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Are you Holy?

3/7/2013

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Picture
Holy means set apart. During the time that the people of Israel were in the desert wilderness, God had the people dedicate many items that became holy, set apart for Him. Many of those items were used in their portable worship tent called the “tabernacle”. The tabernacle was portable because they moved from place to place over a forty year period; the tabernacle was set up and taken down every time they moved.

Basins, bowls, and utensils were dedicated that were repeatedly used over the forty years in the tabernacle. Sacrifices were dedicated and offered to God in the tabernacle as holy. This was a one-time dedication. An entire tribe, the Levites, was dedicated as separated, holy to the Lord for serving Him in the tabernacle. First born sons and animals from the other tribes were dedicated and redeemed before the Lord. They were not to serve in the tabernacle, but recognized as belonging to God in a special way.

When a person commits their life to Jesus Christ, they set themselves apart for Him. They dedicate themselves to follow Jesus and are counted as holy. This thought of being holy can be a little unnerving. My actions and thoughts are not always holy while driving my car in traffic or while waiting in a slow line at the store. But if you and I have said yes to Jesus, we are holy are to live holy.

Before Jesus came, when people broke their holiness by becoming dirty from disobeying God or touching something unclean they had to go through a process of purification to be clean again. They had to shave, wash, sacrifice an animal, wait a certain number of days and then have a priest declare them clean and holy. 

Today, if we break our holiness by disobeying God and polluting our lives with evil we can become clean again through Jesus Christ. We confess to Jesus what we did and if our wrong actions harmed others, we confess to them. We express our sadness for doing wrong and ask for forgiveness from Jesus and those wronged. Jesus was sacrificed on the cross for our sins and we are washed by His blood that was shed. We do not have to wait a period of time. Jesus is our priest and He is the one who declares us holy as soon as we confess and ask for forgiveness.

Hebrews 10:19-22
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.


As we approach Easter, thank Jesus for being our sacrifice. Live as a person dedicated and valuable to Him; holy and set apart. 


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    Mark Radeke

    Husband of one, father of five, pastor and friend of many.

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