The word holy is often used, listen, to describe something dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose. It can also mean morally and spiritually excellent, set apart or sacred. In a biblical sense, the Hebrew word for holy is kodesh, meaning apart or sacred, emphasizing God's complete separation from sin. Referring to something pure, morally blameless or set apart for divine use.
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Scripture calls believers to be holy as God is holy. It's a life dedicated to righteousness and obedience. It's about being set apart for God's purpose, a call to holy living.
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So if you wanted to kind of define what it means to be holy, it means to be separated. I didn't say isolated. Amen. I think sometimes Christians get so consecrated, they get so set apart, that somehow they forgot to reach the lost. They stop being the light that is needed in this world, especially now.
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It's not an easy thing to do to separate and to come out from amongst them and be separate, says the Lord. Are you hearing me, church? This takes some effort and it takes being intentional with your Christian walk.
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Peter's writing this letter to encourage them on what to do. Because we're not being killed in America. Thank God we get to express the freedom of religion here. Can I get an amen? Somebody with me. Okay, praise God. But what we experience here in America is probably a little too much freedom. Are you hearing me?
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We're influenced not so much with the amount of persecution to give up, but we're influenced with the amount of what the culture is bringing into our lives at this moment. We're on the verge of giving up and conforming to the world. Because it's much easier to do that in these last days.
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So now they get to a place in Scripture here. Where Peter is telling them, OK, you understand what's going to come. You know, persecution is going to come when you stand for the name of Jesus. Are you hearing me? He says trials are going to come because you live in a fallen world. Many are the trials you're going to face before you even get into heaven.
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He said, don't be surprised that the fiery trials that are coming upon your life. He said, don't think it's strange. I don't understand why this is happening to me. God, I'm your favorite one. Where's the favor? Where are the blessings? You see, because sometimes we can miss that part. The favor and the blessings because of that entitlement mentality.
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This obedience, preparing your mind, it just doesn't happen. It has to be intentional. Every day you get up and you rise, you have to prepare your mind for what? Come on, church, talk to me. Everybody say action. You got to prepare your mind for what's going to come for the day when you get up. You've already prepared.
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You're preparing your minds for the devil to tempt you, you're preparing your minds for the action of the trial that's going to fall upon you because you don't know where it's going to come from. Man, I was doing great all of a sudden this trial just falls on you. It don't matter you can shake that thing right off because I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
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When you spend time preparing your mind for action, oh my gosh, it's like bold lines when you meet that other lion that the devil has sent, whatever he's sent your way because he's seeking whom he may devour and we must resist him. The Bible says steadfast. That means steadfast. You're not moving. Don't matter.
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So how do we prepare our minds? We do it through the word of God. Isn't that what Romans 12, 2 says? Can anybody quote it? I want to see if there's any students in the house. Can you quote it right off? Do not copy? Do not be conformed to the customs of this world, but be transformed. The renewing of your mind.
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Do not copy the customs. Do not copy the behaviors of this world. A call to holy living. That means in order to do that, you got to come out from something. I don't know why I'm acting like that. Who have you been around? What have you been around? I don't understand why I'm being tempted. Where were you? What have you been doing? Who have you been talking with? Come out from amongst them and be ye separate, say it to the Lord.
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When the mind is sober, you're putting the right things in, renewing me a right mind and a right spirit through the washing and the watering of God's word. It must be daily. Amen? If you're expecting to be prepared for action when it shows up, you have to do the work. Hallelujah. You have to be intentional on the work that you're putting before God. Amen? That means daily.
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Put all your hope in the gracious, that's grace, salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. I love this part because he's telling them, look, prepare your minds and don't forget what happened when you got saved because everything else that's been promised to you will come.
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When you understand what Christ has truly done for you, you come to worship him just because of who he is, not because of what he can give you. And I think that soulish part somehow has infiltrated the church and now the church has this mentality that every time they come into church, it's all about them.
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When you prepare your mind over time, you're given over to obedience to things of God. It becomes habitual. It becomes habit. Your spirit, man, is being trained. Your flesh is coming under submission. Are you hearing me? It becomes routine sometimes when you go to the gym. It becomes routine when you're eating the same chicken breast and fish and eggs all day long, but it gets the job done.
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So you must live as God's obedient children. Whoo! I love the word live. I love the word must. I love the word obedience. I love the word children in there. He didn't say you must live as God's creation, because we're all God's creation, but we're not all his children. This is a personal letter to the church.
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We're all priests because we don't need man to go into the presence of God. That's why God calls us a holy priesthood. We can come before the Father. What are we offering him, though? Because they came into the presence of God with an offering. They had to atone for their sins. They had to bring an animal sacrifice. Well, everything's changed in the new covenant. What's the sacrifice? I am the sacrifice. Lord, here I am. I'm coming to present myself to you as what? As a living sacrifice. Holy. There's that word holy again. Sanctified and set apart for your work.
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He says, don't slip back into your own ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. King James says, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance. Did you hear me? Isn't that powerful? That right there, Peter is saying, look, prepare your mind for action because it's possible you might slip back into your own ways.
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We die to ourselves what? Come on, church. Talk to me. I'm going to give someone a mic. I'm going to sit down if you don't talk to me. So what do we do daily? We die to ourselves what? Daily. So that we may come alive in the power and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Obedience is better than sacrifice. This pleases God. I'm not saying we're going to get it perfect because despite our shortcomings, God will still use us. Are you hearing me? Because we're not adequate to carry out what God calls us to do. We do it by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
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Sin will take you further than you want to go. Keep you longer than you want to stay. And make you pay more than you want to spend. Sin always does that.
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You can't draw from something that you don't have already in your spirit. It's hard to do that. It's hard to combat when you haven't prepared. It's hard to do battle with Satan and temptations when you haven't prepared your mind for action.
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But now you must be holy. He's going to give us how to do it. He says, you must be holy in everything. Oh, I love the word everything. Y 'all can take it out of your Bible if you want. Pastor said a while ago that God wants us all. He wants two thirds. He wants half. He wants a little portion of you. God wants it all.
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Because just as God who chose you, he's holy, so we're mimicking the character of our Father who gave his only begotten son. Amen. Because that's how much he loved us. We're holy. He said be holy because I'm holy because without holiness no one shall see the face of God. Without holiness you cannot experience the presence of God. Doesn't mean perfect, it means separated so we enjoy full maximum fellowship with our Father in heaven.
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Never lose that hunger. Never lose that thirst for righteousness. What does that mean? Always wanting to be in right standings with God. Always wanting to be pleasing in the eyes of God.
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We don't deal in burnt offerings or animal sacrifices anymore. We're the burnt offering. Are you hearing me, church? We're the living sacrifice. When we offer ourselves to the Lord, is it pleasing? Is it a nice aroma? If your conscience is pricked in any way, don't ignore that. Let him be the one to say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Come in to what's already been prepared for you.
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A call to holy living. This is a command. This is intentional. This is what we have to do purposely every day, setting ourselves apart so that we can be used for God's kingdom. I'm sounding the alarm church, stay on fire for God. Do what you know to do in the things of God. Start falling in love with God's word.
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