April 6, 2008

 "A Holy People"

1 Corinthians 1: 1- 3; 1 Corinthians 7: 14; Ephesians 1: 1; Ephesians 5: 3- 4

How many of you remember the breakfast cereal "Post Toasties?"  It was Post Cereals version of Corn Flakes.  In my previous church an older member said that our church had been known by some others in community as the "Post Toasties Church."  Now, I first thought it had to do with the fact that there were successful corn farmers in our church.  But, that wasn't the case.  It had to do with a commercial that Post used to run to advertise Post Toasties.  In that commercial they asserted that Post Toasties were like Corn Flakes, but "just a little bit better."  So, whoever came up with Post Toasties name was really attempting to criticize my church, saying that we felt we were "a little bit better" than others.  I thought the charge was ludicrous.  My church contained some of the kindest, most accepting Christians I had known.  I don't know where it came from.  Maybe some years ago one of our farmers argued with his neighbor about plowing on Sunday.  But, whatever the history was, some members still remembered the name and it was hurtful.  I have to admit that because I thought it was so ridiculous, I wasn't immediately sensitive to the hurt. I even suggested that we put a couple boxes of Post Toasties in our display case.  But, I could tell from the look on this individual's face that she didn't think this was a laughing matter.

Please open your Bibles and turn to Ephesians 1: 1. 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Did you notice the word Paul used to describe those he was addressing?  He called them "saints."  Now he was just writing to the people in the church in Ephesus-regular church people--- and he called them saints.  So if he were addressing us, he probably would have written, "to the saints at Faith Community." How does that strike you?  Do you like being called "a saint?"  Doesn't a little like being called a Post Toastie?  Now, maybe some of the children here don't really know "a saint" is.  What is a saint?  The Greek word is hagio.  Another translation for that word is "holy ones."  That doesn't sound a whole lot better, does it?  Well what does Paul mean?

The word "holy" can have several shades of meaning, but they are all related to original Hebrew understanding of the word.  Remember the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew.  The Hebrew word for holy is qadash, which come from the root word qad, which means "to separate."  God is holy because is separate and distinct from all he created.  Now this has a moral dimension, which is especially evident in our world that has become polluted by sin, evil, and death.  God is above all that and cannot stand such impurity. 

In the Old Testament people and things can also be holy.  That is to mean they can be separated out from this evil world and devoted to the holy God to be used for his service. The temple was holy.  Its furnishings and dishes were holy.  The priests who served in the temple were holy.  Now, that creates a practical problem: How can a holy God, who can't stand impurity, choose for his service things and people who are impure?  In the Old Testament, God commanded Moses to deal with this problem with special ceremonies, specifically meant to purify whatever was used in God's service.  You can read about those ceremonies in Old Testament books like Leviticus.  They often involved washing with water or sprinkling with blood; sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

Not only God make dishes and temples and priests holy, but in Exodus 19: 6 the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel,

"You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

As a people Israel belonged to God to be used for his purposes.  That's why there were sacrifices offered and special ceremonies observed to purify the people as whole.

As Christians we know that these sacrifices and ceremonies in Old Testament were symbols that pointed ahead to Jesus.  Hebrews 9- 10 show how these pointed to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.  It was through his shed blood, through his sacrifice that Jesus purified a people who belonged to God.   And that is how we as Christians become holy.

Isn't that what we just read in 1 Corinthians 1: 2?

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours.

The word "sanctified" means "made holy." Paul is clearly saying that the Corinthian Christians, and by implication we, too, were made holy because of what Jesus did.  Later, in chapter 6:11, he writes,

 But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

"In the name of Christ" means that it was because of what Christ did for you. The word washing reminds us of the picture we saw when we witnessed Kayleigh's baptism. It is the picture of Jesus' blood, of his sacrifice on the cross, washing away our sins. 

That's how we become holy.  Jesus is the one who makes us holy.  We did not accomplish holiness on our own.  So, we really have nothing to brag about. It's all a work of God in Christ.

 By grace have you been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.  (Ephesians 2: 8)

The words "by the Spirit" mean that the Holy Spirit applies what Christ did to our lives.  If we look back at 1 Corinthians 1: 2, we see how the Spirit does that. It's found in that clause "and called to be holy"

The only way we can be holy is by the grace of God.  But, as Ephesians 2: 8 tells us, we must receive that grace by faith.  In order for us to come to faith the Holy Spirit must call us. Now, it's important that we hear God's call to faith with our ears.  But many people hear about Jesus and never come to faith.  We believe because the Holy Spirit used the call we heard with our ears to call our hearts to believe and thereby to become one of God's holy people.

Now, on the surface, that might seem to be reason for pride.  After all the Holy Spirit passed by that other person and called me.  But before we get too proud we should hear what Moses said about why God called Israel. 

In Deuteronomy 7: 7, Moses says to the people,

The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers.

You were the fewest.  You were the littlest.  You were the most insignificant.  We should also not forget that many of those Jesus called were the outcasts of Hebrew society, including traitorous swindler tax collectors and prostitutes.

Garrison Keilor, radio host of "Prairie Home Companion," once told this story about his own childhood

The captains are down to their last grudging choices: a slow kid for catcher, someone to stick out in right field where nobody hits it. They choose the last ones two at a time-"you and you"-because it makes no difference. And the remaining kids-the scrubs , the excess-they deal for us as handicaps. "If I take him, then you gotta take him," they say.

Sometimes I go as high as sixth, usually lower. But just once I'd like Darrel to pick me first and say, "Him! I want him! The skinny kid with the glasses and the black shoes.

If you have at times felt like the skinny kid with the glasses and the black shoes,  listen to God's message to you from Romans 8: 29- 31

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?.

Today, before she could say or do anything, God came to little Kayleigh and claimed her as his own. He separated her out as who belonged to him.  No, Dan and Stacey didn't give Kayleigh to God.  God called her to be his own, in and through Jesus sacrifice.  That's what he has done to each of us and our children.

Now that's the beauty of that verse we read from 1 Corinthians 7: 14

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

He tells Christian fathers and mothers, "your children are holy-they belong to me." And that's true even if your spouse is not a Christian.

Of course as we were saying a moment ago, those who are called to be God's holy people must respond to his call in faith. In order for God's promise to Kayleigh to continue to be real for her- in order for her to continue to be one of God's holy people, she must come to believe in Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  That's what Paul is saying in the rest of our verse.

together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours:

We must respond to the Holy Spirit's call by calling on the name of Lord Jesus.  And we cannot just do this privately in our hearts.  Remember what Jesus said.

If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But, if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven  (Matthew 10: 32 NLT)

That's why we as a church ask those who want to join us to stand up in front of us and declare publicly that they believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  That's what Le Roy, Troy, and Randy and Kathy did this morning.  Remember the first question we asked them,

"Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent to redeem the world, do you love and trust him as the one who saves you from your sin, and do you with repentance and joy embrace him as Lord of your life?"

But, acknowledging Jesus publicly is more than just words.  Remember the verse I quoted at the end of my message last week. 

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

And how do we let that light shine, so that others might praise our Father in heaven?  We do it by being holy.  We do by acting like the separated people God saved us to be.

But what does that mean?  Does it mean that we act like a bunch of odd ducks?  I guess that might depend on your definition of "odd duck;"  But we really don't  have to guess what it means.   Paul very clearly tells us in Ephesians 5: 3- 4,

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Now this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of behaviors.  Other behaviors are listed in other scriptures.  But the point is that the choices we make and how we live must be different than the way people live in the world around us. 

We must be different, because we are different.  I began this message talking about "Post Toasties" and how that name was so hurtful to some of the people in my former church.  People call us names and sometimes it hurts.  Probably, if you try to live as God is calling you live, you might get called a name or two.  You might be called a  sissy, a goody two shoes, a Jesus freak, a holy boy, a little church mouse.  That's not an exhaustive list. There are worse names out there.  And they can be hurtful.  But, it really doesn't matter, because the God who made and rules the world, the holy God who holds life and death in his hand, has another name for us.  John refers to that name in 1 John 3: 1,

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

AMEN!