Let’s Get Our Holy On!

Rev. Todd R. Lattig

Lectionary • Sermon • Submitted 3 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

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"Being holy" does not mean we are “holier than thou”; rather, getting being holy means embracing God’s divine plan for our lives.

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Scripture Passages:

2 Kings 2:1–12 (NLT); Mark 9:2–9 (NLT)

2 Kings 2:1–12 (NLT)

1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel. 3 The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?” “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.” 4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Jericho.” But Elisha replied again, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together to Jericho. 5 Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?” “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.” 6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.” But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together. 7 Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. 8 Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground! 9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” 11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

Mark 9:2–9 (NLT)

2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. 5 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them. 9 As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Focus Statement

"Being holy" does not mean we are “holier than thou”; rather, getting being holy means embracing God’s divine plan for our lives.

Point of Relation

It took me a long time to become the Christian leader I am today.

When I was a teenager, I only saw holy as “being perfect” because that is what the church seemed to model to me…

Everyone in the church acted like they did no wrong and…

God forbid you one day showed up with earrings and tattoos…gasp…the shock.

You just can’t erase that unholiness from you.

Because of that I thought that holiness was far from me…and truthfully, if being holy meant being a “down the nose” snob,

I could think of better things to be…like HUMAN…down-to-earth…and accessible.

So, for the longest time I avoided being all that God called me to be simply because I could not see the reality of holiness within myself.

And my guess is that many have that same understanding of holiness and/or sainthood…

That Few ever reach it…and certainly I NEVER will.

But friends, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Things to Consider

What is keeping you from being all that God has called you to be?

What is the thing holding you back?

Perhaps it is complacency.

Perhaps things have been comfortable for too long and you are doing all you can to hold on to that comfort.

Perhaps it is fear…

Fear of what others might think, of rejection, or consequence.

It could be any number of things that keep you from being all that God called you to be.

What Scripture Says

For the disciples on the top of the mountain with Jesus…

There were a number of things holding them back…

They all had their anticipation of who Jesus was…

and what that meant for them and their people…

Perhaps they were afraid of leaving the mountain top itself.

How many of you have been there?

You up on top…you have the world beneath your feet

Everything feels alive and wonderful

And there’s seemingly nothing that can bring you down!

But in the end, you know that you can’t stay up on that mountain top for ever.

This is how Peter certainly felt, and he was ready to pitch an entire camp for Jesus, Elijah and Moses.

He was ready to camp out there at the top!

Of course, the passage in Mark today is that of Jesus’ Transfiguration…

Prior to this, Jesus’ disciples had only seen his human side…

they only knew Jesus as a man…agreat teacher…

a miracle worker with God on his side no doubt

They saw him as the Messiah…but a man all the same…

Jesus’ Transfiguration was the revelation of the divinity within the man!

But that Divinity wasn’t revealed so that it could become a great secret,

hoarded by a few on a mountaintop.

That divinity was revealed so that others could know the heart of the GOSPEL…IMMANUEL…GOD WITH US!

Peter, James, and John were ready to go to war for Jesus,

but they had yet to grasp the fullness of God’s plan…

That war DID NOT mean amassing weapons and soldiers against an imperial Roman army…

But to take up the mantle of Christ…carrying on his works…

and Spreading the GOSPEL of God’s Glory, God’s presence with us…to ALL THE WORLD!

In this way, we are to model ourselves off of Elisha as opposed to the disicples,

Who, no matter how many opportunities he had to let his master go on without him,

chose to stay with Elijah the whole way. Why?

HE WANTED TO TAKE UP THE MANTLE. HE WANTED TO BE GOD’S PROPHET.

As Elijah said, that was not for him to choose, but that was God’s decision…

But let me ask you this…will God reject the truly humble servant’s heart?

OF COURSE NOT!

And so, as it were, Elisha becomes the next Elijah.

Elisha embraced his holiness…his being set apart for God’s work.

Notice that Elisha could have, like the disciples, got caught up in the holy moment he was in when Elijah was taken up to heaven…

But, he did not! He was not distracted. He was not deterred.

Rather than soaking up the holy moment…

Elisha got going…HE GOT HIS HOLY ON.

Remember, holy simply means set apart for God’s purpose…

Thus Elisha got busy in God’s purpose for him as a prophet.

HE GOT HIS HOLY ON!

What This Means for You

Friends, we too need to get our holy on!

We have been given God’s hope, healing and wholeness…we have been given the great light…

In order that we may give open the eyes of others.

What can you do to embrace your holiness, your set apartness for God.

First, you can make God the center of your every day…

You can pray regularly, read Scripture, attend worship, join small groups, and get involved in serving others along side your brothers and sisters in Christ.

You can also weigh God into every decision you make.

How would God have you spend that money?

How would God have you treat that person?

How would God have you love your neighbor as yourself?

What This Means for Us

How as the church do we help people get their holy on?

We provide plenty of small group opportunities, regular worship, Christian Education, missional opportunities…

With that said, God is calling us to grow in our holiness and grow in our mission to spread the Gospel of King Jesus. Amen?

So let’s get our holy on, no just by offering programs but by actually modeling what holiness looks like…

not “holier than thou” snobbery…

but being active in spreading God’s Gospel so that the glory of God one day fills the earth! Amen?