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We'll continue our studies from the book of Leviticus. Today we will look at chapters 17 till 20. From chapter 17 till 20, I'll read a couple of verses. From chapter 17 we'll read verses 1 till 4. “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. If of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp or kills it outside the camp and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, blood guilt shall be imputed on that man.’”
He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people. And we'll also turn our Bibles to Leviticus chapter 20. And we'll read verses 22 onwards till verse 26. 6. You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 7. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, you shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess a land flowing with milk and honey.
“I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean and the unclean bird from the clean. And you shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples that you should be mine.” Let's pray.
Dear Gracious and Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning. Thank you, Father, for this privilege that you have given us to gather as your people and to gather around your word, to behold Christ, our King, our Lord. We pray as we look into your word, we pray that you speak to our hearts. We pray that you would work in our lives through your spirit, and we pray that you would bring an attitude of submission to your word, and we pray that you would form also biblical convictions in our hearts.
We thank you, Father. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen. Amen. We're going to end this series of sermons from the book of Leviticus. This will be one of the last sermons. God willing, next week will be the final sermon on the book of Leviticus.
And the title of today's sermon is God's Holy People Living in the Power of the Cross. God's holy people living in the power of the cross. And chapter 17 starts after chapter 16 — that's not a mystery. And coming down from the peak of Leviticus 16, you know, the Leviticus 16 is like a central chapter in the book of Leviticus. And one of the key chapters, I think, in the Pentateuch itself.
And it talks about the most essential ceremonies in the life of an Israelite. That is the Day of Atonement. And coming down from the peak of Leviticus 16, the question still remains, in the light of what God has demonstrated in the life of Israelites, like God delivered them from the land of Egypt, and his provision of salvation through substitution, and his declared intention to give them a land that is flourishing.
So in midst of all these things, how should Israel live? And the final 10 chapters of the book of Leviticus reveal what life should look like in that land under the rule of God. Now God has made a covenant with the house of Israel and now God is the king of this nation. Therefore, it is a theocratic nation.
And so in a nutshell, what does it mean for these people to live under the lordship of God? In other words, what does it mean to live holy lives? And how does it look like? What does it look like? There is a deeply mistaken and unhelpful way to approach this topic of holiness. Many treat holiness as a burden.
We may be tempted to look at the world and think that the freedom they have to indulge in various things, the freedom they have to indulge, you know, every desire is good life, and that holiness is merely the price that we pay to get into heaven someday. No. Many Christians, or probably Christians who grew up in Christian homes — sorry, people who grew up in Christian homes — think that, you know, the way holiness is this way, that it's a burden. We need to sacrifice these things of this world. We need to part ways. It's a painful parting kind of a feeling, right?
So I think that is a low view of holiness. And that is a low view of God. However, once we understand the real purpose of holiness, that isn’t the case. It’s much more meaningful and purposeful. I’m going to share three things from this, these chapters. Number one is, what was the world around Israel? And number two is, why God drew the line, the logic behind the holiness code? And number three is, what is God’s call of holiness for today’s church? And I’m going to do this today itself, yeah. So firstly, what was the world around Israel? How was the world around Israel? When God delivered Israel from Egypt, he was leading them into the spiritual and more and
moral epicenter of ancient paganism. Two civilizations flanked Israel on the either side — Egypt behind them and Canaan before them. Both were deeply corrupted, and God was explicit that Israel must not imitate them. In Leviticus chapter 18 in verse 3 the Lord says that “You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.”
So the surrounding cultures were polytheistic. Which means they worshiped many gods. Worshiping a pantheon of gods. And if you look at Egypt, Israel had spent nearly 430 years. Egyptian culture, it was saturated with worship to many gods, polytheism and animal worship. And if you look at, uh, Leviticus chapter 17 verse 7, animals were held sacred, which is why God specifically warned against worshiping to goat demons. That’s there in 17:7. I’m probably referring to Egyptian worship. And there is magic and divination. You know, in Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 20, sorry, in chapter 20, in both the places we see there that a prohibition of divination and sorcery, consulting mediums and seeking guidance from the dead. Again, these were not obscure activities. Egypt was
famous throughout the ancient world for its magicians, sorcerers and priests who claimed to communicate with the dead and manipulate the spirit forces or the spiritual forces. The, if you remember, the, in the, in the book of Egypt — so not in the book of Egypt, in the land of Egypt, good, you are listening — probably in the land of Egypt, the Pharaoh, in the first court, you see there that there were who opposed Moses, right? So that was their culture. And, and if you look at, Canaan was equally saturated with necromancy, like it’s like black magic and occult practices. The Canaanites were arguably the more
was the more pressing concern for the Israelites. Now that land, enter that land, there was black magic, spiritism, uh, consulting the dead and stuff like that. And also, apart from there, from that, there was also child sacrifice. You know, in chapter 18 verse 21 and also in chapter 20 verses 2 to 5, there’s a god called Molech. Uh, he was a, he was a Canaanite, um, Ammonite deity to whom children were burned alive. And this was one of the most severe prohibitions in the entire passage. And there was also sacred prostitution and temple pro— we can also call it as temple prostitution. Both male and
female, uh, prostitutes were commonplace. You know, sexual rites were performed as acts of worship with the hope of securing fertility of the crops and life’s livestock. So this was common in, um, Canaan especially. So in Leviticus 18 it contains the most comprehensive sexual ethics of the ancient world. And every prohibition corresponds to practice of that, at least in some measure, that was acceptable or even sacred in the surrounding cultures. For example, in chapter 18 verses 6 till 18 he talks about incest is sexual relations with close family members or family relations like stepmother, stepsister, aunts, daughter
-in-law, sister-in-law. And in chapter 20 there’s an instance of mother-in-law’s as well. And there’s adultery. And in chapter 18 verse, the Lord prohibits also homosexual acts. And there is something called bestiality, is no sex with animals, and that was part of that culture. And these prohibitions served as God’s direct response to the actions occurring among the Israel’s neighbors. The Canaanites practiced sexual intercourse as part of their worship of a god called Asherah, and God prohibited the Israelites from doing all these things. God not only gave commandments concerning sexual ethics, but he also gave
some social ethics. In chapter 19 God gave them a vision of a just and a compassionate society. And if you look at verses from chapter 17 verses 9 till 18, sorry, chapter 19 verses 9 till 18: in verses 9 and 10 it says that they shall leave portions of their harvest for the poor and immigrants. In verse 11 they shall not steal and deal falsely or lie to one another. In verse 13 they shall pay workers promptly and not oppress the needy. In verse 14 they shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind. In verse 16 they shall not
be slanderers. In, and 18, they shall love their neighbors as themselves. That is one of the key, um, or the central verse in the list of the social ethics. In verses 17 till 18, uh, it says that “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” This is the very commandment Jesus would later call the second greatest commandment. And that drives all the, all this list of commandments or the social ethics in chapter 19. And this was
a call to different, to live differently, right? So then comes a second question: why did God draw the line? What is the logic behind this, these prohibitions? Was God insecure about other gods? Was he insecure about these nations? Not at all. The logic of God’s prohibition far deeper, and it has everything to do with who God is, what he has done and what he is doing in the world. Firstly, he is the Lord. Leviticus chapter 17 verse 1 begins with these words, “And the Lord spoke to Moses.” Is not one among the, among many lords, or he is not
one among many gods. It says that he is the Lord, his Yahweh literally means he is the existing one, literally means he is, he was and he will be. He's the unchangeable one. He's the un—he's unchangeable in his person, in his nature, his purposes. In other words, we can say that there is no one like him. He's—he alone is God. He alone is the creator. There is no one else who has created something. There was—there is no one else who has created another earth, right? He's the one who created life, gave life. He's a giver of life. And our God is
a triune God, and he alone is God. And he is right when he said in Exodus chapter 20 verse 3, “You shall have no other gods before me.” There is no one else like him. And the triune God of the Bible is alone worthy of all worship and honor. And the phrase here, “I am the Lord,” is repeated at least 13 times in these chapters 17 till 20.
Secondly, the Lord says, “I am the Lord your God.” I am the Lord your God. And this phrase is at least repeated 12 times in these four chapters. That means he is their personal God, is the God of Israel. Back then God has made a covenant with the houses of Israel, and these people then belong exclusively to God because of the covenant that he has made with these people. Thirdly, these people were set apart for God. He says in Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2, “You shall be holy, for I am the Lord your God. I am holy.” And the logic is breathtaking, because God is
intrinsically, essentially, radiantly holy—that means set apart, pure, without any blemish. His people are called to reflect that nature. Is that religious, moral and ethical life was meant to be an advertisement to the surrounding world about the character of their God. In Exodus chapter 19 verse 6, the Lord, regarding the people of Israel, he said that “you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” So when Israel adopted—and it has adopted very frequently—the practices of the nations, they were not merely switching morals, they were dishonoring God, in midst of their, in, they were misrepresenting God.
They thought they could fool God, but they forgot who their God is. God loves them, and he is a consuming fire. He's a jealous God, and he dealt with their rebellion severely. They were a holy nation, a kingdom of priests. Remember the promise God gave to their father Abraham, that in him all the nations will be blessed. And since Israel is linked to Abraham, their holiness was also missional. Fourthly, these prohibitions were not restrictions, but there are means to protect them. These prohibitions and the Levitical system of worship were God's grace towards them so that they would not become
like the rest of the world. And a sacrificial system was in place to sanctify them. In chapter 17 verses 1 to 4, by requiring sacrifices at the tent of the meeting, God was calling his people to worship him alone. And he was not being restrictive. He was being protective. He was offering them the grace to see their wickedness or their proneness to wickedness, and the grace to see their sins atoned for, and the privilege to approach the presence of the only holy God by his provision, by his means. So by setting them apart as a holy people from the rest of
the world by this command, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God.” And holy is more than a command, it is an invitation to share in God's purposes, it is an invitation to share in God's character, and it is a privilege to be identified with God himself, the king of the heavens and the earth. And the sexual prohibitions outlined in Leviticus chapter 18, they serve to uphold the family structure, safeguard vulnerable individuals from exploitation and maintain the psychological and social well-being of the community. The restrictions against no occult practices are intended to shield Israel from spiritual bondage
and manipulation by dark forces. Each prohibition within these chapters, upon close examination, demonstrates a God who perceives the devastation that sin can produce and compassionately establishes boundaries to prevent his people from such harm. This is a nutshell of chapter 17 till 20.
In the light of all this, what is God's call of holiness for today's church? What is God's call of holiness for today's church? The words of Leviticus chapter 17 till 20 were addressed to ancient Israel. And Christians are not under the Mosaic covenant or the Mosaic law as a covenant. Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law in his life, death, and resurrection. Matthew 5:17, Jesus fulfilled the moral law by living in complete, lifelong obedience to every commandment of God, something no fallen human could do perfectly.
And the Father himself testified about our Lord from the heavens twice. We see in the Gospel, in the Gospel of Matthew, in, uh, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father pronounced his words in chapter 17 verse 5, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I'm well pleased. Listen to him.” With whom I am well pleased. And Paul says in Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 that he was born under the law, which also means that he subjected himself to its full demands. His righteousness was not merely the absence of sin, but a positive, total conformity to God's law. That is active obedience, which speaks of the entirety of his life on this earth.
And that righteousness of Christ Jesus, as a result of his righteous life, was imputed to every believer at the time of justification. We stand as believers before God in the righteousness of Christ as justified in the sight of God because Christ's righteousness was imputed to us.
And we also see that the law carried a curse for disobedience. And all humans, the person who mediated the old covenant, from Moses, and the person who entered the holy of holies once a year, the high priest Aaron, and every person under the old covenant who has ever lived under the old covenant, has always failed. No one perfectly pleased God. That's the reason there was a sacrificial system in place. And that law carried a curse of for disobedience, and Jesus also fulfilled that law's curse by bearing law's penalty. He fulfilled the law's penalty by becoming a curse for us on the cross, Galatians chapter 3 verse 13. And as part of it, as he was hung
on the tree, we know that he fully absorbed the full wrath of God that the Lord demanded against sinners. His death was not a martyrdom, it was a substitution. It was a penal substitution. He died in the place of his people, satisfying divine justice. God's justice demands that every sinner be put to death, and Jesus was suffered in our place, absorbing the full wrath of God and suffered in our place, died in our place. This means for those who believe in Jesus Christ, in his person and in his work, now there is no—for all those who have yielded their lives to the Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Levitical system. Now there was a Passover lamb in the old covenant. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7, Paul says that Jesus is a true lamb of God. The OT high priest, the old covenant high priest were weak and sinful. And they needed atonement for themselves. But the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus, a perfect high priest of a different order, is perfect without any blemish. And he offered the perfect sacrifice for his people once for all. And that sacrifice is sufficient to deal with our sins.
John chapter 1 verse 14, John chapter 2 verse 19, says that Jesus is a true tabernacle and the temple who dwelled amongst us. He became the temple of God. He is a temple of God, and we become the temple of God by our union with the perfect high priest, our head. Jesus is a true Sabbath who gives true rest to those who come to him, Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. So entire Levitical system is fulfilled in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is the substance, the shadows, that is a Levitical system, has passed away. That covenant is also a shadow that passed away, because the writer of
Hebrews says that he mediates a better covenant. The old covenant itself prophesies of a new covenant that God is going to make with his people. And we see that in Jeremiah chapter 31 and in other places as well. And therefore, we are no longer bound by the ceremonial and civil system or the laws that govern Israel as a theocratic nation. But the moral principles embedded in the old covenant are rooted in the eternal character of God. They have been fulfilled and also are deepened in the new covenant. The Christ has fulfilled the law's penalty. The moral law act as the timeless principles that is deepened in the new covenant, and they still function
as a rule of life for all believers of all time because those laws reveal God's holy nature. Those laws show us what God's what love for God and neighbor looks like. And the writer, and Jeremiah says that, the Spirit of God writes the law, the same law, not on the stone's tablets, but on the hearts of His people.
On the hearts of His people. That in Jeremiah chapter 31 and also Hebrews chapter 8, we see that the writer of Hebrews quoting Jeremiah chapter 31. And therefore obedience is now a grateful response, not a means of earning favor. Why should you live holy lives? Because God has redeemed us. He has shown mercy upon us. He bestowed grace upon us, and he has also given us grace, the ability to walk in the in the light of his commandments. So the New Testament writers draw heavily from the Leviticus. When addressing the church, when addressing the church, the New Testament writers draw heavily from
the Leviticus and also other portions of the Pentateuch, from Deuteronomy as well. Peter quotes Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2 directly in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 16, where Peter said, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” in chapter 1 verse 16. And do you know the context? Do you know the context of 1 Peter? We should read for that, for that we should read verses 13 till 16. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 till 16. Peter says, “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.”
Verse 14, “As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” Verse 15, “But as he who called you is holy, you shall be holy in all your conduct.” Up, verse 16, “since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy,’” which is a direct quotation from Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2. What is Peter doing here? Peter is saying that to us suffering believers that there is a future hope, and that future hope is the coming and the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he is saying that coming and the future revelation of Jesus Christ, your destiny, that is where you're heading
to so he's asking, is commanding the believers of their time and also our time, that we should keep preparing our minds. We should keep preparing our minds as we go there, as we are heading to our destiny, that is the revelation and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we are heading there, as long as we live here on this side of eternity, no matter what you're facing, live with this hope of coming of Jesus and the grace that will be brought to you at his revelation, which we haven't tasted yet, right? That grace which you have haven't tasted yet, but you will
receive it, because it is a promise from the Lord and he will surely keep it. So he's saying that live with that goal in your mind, be clear-sighted, and as long as you live here be obedient to him. He says, “as obedient children.” This means we won't live as we did before we knew God. And the future, and since the future, that of the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be ours, so we will, we will not live like the rest of the world, and we won't follow the evil desires. We will not imitate the world around us and then also fall
when is giving sexual ethics in 1 Corinthians and also in the book of Ephesians, they mirror the provisions of Leviticus 18. There may be a strong culture of premarital relations and extramarital sexual relationships around us, right? Right? All sin, all sexual sin, from adultery to homosexuality to pornography is a perversion of God's good design laid out in Genesis chapter 1 till 2, which is fleshed out in the book of Leviticus and affirmed by Jesus and his apostles. We are no longer under the law as a covenant, keep those principles about sexual ethics because they reflect God's wisdom across the whole Bible.
Young people, save your sexuality for your marriage. Do not seek relationships outside of marriage. Do not seek a partner in your college, is tempting because the world around you is doing it. You may be, you may justify that, what's wrong with that? It's wrong with that because we don't find that in the Bible. Do not seek a partner when you're not ready for marriage yet. Do not flirt with others. The world is doing it, your friends will do, but you don't do it, because that's not the custom of the Bible, that is not the culture of the Bible. Do not flirt with others, that culture is not of the Bible. You seek for a woman or a man when you
are ready for marriage. When you are ready for marriage, you like a woman or a man, proposed to that person when you are ready to marry, not before that. When you are ready to marry, when you can feed a family, then do that. Talk to your parents, talk to their parents, and marry. Do not live in an unmarried relationship for a period, for a long period of time. That is not healthy. That is not healthy, because the Bible says our hearts are deceitful. They're wicked. Do not trust yourself.
Don't think that I have confidence in myself. And Christians, we should uphold the sanctity of our marriages. We should be faithful to our spouses. We should love them and be committed to them by the grace of Christ Jesus. Even if your marriage is difficult, even if your marriage is difficult, even if your spouse is difficult, be committed to them. Pray. Maybe God is humbling you to depend on you on him to love your spouse. Do not let your thoughts wander off to other men or women, even when you're in a difficult marriage, even when you see beautiful people around you. That is lusting after others. The holiness in Leviticus is broad and it applies to us. Leviticus chapter 19 is so engaging. Apostle
James concern for the poor and the vulnerable in his epistle, it caused the justice commands in Leviticus 19. It also commands Israel not to harvest the edges of the field so poor may have access to their, to food. The law forbids business deception, prohibits partiality in legal proceedings, and commands love for neighbors and strangers. It also protects the elderly and disabled from mockery. Though the church is not a political nation, Paul addresses a case of incest, the very sin prohibited in Leviticus chapter 18.
A man was sleeping with his stepmom in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. And his response is striking. It's not capital punishment like in Leviticus chapter 18. But excommunication. Removing the man from the fellowship so that he might ultimately be saved. We have no authority over and no expectation from those who are not part of the church. Our concern is with those of the inside. Holiness is our business. Holiness is a community project. Learn to be vulnerable to fellow believers, brothers and sisters.
Pay very close attention. Learn to be vulnerable to other believers. Open up to other believers. The Lord has provided a brother and a sister in the church so that we may grow together. We may fellowship together. Not to show to my fellow brother that I am better than him, that I have more knowledge than him. No, that's not the purpose of our Christian existence, and that's not your purpose to be part of the church. We are a part of the church so that we can learn from one another answers and also serve others. So brothers and sisters, learn to be vulnerable to other believers. Though the church nation, it may have a political voice. Believers may have a voice in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and even politically. One way we love our neighbor is by encouraging them to embrace values we believe are good
for society as a whole. But all of our advocacy of these good laws should be done in the spirit of the gospel love, seeking to see people won for our Savior, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Israel lived in the midst of perverse cultures, and most of the time Israel failed.
It succumbed to the surrounding culture. They were attracted to the culture around them. And the culture around the church is also diverse and primarily anti-gospel. Most of the urban culture is moving towards a post-modern, secular, anti-God vision. And the pressures to conform are just as real today as they were for Israel, and in some ways they are more sophisticated, more subtle and more pervasive. You may be ashamed, you may feel ashamed, you can, you can get succumbed and also feel ashamed even to talk about God. Because most of the culture around you doesn’t want to talk about God.
Right? We may, and you may begin to compromise from there. The idols are not Baals or Molochs, but there are these idols such as autonomy, pleasure, wealth, self-expression, self-pleasure, spending on yourself, getting all the comforts that you need. Our culture’s creed is simple: you are the author of your own truth.
Your desires define your identity. Tumara dil kya kaita hai? Don’t listen to your dil. Whatever feels authentic must be honored. In an age of therapeutic self-help, the language of repentance is improper. To question someone’s chosen path is a new blasphemy. People in this world are living to fulfill the dreams of the idol called self.
But we will not follow them. Though we live in midst of them, we will not fall follow them. If you are marked off by the blood of the Lamb, you are set apart for the glory of God, for the name of God. So we will not live by the standards of the world. We will not get succumbed by the culture of this world. We will seek to be holy, because the God who created and redeemed us is holy. We will live to please him though the entire world may mock us. This is the all, this old book is still the, is still our holiness
code, like the Israelites who at times offered their children to Moloch. You Christians do not offer your children at the altar of a self-centered life of success, you know, life and success. Bring them up with Christian values. Bring them up with Christian values and teach them the fear of God. For that, parents, you parents, you must demonstrate it before your kids. Spend time with them. You must live a God-centered life before them. Devils the, you need not tell, you may teach them the Bible, brothers and sisters, but you view keep loving the world around you, they will see it and they
They will learn it. They will catch it. They will catch it. So do not love the world. Live a God-centered life before them. Love God. Love his word. Love people. Forgive people. Pray for those who hurt you. Be generous. Be content. Sacrifice for right causes. Preach the gospel. Be committed to a church.
You should demonstrate forgiving others also before your kids. And this happens in the, kids will observe this in your conversations, in your, in your behaviors. You go give a cold shoulder to some people, you, as your kids grow up, they will observe that you are giving a cold shoulder to a family, to that brother, to that sister, your kids will learn that.
And it may happen within your family. The way you deal with conflicts in your family, the way you fight your disagreements, the way you fight before your kids, your kids are learning, they are watching. The way you complain, the way you grumble, your kids are watching.
When your spouse sins against you, the way you respond, are you quick to forgive? The way you deal with that, the way you... Are you still respecting your spouse when your spouse has offended you? Are you shouting or yelling? Your kids are learning from you, brothers and sisters. You must first demonstrate these things in your home. If you can’t forgive the offenses of your spouse, brothers and sisters, you can’t forgive the offenses of others. If you can’t let go of the small things that your spouse does, you can’t let go of the things that others do to you. Don’t think that “I can do this with my spouse,” no.
All our actions, our heart, they flow from our heart. Because your spouse is close to you, your freedom of expression, you will shout, you will yell. You can’t do that with others, but you will respond to that differently, by giving a cold shoulder, by avoiding them. Brothers and sisters, be careful how you’re living before your kids. Parenting is a difficult job and his most solemn job. God has put you there as a steward. Give them a good upbringing. Give them a good childhood. Do not let them grow in toxic environment. Be careful how you live before them.
Prepare them for life. Prepare them to live life rightly. Do not love yourselves. Your kids will see that how much you love yourselves. Do not take yourselves too seriously. Do not wallow in self-pity. Your kids will see that. Demonstrate these things before kids.
Demonstrate these things before your kids. Parenting includes all these things, all these things. Christians, you live differently in the world. Let your homes and values be different. Do not be like the world around you. Do not adopt its values. Romans chapter “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The call to holiness has not changed. What has changed is a power that makes it possible. We have our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God and perfect man, our high priest, who lives forevermore and he intercedes for us. The fountain of his finished work still atones for our sins.
And this, there is grace through the indwelling person of the Spirit. He's our ever-present help. He supplies the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, no sin is greater for a law to deal with. Bring all your struggles, all your failures to the Lord. Dear Christian, the next time you struggle to obey, there is only one thing to do. Run to the cross. Drink from the fountain of grace. God is your father. He's our father. He calls us as his own, and he will make us holy.
World around us, like Canaan, is watching. Let us give them something worth watching, not the dim reflection of their own culture, but the bright image of God, who is holy, just, merciful, and who calls his people to walk in his ways. In closing, I want to read this verse from 1 Peter 2, verse 9.
And Peter relies on Exodus. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light.”