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                 Holy Ground: The Only Way to Become Holy!

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By David Wilkerson
January 26, 1998
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          The Old Testament is full of types and shadows of New
          Testament truth. Whenever I have a difficult time
          trying to understand a truth from the New Testament, I
          turn back to its foreshadowing in the Old. In fact, I
          believe there isn't a single episode or story in the
          Old Testament that is not full of ripe truth for New
          Testament believers.

          My preacher grandfather once told me, "David, if you're
          going to teach about character, you have to go to the
          Old Testament. That's where all the character teaching
          is." I believe he was right.

          One such example is the passage concerning Moses at the
          burning bush. I'd like to explore that particular story
          in some depth - because I see it as being full of
          profound New Testament truth on the subject of
          holiness.

          First, we need to ask - how are we made holy in the
          sight of God? The New Testament tells us we are called
          to be holy "even as God is holy": "As he which hath
          called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
          conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
          am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). In other words, "It is
          written, recorded, settled once and for all: We are to
          be holy, as our God is holy!"

          "According as he hath chosen us in him before the
          foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
          without blame before him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). Paul
          is saying, "Since the very beginning of creation, we
          have been called to live holy and blameless!"

          "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them
          that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be
          saints..." (1 Corinthians 1:2). The Greek word for
          "saints" here is "holy." So, the literal meaning of
          this phrase is, "If you're in Christ, then you are
          called to be holy!"

          "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto
          holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4:7). God hasn't called us
          just to salvation, or to heaven, or to receive his
          pardon. Rather, these things are benefits of our one
          true call - which is to be holy as he is holy!

          Every single believer in the church of Jesus Christ is
          called to be holy, even as Christ is holy - to be pure
          and blameless in God's sight. So, if you have been born
          again, holiness must be the cry of your heart: "God, I
          want to be like Jesus. I want to walk holy before you,
          all the days of my life!"

          Now, as you read these New Testament verses, you may be
          alarmed: "You mean, I'm to be as holy as Jesus was?
          Impossible! He was spotless, blameless, perfect. How on
          earth could anyone live up to that standard? Besides,
          doesn't the Bible say, 'There is none holy as the
          Lord'?"

          That was the very purpose of the law - to show us it is
          impossible for us to measure up to God's standard of
          holiness. No amount of human willpower, strength or
          ability could ever make us holy.

          Therefore, if there is none holy but the Lord, there
          can only be one way for us to become holy:

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                       We Must Be in Christ - and His
                    Holiness Must Become Our Holiness!

                      -------------------------------

          "...if the root be holy, so are the branches" (Romans
          11:16). Paul says that because Jesus, the root, is
          holy, then we, the branches, are holy also. And John
          writes, "I am the vine, ye are the branches...." (John
          15:5). In other words, because we are in Christ, we are
          made holy by virtue of his holiness.

          That fact is, God recognizes only one man as holy -
          Jesus Christ. And in God's eyes, there have been only
          two representative men throughout history - the first,
          literal Adam, and the second Adam, which is Jesus. All
          of humankind was wrapped up in the first Adam - and
          when he sinned, we all became sinners. Then Jesus came
          forth as a new man - and, through his reconciliation on
          the cross, all of humankind potentially became gathered
          up in him. Today God recognizes only this one man,
          Jesus - and he is holy.

          Like Adam, apart from Christ's redemption of us, we can
          never be holy. No matter how long we live or how hard
          we try - not matter how many prayers we utter, how
          often we read the Bible, or how many lusts we conquer -
          we will never be perfectly holy. The Bible says if we
          haven't fulfilled all the law - if we've had even one
          evil thought - then we've missed the whole law. And we
          cannot be holy.

          Jesus stands alone in perfect holiness. And if any
          person is ever to stand before the heavenly father and
          be received by him, that person must be in Christ. God
          won't recognize any other man. (Thankfully, that
          includes our "old man" - the dead sinner in us!) We
          stand before the father without any merits or claims of
          our own - but only the grace of Christ.

          Every time we go to our secret closet, our prayer
          should be: "Lord, I have no plea but Christ. I have
          nothing to bring to you - no good works, no holiness of
          my own. I come to you only because I am in Christ. And
          I claim his holiness. I know I stand before you
          uncondemned, because I am in him!"

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                          This One Man, Jesus, Who
                        Is Holy and Blameless, Has a
                       Body - and We Are That Body!

                      -------------------------------

          "Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular"
          (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are the very members of
          Christ's body! By faith, we are made bone of his bone
          and flesh of his flesh.

          And now we all have been adopted into one family, as
          part of the one man: "So we, being many, are one body
          in Christ, and every one members one of another"
          (Romans 12:5).

          You see, out of the grave came a new man. And from the
          time of the cross, all who repent and believe in this
          new man are gathered up in him: "By one Spirit are we
          all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
          Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all
          made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one
          member, but many" (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).

          There is no longer any black, white, yellow, brown,
          Jew, Muslim or Gentile. We are all of one blood - one
          new man - in Christ Jesus!

          And because of Christ's work on the cross, man could no
          longer attempt to be holy by keeping the law and the
          commandments. He couldn't become holy by good works,
          righteous deeds, human effort or strivings of the
          flesh:

          "That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by
          the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (Ephesians
          2:16). "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
          the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to
          make in himself of twain [two] one new man, so making
          peace" (verse 15).

          Only one man would be accepted by the father - the new,
          resurrected man! And when this new man presented to his
          father all who had faith in him, the father responded,
          "I receive you all as holy - because you are in my holy
          son!" "...he hath made us accepted in the beloved"
          (1:6).

          Moreover, we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit: "That
          in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
          gather together in one all things in Christ...in whom
          also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
          holy Spirit of promise" (verses 10, 13).

          So, you see, holiness is not something we do, or
          attain, or work up. Rather, it is something we believe!
          God accepts us as holy only as we have faith in Christ
          and abide in him. The path to holiness is not through
          human ability, but through faith!

          This is God's wonderful answer to the anxious cries of
          multitudes of Christians, who thirst for an
          understanding of how to be holy. We are holy only as we
          rest in Christ's holiness! Our holiness is his holiness
          - flowing to us, the branches, from the root.

          Yet, at times, this biblical doctrine of holiness
          hasn't always been the practice of the church. Often
          holiness has been thought of only in terms of outward
          behavior.

          My preacher grandfather is an example of this. He was a
          Nazarene minister in the early holiness movement, and
          he didn't allow Christians to wear feathers in their
          hats. He kept a little pair of gold scissors in his
          pocket - and whenever someone came to the altar and
          bowed her head, he would snip off any feathers!

          Yet my grandfather chewed tobacco, because there was no
          "holiness prohibition" against it. He even kept a
          spittoon near him on the pulpit, so he could chew while
          he preached. He would turn his head and spit out the
          juice - all while preaching against women who wore
          lipstick!

          I have heard holiness preachers rail for hours against
          women's makeup, certain types of dress, length of hair
          and other things, calling them matters of holiness. Yet
          these same men were the worst gossipers ever!

          Beloved, God's message to us about holiness isn't about
          outward things. It is about faith - and he makes it
          very clear and simple! Yes, the Holy Spirit will deal
          with the outward man, teaching us to be adorned in
          simplicity and decency. But he does it through
          conviction - in his time and in his way.

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                    To Better Understand How to Be Holy,
                   We Must Go Back to The Old Testament -
               to the Account of Moses at the Burning Bush!

                      -------------------------------

          You probably have read this passage. Moses was all
          alone on Mount Horeb, herding his father-in-law's
          sheep, when suddenly a strange sight grabbed his
          attention: A bush was burning brightly, as if on fire -
          yet it was not consumed!

          Moses decided to go for a closer look - and as he
          stepped nearer, God called to him out of the bush:
          "Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great
          sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw
          that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of
          the midst of the bush..." (Exodus 3:3-4).

          God was present in the bush. That's why it was burning,
          yet not consumed. It was a visual representation of
          God's holiness. Indeed, wherever he is present, that
          place is holy!

          Then the Lord told Moses, "...Draw not nigh hither: put
          off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon
          thou standest is holy ground" (verse 5). Most of us
          skip over this verse without understanding the
          tremendous depth of its meaning. I've heard many
          conflicting opinions of what God means in commanding
          Moses, "Take off your shoes." Some scholars say this
          means, "Take off your pride." Others say it means,
          "Take off your arrogance."

          I believe the phrase goes much deeper than either of
          these things. I suggest it has to do with the subject
          of this message - how to be holy!

          Think about it: Moses was about to be called into God's
          eternal purpose for him - to deliver Israel out of
          bondage. Yet, first God had to show Moses the ground
          upon which he, the Lord, was to be approached: It had
          to be holy ground. In short, Moses was being called to
          a face-to-face communion with a holy God - and he had
          to be prepared for it!

          Of course, Moses was afraid when God spoke to him:
          "...And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look
          upon God" (verse 6). Yet scripture says this was the
          same man who "talked face-to-face with God."

          So, how was Moses dramatically changed? What
          transformed him from being someone who hid his face in
          God's presence, to a man whose face shone brightly
          after conversing freely with the Lord face-to-face?

          It was because Moses had a revelation of the kind of
          ground upon which God must be approached!

                      -------------------------------

                  The New Testament Truth Corresponding to
                 This Passage Is, "...No Flesh Should Glory
                  In His Presence" (1 Corinthians 1:29).

                      -------------------------------

          This verse is not just a New Testament truth. It was
          true in Moses' day! Moses couldn't deliver God's people
          in his own strength. He had to be taught, once and for
          all, that God's work is done not through any human
          ability - but by total trust and dependence on the
          Lord!

          This is true for every Christian today. There has to be
          a putting off of all that the flesh tries to bring to
          God. Indeed, God says to us as he did to Moses, "There
          is only one ground upon which you can approach me, and
          that is holy ground. You can have no confidence in your
          flesh - because no flesh will stand in my presence!"

          Yet, why did God focus on shoes in this passage? What
          does that have to do with putting off the flesh? First,
          our feet are two of the most tender parts of our body.
          And what are shoes, but a protection of our flesh? They
          protect us from the elements, from stones, from snakes,
          from filth and dust, from the hot pavement.

          Do you see what God was saying to Moses here? He was
          using an everyday, ordinary thing to teach a spiritual
          lesson - just as Jesus later did, using coins, pearls,
          camels and mustard seeds. God was saying, "Moses, you
          wear protective garb to keep your flesh from injury.
          But no amount of fleshly protection will be able to
          keep you, because of where I am about to send you.
          You'll need a miracle of deliverance!

          "I am sending you into Egypt - that den of iniquity -
          to face a hardened dictator. And you'll be put in a
          situation that only I can deliver you from. So, unless
          you set aside all reliance on your flesh - your
          meekness, zeal and humility - you won't be able to do
          what I'm calling you to do. All your abilities will be
          worthless, unless I sanctify them. You have to put your
          total trust in my name and power!"

          Indeed, Moses would face all kinds of tests and trials.
          He was about to lead some three million people into the
          desert, where there were no grocery stores, no malls,
          not even a well of water. He would have to depend
          wholly on God for everything!

          You have to understand - Moses had already tried to act
          as a deliverer in the power of his flesh. Forty years
          before, he had taken sword in hand and killed a cruel
          Egyptian slave driver. And now God was saying, "Moses,
          your zeal has to be sanctified - or it will destroy
          you! Are you willing to put down your sword, and trust
          in my sword? Will you put off all hope of being a
          deliverer in your own power and ability? Will you put
          off all confidence in your flesh to do my will?"

                      -------------------------------

                 The Holiness God Demands Is Utterly Above
                  and Beyond All Human Power to Achieve!

                      -------------------------------

          It is impossible for any of us to achieve holiness in
          God's sight by our own strength or willpower. There is
          only one way to be holy - and one principle by which to
          approach the Lord in our Christian service. We must
          come to him saying, "Lord, I have nothing to give you.
          You have to do it all!"

          You can be free of all lusts, of every evil desire, and
          still not be holy. You can be a wonderful person, a
          loving mate, an upright and honest person, and still
          not be holy. On the contrary, all of our human goodness
          is as filthy rags in God's sight!

          Yet we remain convinced, "If I could just get victory
          over this one last, remaining sin, I'd be able to live
          holy." So we take sword in hand - the sword of
          willpower, promises, good intentions - and we set out
          to kill the enemy in our hearts, in an attempt to gain
          victory.

          But it will never happen! We can never be holy while
          standing on the ground of self-righteousness. The shoes
          of flesh have to be put off!

          Years ago, many evangelical churches sang a gospel song
          that I absolutely hated. It says, "Forgive me, Lord,
          and try me one more time." No - that is theologically
          incorrect! God would never put our eternal future at
          such a great risk. If our salvation depended on such
          trial and error, none of us would ever make it to
          heaven!

          Beloved, you and I face the same burning bush Moses
          did. And that bush is a type of God's fiery zeal
          against all flesh brought into his presence
          masquerading as holiness. He says to us, "You can't
          stand before me on that kind of fleshly ground. There
          is only one holy ground - and that is faith in my son
          and his work on the cross!"

          This is the only way God ever could have saved and
          reconciled a whole world. If our works merited our
          salvation, only a select number would be candidates for
          salvation. But I believe in the doctrine of unlimited
          atonement - that Christ died potentially for all of
          humankind.

          Many of my favorite Puritan writers, such as John Owen,
          believed the opposite. Their doctrine taught that
          "election" means God has chosen certain people for his
          kingdom, and that all others are damned. But I
          personally do not believe this teaching is supported in
          scripture. On the contrary, I believe that through
          Jesus' work on the cross, the whole world is
          potentially reconciled to God. Anyone who hears his
          word, repents of sin, and turns to him in faith,
          becomes in him - a part and member of his body!

          This means God can save even the worst of humankind. We
          can behold the worst thief, rapist, murderer, drug
          addict or alcoholic - people who have no good works at
          all - and testify, "By repentance and faith, they can
          be presented righteous in Christ Jesus!"

          That is the true, saving power of God. Yet many
          Christians live as if their works are sufficient. On
          judgment day, they'll stand before God in their flesh,
          saying, "Look at everything I've done for you, Lord.
          I've striven to stay clean and holy. I've prophesied,
          fed the poor, healed the sick, cast out demons. And
          I've done it all to please you!"

          But God will answer, "I never knew you - because you
          were never on the proper ground! You never took your
          shoes off, setting aside your confidence in the flesh.

          "You didn't do any of these things through the power of
          my Spirit. You did them all in your own strength. And
          they are a stench in my nostrils! I accept the
          righteousness of only one man - my son. And I do not
          see my son in you. You are not in Christ!"

          "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
          us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
          redemption: that, according as it is written, He that
          glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians
          1:30-31). In other words: "I won't allow any human
          beings to glory in my presence. They will glorify me
          only through my son - who each day is becoming their
          wisdom, righteousness and holiness!"

                      -------------------------------

                    There Is Only One Ground Upon Which
                     You Can Be Made Holy - and That Is
                    Total and Complete Trust in Christ!

                      -------------------------------

          When I speak of total trust in Christ, I mean not only
          trust in his saving power, but trust in his keeping
          power as well. We have to trust his Spirit to make our
          life conform to his - that is, to keep us in Christ!

          Think about it for a moment. At one time you were
          alienated, cut off from God by wicked works. So, what
          good work did you do to make things right with him?
          None! No one has ever been able to make himself holy.
          Rather, we are brought into Christ's holiness by faith
          alone - by accepting what God's word says: "If you are
          in Christ, you are holy, as he is holy!"

          Yes, he wants your practical, daily walk to measure up
          to your faith walk. But the fact is, we have to believe
          him even for that. We must trust in his promise to give
          us the Holy Ghost, who will conform us to Christ's
          likeness in our daily walk:

          "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in
          your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
          in the body of his flesh through death, to present you
          holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if
          ye continue in the faith..." (Colossians 1:21-23).

          Note the phrase - "If you continue in faith..." Jesus
          is saying, "Just continue trusting in me, living by
          faith. And I will present you as clean, faultless,
          unblamable - holy before the father!" That is the
          sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost: As the Spirit
          empowers you to mortify the deeds of the flesh, he will
          lead you by both his conviction and his comfort.

          There is but one holiness - Christ's! And no one
          Christian is "holier than thou." There are no degrees
          of holiness - only degrees of maturity in Christ. You
          can be a baby Christian and still be absolutely holy in
          Jesus. So it is foolish to measure yourself against
          someone you picture as being "holy." No! We are all
          measured by one standard - the holiness of Christ. And
          if we are in Christ, his holiness is ours in equal
          measure!

          You can never again look at another Christian leader or
          layperson and say, "Oh, I wish I were as holy as he
          is!" You may not have that person's discipline; you may
          not have his prayer life; you may struggle more often
          and make more mistakes than he does; but he is no more
          accepted by the father than you are. You are to compare
          yourself to no one - because no one is more loved in
          the eyes of the father than you!

          Dear saint, take your shoes off - put off all reliance
          on the flesh. Here is the ground upon which you're to
          live: "I claim my holiness that is in Christ Jesus. I'm
          a part of his body. And my father sees me as holy -
          because I am in Christ!"

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
          be posted publicly on other web pages. The Lorain
          County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive rights from
          World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messages
          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

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