Developing Godly Character: Holiness (Part 8)

Part 8

“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

                                                                                                               Isaiah 6:3-5

Exposure to God’s holiness will ignite in us the fear of the Lord! When exposed to God’s holiness, Isaiah cried out “Woe to me! I am a man of unclean lips”! He was immediately humbled and overtaken by Godly fear and reverence for the Almighty.

Many today lack this important facet of our faith, known as the fear of the Lord. This conspicuous absence is derived from a neglect of time engaging and contemplating God’s holiness and His separation from all that is vile and wicked.

However, God’s holiness is not simply a matter of being separated from evil. The true essence of holiness is not merely being separated from something, but more accurately being set apart to something.

Items that were made for use in the Temple, were made out of materials that were present among the Israelites at the time of their exodus from Egypt. Temple articles were made of bronze, silver and gold. Many of the items that were used to form these holy relics were fashioned out of precious metals that were once earrings, bracelets, plates, and goblets. Those items were melted down and formed into the items needed for temple worship.

However, these items were not created holy! They became holy when they were consecrated (separated and made pure) for use in God’s House. These items were separated from common use, where they may be contaminated and tainted, and set apart unto purity.

God’s holiness, therefore, reflects both the ideas of separation and purity, which is God’s desire for us. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                       Ephesians 1:4

God desires for us to pursue holiness. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:15-16:

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Holiness, however, can only be emulated by those who are striving to grasp God’s holiness. The more exposed we are to His holiness, the more painfully aware we become of our unholiness. This revelation, then gives us the proper footing we need to move towards purity, which in turn draws us deeper into God’s holiness.

Developing Godly Character: Holiness (part 7)

(Part 7)

“And they were calling to one another; “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with His glory.”

Isaiah 6:3

Author and Pastor R.C. Sproul made an interesting insight when he began to contemplate God’s Holiness:

“The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy the earth is filled with His glory.”

What does it mean to be holy? One definition states that it is to be distinct, separate, and in a class by oneself. It is to be unique without rival or competition. This aspect of holiness is emphasized for us in Exodus 20:1-7 as God dictates to Moses the first three commandments: You shall have no other gods before me; You shall not worship any graven images or likenesses, and You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. 

He described Himself through the Prophet Isaiah this way:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

God establishes Himself, through these passages, as being unlike any other entity. He is above all things in form, in thought, and in existence. This is not to communicate to us an heir of loftiness, but rather to give us proper perspective. Throughout the Scriptures those who considered God’s holiness came away with a very similar perspective:

Moses and Miriam wrote in Exodus 15:11: 

“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

The Prophet Samuel’s mother, Hannah, concluded in 1 Samuel 2:2:

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

King David declared in Psalm 86:8-10:

“Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

Each of these individuals did not see God as lofty and high-minded, rather their encounters with God helped them to understand their relationship to Him! It drove them towards humility and reverence. 

Developing Godly Character: Truthfulness (part 6)

(Part 6)

“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” 

Psalm 51:6

The key to developing in truthfulness is to get His truth into our spirit! This begins by first having the way of truth opened to us. Jesus said in John 14:6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

To know truth, we must first come to know Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that He is truth! Once we have come to put our faith in Him, the scripture tells us that we are then given the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

 John 16:13

This is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary functions. He has been commissioned to guide us and reveal to us the truth found in God’s Word. We, however, must then live out what has been revealed to us, before it will genuinely become truth to us. 

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

John 8:31-32

It is important to know that truth alone cannot set you free. It is the truth you “know” that sets you free. 

To “know truth” is more than having a head knowledge or appreciation for what is written in the Bible. To “know truth” is to put into practice the truth that is found there. It is when we seek to live according to God’s Word, that we are able to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for God’s truth and consequently enjoy greater freedom in our lives. Consequently, when we reject the Word of God or fail to live out the Word of God, we are in a very real sense rejecting truth; and the pursuit of anything less than truth is to pursue a lie: 

“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” 

                                                                                                         John 8:43-45

God hates lying (Proverbs 6:16-19), because lying is the opposite of truthfulness. This includes all varieties of lying including white lies, half-truths, concealing information, and withholding truth with the intention of deceiving.

 It is the language of the devil, not the language of God the Father. God wants us to learn to speak the language of truth, however when we lie, it is indicative of a lack of truthfulness in our inmost being. 

The presence of lying in the life of an individual communicates a disconnect from truth. You cannot be full of lies and full of truth! 1 John 2:4 tells us that:

“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Lying silences truth in our lives and halts the transformation process. 

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

 Colossians 3:9-10

As believers, we are being renewed in knowledge day by day according to the image of Him who created us. When we lie, or fail to pursue truth, we derail God’s desire for us to know truth and live in freedom. 

"Developing Godly Character:Truthfulness" (pt. 5)

(Part 5)

“God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

                                                                                                Numbers 23:19

In the Book of Numbers, chapter 23, a prophet by the name of Balaam is summoned by Balak, King of the Moabites. Balak attempts to entice Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. However, instead of speaking a curse over them, Balaam was instructed by God to speak blessing

Even after Balaam explained that he could not speak anything, except what he had heard from God; Balak persisted in trying to get a curse spoken over God’s people. Balak persisted, in hopes, that God would change his mind or break the promised blessing Balaam had just spoken over the Israelites. To this God declared through the prophet that “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” What God had spoken he would fulfill!

Truthfulness is a pillar of God’s character. To deny the truthfulness of God is to deny God, because it is who He is! Hebrews 6:17-18 tells us:

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.”

Throughout the Scripture, the writers of God’s Holy Word have documented and proclaimed this to be true about Him. Isaiah the prophet and King David both referred to Him as the God of Truth and the Apostle John declared that God is truthful and full of truth.

Everything about God is bathed in truth. What God does is driven by truth! What God says emerges from truth! What God thinks is rooted in truth! His truthfulness is consistent and unchanging:

“For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord.” (KJV)

                                                                                                Psalm 117:2

Truth is so much more than a list of morally acceptable practices that we try to conform our lives to keeping. Truth is the expression of God’s thoughts. Jesus said in John 17:17 that God’s Word is truth. God spoke through Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 55:9-11:

 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

God’s desire for us is not a dogmatic adherence to a list of rules and regulations, but that the truth of His Word would be sown deep into our inmost being!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Developing Godly Character: Faithfulness (pt. 4)

(Part 4)

“What is some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?”

                                                                                                            Romans 3:3

The Apostle Paul’s passionate answer to those questions in verse 4 is “Not at all!” A lack of faith on our part usually manifests itself in two forms. It either expresses itself as faithlessness: which is our inability to see God’s faithfulness in our situation. Or it displays itself as unfaithfulness: which is our inability or disinterest in modeling His nature. Typically faithlessness proceeds unfaithfulness.

Both of these expressions highlight that fact that we, apart from Christ, have character flaws. Because of our fallen nature, we truly do not have the ability to model His nature:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

                                                                                                Galatians 5:19-21

To combat this fallen nature and it’s proclivity towards sin, God gave to us the fruit of the Spirit to help enable us to partakers of His divine nature:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-23

Faithfulness, as part of the fruit of the Spirit, is an important component in our character development. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus referred to faithfulness as one of the more important matters of the law and in Revelation 2:10 admonished the church in Smyrna to remain faithful. He even acknowledged man named Antipas for his faithfulness.

Faithfulness in the life of a believer is more than just a good practice, but it is an indicator of a life being transformed as we partake in the divine nature. Godly character is incomplete without a strong foundation of faithfulness.

Our witness for Christ will be lacking or compromised if we fail to make faithfulness a priority.

 Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Developing Godly Character: Faithfulness (pt.3)

(Part 3)

“If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

                                                                                                            2 Timothy 2:13

Faithfulness is more than how God acts in regard to His promises or commitments. It is who He is! God cannot be anything but faithful, because to do anything else would cause Him to have to disown Himself! Faithfulness is God’s nature:

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.”

                                                                                                Hebrews 6:13-18

God’s faithfulness is an immutable, unchangeable truth. Understanding this is important for two reasons. First, knowing this about God can infuse a believer with a tremendous amount of peace. Secondly, because it is an unchanging truth about God, it should not be such a changing attribute in each of our lives:

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

                                                                                                            2 Peter 1:4

Faithfulness, therefore, should be a priority for us; because when we walk in faithfulness we demonstrate God’s very nature.

Most of us, if asked, would likely characterize ourselves as being faithful. However, if we are honest, we will find it is a characterization based on comparison. We either gauge our faithfulness in comparison to how we used to live or we compare ourselves to others we deem to be less faithful.

Yet, when we were to compare ourselves to God, who does not change and is faithful by nature, we quickly see the depth of our character flaw.

 

 Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Developing Godly Character (pt. 2)

“Not that I have already obtained all this,  or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

                                                                                    Philippians 3:12

None of us can claim perfection, but we should be making it our aim! A simple definition of the word aim is: to direct ourselves at a target. Aiming for perfection, then means that we do all the adjusting.

Before the days of radar, ships coming into a harbor would depend on a lighthouse for two primary things: to guide them into harbor and to warn them of dangerous reefs, rocks or jetting shorelines. The interesting thing about these lighthouses is that they never move. If a ship’s captain would veer off course, away from the lighthouse or away from its beam, it was always up to him to adjust. The lighthouse held its position.

Similarly, when I was in the military, on the firing range qualifying with my weapon, the targets never moved! If I missed the mark, it was up to me to adjust my sights, redirect my aim, or better control my breathing if I was going to hit the mark.

That phrase “missing the mark” is also one way in which sin is defined in scripture. There is nothing that will throw your pursuit of godly character off course faster than sin. Sin is at the root of every character flaw.

Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. It is moldable based on its influences. Our character can be bad or it can be noble depending upon what we are allowing to mold our character:

“Don’t be misled, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

                                                                                                1 Corinthians 15:33

Sin is a darkness that invades and corrupts our character. Jesus admonished us to evaluate those things we allow ourselves to take in through the lamp of the eye in Luke 11:34-36:

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

No part dark! That is Jesus’ desire for each of us. It is the aim of godly character.

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/