WEBVTT 00:00:04.166 --> 00:00:28.926 Mark did an excellent job last week of showing us the renewal of the covenant between God and his people After the wall was finished and people came to a point of repentance and realizing their need for God again, and then this covenant was struck between them and God and, kind of springboarding off of that, today's message is called Living in Glass Houses Living in Glass Houses. 00:00:28.926 --> 00:00:36.107 So let's look at Nehemiah, chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, and that's what we're going to read Nehemiah 11, verses 1 and 2. 00:00:36.107 --> 00:00:56.014 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns, and the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 00:00:56.014 --> 00:01:07.012 Now there's a lot more in this chapter and there's about a gazillion names, okay, and we've made comments each week about the names and the pronunciation of the names. 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:12.245 Why are the names listed for us in scripture, especially in the Old Testament? 00:01:12.245 --> 00:01:13.549 Well, there's a reason. 00:01:13.549 --> 00:01:27.162 The reason is because we can trace the line, the lineage of Jesus, all the way from Adam and all the way to Joseph and Mary and to Jesus himself, and so those names are very significant and important. 00:01:27.162 --> 00:01:44.183 Also, the people who were the people of God, the Jewish nation, were represented, are represented in those names and also, on top of that, these are individual people who are obedient to the call, and so they're given commendation, if that makes sense, in these different chapters. 00:01:44.183 --> 00:01:47.751 So I know we've been reading in our Bible reading plan through the Old Testament. 00:01:47.751 --> 00:01:53.659 We've kind of landed in Chronicles as of late a little bit, and there's a lot of names, a lot of names. 00:01:53.659 --> 00:02:06.453 But if you can think about it in terms of why they're there and how they draw a connection point between Jesus and even all the way back to the Garden of Eden, it's so important and so impactful. 00:02:06.453 --> 00:02:08.676 All right, so let's pray. 00:02:08.676 --> 00:02:15.048 Father, we thank you for this day, we thank you that you're here with us, thank you for your presence that is here. 00:02:15.048 --> 00:02:25.568 Lord, we ask you that you would continue to work and do what only you can do in this service Change our hearts, change our minds. 00:02:25.568 --> 00:02:28.122 Do exactly. 00:02:28.122 --> 00:02:36.949 We ask that your will would come to pass in every way in Jesus' name, amen, amen. 00:02:36.949 --> 00:02:41.792 So, if you don't know, I am a card-carrying member of. 00:02:41.792 --> 00:02:43.722 How do I say this? 00:02:43.722 --> 00:02:44.783 I'm a PK. 00:02:44.783 --> 00:02:46.287 I'm a PK. 00:02:46.287 --> 00:02:47.048 What is a PK? 00:02:47.048 --> 00:02:49.252 I'm a preacher's kid. 00:02:49.252 --> 00:02:50.334 I'm a pastor's kid. 00:02:50.334 --> 00:02:58.706 Not only that, but I have four children, and guess what they are? 00:02:58.706 --> 00:02:59.288 They're PKs as well. 00:02:59.308 --> 00:03:02.360 Right, and then we have another generation, which we just spent a few days with in Florida, and I've discerned. 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:09.649 My daughter, hannah, came up with a great wisdom on a Wednesday when we were all attempting to do the next thing. 00:03:09.649 --> 00:03:14.885 That comes with a house full of people and a bunch of little kids, right, and she said. 00:03:14.885 --> 00:03:21.646 Somebody said to her use the word vacation, and she said oh no, this is not a vacation, this is a trip. 00:03:21.646 --> 00:03:27.018 There's a difference between a trip and a vacation. 00:03:27.018 --> 00:03:29.425 I didn't discern that before now, but now I know. 00:03:29.425 --> 00:03:37.449 A trip is something that has an agenda, where everything moves according to a certain you know, movement, and it's basically. 00:03:37.449 --> 00:03:40.905 Everything was based upon the grandchildren, which was amazing. 00:03:40.905 --> 00:03:42.449 We enjoyed every minute of it, right. 00:03:42.449 --> 00:03:45.002 And then we went to Mark's wedding and we drove home. 00:03:45.002 --> 00:03:46.826 We got home about 11 o'clock last night. 00:03:46.826 --> 00:03:57.745 So I'm praying that my filters are all in place and then I'm able to fire on all cylinders and say all the things that I feel like God wants me to say this morning. 00:03:57.764 --> 00:04:02.141 But I also want to give you a little bit of context as to what this week has held for us. 00:04:02.141 --> 00:04:03.383 It was amazing. 00:04:03.383 --> 00:04:06.985 We loved it so much and we had a good time. 00:04:06.985 --> 00:04:08.006 Amy and I had a good time. 00:04:08.006 --> 00:04:10.127 We rode in silence for a while in the car. 00:04:10.127 --> 00:04:14.812 It wasn't because we were angry with each other, it was just because it was still. 00:04:14.812 --> 00:04:17.494 It was still and it was quiet. 00:04:17.494 --> 00:04:29.548 We were trying to take a nap just for a few minutes one day, and Emma, one of our three-year-olds, somehow escaped the room where she was supposed to be napping, and so she made her way. 00:04:29.548 --> 00:04:34.245 I don't know how she knew which room was ours, but she made her way down to her way down to our room. 00:04:34.245 --> 00:04:39.574 And hey pops, hey Mimi, what you doing? 00:04:39.574 --> 00:04:42.161 Open the door. 00:04:42.161 --> 00:04:51.240 So it was like oh, here we go, we're on a trip, anyway. 00:04:51.281 --> 00:05:00.053 So what am I saying by me being a preacher's kid and my kids being PKs and then their kids being KPKs, which are kids of preacher's kids? 00:05:00.053 --> 00:05:05.110 That's a new one that I've just coined this morning, so you can use that one if you'd like to use it. 00:05:05.110 --> 00:05:09.771 What does that have to do with anything that we're talking about this morning from this passage? 00:05:09.771 --> 00:05:17.613 Well, how many of you know that the general public doesn't necessarily have a positive outlook on PKs. 00:05:17.613 --> 00:05:23.913 In fact, a lot of times, pks are looked down upon because what they're crazy, they're wild. 00:05:23.913 --> 00:05:26.963 They do all of this stuff Well, and sometimes that's warranted. 00:05:26.963 --> 00:05:35.600 Sometimes it is like that right, and we understand that General public doesn't know something, though, about this group of people, and I want to make you aware. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:39.451 If you're not a card carrying member, I want to bring you into our world a little bit. 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:44.021 Like it or not, our lives are on constant display. 00:05:44.021 --> 00:05:56.350 Those who have the name pastor or preacher in front of their last names, or however it is, we live in glass houses. 00:05:56.350 --> 00:05:59.130 Our lives are on full display. 00:05:59.130 --> 00:06:10.838 People get a front row seat to the good, the bad and the ugly, because we do live in proverbial glass houses. 00:06:10.838 --> 00:06:19.490 And for most people and probably for most of my life, to be honest, I have had a little bit of resentment in my heart about that. 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:20.331 It's like why, why is it me that? 00:06:20.331 --> 00:06:21.961 Why do we have to live in that way? 00:06:21.961 --> 00:06:28.706 Why is it that everybody gets to be exposed to our lives and all of the things that happen in our lives? 00:06:28.706 --> 00:06:50.994 And my children, especially, have asked that when I tell particular stories about our lives and about our family, you know I've had to learn as their adult children now that sometimes I need to run a story past them to make sure that it receives their approval level before I share it with the entire congregation and the world that's watching via the World Wide Web, right? 00:06:50.994 --> 00:07:01.295 But most people who have experienced the phenomenon of being a PK speak of it in negative terms, based on feeling unfairly judged. 00:07:01.295 --> 00:07:03.904 Unfairly judged, unfairly judged. 00:07:03.904 --> 00:07:21.855 But as I thought about this this last couple of weeks, I realized that the forced openness of my life has been used as a sort of protection mechanism for me to keep me considering the long-reaching effects of my life and my choices. 00:07:21.855 --> 00:07:38.711 So here's a thought that I have for us today, and you don't have to receive this, you can just consider it, ponder it, whatever it is that you want to do, but maybe it would actually be better if all followers of Jesus lived in glass houses. 00:07:38.711 --> 00:07:49.432 Maybe it would be better, maybe the world would be better off if every believer in Jesus Christ lived in a glass house. 00:07:50.401 --> 00:08:01.771 In our passage today, the children of Israel were being asked to place themselves in sort of a similar position the work that Nehemiah had begun and been called by God to do was basically completed. 00:08:01.771 --> 00:08:16.389 Right, the walls had been repaired, the gates were hanging in place, people had been placed on guard, there was worship that was going on in the city, all of the leaders had been chosen and placed in different realms of authority. 00:08:16.389 --> 00:08:22.435 Most importantly, the word of God had been proclaimed again and put in its proper place in the community. 00:08:22.435 --> 00:08:25.427 The people had repented and turned back to God. 00:08:25.427 --> 00:08:29.752 The covenant between God and his people had been officially made again. 00:08:29.752 --> 00:08:34.793 The only thing left to do was to repopulate the city of Jerusalem. 00:08:34.793 --> 00:08:36.625 That's all that was left. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:49.004 And if you remember, back in Nehemiah 7, it said that there was a call that went out to the entire Jewish nation, those who had been returned from exile for people to come and move back to Jerusalem. 00:08:49.004 --> 00:08:50.408 It's a great place. 00:08:50.408 --> 00:08:57.870 I don't know if they had billboards or you know how they marketed it or advertised it, but here's the reality. 00:08:57.870 --> 00:09:03.394 The only people, or the majority of people, who chose to move back voluntarily were the leaders. 00:09:03.394 --> 00:09:04.820 People who chose to move back voluntarily were the leaders. 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:06.903 Were the leaders. 00:09:06.903 --> 00:09:09.389 Not many of the normal people or the regular people. 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:22.779 The followers, those who would do the work actually moved back to Jerusalem just on that first request, that first ask for there to be volunteers there had already been, like I said, that call. 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:29.890 The leaders responded there weren't many others who seemed willing, and I wondered why was it that they weren't willing initially? 00:09:29.890 --> 00:09:32.063 Why was that? 00:09:32.063 --> 00:09:33.589 So what did they do? 00:09:33.589 --> 00:09:52.187 The decision was made to cast lots which, under priestly direction, was believed to reveal God's will right and as a result of this, one out of every 10, which is a tithe a 10th percent of the people were chosen and agreed to move in from the countryside, from the areas that were surrounding Jerusalem. 00:09:53.581 --> 00:10:04.768 So again, there may have been many reasons that people were reticent to jump on the moving train and to realize the amount of work that would be required of them in Jerusalem. 00:10:04.768 --> 00:10:11.553 Maybe the perceived threat of enemy attacks was on their list of reasons not to move to Jerusalem. 00:10:11.553 --> 00:10:16.030 Maybe it was, you know, moving away from their comfort zones. 00:10:16.030 --> 00:10:18.506 We have our space here. 00:10:18.506 --> 00:10:21.830 We're allowed to have chickens, wild chickens, running around the yard. 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:23.586 You know there are no HOAs. 00:10:23.586 --> 00:10:31.961 I think we just I think we're comfortable living outside of the walls of Jerusalem. 00:10:31.961 --> 00:10:37.291 There's going to be something more required of us if we move within those walls, within those walls. 00:10:38.952 --> 00:10:51.421 So, as I was reading this chapter over and over again and trying to discern from the Lord what it is that I could say from these two verses and the rest of the verses that were names, here's what I felt like the Lord shared with me. 00:10:51.421 --> 00:11:03.749 It may have been difficult for people to choose to return on their own accord because of what would be required of them when it came to holiness. 00:11:03.749 --> 00:11:09.245 When it came to holiness, we're going to talk about holiness this morning. 00:11:09.245 --> 00:11:13.076 So take a deep breath, it's going to be okay. 00:11:13.076 --> 00:11:17.956 It's interesting to me the songs that were sung this morning, and even the last song. 00:11:17.956 --> 00:11:21.346 We were talking about holiness and they didn't know what we were going to share this morning. 00:11:21.346 --> 00:11:23.821 But God knew and he has it in order, right. 00:11:23.821 --> 00:11:29.773 So let's take one phrase out of those first two verses and let's kind of land there for a few minutes. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.364 Jerusalem, the holy city. 00:11:33.364 --> 00:11:37.149 Jerusalem, the holy city. 00:11:37.149 --> 00:11:44.706 The name Jerusalem means possession of peace or place of peace, city of peace. 00:11:44.706 --> 00:11:52.125 Very few times in the Bible is there a description of a place where the word holy is applied to it. 00:11:52.125 --> 00:11:59.149 Do you realize that there are very few places in the Bible at all where a place is called holy. 00:11:59.149 --> 00:12:05.730 There are a few, there are a few, and this one indication concerning Jerusalem is a big one. 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:07.684 There's an indication here. 00:12:07.684 --> 00:12:10.626 There's something that we need to dig into a little bit deeper. 00:12:10.626 --> 00:12:12.250 What does holy mean? 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:12.993 Let's look at that. 00:12:12.993 --> 00:12:18.272 Holy means set apart, consecrated and pure. 00:12:18.272 --> 00:12:23.667 To be holy is to be set apart, it is to be consecrated. 00:12:23.667 --> 00:12:25.886 It is to be set apart. 00:12:25.886 --> 00:12:27.592 It is to be consecrated, it is to be pure. 00:12:27.614 --> 00:12:31.544 In order to understand holiness, we have to go to one place only, and where is that? 00:12:31.544 --> 00:12:34.893 We have to recognize that God is holy. 00:12:34.893 --> 00:12:36.642 God is holy. 00:12:36.642 --> 00:12:41.452 If you want to understand holiness, you cannot understand it outside of God himself. 00:12:41.452 --> 00:12:45.769 God's holiness is not just a part of who he is or what he does. 00:12:45.769 --> 00:12:48.663 It's the very essence of who he is. 00:12:48.663 --> 00:12:51.950 God is holy. 00:12:54.355 --> 00:12:57.640 Neil does a great job of expressing this by saying that God is other. 00:12:57.640 --> 00:13:03.828 There's an otherness to God that is not easily explained, that is not easily understood. 00:13:03.828 --> 00:13:14.951 We all who have basked in his presence, who are children of his, we have enjoyed that, we have understood that, we have experienced it in our lives the otherness of God. 00:13:14.951 --> 00:13:24.711 But it's hard to explain or to understand unless you have been touched by him or experienced him or moved on by him, if that makes sense. 00:13:24.711 --> 00:13:32.869 It's not just something that you can hear about and be able to fully understand. 00:13:32.869 --> 00:13:36.235 Right the expression God is holy. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:44.548 It seems impossible to fully define the characteristics of God, but it has to do with his absolute perfection. 00:13:44.548 --> 00:13:48.755 God is absolutely perfect in every way. 00:13:48.755 --> 00:13:55.552 How many of us believe that every decision God makes is absolutely perfect? 00:13:55.552 --> 00:14:07.712 It's a loaded question, because sometimes he chooses to say no to a prayer that we really want him to answer in a certain way. 00:14:07.712 --> 00:14:10.586 But is God absolutely perfect? 00:14:10.586 --> 00:14:15.551 He is, he's absolutely perfect and he's absolutely trustworthy. 00:14:15.551 --> 00:14:18.085 That's who he is. 00:14:18.761 --> 00:14:22.351 He is completely absent of even a trace of sin. 00:14:22.351 --> 00:14:23.105 There's not a trace of sin. 00:14:23.105 --> 00:14:23.909 He doesn't even have the trace of sin. 00:14:23.909 --> 00:14:24.494 There's not a trace of sin. 00:14:24.494 --> 00:14:25.198 There's not, there's not. 00:14:25.198 --> 00:14:27.467 He doesn't even have the ability to sin. 00:14:27.467 --> 00:14:30.749 He is above it and beyond it. 00:14:30.749 --> 00:14:32.586 He's greater than sin. 00:14:32.586 --> 00:14:41.370 He is high above any other and no one can compare to him. 00:14:41.370 --> 00:14:44.261 No one can compare to him. 00:14:44.261 --> 00:14:54.693 Everything that God thinks, everything that he desires, everything he speaks, everything he does is absolutely holy in every way. 00:14:54.693 --> 00:14:56.535 This is who God is. 00:14:56.535 --> 00:14:59.041 God is holy. 00:14:59.041 --> 00:15:03.087 He's holy in every attribute and every action. 00:15:03.087 --> 00:15:04.971 He's holy in justice. 00:15:04.971 --> 00:15:06.553 He's holy in love. 00:15:06.553 --> 00:15:08.245 He's holy in mercy. 00:15:08.245 --> 00:15:10.246 He is holy in power. 00:15:10.246 --> 00:15:12.528 He is holy in sovereignty. 00:15:12.528 --> 00:15:14.366 He is holy in wisdom. 00:15:14.366 --> 00:15:16.346 He is holy in patience. 00:15:16.346 --> 00:15:18.386 He is holy in anger. 00:15:18.386 --> 00:15:20.245 He is holy in grace. 00:15:20.245 --> 00:15:22.506 He is holy in faithfulness. 00:15:22.506 --> 00:15:24.628 He is holy in compassion. 00:15:24.628 --> 00:15:33.984 He is even holy in faithfulness. 00:15:33.984 --> 00:15:38.076 He is holy in compassion. 00:15:38.076 --> 00:15:38.958 He is even holy in his holiness. 00:15:38.958 --> 00:15:39.259 God is holy. 00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:46.965 We have a representation of this in Isaiah. 00:15:46.985 --> 00:15:50.995 Isaiah, this young prophet, this young man who would speak for the Lord, has this experience with God and his holiness in chapter six. 00:15:50.995 --> 00:15:51.336 Let's look there. 00:15:51.336 --> 00:15:52.360 At Isaiah, chapter six, verses one through seven. 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:57.049 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. 00:15:57.049 --> 00:15:57.912 Can you imagine this? 00:15:57.912 --> 00:16:06.293 Isaiah is given a vision or some kind of entrance point into the very throne of God where he envisions this. 00:16:06.293 --> 00:16:14.801 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 00:16:14.801 --> 00:16:19.208 Above him stood the seraphim, each had six wings. 00:16:19.208 --> 00:16:24.787 With two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 00:16:24.787 --> 00:16:30.086 I mean, steven Spielberg has nothing on heaven, am I right? 00:16:30.086 --> 00:16:32.831 Yeah, we had a Star Wars mention. 00:16:32.831 --> 00:16:34.299 We'll just go all the way with it today. 00:16:34.961 --> 00:16:41.607 And one called to another and said holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. 00:16:41.607 --> 00:16:54.294 The whole earth is full of his glory and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 00:16:54.294 --> 00:16:57.062 Imagine Isaiah seeing these things. 00:16:57.062 --> 00:17:03.381 He's experiencing this in living color as he's given a glimpse of God in his glory. 00:17:03.381 --> 00:17:05.489 And what is his response? 00:17:05.489 --> 00:17:08.628 Did he climb up in God's lap and give him a hug? 00:17:08.628 --> 00:17:10.204 Did he high-five him? 00:17:10.204 --> 00:17:12.207 Did he say yo, what's up? 00:17:12.207 --> 00:17:15.365 Maybe he could have done that? 00:17:15.365 --> 00:17:17.045 God understands. 00:17:17.045 --> 00:17:18.890 But what did he do? 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:38.430 He said woe is me, for I am lost, for I'm 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. 00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:50.292 Then one of the seraphim flew to me having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said behold, this has touched your lips. 00:17:50.292 --> 00:17:55.503 Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. 00:17:57.987 --> 00:18:06.200 Did you know that the experience that the Jewish people are having in repopulating Jerusalem was partially as a result of Isaiah's prophecies? 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:17.101 Did you know that Jesus and the story of Jesus as he lived in this life and died, the way that he died and rose from the dead, was partially prophesied and spoken of in the book of Isaiah. 00:18:17.101 --> 00:18:22.637 From this point in Isaiah's life, every word that he spoke came to pass. 00:18:22.637 --> 00:18:26.292 But what was required of him? 00:18:26.292 --> 00:18:33.719 It was required of him to be encountered by a holy God. 00:18:33.719 --> 00:18:37.836 My friends, god is holy. 00:18:37.836 --> 00:18:43.115 We cannot encounter God's holiness and remain the same. 00:18:43.115 --> 00:18:56.650 Do not tell me that you and Jesus have an understanding and go on living like the rest of the world and still claim to be a Christian. 00:18:56.650 --> 00:19:05.361 God is holy and if we experience his holiness, we cannot remain the same. 00:19:05.361 --> 00:19:07.711 We must change. 00:19:07.711 --> 00:19:11.573 How many of you know he's not going to change? 00:19:11.573 --> 00:19:15.951 He's proven that he is not going to change. 00:19:15.951 --> 00:19:19.134 So who's going to do the changing we are? 00:19:19.134 --> 00:19:26.145 So not only is God holy, but wherever God is instantly becomes holy. 00:19:26.145 --> 00:19:30.272 Wherever God dwells is holy. 00:19:31.474 --> 00:19:36.446 Let's not forget that the rebuilding of Jerusalem was not as much about walls and gates. 00:19:36.446 --> 00:19:39.170 What was contained within those walls? 00:19:39.170 --> 00:19:40.951 The temple. 00:19:40.951 --> 00:19:45.135 The temple was contained within those walls. 00:19:45.135 --> 00:19:50.361 One of the biggest parts, it was the heart of the city of God, this holy city. 00:19:50.361 --> 00:19:52.207 The temple was there. 00:19:52.207 --> 00:19:55.076 This is where God had chosen to put his name and his presence. 00:19:55.076 --> 00:20:14.739 And once a year, the high priest over the nation of Israel, on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, would be allowed and privileged to go into the holiest place, the holy of holies, where the Ark of the Covenant sat with its mercy seat and the two angels that were shrouding it on one side or the other. 00:20:14.739 --> 00:20:19.851 All of this representative of Jesus who came to bring mercy to us. 00:20:19.851 --> 00:20:20.412 Amen. 00:20:20.412 --> 00:20:39.569 And so the high priest would come and he would repent of his own sins and the sins of his family and the sins of the entire nation, and he would get to experience, just for a few moments in time, once per year, the presence of a holy God. 00:20:41.953 --> 00:20:44.859 Wherever God is is holy. 00:20:44.859 --> 00:20:55.715 Not only is God holy and wherever he dwells is holy, but also the people of God are called to holiness. 00:20:55.715 --> 00:21:04.537 It's one thing to say God is holy, he is other, he's different, he's set apart, he's sanctified, he's all of those things. 00:21:04.537 --> 00:21:05.905 But I am not. 00:21:05.905 --> 00:21:23.226 You see, israel was God's chosen nation, god's chosen people, his special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by, so the world would know that they belong to him. 00:21:23.226 --> 00:21:29.766 There needed to be a separation, a distinction between the nation of Israel and the rest of the world. 00:21:29.766 --> 00:21:35.296 Why in the world is there so much war in the Old Testament? 00:21:35.296 --> 00:21:38.349 Why in the world is there so much death and destruction? 00:21:38.349 --> 00:21:49.276 You know, the main reason is because God wanted to separate out to himself a holy nation, a holy people who could represent him to the world. 00:21:49.276 --> 00:21:51.425 And what did he know about these people? 00:21:51.425 --> 00:21:59.655 If they were allowed to be surrounded by and trenched in the cultures of the rest of this world, what would they do? 00:21:59.655 --> 00:22:04.281 They would be compromised. 00:22:04.281 --> 00:22:10.417 They would give in to the things that they saw around them. 00:22:10.417 --> 00:22:13.512 Sorry for this tickle in my throat. 00:22:21.546 --> 00:22:28.012 So did God shroud all of this the holiness that he required of them, or did he make it pretty simple and pretty plain? 00:22:28.012 --> 00:22:33.175 He actually wrote it on two tablets, didn't he? 00:22:33.175 --> 00:22:37.154 Let's just quote those together, if you remember them. 00:22:37.154 --> 00:22:39.753 If not, they're on the screen in modern language. 00:22:39.753 --> 00:22:41.471 So let's just say them together. 00:22:41.805 --> 00:22:45.770 Number one you shall have no other gods before me. 00:22:45.770 --> 00:22:50.920 Number two you shall not make for yourself an idol. 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:56.191 Three you shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God. 00:22:56.191 --> 00:23:01.176 Four remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 00:23:01.176 --> 00:23:05.300 Five honor your father and your mother. 00:23:05.300 --> 00:23:09.094 Six you shall not murder. 00:23:09.094 --> 00:23:12.815 Seven, you shall not commit adultery. 00:23:12.815 --> 00:23:15.993 Eight, you shall not steal. 00:23:15.993 --> 00:23:20.744 Nine, you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 00:23:20.744 --> 00:23:25.602 And ten you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 00:23:25.602 --> 00:23:26.345 And 10, you shall not covet. 00:23:26.345 --> 00:23:32.657 This was God's requirement of his people when it came to holiness. 00:23:34.746 --> 00:23:40.018 How many of you know, jesus was asked a question by somebody who was seeking knowledge. 00:23:40.018 --> 00:23:44.471 They wanted to know what is the greatest commandment, and how did Jesus answer them? 00:23:44.471 --> 00:23:53.733 We find it in Matthew 22, where he says you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. 00:23:53.733 --> 00:23:59.972 This is the great and first commandment, and a second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 00:23:59.972 --> 00:24:10.088 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. 00:24:10.088 --> 00:24:14.586 How many of you know that if you do those two things, the Ten Commandments will be obeyed? 00:24:14.586 --> 00:24:20.186 Because the Ten Commandments are really broken into two categories loving God and loving people. 00:24:20.186 --> 00:24:24.067 Loving God and loving people, and that's what Jesus said. 00:24:24.067 --> 00:24:26.434 Let's narrow it down to these two things. 00:24:28.863 --> 00:24:34.214 By the way, we're going to be starting, in the month of June, a new sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount. 00:24:34.214 --> 00:24:41.412 And I'm so excited about this as we read the words of Jesus, because he kind of one-ups. 00:24:41.412 --> 00:24:55.910 If you think we can get away from the Ten Commandments, he one-ups them quite a bit because he not only talks about the doing of something, he talks about the motivation or the heart behind things. 00:24:55.910 --> 00:25:04.868 And if there's any doubt for us as modern believers concerning God's directive concerning holiness, let's read 1 Peter, 1, verses 13 through 16. 00:25:04.868 --> 00:25:15.117 Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:25:15.724 --> 00:25:21.472 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 00:25:21.472 --> 00:25:24.798 But, as he has called, you is holy. 00:25:24.798 --> 00:25:25.638 Who is holy? 00:25:25.638 --> 00:25:27.141 God is holy. 00:25:27.141 --> 00:25:30.875 You also be holy in all your conduct. 00:25:30.875 --> 00:25:37.018 Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. 00:25:37.018 --> 00:25:40.835 This is the word of God in the New Testament. 00:25:40.835 --> 00:25:49.153 Under the new covenant, we are called, as followers of Jesus Christ, to walk in holiness. 00:25:49.153 --> 00:25:51.979 We are called to live in glass houses. 00:25:51.979 --> 00:25:56.115 It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. 00:25:56.115 --> 00:26:10.578 And my life verse is found in first Timothy and in it Paul lays out for his son, timothy, an example, a very practical way to look at what it means to live a life of holiness. 00:26:11.608 --> 00:26:12.724 1 Timothy 4.12,. 00:26:12.724 --> 00:26:23.917 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 00:26:23.917 --> 00:26:29.836 That is what it looks like to live out a holy life. 00:26:29.836 --> 00:26:32.571 Let's talk about these five things just quickly. 00:26:32.992 --> 00:26:49.073 Holy speech, holy speech, friends. 00:26:49.073 --> 00:26:50.137 What we say, what we say matters. 00:26:50.137 --> 00:26:51.304 What we say matters. 00:26:51.304 --> 00:26:59.929 How horrible would it be for me to be in a job for three years as a pastor? 00:26:59.929 --> 00:27:08.596 Obviously, but in a job for three years and for nobody know that I'm a Christian, because they can't tell any difference from my pattern of speech. 00:27:08.596 --> 00:27:13.490 I tell the same jokes that everybody else tells. 00:27:13.490 --> 00:27:16.998 I use the same words that everybody else uses. 00:27:16.998 --> 00:27:22.696 I am out of control when it comes to what I say. 00:27:22.696 --> 00:27:26.914 Do we use our speech to build up or to tear down? 00:27:26.914 --> 00:27:29.752 To bless or to curse? 00:27:29.752 --> 00:27:33.394 To speak truth or to speak lies? 00:27:33.394 --> 00:27:37.135 To witness or to deny Jesus Christ? 00:27:37.135 --> 00:27:41.369 These are our options, just a few of them. 00:27:41.369 --> 00:27:44.340 These are our options, just a few of them. 00:27:44.340 --> 00:27:50.925 We are called, as followers of Jesus Christ, to use holy speech. 00:27:50.925 --> 00:27:59.751 Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:27:59.751 --> 00:28:01.972 I'll never forget. 00:28:02.093 --> 00:28:04.334 I was in an accident one time. 00:28:04.334 --> 00:28:47.765 It had snowed really bad and there was still ice on the roads, but it was like 60 degrees and I was delivering pizza and I was driving my brother's Jeep, because it was a four-wheel drive, and I had gotten pretty confident because all the roads were clear and all of a sudden I came around a corner and it was covered over, shaded, by trees that were along that road, and I found that vehicle sliding across the road directly towards another vehicle and I found myself screaming out a word that I don't remember ever using before, at least out loud. 00:28:47.765 --> 00:28:49.509 I said bleep. 00:28:49.509 --> 00:28:57.184 I was honestly more devastated by the word that came out of my mouth than the accident itself. 00:28:57.184 --> 00:28:58.970 The gentleman got out of the truck. 00:28:58.970 --> 00:29:03.392 Nobody was hurt, everything was good and he looked at me and he said you have insurance? 00:29:03.392 --> 00:29:04.394 I said yes, sir, I do. 00:29:04.394 --> 00:29:05.777 He said good, I need a new truck. 00:29:08.185 --> 00:29:13.798 At that point I wanted to use another word, but I refrained from doing that. 00:29:13.798 --> 00:29:16.284 Now I did. 00:29:16.284 --> 00:29:38.648 I talked to the Lord about that for quite some time and I had another incident, not maybe three years later, it wasn't the same, I wasn't in an accident, but it was similar and I screamed out, jesus, and I was like I had to pull over and just take a praise break for a minute, you know, because what we say matters. 00:29:38.648 --> 00:29:41.636 Oh, you're just being religious, tyler. 00:29:41.636 --> 00:29:47.565 Come on, you're just being religious. 00:29:47.565 --> 00:29:54.411 Okay, what we say matters Holy conduct, how we live, matters. 00:29:54.411 --> 00:29:56.811 The way that we live our lives. 00:29:56.811 --> 00:29:59.314 Are we genuine or are we counterfeit? 00:29:59.314 --> 00:30:02.893 Are we generous with our lives or are we selfish? 00:30:02.893 --> 00:30:08.732 Are we Christ-like or do we resemble the world that's around us? 00:30:08.732 --> 00:30:11.558 The way that we live our lives makes a difference. 00:30:11.558 --> 00:30:12.665 It matters. 00:30:12.665 --> 00:30:21.776 Can you imagine if the entire Christian world would live their lives in such a way to portray the holiness of God to the world around them? 00:30:21.776 --> 00:30:37.123 We cry out for America, but are we willing to do our part? 00:30:37.625 --> 00:30:41.311 The third one is holy love, loving God and loving others, as Jesus said. 00:30:41.311 --> 00:30:44.857 Do we walk in forgiveness or do we grow ever more bitter? 00:30:44.857 --> 00:30:53.082 Are we a worshiper or are we detached? 00:30:53.082 --> 00:30:57.192 Do we love, are we filled with compassion towards others or are we just overly critical? 00:30:57.192 --> 00:30:57.976 Well, they deserve it. 00:30:57.976 --> 00:30:59.371 They put themselves in that place. 00:30:59.371 --> 00:31:09.093 Do we have right relationships that are built on love and trust, or is everything counterfeit? 00:31:09.093 --> 00:31:17.357 We are called to walk in love and to be holy in love. 00:31:19.487 --> 00:31:20.589 The fourth is faith. 00:31:20.589 --> 00:31:21.934 Holy faith. 00:31:21.934 --> 00:31:26.636 We are to have an unshakable trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:31:26.636 --> 00:31:29.709 Do we believe or do we doubt? 00:31:29.709 --> 00:31:32.753 Do we pray or do we worry? 00:31:32.753 --> 00:31:37.266 One of the greatest forms of unbelief is worry. 00:31:37.266 --> 00:31:45.859 Man, I feel like I'm going to need a vacation after today. 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:48.631 This is heavy stuff. 00:31:48.631 --> 00:31:56.854 Do we share our faith or do we remain silent? 00:31:56.854 --> 00:32:03.838 We are called to be people who walk in holiness of faith, in holy faith. 00:32:06.248 --> 00:32:07.532 And finally, holy purity. 00:32:07.532 --> 00:32:09.672 What does purity mean? 00:32:09.672 --> 00:32:25.977 Pure thoughts, pure attitudes, pure motivations, the reason why we do the things that we do, the reason why we say the things that we say, the reason why, the reasons, the motivations, the attitudes of our heart. 00:32:25.977 --> 00:32:29.753 Do we love others or do we lust after them? 00:32:29.753 --> 00:32:33.515 Do we submit to godly authority or do we rebel? 00:32:33.515 --> 00:32:37.974 Are we filled with holy purity? 00:32:37.974 --> 00:32:43.313 My friends, this is the call. 00:32:44.596 --> 00:32:46.442 This was the call to the nation of Israel. 00:32:46.442 --> 00:33:03.798 This was the call that, I believe, caused there to be resistance, to move back into those walls of Jerusalem, to understand that you were going to be watched, that you're going to be plugged in and to volunteer positions that you're going to be having to defend, that you're going to be praising all of the time. 00:33:03.798 --> 00:33:16.017 You're going to be involved in the reading of the word, all the time You're going to be involved in the core, the very center, most part of everything that God was doing in the earth at the time. 00:33:16.017 --> 00:33:20.692 That sounds exciting until you count the cost. 00:33:20.692 --> 00:33:28.648 Remember, jesus said to his disciples you got to count the cost of being a follower of Jesus. 00:33:28.648 --> 00:33:29.210 You must deny yourself. 00:33:29.210 --> 00:33:32.076 Take up the cross daily and follow me. 00:33:32.076 --> 00:33:33.751 What is that cross about? 00:33:33.751 --> 00:33:44.556 That cross is about saying no to the things that we want to say yes to, and saying yes to the things that we want to say no to those things that are in alignment with what God wants. 00:33:44.556 --> 00:33:52.775 That is a cross to bear Holiness is not for the faint of heart. 00:33:59.165 --> 00:34:03.848 Israel had a real problem and, to be honest, we do too. 00:34:03.848 --> 00:34:12.891 Without Jesus, you wonder why in the world did they get it right for a while and then they got it very wrong? 00:34:12.891 --> 00:34:19.045 They got it right for a while and then they got it even worse wrong, and then it got back and forth and back and forth. 00:34:19.045 --> 00:34:20.251 Why is that? 00:34:20.251 --> 00:34:21.856 Why is that recorded like that? 00:34:21.856 --> 00:34:23.744 Back and forth and back and forth? 00:34:23.744 --> 00:34:24.065 Why is that? 00:34:24.065 --> 00:34:25.554 Why is that recorded like that? 00:34:25.554 --> 00:34:30.793 Why do the apostles of Jesus and the disciples and all of the New Testament books show us examples of failings? 00:34:30.793 --> 00:34:36.610 Because if we could get it right, we wouldn't need Jesus. 00:34:37.735 --> 00:34:48.489 Jesus, the Jewish nation, was to represent God and his holiness, but they couldn't do it all the way. 00:34:48.489 --> 00:34:50.655 They couldn't do it to perfection. 00:34:50.655 --> 00:34:54.186 They couldn't perform the way that God wanted them to perform. 00:34:54.186 --> 00:34:59.351 They had to do the best they could with what they were given, but they, they needed to fail. 00:34:59.351 --> 00:35:02.836 They needed to fail, they needed to fail. 00:35:02.836 --> 00:35:06.331 That's the whole point. 00:35:06.331 --> 00:35:13.936 The reason we don't like glass houses is because we know our own failures. 00:35:13.936 --> 00:35:20.097 We want to cover them up, like Adam and Eve in the garden. 00:35:24.347 --> 00:35:31.257 But, my friends, here's the good news Jesus, the Holy One, makes us holy. 00:35:31.257 --> 00:35:37.795 Jesus is the only human who has ever lived a completely holy life on this earth. 00:35:37.795 --> 00:35:47.869 He died as a spotless sacrifice, taking upon himself our unholiness and making a way for us to be reunited to God, our Father. 00:35:47.869 --> 00:35:51.054 He was always pure in his speech. 00:35:51.054 --> 00:35:53.818 He was always right in his love. 00:35:53.818 --> 00:35:57.125 He was always correct in the way that he believed. 00:35:57.125 --> 00:36:00.010 He always lived a pure life. 00:36:00.010 --> 00:36:06.599 He lived his life as an example to all of us. 00:36:09.186 --> 00:36:12.873 For us, holiness can only come from one place. 00:36:12.873 --> 00:36:16.179 It cannot come from us willing it. 00:36:16.179 --> 00:36:19.835 It can't come from us having a 21-day plan. 00:36:19.835 --> 00:36:28.179 It can't come from us striving or beating ourselves up enough or doing more and more and more. 00:36:28.179 --> 00:36:31.255 It cannot come from external. 00:36:31.255 --> 00:36:35.132 It cannot come from us behaving in a certain way. 00:36:35.132 --> 00:36:47.251 Holiness comes to us as a direct result of our right relationship with God, by putting our faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ. 00:36:47.251 --> 00:36:55.438 He is holy and he makes us holy. 00:36:55.438 --> 00:37:16.922 If we have not yet placed our hope and faith and trust in jesus christ to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. 00:37:16.922 --> 00:37:21.110 You will not get there on your own. 00:37:21.110 --> 00:37:25.338 There is no path to holiness outside of Jesus. 00:37:28.766 --> 00:37:34.586 I've had several conversations with people recently who have said there's many ways to get to God. 00:37:34.586 --> 00:37:36.686 How do we know that this is the right one? 00:37:36.686 --> 00:37:38.889 It's because he said it was. 00:37:38.889 --> 00:37:42.737 I am the way, the truth and the life. 00:37:42.737 --> 00:37:45.467 No one comes to the Father except by me. 00:37:45.467 --> 00:37:52.836 Jesus is the way, not a way, not one of many. 00:37:52.836 --> 00:37:56.081 This is not my religion. 00:37:56.081 --> 00:38:00.817