Savage Street Church of Christ

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Jehovah-Qadash: The Lord Who Sanctifies You 

Leviticus 22.31–33

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • April 14, In the year of our Lord Christ, 2019 

Persuasion: 

1. The Sabbath and Israel’s Sanctification 
   1. After the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, 
      1. He used Moses to lead them to Mount Sinai. 
      2. There, the Lord revealed to Israel that they were to keep the Sabbath. 
         1. In Nehemiah 9, you will find Levites 
         2. leading Israel in a prayer that reminded Israel of their history, 
            1. including when the Lord revealed Sabbath-keeping to Israel:
               
               13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai,
               And spoke with them from heaven,
               And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
               Good statutes and commandments.
               14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
               And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
               By the hand of Moses Your servant.”
               
               – Nehemiah 9.13–14
               
            2. They had neglected the Sabbath previously, 
            3. causing them to forget something important about the Lord. 
   2. Exodus 31 shows 
      1. that among the things the Lord wanted Israel to learn 
      2. was something about Him, 
         1. who He was to them, 
         2. what He did for them:
            
            12 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”
            
            – Exodus 31.12–13
            
            1. He was Jehovah-Qadash to them. 
            2. He was The-Lord-Who-Sanctifies-You. 
      3. By resting on that day, and 
      4. by worshiping on that day, 
         1. they would learn that it was the Lord who sanctified them. 
            1. He wanted them to take time off during the week and 
            2. devote a day to thinking about what He was to them. 
         2. He wanted them to know that He is Jehovah-Qadash, 
            1. He was the Lord who sanctified them. 
            2. Remembering that truth would keep them 
               1. from idolatry, 
               2. from worrying about acquiring the necessities of life, 
               3. from worrying about the future, 
                  1. knowing that He was the One who had sanctified them, 
                  2. He was the One who had separated them from the nations, 
                     1. so that He would take care of them, and 
                     2. they had to follow His instructions and commands. 
2. A Continual Process 
   1. Leviticus 20 shows the Lord wanted them to know 
      1. that sanctification was not Him separating them from the nations and 
      2. that they had nothing to do with their sanctification:
         
         7 “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”
         
         – Leviticus 20.7–8
         
         1. The Israelites had to take an active role in their sanctification. 
         2. Therefore, the Lord told them 
            1. to consecrate themselves and 
            2. to be holy. 
               1. The reason that He gave for that 
                  1. was that He was the Lord their God, 
                  2. He was the Lord who sanctified them. 
               2. He is holy. 
               3. Therefore they had to be holy. 
   2. It was failing to do this 
      1. that got Israel into trouble and 
      2. it is what had the world in trouble with the Lord constantly. 
   3. Israel had to keep His statutes and perform them. 
      1. Then the Lord declared that He was the Lord who sanctifies them, 
      2. He is Jehovah-Qadash! 
         1. He set them apart by sanctifying them and 
         2. by following His teachings and commandments, 
            1. they would keep themselves sanctified. 
            2. He showed them how to be sanctified. 
3. Things to Respect 
   1. In Leviticus 22, 
      1. the Lord continued to explain 
         1. what Israel was not to do and 
         2. what they were to do, and 
      2. it was all because of what He did for them and who He was:
         
         31 “Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the LORD. 32 You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.”
         
         – Leviticus 22.31–33
         
   2. Through out the Law of Moses, 
      1. the Lord would say what He wanted done or 
      2. He would make a promise or something, 
         1. then He would declare 
         2. I am the Lord, I am Jehovah, I am Yahweh. 
            1. Since they had many temptations of idolatry, 
            2. they needed the constant reminder 
               1. of who the eternal existing One was, and 
               2. He was their God. 
   3. He is the One who always has been and always will be. 
      1. That is reflected in His name Jehovah, or Yahweh. 
      2. Therefore, they could not profane His holy name. 
         1. Any profaning of His holy name in their sight, 
         2. would cause them to profane themselves and their lives. 
            1. They would then no longer be the sanctified people of God. 
      3. Instead, they were to hallow Him in their nation. 
         1. To drive home further as to who He was to them, 
         2. He declared that He was the One who sanctifies them, and 
            1. that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt to be their God. 
            2. That would only be true if they continued in His sanctification. 
   4. What He was telling them was what Moses had said to the Lord:
      
      16 “For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
      
      – Exodus 33.16
      
      1. Moses knew that God had sanctified, set Israel apart from the nations and 
      2. that meant that God had to continue to be with Israel, 
         1. otherwise, they would be just like the rest of the nations, but 
         2. He had already separated them from Egypt. 
      3. The Lord taught throughout His word 
         1. that His people had to stay separate from the world. 
         2. As the Lord Himself said:
            
            24 “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.”
            
            – Leviticus 20.24
            
         3. Solomon prayed to the Lord centuries later:
            
            53 “For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”
            
            – 1 Kings 8.53
            
            1. Therefore, Solomon built the temple of the Lord 
            2. where Israel could make their offerings, and 
               1. by those offerings remain sanctified, 
               2. separated from the world. 
                  1. He would sanctify them continually, because 
                  2. He was the Lord who sanctified them. 
4. Christians Are Sanctified 
   1. With that background, Hebrews 13 
      1. declares that the same Lord sanctifies us, but 
      2. watch what He did to sanctify us:
         
         12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
         
         – Hebrews 13.12
         
   2. Sanctification is just as important for Christians as it was for Israelites. 
   3. The system of Moses 
      1. showed the need for sanctification, 
      2. showed the process that was involved, but 
         1. it was only a shadow of what was coming. 
         2. When Jesus of Nazareth entered into the world, 
            1. the real image that was casting the shadow had come. 
            2. Therefore, the shadow was fading away, and 
               1. Jesus would make the ultimate offering of sanctification. 
               2. He did not come with the lambs and rams of the Law, but 
                  1. He came with His own blood. 
                  2. For us to be sanctified, 
                     1. we cannot do ourselves because 
                     2. we are the sinners. 
                        1. We have done things that attach us to the world. 
                        2. Jesus by His blood separated us from the world. 
5. First Peter 1.13–16 | We Cannot Continue to Live as Before
   
   13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
   
   – 1 Peter 1.13–16
   
   1. If Jesus has sanctified us 
      1. shall we continue to live in our former lusts? 
      2. Should we not live as is consistent with our sanctification? 
   2. Peter even quoted from the Old Testament 
      1. that the truths of God’s holiness and 
      2. our holiness still hold true. 
   3. Did Jesus die for our sanctification 
      1. so that we can continue to sin and 
      2. He will just automatically keep us sanctified? 
         1. No, that is why Peter taught us 
         2. to gird up the loins of our minds, 
            1. thinking scripturally and 
            2. reasonably as we should, and 
         3. to be sober, 
            1. not wallowing in our former manner of life, but 
            2. taking our holiness, our sanctification seriously, and 
         4. resting our hope fully on the grace that will arrive with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

Exhortation: 

1. Therefore, we want Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians to be for us:
   
   23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
   
   – 1 Thessalonians 5.23
   
   1. Our sanctification covers every part of us, 
      1. our spirit, 
      2. our soul, and 
      3. our body. 
   2. We have to live consistently with that sanctification. 
2. In Second Timothy 2, 
   1. Paul assured us that the Lord knows us, 
   2. He knows who His sanctified ones are:
      
      19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
      
      – 2 Timothy 2.19–21
      
3. Isaiah 59 has one final thing that everyone here needs to hear. 
   1. Isaiah shows what happens 
   2. when we live in sin:
      
      1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened,
      That it cannot save;
      Nor His ear heavy,
      That it cannot hear.
      2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
      And your sins have hidden His face from you,
      So that He will not hear.
      
      – Isaiah 59.1–2
      
      1. The Lord can do anything. 
      2. However, if we remain in sin, 
         1. it is not that He cannot save us, but 
         2. He will not save us. 
            1. Isaiah revealed that sin separates us from God. 
            2. However, we need separation from the world and our sin, and 
               1. we need to be with God. 
               2. That is what sanctification is. 
   3. The only one who can do that for us is Jesus the Christ. 
      1. This is what His death is all about. 
      2. A price has to be paid for the removal of our sins and 
         1. for us to be joined together with God again. 
         2. If you remain separated from God, 
            1. you will be lost. 
            2. You will not spend eternity with God in heaven. 
   4. You need the Lord to sanctify you. 
      1. Jehovah-Qadash can do it. 
      2. The Lord who sanctifies you is the Lord Jesus Christ.