Holy Living

Introduction

Good morning. What a wonderful day to worship our God. Amen. Our Heavenly Father. We’re also thankful for all the men out there who serve as fathers. Also want to say today, as we worship God, and we’re being thankful for our fathers. Be thankful. Reach out and call your father, and if you can’t, remember the impact. Remember how wonderful and powerful a lifetime spent being a dad had on you, had on your friends, your loved ones. Imagine what dads would do if there was no Mother’s Day first to hold their wives accountable for. The flower sales go down probably in June. But we know that fathers need to lead. And leading doesn’t always get all the glory. But sometimes, like the famous poem Footsteps, a dad’s impact is felt one step at a time.

Walk a little slower, Daddy, said a child so small. I’m following in your footsteps, and I don’t want to fall. Sometimes your steps are very fast. Sometimes they’re hard to see. So walk a little slower, Daddy, for you are leading me. Someday when I’m all grown up, you’re what I want to be. Then I will have a little child who will want to follow me. And I would want to lead just right. And know that I was true. So walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you. Dads have a unique impact and a unique gift and responsibility from God. And of course, while there’s great sentiment and great love, there’s also the truth that if you’ve grown up with a dad, you know that it’s not quite also sunshines and rainbows.

Like one 16-year-old son who wanted to get his driver’s license, asked his dad, Dad, can I get a car when I get my license? Can I get it all in one day? And the dad said, No, no, no. You can get your license, but you can’t get a car until you get your grades up. You study your Bible a little bit, and you get your hair cut. And so the weeks passed, and he passed his driver’s license test, and he said, Dad, can I get a car? I’ve done what you asked. He said, Well, your grades are up. You have studied your Bible a little bit, but you haven’t got your hair cut. Being ready for that, the 16-year-old son said, Dad, I have. And I know that Noah and Samson and Jesus had long hair.

I want to be like them. And Dad said, Okay, son, you know what they did? They walked everywhere. Enjoy that. Fathers have a way of putting things into perspective, making us focus on what truly matters, seeing what we don’t often want to see, acknowledging what needs to be acknowledged, because leading ch children and even others in their footsteps is a heavy task, a large responsibility. We have to remember, though, that our God, while a heavenly Father who loves us, shows mercy, wants us to be peaceful and understand who he is and have joy that is unmatched in him. That our God has a command for us. He has an expectation. That’s not just to check off a few boxes. In fact, as the title slide says before me this morning, God expects us to walk in holy living.

1. The Folly of Idolatry

If you look at Isaiah chapter 44, Isaiah chapter 44, if you begin with me in verse 8, you’ll recognize that this is one of the most direct circumstances in which God attacks the folly of idolatry. Note the Israelites were constantly involved in idolatry because they didn’t destroy the nations whom God said, You must destroy them or they will cause you to worship their gods and not worship me. But in Isaiah chapter 44, begin with me in verse 8. I know your little subdivision there is verse 9, but begin with me in verse 8. Fear not, nor be afraid. Have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? There is no rock. I know not any.

All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things that they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know that they may put to shame. Who fashions a god or cast an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth, they shall be terrified, they shall be put to shame together. The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails. He drinks no water, and he is faint. The carpenter stretches a line, he marks it with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass.

He shapes it into the figure of a man with the beauty of a man to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself. He kindles a fire and b bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it. He makes an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire, over the half he eats meat. He roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the rest of it he makes into a god his idol, and falls down and worships it.

He prays to him and says, Deliver me, for you are my God. I think verse 17 stands really strongly. When you think about all that God said about not worshipping idols, God had to be put first. Fake idols are not gods. Other than perhaps Elijah at Mount Carmel, you see, this is one of the most direct attacks of God on the folly of idolatry, because it was important that the Israelites recognize what fact. That, as verse eight says, they shall not fear, because the Lord is their God. Jehovah, our heavenly Father, is the only rock for his creation. And when we think about this verse, I think verse 17 is important because he says, Look, this man takes wood, and with half of it he makes a fire and he fills his belly, and with the other half, what does he do?

He makes a God and he worships it, and we say, Well, that’s ridiculous. I can’t believe that people even did that. And as we think about idolatry, we have this picture that all it was was laying down these physical idols and kind of bowing down before it. Instead of having a worship service about Jesus or about Jehovah, people just worship this man-made idol. And that’s not quite the point. In fact, if you look at verse 18, he continues.

For he has shut their eyes so that they cannot see, and their heart so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say. Half of it I burned in the fire, I also bake bread on its coals. I roasted meat and have eaten. Shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood? He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart is led him astray. He cannot deliver himself or say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Certainly, Old Testament idolatry was absolutely in New Testament as well, by the way, was characterized by these physical idols. And when we look at that, we say, you silly people, you missed the point. How could you make an idol yourself and then say that’s your God?

2. Idolatry Involves Sinful Worship

When we think about Exodus chapter 32, when Moses is up on Mount Sinai, he comes down, and what did Aaron done for the people? Made them that golden calf. And of course, when he was confronted on that, Aaron said, Well, people gave me the gold, I just popped it in and out popped this golden calf. That’s about as silly as an excuse for a silly of an action. And the problem is with God’s people, this isn’t just about being silly. This is against God’s nature. God is a holy God who expects a holy people. We have to understand idolatry is serious, but not just because of a block of wood, but because of what happened. It often involves sinful worship. Look and find with me 2 Chronicles 28.

If you haven’t fully understood why idolatry was so terrible, I think 2 Chronicles 28 puts it as well as any passage would. In 2 Chronicles 28, we learn about King Ahaz. And as we read and learn about him, we learn that Ahaz was 20 years old in verse 1 when he began to reign. He reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord as his father David had done. But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the valley of the Son of Hinnem and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abomination of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. Yes, at the end of verse 2, there was that man made idol. They were the metal images for Baal. But verse 3 is the alarming part. It wasn’t just that people bowed down and worshiped something foolish, that they made it and said, Well, this is my God and I choose to believe it. Who are you to tell me I’m wrong? It’s what came with the worship. King Ahaz offered his sons. He murdered them. Why? As an offering to these fake, false, fictional gods. This is a serious problem. This is a dad problem, of course. And when you look at Jeroboam, no one led in the footsteps to more evil than perhaps Jeroboam.

In 1 Kings chapter 12, right after the division has happened, we find a footnote in the Kings and Chronicles over and again. This king followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam. This king followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam doing all the evil and wicked he had done. Well, where did that start? If you go back to 1 Kings chapter 12, you have the division. Jeroboam is king of Israel. But he’s worried his people are going to go back into Judah. He’s worried, he’s fixated on this wrong idea that they’re going to leave him. And he’s not leading God’s people that he was blessed with. And so what does he do? He says, Well, I have to make sure they don’t go back. So you know what I’m going to do with the north and south of Israel?

So the people don’t go to Jerusalem. I’m going to put a, you guessed it, an idol at Dan and Bethel, the north and south parts of the kingdom. That way, people, you can go worship at your convenience. In fact, we’re not just going to change who you’re worshiping what God. We’re going to change the days. We’re going to change the priesthood. We’re going to make this about you. You see, this is the problem with idolatry. And in the Old Testament, again, I understand no one came here thinking, I hope he preaches a good lesson on what idolatry is. But we have to know that this is a threat today, not that we will make a bunch of idle gods and worship them, but to recognize what characterizes Old Testament idolatry.

3. Idolatry Rejects God as the One True God

Selfishness. Worshiping what I made, worshiping the God I want, the God who does this for me, who does that for me. And so when we see this lesson, we shouldn’t be surprised that not only did worship of idol gods involve murder, child sacrifice, it was also rampant sexual immorality of every kind. Not surprisingly, Old Testament idolatry involves sinful worship. And most importantly, as Deuteronomy chapter 4 makes very clear, if you’ll turn there quickly with me, we’ll get to our application in a moment. It rejects God as the one true God that He always has been and certainly always will be. Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning in verse 34, consider God’s challenge once again. Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning in verse 34. Has any God ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation?

By trials, by signs, by wonder, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes. To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord is God. There is no other besides him. Out of heaven he lets you hear his voice that he might discipline you. And on earth he has let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved your fathers, and chose their offspring after them, and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance.

As it is this day, know therefore today, and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath. There is no other. Idlery is wrong because it misses the idea of God. Idolatry is wrong because it involves selfish worship. Idolatry is foolish and yes wrong because it worships a made up God. But if you know what God has said here, he says, look, you have seen what I’ve done in Egypt. I took you out of the land of Egypt where you were in bondage. You were enslaved. What should they have done with that information? Worship the one true and living God. They said, This is my God. He spoke to us. He spoke to us through fire. He worked the ten plagues.

He allowed us to cross the Red Sea as though we’re on dry land. He freed us from our state of captivity. And he chose them for a special, unique purpose. And if you look at Leviticus chapter 19, perhaps you know the words already. What did he call them to be? They therefore shall be holy as God is holy. As you turn there, you’ll see again the folly of idolatry. You’ll see the necessity of being holy as God is holy. But as we think about this for just a moment, again, I know no one was super excited to hear a lesson on Old Testament idolatry, but what is behind the idols? Selfish worship, selfish design, fictional, made up gods that replace the one true and living God, if not just knocking him down a peg or two in the priority levels.

4. Our 21st Century Idol Is Happiness

If we think about God, we have to know God demands what spot and what spot only. First in our life. As a Father, as our heavenly Father, he offers us mercy and grace, of course. And that’s why and how we can seek a relationship with him. It’s a mighty blessing to follow that God. But do we follow him the way he demands? The way he expects. Consider three points with me this morning. Our 21st century idol, I think you can say is happiness. Just like idolatry, it’s characterized by fleshly selfishness. You hear it in the world all around you, you even hear it in religions that will send people from door to door. They’ll ask you, are you happy? Do you know that God wants you to be happy?

Of course, you have the televists who say, God’s going to give you all that you want. As long as you pray and you send me money, you’ll get whatever you want. You’ll get your job, you’ll get your car, you’ll get your house. You just send me money, say that prayer. God wants you to be happy. That’s not what Jesus promised. If you look at Paul’s words in 2 Timothy chapter 3, look what Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Having the appearance of godliness but denying its power, avoid such people. What does Paul say is coming? Dark times. Characterized by what? Each and every part of this list goes back to that first phrase. People will be lovers of self. There is no greater threat to Christianity than selfishness. Jesus says in Luke 9 and verse 23, to follow after him, you must first deny yourself, take up your cross and follow after him daily. We understand that concept. We know that we have the empty self to allow Jesus to reign and work through us. But as we think about happiness, it’s not something we fashion with tools and we go and we bow down before it. But I think if we are honest about our schedules, isn’t that kind of what we do?

We work in what will make us the most happy. We think about, we plan, we organize for free time, time where we can spend watching what we want, going where we like, enjoying what we want to enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with happiness. God wants us to enjoy his creation, and we should look at what God has done and say, praise God for what he’s made. But happiness can’t be the first priority. God has to always be first in our life. As our heavenly Father, we have to always put Him first. And you see, here’s where the rubber meets the road. The appeal of idolatry is I can love God and be happy as long as my God wants me to be happy. Isn’t that a really easy, fun message?

That the God I worship, the God who I answer to on judgment just wants me to be happy? Or God doesn’t want me to be frustrated, confused, sad. He wants me to have all that I’ve ever dreamed of. When we think about that idea, that’s when it really hits throat. It’s not necessarily that we think God wants us to have everything we’ve ever wanted, but we do think and we practice life as if we can make whatever choices we want, sinful or not, because God wouldn’t want us to suffer. If we think about the prophets, most importantly, we think about the Son of God if we’re going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Did Jesus suffer? Yes. Why did he suffer? For righteousness’ sake. Why were the prophets rejected?

Because they were teaching truth. They did what God said. It’s said in marriages today, of course, you’ve heard the number of about 50% into divorce, and there’s reasons to reject that number and that we misunderstand that number. There’s also another interesting number that of marriages, 62% are unhappy or wouldn’t choose their spouse again. Now that’s always probably a dangerous question from the forefront. But as you think about that number with some quick math, you see that roughly about 81% of marriages at some point have some measure of unhappiness, regret, or frustration. Of course, it’s not a surprise then with that type of number that we recognize what is our priority level? We’re always focused on who and what makes me happy. Does God ever say that you live this life and you go out, you praise me, you thank me, and you make sure that you get happy?

5. The Problem With Happiness: Justifying Sin

You make sure that you live your life to where you are happy all the time. Not at all. Solomon tried that in the book of Ecclesiastes. What did he learn? All is vanity. What did he learn as the conclusion of the matter? To fear God and keep his commandments. Like the Israelites, we can’t be focused on our own idol. We don’t get to make up what God’s messages. We don’t get to make up his marching orders. If we’re going to be part of the army of the Lord, we have to submit to our leader, to our God. And the problem with happiness is we end up involving ourselves and others in justifying sin. If you look at Proverbs chapter 3, perhaps you know this verse, Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 7.

We know that we need to, in all our ways acknowledge God. We know that we need to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding, verse 5. But look at verse 7. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. The world today says you turn away from what makes you unhappy. You find you. You do you. Who am I to tell you you’re wrong? Who are you to tell me I’m wrong? God doesn’t reason like that because God is God. Our Heavenly Father makes the rules. He defines what is good. God’s called us not to happiness, but to holiness. If we recognize that fact, we’ll recognize that if we are seeking after happiness, rather than serving God and benefiting from our God’s perfect understanding of how we should live, we should try instead to please God on our own terms.

I know Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 19, but I’m going to live kind of the way I want. I know that I’m not supposed to speak unwholesome words, but it’s just a few words. Who really cares? I know that I’m not supposed to cheat or lie or steal, but you know what? Everybody else does it around me. God really won’t care about this one or two times, will He? See, all these questions, we make God not into our God. We make him into a cheap imitation of the one true and living God. And if we remember idolatry, what was behind it? Selfishness, the folly of making something up that wasn’t real, and sinful worship. Worship was simple because it violated God’s will, and because it rejected God as the one true and living God.

6. Called to Holiness, Not Worldly Happiness

When we try to please God on our terms, we say, yes, I’ll do what God says, but I’m also gonna keep this little part of me. We’re not denying self. We have to recognize that being Christians means work is in front of us constantly. There’s a constant refinement, a constant need to seek the Lord in prayer, to understand what does it mean to follow God? Deny myself at every turn. As we’re taught in the kids’ classes, joy. Jesus first, others second, and myself or yourself third, distantly last. You see, God has called us to holiness, not worldly happiness. If you look at 1 Peter chapter 1, you’ll see this text really cements the idea. In our final scripture this morning. We’re gonna work through this with the few moments we have left.

First Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 13. Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And 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, knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times. For the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and your hope are in God. Note how this section starts in verse 13. Therefore, do what? Prepare your minds for action. Be sober, clear-minded, thoughtful and discerning. Be ready from the forefront. Well, for what? Set your hope at the end of verse 13 fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter, in this message, in this message that is centered around holy living, submitting to the one true and living God, he says, You prepare your minds how?

Recognize the grace that is to come. As Christians, it sounds like a tough message, and it is, but when we imagine the weight of eternity against this life and its imperfections and its flaws and the sin that ruins it, isn’t it worth it to trust a God who says, I can free you from your bondage. I can free you from your sin. You can be with me forever. God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy chapter 4, did you not see what I did for you? I freed you. You were stuck with a power stronger than you, and I set you free. God did that for us. Our Heavenly Father loved us in such a way that we were caught in sin, and there’s nothing we could do about it.

But now what can we do? We can set our hope, a set fixation of a glory to come because God made it so. Our minds have to be made up that if we’re going to live holy, that this life isn’t what it’s about. It means rejecting the idolatry of personal happiness and choice that says, I can do what I want when I want, and everybody else can too. God says, No, no, no. If you’re going to follow me, you follow me. If you look at verse 14, you begin to see that as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. Why? Verse 15 and 16. We have a specific calling. We have a set idea. We are to be holy as God is holy.

Can we think for just a moment, though, about the idea of happiness? And perhaps you’ve been thinking about it. When we think about God saying, Be holy as I am holy, he’s not saying there’s no happiness. He’s not saying there’s no joy. There is great joy, there is great peace, there is great hope in what? In following after our Heavenly Father. That Heavenly Father who offers grace and forgiveness to free me from my sin. The Heavenly Father says, Here is my plan for a family. Here is my plan for relationships. If you want to have good communication, a good, honest foundation for any relationship in life, you do it the way I outline. There is happiness and perfection in God alone. Trust in Him. But this world comes in, it’s gonna try to twist it.

It’s gonna change God’s plan. He’s gonna tell you, reject God’s plan. It’s not good for you, it’s not right for you, it’s gonna cause you pain. God says it’s worth it. Set your minds for action. Be sober-minded, set your hope that will be fulfilled when? At the revelation of Jesus Christ. In fact, he doesn’t just say, be holy, for I am holy. He continues in verse 17. If you call on him as a father, know that he’s gonna do what? Judge you impartially according to our deeds. According to verse 18, knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers. Verse 19, you were freed with the precious blood of the Lamb. We’re gonna stand in judgment for how we live. But what a blessing it is to have a heavenly father who said, They are stuck, they cannot get out.

It is impossible for them. So I will do the impossible myself. I will send Jesus the innocent, the Lamb of God, to die in their place. How could we, as sinful people, ever even think to be holy as God is holy? That is perfect, blameless, without blemish. Because of verse 19. With the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. Jesus was perfect. He was sent by our God. Our heavenly Father said, You follow in my footsteps. I know you’re stuck. I can free you. You can be free by the blood of Jesus. But I want you to follow after me. Verse 20 and 21. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and your hope are in God.

Conclusion

How do we make it through? Knowing that God has called us to holiness, not worldly happiness. How do we make sure we’re worshiping the one true and living God? Set our faith. Set our hope. And the only person who can give lasting joy. True peace that surpasses understanding. And then we understand what Paul would say in the book of Philippians. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God, our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father. We’re so thankful to you for being our God, setting the example of what holiness is, freeing us, allowing us to be freed from the bondage of sin, the wages of which are death that we could not pay.

We thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And we recognize, as is revealed, that we should follow in his footsteps, that we should be blameless even in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Thank you so much for your love and your mercy. We pray that you continually wrap us in your forgiveness and grace, recognizing that we are imperfect, that we doubt, that we’re swayed, that we don’t commit the way we should. Help us to set aside selfish ways. Help us to set aside false notions of what and who you are and what you expect from us. Help us to love you. Help us to trust you. Help us to be committed to your ways no matter the cost.

Help us to recognize that the cost was high, but that we can have true joy and peace in you. Be with those who are struggling. Give them peace. Wrap them in your arms of comfort. We know you’re the great physician. Be with those who are sick, and that if it is your will that they will be recovered, help us to be lights in the world. Help us to band together to stand strong, to be pleasing in your sight. Thank you for the home as you have devised it. Thank you for all the children. Thank you for all the mothers, and thank you today for fathers. May we all ascribe to be the best we can be in your kingdom. It’s in your Son’s name we pray.

Amen. We’re now dismissed to our Bible classes.