the choir and instrumentalists for just an inspiring evening of music. And I have to admit, most of these musical programs I've had a different view, being up there with the Westminster Brass, and I actually like being down here for a change. But in any case, thank you and thank you to your pastoral staff for inviting me to be a part by bringing the word of God to you tonight. And as you look at the title of the sermon, I think that perhaps it might be interesting to change the punctuation. Maybe holy God period, holy people question mark. Did you ever feel that way? At the heart of the text that was read this evening from first Peter, you find these words, be holy for I am holy. Now sometimes, to me, that's almost like Bill Gates coming up to me and saying, be rich because I'm rich. Or John Hamm coming up to me and saying, be handsome because I'm handsome. Somehow it just doesn't connect. Now maybe there's something in the Greek text that would get us out of this. Maybe it says, be nice because I'm holy, or be good because I'm holy. No, it's the same word. Be holy for I am holy. When you look in a mirror, when you look in the mirror when you go home tonight, what do you see? Do you see a holy person? Well, as we proceed this evening, In answer to the question, when you look in the mirror, do you see a holy person as a believer in Jesus Christ? Well, the answer is yes and no. And that's basically the roadmap we're going to be following as we continue this evening. Let's join our hearts together in prayer one more time. Father, I pray that you would enlighten our hearts to understand this great theme. In the presence of a holy God, we come submitting ourselves to you, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Just to begin with a word about the concept of holiness and the holiness of God, the Sanctus, as you've heard it in many musical settings tonight, means holy. And it's based on Isaiah chapter 6, verse 3. Here's what it says. And Liam will be reading it at the conclusion of the service. viewing the Lord exalted and lifted up on his throne. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. That word holy is used to describe God more than any other adjective in the Bible. And it has a twofold definition, if you will. The first definition of it is to be separate, to be separate, to be distinct. to be set apart. This is the sense in which he's described in 1 Samuel 2, verse 2. There's none like the Lord. There is none besides you. But a second sense of the word holiness refers to his moral perfection and sinlessness. As Habakkuk describes in Habakkuk 1, verse 13, your eyes are too pure to look on evil. You cannot tolerate wrong. Now I think you will understand that this poses a great dilemma for people, does it not? Inasmuch as God is holy and we are sinners, God is righteous and we are unrighteous, and we see this dilemma rising all the time in the scriptures. For example, remember when David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant back? And it began to fall, and poor Uzzah, we think, reached out and touched the holy ark, but he was a sinful man. And what happened? He was struck down dead, the text says, because of his irreverence. And there were the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, who were offering strange fire. I don't know exactly what that is, but it was inappropriate, and the Lord struck them dead. And Moses said to Aaron, this is what the Lord has said, among those who are near me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified. And in Isaiah chapter 6, again, as you'll hear in a few minutes, what is Isaiah's response to this vision of a glorious God? Here's his response. Woe is me. 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. Apart from the mercy of God, there's absolutely no access to the presence of God. And yet the Lord provides access, doesn't he? He provides what we need to draw near. The words that follow here in Isaiah chapter 6. The 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. That's the only way. through atonement. And after all, that's what the entire book of Leviticus is about, is it not? The book from which these verses are taken, Be Holy For I Am Holy, it's a whole book about how to access God through the priesthood, through the sacrifices, through the feasts, and through the festivals. And I don't know if you noticed, but in the different settings tonight, There is something in addition to Isaiah chapter 6 in the settings of the Sanctus. Do you see it? Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. That's not from Isaiah 6. That's from Matthew chapter 21. Because in juxtaposition to the statement of the holiness of God has to be the announcement of the one who's coming to bring reconciliation. This is about Jesus' triumphal entry. You can't have one without the other. You can't have access to the holiness of God without the atoning work of Jesus Christ. It's right there before us. We heard it many times tonight. I remember I said, when you look in the mirror and ask yourself, are you looking at a holy person, the answer is yes and no. You have been forgiven. You've been justified by faith. There's also God's desire to give sanctification to you, to give holiness to you. And when we use the word holiness with reference to God's people, we have to speak of sanctification. And the first sense in which I'd like us to look at sanctification tonight is the yes part when you look in the mirror. And it's called definitive sanctification. And remember those twofold aspects of holiness is the set-apartness and the moral purity. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you have been set apart once and for all. In Psalm 4, verse 3, the psalmist writes, know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for himself. In 1 Corinthians 6, even speaking of the Corinthians, Paul writes, you, some were such of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were set apart, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. John Murray speaks about definitive sanctification, and he uses Romans chapter 6 to think about it. where, in verse 6 of chapter 6, we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. We have been crucified. We have died with Christ. This is what is in view. Murray writes, what is most characteristic in definitive sanctification is death to sin by union with Christ and is death a newness of life by union with him in his resurrection. And that's the reason, just a few verses later, Peter can write, you are a chosen race. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation. You are a people for his own possession. Remarkably enough, therefore, those who have trusted in Christ can be referred to as saints. You're well aware of that terminology used to describe believers by the Apostle Paul. The word saint is literally holy one. And that's an amazing thing. Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but recently we've had the canonization of two to sainthood, John XXIII and John Paul VI. And I'm sure glad I don't have to go through this process. Do you realize what you have to do in this context to be a saint, to become a saint? According to the Global Catholic Network, first of all, you have to be dead for five years. So that disqualifies all of you to begin with. And the waiting period, by the way, ensures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. It can be waived by the supreme pontiff, which was done in the case of Mother Teresa. Now, when it is determined that the candidate has some promise, he's identified as a servant of God. The next step is to determine whether the person has heroic virtue. After the person is determined to have heroic virtue, the individual is declared venerable. Then it really gets serious. If you want to move to the next step, you've got to find a miracle. The church's scientific commission must determine by accepted scientific criteria that there is no natural explanation for the alleged miracle. While miracles could be of any type, those almost exclusively proposed are medical. These must be well-documented, both as regards the disease and the treatment, and as regard the healing and its persistence. If the current pope agrees with the evidence presented, the individual is beatified, which means he can now be addressed as blessed. Servant, venerable, blessed. But if you want to take the next step, there's got to be another miracle. And the same process is undertaken to confirm this miracle. And if this is successful, the sitting pope can canonize the person as a saint. Am I friends? I praise God tonight that I'm not a saint because of my performance, because of my heroic deeds, or because of any deeds, miracles I have done, but I stand as a saint set apart by Jesus Christ because of his good works, because of his virtue, because of his resurrection from the dead, because of his miracles so innumerable John wrote not even all the books in the world could contain them. A person who is making this trek through this process is called the cause. Apart from Jesus Christ, you and I are a lost cause. And so those believers in Corinth, we are saints. We are set apart. Paul wrote to the Corinthians again in chapter 1, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. So when you look in the mirror and you ask, are you holy? The answer is yes, as you have been set apart by God through the merit of Jesus Christ and his work on your behalf. But the no part is what that looks like on our experience. And maybe it's better to say yes and not yet. Because the other part of sanctification is called progressive sanctification. That means that process by which we grow in holiness every day through the power of the Spirit in conformity to Jesus Christ. And Peter writes, now back into 1 Peter 1, here's how it begins. It begins with the way we think. How does this transformative process happen through the Spirit? Preparing your minds for action, being sober-minded, set your hope fully in the grace that we brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's a matter of how you think. And you prepare your minds. And literally, the text says, gird the loins of your mind. And some of you who are students of the Bible understand that girding the loins has reference to the way that people would take their long flowing robe and tuck it into their belt so they'd be ready for action. So Peter's saying, get your minds ready for action. He's saying, be sober minded. Think realistically. Get the right perspective on these things. And what does that include? It includes to remember what's coming. Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Remember what's coming. A theme in 1 Peter is hope. You can see it earlier in the chapter where he talks about we've been born again to a living hope in verse 3. And here again we see that we are to set our hope fully on the grace That is coming at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And this hope, as you know, is not the kind of hope that we say when we say, well, we hope the Phillies win the World Series this year. No, no. This biblical hope is hope that does not and will not and can never disappoint, because it's focused on the Lord and what He's done for us. And what's coming? Earlier in the chapter, speaking of that living hope, he says, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. It's already there. You know, looking forward to something can really have an impact on your life now, can't it? Do you know when you are most productive at work? Do you know? I can tell you when you're most productive at work. The week before you go on vacation. Right? What do you want to do? What are the words? I need to clear my desk. I need to clear my desk so I can get out of here. So you're really productive because you're looking forward to that vacation. It influences the way you're living. And you and I have the hope, the guarantee in Jesus Christ of heaven. And so that should influence the way we live and the way we think. We also need to remember that in that time, in that case, Peter goes on to say, back into verse 14, he says, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, be also holy in all your conduct, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. As if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. So something else that's coming is an accountability for the stewardship of our lives in this world. I'm not exactly sure what that looks like. For the believer, it's not a matter of being saved or not saved. But there is some accountability. And so we need to keep that in mind, too. So you need to remember what's coming. Remember who you are. Peter refers to us as obedient children. You've been adopted into the family of God through the Holy Spirit. Do not be conformed, he says, to the passions of your former ignorance. He said, former ignorance. You have a new way of thinking, a new way of living. You, in the power of the Holy Spirit, no longer need to be conformed to those old struggles, yielding to those old temptations, giving in to those old sins, because you have a new power and a new identity. Perhaps a good parallel here would be Romans chapter 12, verse 2. To not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. We have a new way of thinking in Christ, a new way of living. It's growth in holy thinking, growth in holy living. So this holiness, Jerry Bridges describes it this way. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God. To live a holy life, then, is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible, and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world, is to live a life characterized by the putting off of your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And of course, you understand and recognize that Jerry is using Pauline language there. But all too often, we're like the Beverly Hillbillies. I know some of you are old enough to remember the Beverly Hillbillies. But did you ever notice they never change their clothes? I mean, they're in the mansion. They're sitting around a cement pond. But they're sitting in the same clothes. It's ridiculous. And some of you, at times, you're sitting in the same clothes. You're members of a new kingdom. You're members of a new family. And we're called to take off those old, dirty clothes and put on robes of righteousness. What does that look like according to Peter? Well, he gets right to it in chapter 2. He says, put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Put those things aside. That's not you anymore. But you know it's easier said than done, isn't it? The Westminster Larger Catechism recognizes this. Westminster Larger Catechism, question 78. Whence arises the imperfection of sanctification in believers? Answer. The imperfection of sanctification in believers arises from the remnants of sin abiding in every part of them, and the perpetual lustings of the flesh against the Spirit, whereby they are often foiled with temptations and fall into many sins, are hindered in all their spiritual services, and their best works are imperfect and defiled in the sight of God." That's right. We still have a sin nature. There's still a battle going on. You know it every day. There's a false doctrine of sanctification called perfectionism which says, somehow in this life we can become perfect. Nod, nod, wink, wink. But we can all relate to that struggle. Now I have to, last night, yesterday, Barb and I were on our way to my granddaughter's seventh birthday party, and I was a little late, and there's this guy in front of me. He didn't know where I was going, he didn't know how important my mission was. And he was going really slow. And I started to mumble. And I started to use Christian slang. Oh no, I didn't swear. I used, but my wife knew that my heart was not right. And she said, kindly but firmly, one word, she said, holiness. She knew I was working on this. I said, OK, OK. But there are so many other times when I need to hear those words whispered in my heart by the Spirit when I'm about to engage in something that's contrary to my new nature in Christ. And what the Holy Spirit is seeking to do in our hearts and lives is to close what I call the hypocrisy gap. One of the greatest criticisms against the Church of Jesus Christ is that it's full of hypocrites, guilty as charged. Because you know what a hypocrite is? A hypocrite is someone who is not everything they are supposed to be. And I call the hypocrisy gap, the gap between who we actually are now in our lives and what we're going to be one day when we're glorified in Christ. That's the hypocrisy gap. You can also call it the sanctification gap, if you want. But the Spirit is determined in you and in me to help close that gap. And He will do it one day. And so, in your struggles, remember the Holy Spirit. First of all, the Lord is not going to leave His work incomplete, because what He starts, He finishes. What He began, a good work in you, He'll complete it on the day of Christ Jesus. And it calls upon you here to be holy, as He is holy. And remember, you're not in this alone. One of the glorious privileges of the body of Christ is to be together, to walk together through difficulties. If you're struggling with a particular issue, speak to someone here in the church. And it's all possible. It's all found, my friends. Look at verse 18. that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or without spot. The words in Leviticus chapter 11 are preceded by these, I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. To be your God, you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. They were brought out of Egypt. You've been brought out of bondage to sin. And when you get up tomorrow morning and you look in the mirror, you can say to yourself, yes, in Christ, I am holy. But yes and no, in the sense that you're still growing. As my mentor, Dr. Gaffin, said, we need to become what we already are in Jesus Christ. And when those temptations come, when the challenges grow, I pray that you might not have a person to say it to you, but I pray that you'll hear the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear, holiness, holiness. And you can know that he will give you the grace and the strength to walk in the new way of life he's given to you in Christ. Let's pray. Father in heaven, so many times in our lives we are overcome with the no of our lack of holiness. Lord, help us to remember that we have been set apart, that in Christ we are saints. But then, Lord, through the power of the Spirit, please help us to walk in the way that's pleasing to you. Please help us to hear your Spirit whispering to us, encouraging us, challenging us, We thank you that we have the opportunity to walk this way because of what our Savior has done, and that we're completely hopeless and helpless without Him. And we pray now that this gift of the Spirit who dwells within us, that we would yield to the Spirit and bring you glory. Thank you in Jesus' name, amen.