Warren W. Wiersbe - Be Holy. Becoming Set Apart for God

BE HOLY

Published by David C. Cook

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

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without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

LCCN 2010934945

ISBN 978-1-4347-0053-7

eISBN 978-1-4347-0265-4

1994 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Holy published by Victor Books
in 1994 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 1-56476-335-8

The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Jack Campbell, and Karen Athen

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: iStockphoto

Second Edition 2010

Contents

: An Introduction to Be Holy by Ken Baugh

2. (Leviticus 17)

3. (Leviticus 810)

4. (Leviticus 1112)

5. (Leviticus 1315)

6. (Leviticus 16)

7. (Leviticus 1720)

8. (Leviticus 2122)

9. (Leviticus 23)

10. (Leviticus 24)

11. (Leviticus 25)

12. (Leviticus 2627)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Holy

by Ken Baugh

Where were you on September 11, 2001? When I learned that America was under attack, I was sitting in a staff meeting at the church I was serving just outside Washington, D.C. I had friends who worked at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and many members of our congregation worked at the Pentagon, including the husband of one of our staffers. We waited tensely for news about our friends as we watched the towers of the World Trade Center burn. As people jumped to their deaths from the burning buildings, and as the buildings ultimately collapsed, I realized that this day would change America forever.

As a pastor, I was deeply affected by this event, and I promised that I would never let Gods people forget that terrible day. Even now that I serve a congregation in Southern California, on the weekend before every September 11, our church remembers those who died on that tragic day, and we pray for the many loved ones who were left behind. There are certain events that change everything, and September 11, 2001, was one of those events.

Two thousand years ago, there was another event that changed everything. Jesus, sitting in an upper room in Jerusalem, told His disciples of His impending death. The apostle Paul reminds us of what took place on that historic night:

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:2326 NIV )

Jesus death on the cross the next day changed everything forever. His atoning work on the cross sums up the Big Idea of the book of Leviticus, because that book points to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29 NIV ). Almost everything in Leviticus anticipates the life and death of Jesus. The sacrifices, festivals, rituals, and laws foreshadow Gods redemptive plan. Jesus becomes the means to remove the guilt and penalty for sin through His substitutionary death on the cross. His death provides the final atonement for all sin.

Each of the five sacrifices that Leviticus requires of the Israelites points to Jesus life and death. The burnt offering symbolizes Jesus offering of Himself to the Father as the spotless Lamb of God. The grain offering points to Jesus life, with the flour representing His perfect character in word and deed. The fellowship offering symbolizes the peace we have with God through Christ (Col. 1:20). The sin offering explains Jesus death on the cross, when He took the place of every sinner who would ever believe. Finally, the guilt offering points to Jesus payment for our sins against others. None of these sacrifices actually forgives sin, but they point toward the ultimate sacrifice of Gods Son, who makes complete atonement for all sin (Heb. 10).

It is through Jesus death that every believer is made holy in the sight of almighty God: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV ). But not only has Jesus provided the means for our positional holiness, He also demands us to live with a practical holiness: For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thess. 4:7 NIV ).

This practical holiness is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit, who gives us both the will and desire to obey Jesus commands (Phil. 2:13). A. W. Tozer said, The true church understands that it must live a disciplined life. Although our High Priest loves us in spite of our weaknesses and failures, He encourages us to be a holy people because He is a holy God. Holiness may be an unpopular subject in some churches, but holiness in the Christian life is a precious treasure in Gods sight.

I think you can see how important and practical the book of Leviticus is for us today. It speaks of the finished work of Christ on the cross that secures our positional and practical holiness. As you study Leviticus, I encourage you to look for more symbols and signposts of Christ. You may even want to use the book of Hebrews to help. As you do, remember that Jesus death on the cross two thousand years ago changed everything forever.

***

Dr. Wiersbes commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether youre a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warrens insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbes commentary in the other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of Gods Word and learn how to apply them to your life.

Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of Gods Word, for in them you will find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.

Ken Baugh

Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church

Aliso Viejo, California

A Word from the Author

With prophetic insight, A. W. Tozer wrote many years ago:

Were some watcher or holy one from the bright world above to come among us for a time with the power to diagnose the spiritual ills of church people, there is one entry which I am quite sure would appear on the vast majority of his reports: Definite evidence of chronic spiritual lassitude; level of moral enthusiasm extremely low.

Whatever else the professing Christian church may be known for todaygreat crowds, expensive buildings, big budgets, political cloutits not distinguished for its holiness. Bible-believing evangelical Christians make up a sizable minority in the United States, and our presence isnt making much of an impact on society. The salt seems to have lost its saltiness, and the light is so well hidden that the marketplace is quite dark.