Part 8: Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the God who sanctifies me!
We are going to continue with the series on the names of God. Today we come a significant name, Jehovah M’Kaddesh, the God who makes you holy, or the God who sanctifies you.
Lev. 20:7-8: "`Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.”
This title of the Lord appears six times in the next few chapters after its mention here.
The order this name appears is significant.
- In Genesis, the book of Beginnings, man’s sin is revealed. Therefore the first name of the Jehovah compounds we have is Jehovah-jireh, the Provider of redemption is revealed in the book of Exodus.
- In Exodus the next name is also revealed, Jehovah-rophe, the God who heals the wounds.
- The came Jeovah-nissi at Rehoipdim, the God who is the banner over our battles
- Leviticus is the book of the walk of a people already redeemed, and therefore, sanctification is the theme and it is here that Jehovah is revealed at the one who sanctifies.
So our order of the names of God is thus: He is the redeemer – healer – deliverer –sanctifier.
Is this not the order of salvation? Do we not need a redeemer and healer before we’re made holy? Why is it then that so many Christians stand in judgment over the world when they are not yet saved? Why do we condemn them? We would be showing them the power of a sanctified life.
Meaning of the Word Sanctify:
The term sanctify occurs frequently and the Hebrew word can also be translated dedicate, consecrate, sanctuary and holy, but is more often than not translated holy, and when referring to God, Holy One. In its various forms it appears over 700 times.
Unlike the other names of God which have been transliterated into the English Bible, and therefore often escapes our notice as one of the compound names of Jehovah. Yet there can be few more relevant that this name, Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the God who sanctifies.
We’re going to look a little at something of a divine contradiction. God is Holy, therefore separate from us, yet wants to be connected to us! Nathan Stone puts it this way:
“Jehovah, as apart from and above all creatures, as sanctified and holy, is immeasurably transcendent; but as the sanctifier of His people, setting them apart to Himself and His purpose, He becomes immanent, indwelling, and empowering to them by His Holy Spirit to live holy [lives] before Him” (Stone).
To help us understand what this separated-connectedness means in our daily life we’re going to look at a passage and examine how we should be living in response to the Holy God:
1 John 1:5- 2:4 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
1. Recognise that life is a journey (vs. 1:7) – if we walk in the light
God changing us is a process and not just an event. It’s a journey, not an overnight sensation.
Illustration: Have you ever been on a long car ride with your
family? The whole way kids keep asking “Are we there yet”? That question is a sign of immaturity. The reason that some people walk away from the church is because of spiritual immaturity. They give their lives to Christ and expected immediate transformation.
So many Christians are asking “Are we there yet? Are You done yet?” “I’ve had this problem and have been working on it for a week!” One of our problems is we’re an instant gratification society. We want stuff right now! The reason that we have a problem changing is because we don’t understand God’s economy of time. It’s very different than ours. God’s not in a hurry to change us.
It’s no surprise that we think of the word holy to mean ‘moral conduct.’ Holiness must be positive and active! The people of God must therefore be holy in practice as well as separated in position!
He has given us a free will and He recognises the prerogative of the free will. He commands us to be holy but will not force us to be so!
He placed within Israel on the basis of redemption the power to be holy and gave them every incentive to be holy, but they still had to choose! If there were no choice that would not be holiness. That would be to turn them into robots.
Therefore this holiness that we are to display towards the Holy God is a process, not an act completed in one altar call or sermon!
The good news of sanctification is that you have not arrived yet. It is OK if you still struggle. You are a work in progress. God’s not done with you yet.
2. Remember the final destination (vs. 2:1a) – so that you will not sin
If you want to cooperate with God’s change, you set your sights on the final destination. This is basic travel etiquette. If you’re a Christian, the picture of your final destination is Jesus Christ. Another way of saying it is this: the final destination is wholeness.
To be holy is to be set apart. It means that we behave and act in a manner that is different than that of the world because we have been set apart for the use of God. Every word we speak and everything that we do must be seen and done in light of our relationship with Christ. It is the practical response to God’s love in our lives.
Illustration: Friday morning we left our International Offices in Malvern and put in the SATNAV ‘home’. I was becoming separated from the location I started in was heading towards my home!
It’s the same with our destination In God! We are heading home! We separated from where we stared at!
Perhaps part of the problem is that we have seen holiness as a negative thing. We think that holiness means that you can’t have fun. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The primary meaning of sanctity or holy is ‘to set apart’ or ‘to separate.’ The word Holy therefore means ‘that which is separated.’
It was used to describe days, seasons, and the temple as a pace of the special presence of the Lord.
Sanctify or Holy though is also used of people.
- Jeremiah was set apart from birth Jehovah’s service as prophet to the nations (Jer 1:5)
- The first born of Israel were set apart (Ex 13:2)
- Upon the head of the High Priest was a crowning mark to represent the perpetual state of his office, the Kodesh or Holiness to Jehovah (Duet 7:6)
The point of this setting apart was not what they were set apart from but their contact with God!
- The Sabbath day was holy because God rested in it (Ex 21:13)
- The mountain of the Lord was called Holy because God would dwell there (Zech 8:3)
The problem with a lot of our thinking about sanctification or holiness is that we focus of what we’re separated from! We don’t do this or we don’t do that. But if that is all we mean be holiness we are in grave danger of legalism. Legalism is what you get when you have separation from the world in a spiritual vacuum - it becomes about works not about grace.
Something or someone that is deemed holy, not because of what it is separated from, but from what it is now connected to.
Put simply, a holy person is one who is in connected and intimate relationship with Jehovah!
It is the exposure to Him that brings about the process of sanctification. The closer we get to him the more we are transformed!
I can be separated from the things I did in the past but be no holier than I was then! But if I am connected to Jesus in an intimate relationship then I am being changed daily! (2 Cor. 3:18)
The goal of holiness is a deeper relationship with Christ. The problem is we often focus more on the appearance of holiness that we do the root. Our efforts towards holiness can often lead to the exact opposite. The goal in sanctification is not perfection but a growing relationship.
Sanctification is a process. It begins when you accept Christ and ends when you go to be with Him in heaven. We will never be completely sanctified on earth – but that does not mean that we should stop trying to move forward. We need to aim high.
3. Request help with roadblocks (vs. 2:1b) – if anybody does sin
Roadblocks are areas of life that slow down movement. They slam on the breaks of change.
2 Cor 7:1: Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Circle that word everything. There are many things that can keep us from moving forward in our relationship with Christ.
God’s ideal for us is that we do not sin.
Illustration: When Lisa, Susanna, Sama nd I were in Bulgaria Pastor Alex decided to take us to the coast. Leaving the coast he got several phone call and answered them. He was supposed to be directing me as I drove. Eventually, having guessed my way for a while, I pointed out that my SATNAV was talking but not talking to me. I needed help!
We need to ask for help on this journey called life.
There are two paths to holiness. As John Donne wrote: “Sleep with clean hands, either kept clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.”
It is the Glory and the Beauty of His Holiness that God wants to impart!
Psalm 90:17: “May the beauty of or God be upon us…“ (KJV) or rest upon us!
It is God’s greatest desire that those who have sinned against Him be restored in full righteousness before Him, to be clothed with a new self:
Ephesians 4:24:…and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
A holy God, who has separated Himself so that He can be totally connected to us, demands the same attitude in us! We separate to be connected!
When the Israelites were told to separate themselves from all other peoples and follow the Levitical laws it was to show that they were different – the difference though is not found in what they did not do, but in what they did do! They worshipped the One true God, the Holy God! It was their connectedness with Jehovah that made them holy!
The word sanctified or separated mean more than position in relationship to Jehovah, it means to participate in the nature of Jehovah, His character and His works.
Illustration: An old deacon who used to pray every Wednesday night at prayer meeting always concluded his prayer the same way: "And, Lord, clean all the cobwebs out of my life." Week after week he would pray, "Lord, clean all the cobwebs out of my life." Finally, It got to be too much for one man at the prayer meetings. He heard the old deacon one time too often. So when the he heard that prayer again, he jumped to his feet and shouted: "Lord, Lord, don’t do it! Kill the spider!"
4. Refuel often (vs. 2:2) - the atoning sacrifice for our sins
Illustration: we filled up our car on Friday when we left our friends home! Why? We wanted to get here! But that fuel is not going to last too long because we are moving around the town.
I need to be refuelled every day. I’ve got to be “topped up” by the Creator. This involves spending time with God every day in prayer and in His word. It is only then that we will truly see God as He is and ourselves as God intended us to be.
Illustration: An incident in the life of the military leader Napoleon. One day the commander’s prize steed ran away from him. An alert private immediately jumped on a horse and chased after the steed. When the private returned the horse to the general, Napoleon smiled at the private and said, "Thank you, Captain!"
The overjoyed private immediately took his old uniform to the quartermaster and exchanged it for that of a captain. He then ran back to the barracks, packed his bags, and moved into the officers’ quarters. In an instant with just a word Napoleon had changed his status from that of a lowly private to that of a commissioned officer. He never once doubted the commander’s words. Instead, he believed what the general had said and acted accordingly.
The Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit. David pleaded, “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me,” (Psalm 51:11)
The beauty of the Lord is seen in His holiness.
Psalm 27:4: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what Is eek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His Temple.”
The beauty of the Lord is perfect but this beauty is the result of His holiness.
5. Rejoice in your progress (vs. 2:3-6) - how we know we are in him
If you’re a Christian, God has worked in your life whether you think so or not.
Don’t look ahead and see how far we have to go. Look back and see how far we’ve come. When you look into the window of your soul, the mirror of your soul, can you see that God’s doing some changing. He is.
Maybe you don’t see the change because you are not looking. You haven’t paused. You’re not reflecting. You haven’t stopped and looked at your life.
We are changed gradually! What we call people changes with our relationship with them.
Illustration: What’s in a name? If you were to ask me in the summer of 1986 who Barbie Forrester was I would have said "never met her". In the autumn of 1986 I would say "she’s the girl I met at Skegness – my girlfriend!" In the Spring of 1987 I would say "she’s me fiancée". In the summer of 1988 I would say "I don’t know a Barbie Forrester but I do know Barbie Jackson and she’s my wife". Over time even more names have been added – help mate, mother of my children, encourager, boss - just kidding.
She had an identity change in an instant, but has grown in that new identity.
NEXT TIME: Jehovah-Shalom
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