Holiness

Because He Is Great, The LORD Is Holy

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
The LORD is great in Zion; and He is high above all the people.  Let them praise Thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.  The king’s strength also loveth judgment; Thou dost establish equity, Thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy.  Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them.  He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept His testimonies, and the ordinance that He gave them.  Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Psalm 99:1-9

It could also be said, “Because our LORD is holy, He is great.”

The LORD God who is holy is worthy of our praise and worship.  Why because He is holy.  There is no god; but the LORD He is the only God.  That is why He is holy, and because there is no wickedness, evil, neither uncleanness in Him.

The LORD God even tells His people, “Be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:16).

How can we be holy?  First of all we must realize that we are unholy, and separated from holy God.  The only way we can be  holy is through Jesus Christ, God’s holy and only begotten Son, and believing in Him, confessing Him as Lord, and believing that God raised Him up from the grave alive forever more.

“You be holy, for I am Holy,” saith the LORD.

The Good Works

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:11-14

In the second chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit tell us,

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.   Ephesians 2:8-10

So we receive grace to believe God, and we trust Him to justify us through faith in His finished work on the cross, where He took our place for the judgment we rightly deserve.

In our text for today from Titus we  see that as we wait for the blessed hope; which I believe is the rapture of the Church (the Body of Christ;) and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ. The glorious appearing is the second coming of Jesus Christ when He returns to earth as the prophet  Zechariah says in chapter fourteen.

In the text of Paul’s writing to pastor Titus we are told how as those who are believers are waiting for these great events to take place we are to live soberly or sound mind, righteously, and godly in this present world we live  in. If it was so of Paul’s day; it seems to be even as so, or more so in this present evil world. Remember the light of Christ shines brighter in the darkness, and grace is greater than our sin.

Christ Jesus gave Himself for us that we might be redeemed from all our iniquities. When we are redeemed from all our iniquities, then we have a changed heart, and new desires. We have desires that honor and glorify Him and are zealous to do good works.

If you have never called on the name of the Lord Jesus for His redeeming grace, because of His death on the cross, His burial,  and resurrection.  I plead with you to do so today. Do not wait another minute, or it could be too late.

Abiding With GOD

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.  He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.  He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15:1-5

David, the sweet psalmist of Israel in writing this Psalm asked two questions; “LORD, who shall abide in Your tabernacle?” and  “Who shall dwell in Your holy hill?”, and is basically asking the same question. The presence of God was the ark in the tabernacle, and the “holy hill’ is Zion.

Both the tabernacle with the ark of the covenant, and the holy hill being the place of rule for the King of kings someday represent the presence of the LORD. Who shall dwell in the presence of the LORD?

The way to abide with the LORD is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ for He said, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5). In order to dwell in the presence of GOD it must be through the Lord Jesus Christ, and then we will produce those fruits David is speaking of.

Jesus even went on to say, “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6).

For one who does not have faith in Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross of Calvary, there is no hope of bearing this fruit of good works mentioned in the Psalm by David. After telling us that we are saved by grace through faith, the Bible says in Ephesians two ten, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Who will be in the presence of God for all eternity, dwelling with Him? Those who have been given the righteousness of Christ Jesus.

The Prophet

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, “Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;” thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5

The people of God are given a method, a command, to recognize the true prophet of God from a wonder worker using magician tricks to deceive their listeners.

  1. First of all if that prophet tells them his dreams, and does wonders, and says, “It is okay to believe in other gods. Let us serve them.” He or she is a false prophet.
  2.  Second, if what he does in wonders and signs is used to lead God’s people away from the LORD, he is a false prophet.

Why does the Christian of today need to know this and practice what is taught here?

1. The Christian is commanded to love the LORD with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. If we listen to and follow false teaching, then we are not keeping that commandment.

2. The Christian is taught to listen only to the word of God for Christian life and living, and not to follow a human being; because we fall too.

Are there false prophets in the world today? Yes, and there are plenty of them. They who teach that there are many ways to God, other than Christ Jesus – that is a false teaching, because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6). Therefore they deny the very words of Jesus and do not believe Him, thus leading people away from the Truth.

In teaching that, also, they are saying that the cross of Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection is useless, and unnecessary. Any that teach praying to saints, or praying to anyone but God, or Jesus Christ is also a false teacher or prophet. Also anyone teaching that we are to love the people who are living a perverse lifestyle, same sex marriage, transgenderism, etc.., and tells us that loving them means accepting their perversity is a false prophet. That denies the holiness and righteousness, and justness of Holy God.

There are many false prophets in the world today, in the United States of America and the rest of the world. We heard one on the day of the Presidential Inauguration, when the president sat in a church and was very rudely, and with great disrespect to the office, chided  the president for his proposed policies on the so called LGBTQ people.

These are people who need to hear the truth about their life, and how they are living. God is not pleased. He cannot look upon iniquity, and anyone teaching such garbage is a liar, and does not know the truth.

GOD is holy. His people are to be holy. Do not let anyone lead you away from the truth of God’s word.

The way to life eternal, and living a holy life is in the righteousness of Jesus Christ who took our sins away by dying on the cross, and He was buried, and He rose from the dead. He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He died for all who come to Him in repentance and faith in His finished work on the cross.

For My Name’s Sake

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; “Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me: but pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.  For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel,” saith the Lord GOD, “there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel,” saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 20:39-44

Strange Fire

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.  Then Moses said unto Aaron, “This is it that the LORD spake, saying, ‘I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace.  And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.”  So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.  And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, “Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.  And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.
Leviticus 10:1-7