Mixing the Profane & Holy

This morning, we're going to look beginning in the Old Testament and working our way into the New Testament About this issue of mixing the profane or the common or unholy with the holy. We're going to begin in a moment in Leviticus chapter 10. So, if you want to find Leviticus chapter 10, we'll be reading there from just just a moment. Leviticus chapter 10 before we read from Leviticus 10, I'll read a couple passages on the screen from Ezekiel which say very much the same thing. Leviticus 10, it specifically applies to a situation that we're going to look at in a moment.

Her priests have violated my law. Now, this is just before Israel is taken captive or right about the time that they are by Babylon. God is warning them and pronouncing judgement upon a nation that has turned away from him into idols. Her is Israel there, the nation. Her priests have violated my law and have profaned mine holy things.

They have put no difference between the holy and the profane. Neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from my Sabbath and I am profan among them. The Lord's issue he takes with Israel or specifically Judah here is that the priests, those who represented the Lord before the people were not showing difference between the holy and profane, the clean, and the unclean and because of that, God says, I am profane. In their eyes among them Ezekiel forty four twenty three they that is the priest shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. If you look in Leviticus chapter 10, we're going to read verses one and two and then we're going to skip down to verse eight.

We're going to read eight through 11. So, beginning Leviticus chapter 10 verses one and two. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censor, put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not and there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord Verse eight, and the Lord spake unto Aaron saying, do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation lest you die. It shall be a statue forever throughout your generations and that you may put difference between the holy and the unholy, between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more.

Lord, direct my thoughts and words. Lord, I pray that you would be exalted and that your message would go forth with power and clarity this morning. I pray Lord that you would be magnified in this place Pray Lord that you would open up our hearts to receive whatever part of this message this morning is for us. Pray Lord that we would consider our own hearts. We would be willing to examine our own lives.

See what there may be in our life which needs to change. We might become more like your son and be conformed into him in his image today That we might be a better testimony before the world Of the holiness and grace and love of our God. Lord, we pray if there's one here today that's never trusted you as Lord and savior. That today they might understand that they might be convicted that they might be willing to put their faith and trust in you and become a child of God In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.

Leviticus chapter 10, Nadab and Abihu, the two eldest sons of Aaron Aaron was chosen to be the high priest and his sons became priests after him. They had very specific instructions from God on what they were to use in worship of the Lord in the Tabernacle. They were only supposed to use certain kinds of oil, certain kinds of powder, certain kinds of fire, embers, wood, coals certain utensils. They were supposed to wear certain clothing when they went into the Tabernacle to worship the Lord. There were is a quite lengthy list of things that God had declared holy that is set apart for his use in worshiping him in the Tabernacle and other things that were unholy that were not to be used by the priest as they served him and as they worshiped him in the Tabernacle.

The sons of Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu it would seem from what we read in verse eight and nine. We're likely intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol. The Bible says in the New Testament in Ephesians, be not drunk with wine whereas in excess but be filled with the spirit. And because of that, it would seem they chose very poorly. Not only in becoming influenced by alcohol but in taking of strange fire.

Now what that means is they didn't use the embers and the coals that were set aside specifically from off the brazen altar. To be used on the table of insol, altar of incense inside the Tabernacle. They used other coals. Not set apart, consecrated for that use and so when they brought it in and they put the incense on it, it became as it says here, strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not and what was God's response to these two men who had taken so lightly their duties as priest before God and it offered that which was profane or unholy unconsecrated unto the Lord Did he slap him on the wrist Did he say, oh, that was you just made a mistake. That's okay No?

What happened to him? There went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died right there in the Tabernacle before the Lord Say, wow. That seems a little bit of overkill, doesn't it? Well, therein lies the problem to God mixing the holy and the profane. Disregarding his instructions.

Taking lightly service to the Lord and testimony before the people. Was a big deal. A matter of fact, it was such a big deal. That to make an example of them, to make a point God took their life right there on the spot. It was a big deal to him I am afraid today that when it comes to the worship of our God and the service of our God and the daily walk with our God as Christians that it seems nothing is sacred anymore.

Nothing seems to be considered profane or unclean in our lives and when it comes down to it, the problem is not the actions that we take, the problem is where The problem is in our heart. We've been studying Colossians on Wednesday night. There, Christ is declared to be the preeminent one. He is above all. He is before all.

He should always have first place where? In our heart. If he has first place in our heart, then he will have first place. In our actions. As we approach the revival services here in a couple months, I'm asking you this, not only today that you will take that and I'll mention this again.

That paper home and write down eight names to pray for. But I'm also asking this of you as I am asking myself. And that is that we would examine ourselves We want to see soul saves. We want to say God magnified and glorified. We want to see our church grow not just in number but in love for one another and the knowledge of Jesus Christ and in every way to be a greater testimony for Jesus Christ.

It must start with us It must start with with me We must be willing to examine who Ourselves and not everyone else I'm afraid we say that but often times, we find that hard to do It is much easier to examine somebody else than to look inwardly to ourselves What is it that's in my life that does not belong there? What is it that needs to change? You see, God will be glorified and God will magnify himself. God will bring souls to him. It begins with the condition of the heart of his people Are we yielded to him Are we willing to change because there is something in your life that God wants to change In most cases, there are many things in our life that God needs to change God is expected I'm afraid today just to accept whatever we like without concern for what he likes.

Our musical taste our appearance preferences our convenience our comfort has become para and not our God Our time and our money is ours first God's second Our morality or lack thereof, God will just have to live with You see that sounds really bad, pastor Yes, it does It is really bad and yet it is how most of Christian him today and many Christian In some respect are treating our God. God just needs to get with the times He just needs to change with the culture God doesn't change If the culture is wrong, the culture is what? Wrong. God won't change with it Neither should we There are some things that are cultural that aren't wrong but there are some things that are We need to be able to differentiate between the two The minds of some or at least in our actions, it would seem it's our way where God can hit the highway Since when did we become the boss Since when did we start calling the shots Since when did we begin to care less about what God wanted? In worship and service to him.

Care only what we want I want us to look today for a few minutes at this issue mixing the profane and the holy Are we doing that in our lives Does it matter I want to start by asking this question In the Old Testament the Tabernacle was holy In the Old Testament, the utensils and what was used in worship in the Tabernacle was holy. The priest who was set aside to serve in the Tabernacle was holy. Today, what is holy? God's always been holy and always will be holy but is that pew there holy? Is this building holy?

Is this suit holy? Well, it's not exactly a suit. So, might have holes in it but it isn't holy. What's holy? We are If you know Christ as Lord and savior, you are holy.

See, did I put this up on the screen? Yeah, I did. What? Know you not that your body, speaking to Christians, is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you Which you have of God and you are not your own. What does that mean you are not your own?

It means you don't belong to you. You belong to someone else For you are bought with a price What price was that? Death blood of Jesus Christ shed on our behalf on Calvary's Cross. To pay the price for our sin and redeem us from sin and hell. For you are above with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which really are whose. They belong to God. God purchased them. On Calvary's Cross and when you came to him for salvation and you called upon him to be the Lord and savior of your life to save you from sin. They became his.

We are holy. The word holy means to sanctify, to consecrate, to dedicate for a specific purpose In reference to God, it means to set part something apart to be used in the worship and service and praise of God who is holy who himself is set apart from everything else. In the Old Testament, it was the Tabernacle and those things and the priest but in the New Testament, we are holy. We have been set apart who know Christ as savior, to his service, to his glory, to bring glory to his name, to worship him, serve him, love him, follow him, yield ourselves to him because we belong to him and we have been praise God set apart from the rest of the world and from the penalty of sin and hell. We have been given eternal life not by works of righteousness which we have done according to his what?

His mercy He saved us He has set us apart He has called us saints Romans one seven, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First Corinthians one two, under the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified, that is set apart in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all that are in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours. All those who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ in faith to be Lord and savior of their life are called saints. Now, the two B in the King James version, if you have one, is in italics. That's because it was added by the translators to help our understanding.

But in both of these passages, we are called what? Saints. It's not something we are going to become. It's something we already what? Are.

Are. In Christ Jesus. We've been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We've been redeemed, redeemed from the penalty and power of sin. We become a child of God, a servant of God, a follower of God, an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

We are saints. You don't become a saint when some church decides to saint you. You don't become a saint when you reach a certain level of good behavior If that were the case, none of us would ever be saints. We become saints when we become a child of God. We are set apart from the world under his purpose.

It's his children to serve him, love him, praise him. For who he is. Our holy God. We are holy. First Peter two nine.

But you are a chosen generation. He's speaking to the church. Saved in Christ Jesus but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. Was that say a royal priesthood? A holy set apart nation.

Now, not nation as in The United States or Brazil or Canada but as in a group of people, we are a set apart group of people. A peculiar people. Strange in the eyes of who? The world but the world peculiar doesn't mean so much strange as it means special special in the eyes of God Why has God set us apart in such a way that we would show forth the praises of him who have called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. God is talking about you.

He calls you a royal priesthood. He calls you, us, a holy nation, a peculiar people set apart unto him. You who know Christ as savior, he's talking about you. In the New Testament, in the church, we don't have priests. We have one high priest and that's who?

Jesus Christ. You have pastors, deacons, and teachers. You don't have priests. There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. But in a sense, we who know Christ are all what?

Priests because we are all enlisted in the service of the king. We are all enlisted in his worship. We are all enlisted to represent him before the world and to testify of his name before the people. We are a royal priesthood as sons of the king and servants of the savior. What is holy today you are It is we that are the priest of today who have the God given responsibility as God's chosen in Christ to show forth God glory to the lost around us and serving our Lord and king.

To teach the world around us about God. To teach those who are younger in Christ than we. They are watching us and rightly so. Well, how dare they judge me? It isn't their judgment that matters in the end.

It's whose It's God's but it's not wrong that they judge you and that they're watching to see if you're real to see if you're genuine, to see if this God of yours really makes a difference What are they seeing What are they seeing in our worship What are they seeing in our service What are they seeing in the use of our time? What are they seeing in the use of our finances? What are they seeing or hearing? Come out of our mouth. What are they seeing?

In our entertainment? What are they seeing in our commitment level to Jesus Christ? I'm afraid if we're honest, some of the things they're seeing today in our lives in our church and in other churches is not bringing glory to God is not giving them a very clear picture of who God is because we have mixed the profane and the holy and we are not giving a clear distinction anymore. We who are holy have been called to live holy lives before the world. We've been called to be different, who indeed are different.

To live dedicated lives consecrated to God for such is the meaning of the word holy. Lives separate from the world and worldliness. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. What God has done for us already by his grace. That you present your bodies a living sacrifice.

What's the next word? Holy. Holy. Set apart. Acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We have been declared to be holy by God's grace. It is our reasonable service as being set apart unto him that we let him have first place in our lives That we don't put him in the driver's seat but that we put him behind the what Put him behind the wheel and we get over in the passenger seat. It is our reasonable service What does that mean? Well, that means this, not conforming our lives to what?

The world and the ways of the world because we no longer are citizens so to speak of this world. We're citizens of where? We're citizens of heaven. We're pilgrims. We're just passing through.

We are to be transformed day by day into the image of Jesus Christ by the renewing of our mind through the word of God and the holy spirit. We might be truly changed not only on the inside but it might shine forth. That others may see First Peter one hundred fifteen and sixteen, but as he which hath called you was holy, so be you holy and all manner of conversation or conduct because it is written, be you holy for I'm holy. God is our holy God who has declared us holy and set us apart is now asking that we as his children by his grace learn to conduct our lives in a manner that displays the holiness of who The holiness of God That we consider ourselves set apart unto his service and set apart from the world and sin and the worldliness around us. I wanna read from second Corinthians six.

I don't have it up on the slide. It's too much to put on a slide. It's second Corinthians six fourteen through 17. It says this, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

What communion hath light with darkness? What concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? Word infidel simply means unbeliever. What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people.

Wherefore, come out from among them and be you separate, saith the Lord. Now, is God saying in the New Testament, in the church, that it's God's will for us to cloister ourselves in a monastery somewhere and be isolated and separate from the world. No. That's not what he's saying, is it? He's not telling us to be separated physically from the world.

Christ said in his prayer to the father, he says, I ask you not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil that's in the world. God doesn't want to isolate us from the world. He wants us to be in the world that we might be salt and light. But the only way we're going to make a difference for Christ, the only way we're going to be salt and light is if we determine in our hearts by God's grace. We will draw close to him and that we will obey him, honor him, and present to the world the difference between the holy and the profane, between the clean and the unclean, between that which pleases God.

That which is a sin against God almighty. That they might see the difference. They might see their sinners. They might see there's a god of mercy and love and holiness. Who sent his son to die for them.

That he might be magnified. He has called us to live lives which bring glory to God by demonstrating to the world around us the difference First Corinthians ten thirty one, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do what? All to the glory of God. Do everything to the glory of God. You know, as Christians, as a royal priesthood of today, when do you worship God?

When do you represent God? Serve God all the time not just on Sunday when we gather here like we should to worship him together But every day, every hour, we worship him. We serve him. We represent him. In everything that we do and therefore, Paul writes glorify God in everything.

Remember that when you sit down to the table to eat, you represent who? God. You're his. Remember, when you play ball, you're his. You represent him.

Remember when you go to work, you're his. You represent him. Remember, whatsoever you do, do all to bring glory to God First Timothy four twelve, let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the believers in word in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity. Now, Paul is talking to Timothy. You say, Timothy is a pastor.

God expects that to pastors but he doesn't expect that of everybody. No, God demands that of pastors but God expects it of who Every child of God The requirements in first Timothy three for pastors and deacons are simply the things that for the most part God expects of every child of God but certainly must be in the life of one who leads others. Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, or conduct, in charity, and faith, spirit, and purity. If this then is our solemn obligation and privilege, why must we then be so bent on being as much like the world around us? As we can.

Isn't that the opposite? Of what we should be doing We must look. Why must we look at the trappings and trends and pleasures of this world and long after them and desire to be like them? Why is it that the world dictates to us how we talk? Why is it the world dictates dictates to us how we dress?

Why is it that the world dictates to us how we worship? Our music, our entertainment, how is it that we have come to believe that the world has the right to dictate to us how we live our life. Should be making the rules in our life. The Lord God, the one who has set us apart unto himself by the death of his son on Calvary's Cross and his resurrection from the dead Why allow the world to set our standards How we worship and spend our time, how we work and amuse ourselves Bible warns fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou what? Envious of the wicked.

That means don't don't desire to be like them. Be not thou envious against evil men. Neither desire to be with them for their heart studyeth destruction. Their lips talk of mischief. Let not heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

What? Where should we live as Christians? We should live in the what? The fear of the Lord, not in the fear of man, not in desire to become like the world but in the fear of the Lord. What does that mean?

Trembling and terrorized in fear at God? No. It means acknowledging who he is. And his right as our holy God and our heavenly father. His right to be glorified in our lives.

His position power, authority, as the one who sets the rules and not us. We're not humanist, are we? Are we humanist? You believe that we are God? That we make up the rules?

No. We're Christians. We believe God makes the rules. We believe God leads us. He doesn't just tell us what to do.

He leads us by his spirit and his word and by his grace In paths of righteousness for his name's sake If we're willing to be led Like the priest of the Old Testament, it is the Lord who sets our standards Why must we see how close we can come to the precipice without falling off? Why must we push the envelope? Why must we ride the fence? Why must must we live in the gray area? Yeah, there is a gray area in things.

Why do you want to live there? Always wondering, am I doing right or am I doing wrong? Why don't we as Christians choose to live in the area that is unmistakably right and pleasing to God. Why don't we strive for that? No, we won't always reach it.

In this life but isn't that what we should be striving for? Rather than striving to live in the gray area of life. What does it hurt? To give up this or that. Why does it hurt to change this or that?

In order to be sure that my life brings glory to God. In our worship, in our service. Why can't we be happy and content with living our lives which unmistakably set us apart. Set us and our God apart from sin. Why can't we see how holy we can be?

How much like our savior rather than how much like the world? And still be okay. First John two fifteen, love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him.

Those whose worship and lifestyle reeks of gray area would tell us that the more we are like the world, the more likely they are to listen to us, to feel comfortable around us. But I beg to differ. And so does Christ. Let your light so shine before men. That they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

What sets us apart in our worship, in our service, in our daily life, in daily walk, in our language, in our appearance, in our actions, in the places we go, and the people we hang out with. What sets us apart before the world? You say, but that doesn't matter. What matters is inside. Yes, it does to God but what matters also to God is his testimony and people can't see what's where.

Inside, unless it comes forth to the what? The outside. So, therefore, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Why is it? I think it's because we struggle with this for several reasons.

One, it's because we don't trust the Lord like we should. Trust in the Lord with what? All your heart. Lean not into thine own understanding, all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. I think it's because we don't see what's at stake.

We're playing games when we're really at war. At war, with the devil. At war for the souls of men and women, boys and girls who will die and spend an eternity somewhere. Heaven or hell. We're at war.

It's real. And we're playing games. We're fiddling so to speak. While the world burns down around us and the devil's happy. We do a little here, a little there.

We go through the motions. We come to church. But we're not really set apart in our lives to him. We're not dedicated which brings us to the last thing. Daniel one eight.

Daniel purposed in his what? In his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's meat. Have you purposed in your heart? When I started dating, somebody told me, if you want to stay clean and pure in your dating relationship, don't wait until you're tempted. Purpose in your heart when?

Before. You get in that situation. Commit yourself to be pure. Commit yourself under the Lord. He, he says, will bring it to pass.

He will protect you. He will keep you. But we don't trust him. We don't see the need. We haven't dedicated ourselves as we should.

Maybe you need to do that today. Maybe there's something in your life that God's put a finger on that needs to change. Today. Maybe you're here today and you say, I don't understand what you're talking about because you're not a child of God and you don't know him as savior. You're going through the motions of religion, following do's and don'ts.

None of that matters until you repent and trust Christ as Lord and savior of your life. Until you choose him. Call unto him to be your Lord and savior. None of this else matters until then. If you're here today and you're unsure of your, if you have a home in heaven, if you're unsure of your sin is forgiven, if you're unsure, if you have ever come to Christ, to be your Lord and savior, I plead with you today.

Please come as we give this hymn of invitation. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord. I thank you for your word. I thank you for the illustrations here in your word.

You took this thing very seriously and Lord, you take our lives very seriously today and the responsibilities we have before you. Yes, it's privilege to be a child of God but that privilege does come with responsibilities. We represent you. You've left us here to be a light. Lord, you desire to be glorified in our life and we take it so lightly.

We take so lightly mixing the holy and the unholy, the clean and the unclean in our lives. We don't see the difference. We're unwilling to dedicate ourselves and to make a commitment. Lord, I pray for your children here today as we look forward to revival. We would examine ourselves and be willing not only to see but to make a commitment before you.

To let you have whatever in our life that you need to have to make us more like you. To represent you properly in everything we do. Every aspect of our life. We might bring glory to your name. And I pray Lord most of all, there's one here that's never trusted you as savior, as we give this hymn of invitation today, I pray they would come.

In Jesus name, amen.