a church that's alive, and if we want to bring a church and a group of people that brings life to the neighborhoods that we occupy, that brings life to the people that we come in contact with, not on Sunday mornings but during the week, then it takes the purifying of the burning coal and then us, through that, having rivers of living water running out of our deepest resources of the heart. 00:39:19.483 --> 00:39:26.081 That will then make a difference in bringing purity and life to those we come in contact with. 00:39:26.081 --> 00:39:29.467 Holiness, where are you this morning? 00:39:29.467 --> 00:39:36.905 Are you the river of life or do you need the river of life? 00:39:37.186 --> 00:39:42.184 This morning, let's pray Our Father God this morning as we looked into your word. 00:39:42.184 --> 00:39:44.739 I pray that you might grant the increase to what was shared this morning. 00:39:44.739 --> 00:40:05.628 God, we are in awe of your holiness and I pray that you might help us to grasp and the vision that Isaiah and Ezekiel and John saw and to take that to heart and to live lives that would bring life to those around us and not death. 00:40:05.628 --> 00:40:07.693 So, lord, we commit this into your hand. 00:40:07.693 --> 00:40:12.137 I pray that you might be honored and praised through the remainder of this day. 00:40:12.137 --> 00:40:13.965 I pray this all in Jesus' name. 00:40:13.965 --> 00:40:16.481 Amen, randy.