Complete pt. 3 - Set Apart
March 2023
I want to continue this series with you to talk about something that has been greatly on my heart this past year. I find it to be one of the most important things to have our minds renewed to as believers in Jesus Christ. We built a foundation in the last two weeks as we studied about who we are now through Jesus- complete and new. I want to go deeper into this principle we see in the Word time and time again. This principle of being complete and new is very key in truly understanding that we, born again believers in our Savior Jesus Christ, are supposed to look different than the world. There is supposed to be a difference between us and them. The difference starts with us being made new creatures in Christ and being made complete for all of time (2 Corinthians 5:15 and Hebrews 10:14). This affects our identities through Jesus. The person we are is no longer the same. We are changed from the inside out. That is the foundation of the difference that is supposed to set us apart from the world. After our identities are changed then our authority changes. Who we are in Jesus then changes the position and rank we hold. Which is also different from the world’s position. Like we talked about, the world may be overcome and destroyed by the curse of this earth, but we as children of the most high God, do not have to have the same outcome. The curse has been destroyed over us and we now reign and have the ability to come out the other side as a winner and overcomer. But I believe there's even more of a difference that needs to take place to set us apart. I believe this difference at first glance is something we brush off as a “no brainer”, but a lot of times when it comes to actually walking it out, the water gets a little muddy. I believe when we take the steps to make this difference happen in our lives there is a new level of blessings, life, and anointing that comes on us. Because when we honor what God has said in His Word, He counts us faithful and trustworthy to go to new heights because He knows we will not squander our inheritance. This difference that I am talking about is how we conduct our lives in the realm of holiness.
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8,TPT, “For God’s call on our lives is not to a life of compromise and perversion but to a life surrounded in holiness. Therefore, whoever rejects this instruction isn’t rejecting human authority but God himself, who gives us his precious gift—his Spirit of holiness.” We are called 153 times in the Bible to live our lives, holy, set apart, different, pure, following the commandments of God in both the old and new testaments. This is obviously very important to God. The Holy Spirit is the One who makes us holy and teaches us to be holy. The Holy Spirit is many times in the Bible referred to as fire and anointing. I believe that when we have an experience with the Holy Spirit we catch the fire of God that burns as our passion and drive to live our lives completely sold out for Jesus. That fire burns within our spirits and gives us an appetite for the ways of God. It is hard to live our lives in pursuit of the things of God if we have no passion or desire for it. We must catch that fire. That fire can come through an encounter at a church service where the Holy Spirit is moving. But that fire can also be intentionally stirred up between you and the Lord. Let’s read in 2 Timothy 1:6, NLT, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.” We are told here to fan the flames in our spirits. Get the embers moved around and kindled to be set ablaze. You can ask the Holy Spirit to help give you a passion for the things of the Lord. Ask Him to give you the same desires that God has. And He will do it! Because it is so important to Him, He even says in Revelation 3:15-16, NLT, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” We can see here how important it is to God that we catch a fire for His ways in our lives. I would propose that God has more respect for a person that is completely sold out to the world’s way of living than for a Christian that is living with one foot in and one foot out. Let’s get our spirits set ablaze once more for the Lover of our souls and the Savior of our lives.
The way of life that Jesus made available to us is always going to be infinitely more satisfying than anything that this world has to offer. The boundaries of holiness are not set up to strip the enjoyment out of life. They are set up to keep you in the green and flourishing pastures that lead to life, health, prosperity, and peace. The things that this world offers is a counterfeit to the true life that Jesus has in His hands. God knows infinitely more than we do, He sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). So He knows the true ramifications of the opportunities that this world presents as life giving, they all lead to death and destruction. We, believers in Jesus, need to be that bar of the standard of life that is to be lived. We need to embody the clear image of the true life that Jesus has to offer. When we allow Jesus to first change our identities then we need that new identity to change our way of life. We have to stop confusing the world by living our lives the same exact way that they do. We need to show them that there is health in place of their sickness through Jesus. And that there is prosperity to take the place of their lack. That there is peace in place of their storm. But we also have to show them that there is freedom from their sin. When we look just like the world in how we conduct our lives this doesn’t show them acceptance, it shows them that even with Jesus there’s no way out of the bondages they're living in.
Let’s read in Romans 14:12-23, NLT, “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.” Your life is between you and God. There are places of black and white in the Bible, while other things are a little more gray. The gray areas are for you and God to figure out together. However, we can see here that while they are between you and the Lord, if those gray areas are affecting other people then there is a place for change there. As believers we shouldn’t need the same things that the world needs. We have new identities in Christ. We have been elevated through Jesus who brought us up to His level and shared His sonship inheritance with us. I love how my dear friend explained it when we were chatting over this topic. She said “there’s another level for you if you want it.” That is so true. There is another level to ascend to as you grow in intimacy with the Holy Spirit. The things that are important to the world begin to pale in comparison with the things in the kingdom of God. There are new levels of spiritual maturity that we can grow into as we intentionally let the HOLY Spirit show us His way of life. His way of life is never ever ever ever EVER going to look identical to the unbelieving world. That’s just not who He is. But there are new heights that bring new qualities to experience that totally trump any hobby, action, or way of life that this world has created.
In this day in age it is not the most popular message to talk about setting yourselves a part based on how you act, speak, think, etc. It is very popular in our Christian culture today to look just like the world and claim grace as the reason it’s okay. Grace was’t just meant to cover and forgive our sins. It definitely does do that, but it goes further. Grace forgives sin and then teaches us how to live like Jesus which is what true freedom is. We must be teachable and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, listening to Him as He shows us the way of living. We should not be doing, saying, and thinking whatever we want under the pretense that there's Grace so “it’s fine.” That’s an abuse of Grace. We can allow Grace to be our safe place when we mess up, but it’s not a freedom to do whatever we want without considering the way of life we are called to. I have many many testimonies of how Grace has matured me and taught me how to live holy. Grace has cleaned up my mouth, my body, my mind, my soul, my eyes and ears, my relationships, my motives, my actions. We live in a time where we think proclaiming the truth of the Word of God is offensive to people so that means we are not showing them the love of Christ. The solution to this is speaking and acting in truth but with love. Love doesn’t mean doing and saying whatever feels the best to you or allowing those around you to do and say what they feel is the best to them. True love sees into eternity and sees the repercussions are far more important and stands for the truth through love. Living life exactly how the world does and being agreeable to them to avoid offense does not show the TRUE Jesus to anyone. True love doesn’t allow someone to stay bound to avoid offense. True love sets people free. Jesus called out sin, but He did it in love. Jesus did not let people sit in their mess and fester. He called them out and up through His love and set them free. We must do the same. We are the bar and we make the standard of living in this world, not society.
To get to that place, sometimes we need to allow Grace to help us clear out some things in our own lives. The last few weeks we allowed the Lord to clean us up on the inside. Cleansing us from our shame, wounds from the past, and defeat that we had experienced. This week let’s allow Grace to begin the clean up on our outside selves. The places that others are able to see. Let’s take the step to start exploring the deeper things of the Spirit. Take some quiet time to ask the Holy Spirit to highlight your gray areas that have so much more potential for reaping the eternal benefits of holiness. He will show you and He will help you walk it out. It’s not about being perfect or following rules. It’s about the process of being made holy through beautiful intimacy with the One who is holiness Himself. There’s more for you in life and in your spiritual life. This is key in experiencing new levels of that “moreness” of God. I have gone through this process time and time again and every time it has enhanced my life a million times over than what it was prior. So I invite you to do the same.
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