Be Holy (Leviticus 19)

Leviticus 19:1-18

The Torah begins and Leviticus 19:19, so there is an important content in this. It says in verse one, “that the Lord said to Moses, ‘Be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy.’” What does it mean to be Holy?

In verse two, it says to “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, telling them to be Holy because the Lord their God is Holy.” I think a lot of Koreans think that being Holy means to speak with the tone that the king’s messengers used to use, but that is something that kings do. That is something that kings do because it’s something that they think is important: to raise their voices and to speak loudly. People just make this connection that walking in this kingly way is the way to be Holy. But today’s passage tells us to be Holy. 

First, the Word is proclaimed through Moses. In the very last verse and verse 37, God tells them to keep all of His decrees because He is the Lord. God’s Word has to become our decrees and our law. That is why the Israelite community held on to this as their Torah.

They are holding on to the Word as the decrees and the laws that they must keep.

Then, there are a lot of laws and decrees that come out in Leviticus 19. At the end after explaining everything, God says that He is the Lord and tells us to keep his decrees.

Then He would talk about another decree and another Word, saying that He is God.

By saying this, He makes it a decree.

So, in Leviticus 19, we see the content about how we are going to become Holy.

Leviticus 19:3 says that each of you must respect your father and mother and respect the Sabbath. And the 10 commandments. This is not the first thing that comes out, but today when He talks about holding on to the decrees. He is talking about respecting the father and mother first.

You can’t see God, but the way to respect God is to respect your parents. Because, otherwise, there’s no way for us to know. We cannot see God’s love, but through our parents, even though it is not God’s love, we can experience what love is. The content by which we can become Holy and hold on to these decrees is to respect your father and mother.

You see content like this in the Bible. The Bible promises that you will have a long life and enjoy it. This is something that I teach my daughter so that she can’t look down on me even when I get older. I am actually taking up this spiritual insurance with her. I am not telling her to be good to me, but I am telling her to follow God’s Word which tells her to be good to me.

Even without the Gospel these things exist. For example, if you look at Confucian values, it says to honor your parents. We can say that this is not something that comes because we know the Gospel. This is the culture of the Gospel that seeped its way into Confucian values. Even though Japan doesn’t have the Gospel, a lot of the culture of the Gospel rules over the society. If you look at it, by a common characteristic, they enjoy God’s blessing.

Why? Because God says that if you go into Canaan and follow these Words then God will bless you. But they are not a people of God who have the Gospel. They don’t have any of the spiritual blessings, but they have some of the physical blessings. Why? Because that is God’s law.

Regardless of whether they held onto it accidentally or on purpose, it is God’s Word that is eternal. If you crumble with the family, then you will crumble with society. If you have the Gospel, then you might not have the culture of the Gospel. We might be receiving spiritual blessings, but we are losing hold of a lot of the physical blessings. If you understand this, then you’re going to be able to understand why you must hold on to the Word.

God did not just give this to the Israelites, but He gave it to people all over the world. Whether people follow this accidentally or on purpose, they’re going to see God’s Word. God continues with the end, going straight into the next verse, “and you must observe my Sabbath.” 

How do we respect God by observing the Sabbath? God is not just talking about Sunday’s. God is talking about a time where we receive the strength and grace from God every day. God said that they would enter into Canaan and live in houses that they did not build and harvest fruit that they did not plant. So that is the first thing.

In verse four it says, “Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.” So these things are vain things. Do not cast metal idols or carve out idols because that was the culture in Canaan.The culture we should be living with is the culture that comes from God, but the Canaanites live in idolatry so they have this kind of  culture. But He also talks about when you believe in Jesus Christ, you don’t need to believe in idols.

What is an idol? There are singers that we call idols, and instead of the Gospel, people like these idols more. That’s why they say that they’re going to become these famous idols. Why do people follow after these singers when they commit suicide? It is because people idolize them. They want to empty themselves and replace themselves with these idols. When the singer becomes sick, the fans will go crazy because they feel like they, themselves, are sick. But what do these people have? They have money and success, and they switch this out with God. But God is telling us to not do this because this is what demon possessed people do without God. 

Within us, something else comes first to us. It is God’s Word. If you have something other than God, then you’re going to pull all these disasters into your life. You’re going to play the role of bringing demons and Satan towards you. You might sit still, but disasters will come to you. It’s this disaster of being dragged around. It is the idol of being surrounded by demons that come to you. But if the Holy Spirit is within us, then, wherever we go, we see the works of God. As we walk, we will have the blessings of meeting.What is the difference? It is the difference of whether I am working or studying for the Triune God or if I am doing it for money or success. God is telling us to not do this because wherever we go, there will be disasters. In the same way, all these demons will attach themselves to you, and people die because of this mental suffering. God is telling you to not do this.

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What must we do? God says that He is the Lord Jehovah God, and He tells us to do our business with this. Then, the Holy Spirit is going to give us all things. Through the economy that God has hidden away, life will continuously arise. Whether or not we have the Gospel will dictate whether our lives come back and forth. Why do people crumble? It is because they worship idols.

If you meet Jesus Christ, then that is everything. Because of that, we go to work, we go to school, and we go to church. But what’s going to happen if you can’t hold on to this? Then, wherever you go, you’re going to face problems. God is telling you to not make idols because it is actually not for you.

People who come to church for prosperity means that they are worshipping the idol of prosperity. This is an idol that the Israelites believed in, and that’s why they met their demise.

Jacob’s daughter, Dina, faced assault because she was holding on to idols. There was no choice but for Satan to work. To go to God sincerely means to let go of all your idols and to simply go before God. 

If you are diligently trying to keep this under wraps, trying to meet people based on your hard work, then Satan immediately attaches himself to you. This is someone with a low IQ because when you talk to somebody, they may be deceived but internally they are different. People have these good works externally, but it is all just religion.

If you hold on to the Gospel, God will work everywhere. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit. If President Trump goes somewhere, then the roads will change and everything will change. Imagine if a thief goes somewhere, then it’s different. It may be the same person, but inside of me, the Holy Spirit of God is within me. Then everything chases around me, not because of me but because of the Holy Spirit around me. 

Then the Lord’s army of Heavenly hosts will move. If you need physical things, because God needs it, He’s going to move everything. Let’s say that you’re a thief holding on to the idols of your heart. Then, anywhere you go, you will do the work of thieving. Until you’re able to change this aspect, then even without reason you are going to continue to fail. The reason is very simple. God is telling you to quickly let go of the idols within you. 

That is why God says to not do this second thing. When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. The fellowship offering talks about the fellowship you have with God, but it’s also talking about the fellowship you have with other people. 

We are not talking about the burnt offering, but we are talking about the fellowship offering. 

In verse six, it says that, “it shall be eaten on the day that you sacrifice it or the next day.”

If you kill and eat a cow, you cannot finish it by your own family in just two days, so you need to bring everybody you know and eat it together. It is talking about the fellowship that you have with other people. 

That’s because if you want to bring everybody to eat it together, you need to have this, but if you eat it on the third day, then you will die. What does this mean? It means you must also bring the people that you hate so that you can eat the cow together. Before, it talks about how when you come to worship, you have to reconcile with other people in worship because God is talking about this fellowship with other people very often. 

I don’t know about America but in Korea, 50% of the people who sue and bring people to court are Christians. Without them, the courts would not exist. All these Christians flock to the courts and ask if somebody is right or wrong, and then they’ll do concentrated prayer to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong. Without Christians, the court systems would actually fall apart, and the prosecutors would starve to death. 

Even if people may have the Gospel they don’t have the culture of the Gospel. People fight, even as they are doing concentrated prayer and fasting prayer. People fight, but what do they know? They don’t know what holiness is, so they think that simply speaking loudly Is holiness. If you are able to come to church and have a normal relationship with people, what do you think society will be like? Society will change. 

People are talking about their own righteousness, but if people can do it, then the world will change. People talk about being politicians or their own deeds, but really there’s nothing for us to do. They talk about their circumstances and the beginnings that they should have, but no matter how much they talk about this, they cannot begin this work. This is something that non–believers emphasize, and we also emphasize this. 

Then why is it not working out? That is today’s conclusion. You have to know what God is saying in order for you to be able to go towards that direction. This is not just something you hold on to just by speaking about it.

Leviticus 9:10. Who do you leave it for? “Leave it for the poor and the alien.” What does it mean to live Holy? There is a field right in front of my house, and my friend lives there. They have a tree. In the winter, there is no fruit because there are these birds that eat up all the crops. In America and Korea, there are fruits that people leave behind, but sometimes people just take everything. What this is talking about is about people, who are poor people and who are sojourners, who leave some behind for them so that they can eat. The Bible is talking about how you can leave stuff behind for non–believers. 

We’re going to look at the next verse. Leviticus 19:11. Between people, it says to “not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by God’s name and so profane the name of God.” If you look at the law of the non-believers, it is there as well, but this is how we can maintain society. For you to be Holy means that you are going to follow after these things and follow the Holy steps of God, so do not steal from people. 

There are things that you steal that are seen to the eyes and unseen to the eyes. Even in businesses, people steal unseen to the eyes. But if Christians were to follow after these ways, then how would society become? Because people have the Gospel without the culture of the Gospel, they go out into the world and are unable to change the environment of the world. 

It says to not lie or to deceive one another. Even when you do business, you should not lie about it. If you are actually selling overpriced goods, then that is a form of lying. Isn’t it? There are some things that I directly lie about when I do my business. There are other ways that I deceive people, and then people will oversell what they have. They say that they have a really good product. 

You should be able to sell your products in Truth, saying what something is actually worth, what something is good for, and what the value is. This is much better because you have to really concentrate and really understand your merchandise. You have to do your research so that you can win against your competitors. Then, you bring really good products and sell them for a small profit. There are some products that are so good, where you can make so much profit and that is fine. But this is the Word that God is giving to us. 

I was actually trying to buy a car, and there was a very Truthful Deacon that I spoke to. His customers would rate different car salesmen with an A, B, C, or D grade. Unlike most salespeople, he gives this impression that he will not con them. He told me, “Pastor, if you buy this car, then it would cost this much, but if you go to a different dealer, they will charge you that much. Then, you can come back, and I will tell you the real prices.” Maybe it was because I was a pastor, but he really trusted me. Do you know how much I trusted him? I brought him so many different customers through my referral. 

When I bought a new car, it was different. He ended up opening a body shop, and he told me, “Pastor, America is really a place where you can start a business.” First and foremost, he relays this idea that he is not a con man who is trying to make money off of people. This is God’s Word that we must follow. 

Can you see God? Where is He? God is the Word, so if you hold on to the Word, you believe in God. If you believe in the Word, you believe in God. If you have the Word, then God is inside you. If the Word and I are not aligned, then you won’t fail because the Word is not going to fail. If you do not know the Word, then you will be greatly disadvantaged. 

In verse 13, it says “to not rob your neighbor or defraud him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.” Hold on to this. If a strong person goes to a weak person and asks, “Do you know who I am?” Do not rob him. Do not hold back their wages. People do this so much in their businesses, where they do not give all their wages to their workers. The workers don’t get their money for weeks or for months. 

This is not of God, but this is why there are continuously these demonstrations that happen through the unions. It is the same in the church. There are places where people’s wages are held for six months. Some churches will not pay their workers for three, maybe six months, because they say that God has not given them enough offering. There are some churches and some pastors out there that are supposed to pay their workers, but they will not pay their workers for a few months. It seems correct. But God’s Word also says, this is someone who follows the Word or not? They need faith. According to the Word, we are not like this, but many other churches are like that.

Leviticus 19:14. “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.” Whether they’re in the church or in society, there are many people who are handicapped and help them. God will bless us. The more a nation is unable to help the handicapped, they are farther from God’s blessings, and these people will try to step on other people to gain an advantage. These are the people who are very far from God. 

In Leviticus 19:15, what does it mean to show justice? It means to not show partiality to the poor or favorites to them to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. This means to not change sides based on who has more, but judge them according to the law. Right now we see so many instances like this in America, where many people are trying to overtake the justice system. If the church was able to go into the society and bring God’s Word, our society would change. Do people not know this Word? Do you think they don’t know this?

Everyone whether they are judges or lawyers, whoever they are, they start with the idea of justice, but in reality when they go out into the field, it doesn’t work out. This means that even for us Christians, it may not work out.  

Then, today’s conclusion is about how this could work out. It turns out that God’s Word flows like this. If you’re worried about something, listen carefully. When you go prosecute people, even if you understand their spiritual state, you must judge them according to the law. 

Leviticus 19:16 “Do not go about slandering people. I am the Lord your God.” People who go around and say bad things about other people; people who turn around and say bad things about the elders or the pastor’s; people who turn around saying bad things about each other. First and foremost, these people cannot be a blessing. Keep your distance from these people. These people say, “Okay,” and they’ll just turn around. Why? Because they’re not going to hold on to the Word even right now. If you look at groups of people who do this, they are actually very close to disasters and Satan. 

It says to not endanger your neighbor’s life. I lived the life of a non–believer and this was everywhere. There are so many instances where you step on other people to gain an advantage. When people live out in society, people have no choice but to have scars and enemies and hardships. If the church is able to be different from this, then they can change society. This is the responsibility of the church. 

Leviticus 19:17 “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so that you will not share in his guilt.” Let us say, people wrong each other within the church, and it says to rebuke your neighbors. You must tell them that they did something wrong so that you will not share in his guilt. If they come to you, it says to not hate your brother in your hearts. If they are messing up once or twice or more than once or twice, then you should rebuke your neighbor. Don’t do it with hate and resentment. To say this again, you have to teach them with a heart of love because that is relayed.

I heard that there is not a lot of this going on in our church and denomination. I’ve heard multiple times that the Bible tells us to kick people out. They keep messing up in the church, but we don’t kick anybody out. Why is that? It is not that we don’t do this, but we rebuke them with a message, with a heart of love. It’s just that this person may not understand. If they don’t understand, then we have to keep saying it, but we are telling them that they should not overlook this. In the Bible, it says that there are people who think that this is the correct thing, so they create this kind of environment.They’re like yeast, and the Bible says to cut out the yeast. You actually do this without the mind of rebuking them, but rather, to fix them. 

There is that aspect of policing because there is God’s discipline. Don’t just let them be. That is what we’re saying. From a heart of love and not hating that person, you must bring this up with them. If you say these Words out of hate, then it’s going to become legalism, and you are only going to attack each other. If you grind your teeth and you’re giving them a death glare, asking them how they are going to be like this, and you point fingers at them; then, of course the church will not last for long because Satan is working. You are saying these Words, not to save them but to humiliate them and to rebuke them, so they are not going to listen. You must keep praying, so that the Holy Spirit can do His work. 

But if you don’t do anything about that sin, that sin is going to come to you, and you’re not going to be able to overcome it either. That is why intercessory prayer is so important. Don’t say these Words. First, start with intercessory prayer and let the Holy Spirit work, but if they keep resisting and they keep messing up, then you just let them go. Why? Because Paul says that if people are breaking up the unity and creating an environment where unity isn’t happening, then you must cut them out. 

This doesn’t actually happen a lot unless it is someone who believes that the pastor is God or something like this, but in the Bible, there was someone who slept with his father’s wife, in other Words, his mother. Then what’s going to happen if you leave them alone? The children growing up in that church are going to think that that’s okay. Then, like yeast, because of this one wicked thing, wickedness will spread. What state must they be so that they believe in this? You must pray with this, and tell them. But if they don’t listen, then you bring two or three people and confront the person. If they persist in this kind of behavior, the Bible tells us to cut them out. Why? It is for the sake of the whole. 

From what I’ve seen is that people are not like this. Because the majority of people, when you pray for them, they will understand. Maybe it is because they leave on their own accord, but they understand what the Bible is telling us. This is not something we should shut our eyes and turn away from. 

The most important part is verse 18. “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” It tells us to not take revenge because revenge belongs to God. If you take revenge, then blood will be on your hands. We must tell them things in love, but who will rebuke, who will take revenge? God will. 

Leviticus, 19:29. It says to “not degrade your daughter by making her into a prostitute.” I’m sure there are not many people who do this. 

Leviticus 19:30. “Observe, by Sabbath’s and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.” You must think of your location as very precious. 

Leviticus 19:31.  I’m sure there are not people like this. In Leviticus 19:31, “Do not turn to mediums or seek ours out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.” But this was what Canaan was all about. When we get worried about the future, we would race towards these people, but because the Word is eternal, the future is actually the Word. 

Kids keep talking about not knowing the future, but we are talking about the Word being the future. The Word is the past, present and future. We have escaped from our scars, so why do I wander today? It is because I have wandered away from the Word. Why am I so anxious about the future? It is because I cannot see the Word, but the Word is God. God works according to the Word. 

Then what’s going to happen? A person becomes calm. Why? Because they know that the Word is going to be fulfilled. But if you do not believe this, then even if you hold on to the Word, you won’t really be able to hold on to it because you don’t believe it. No matter how great of a sermon you hear, you may receive momentary grace. It’s kind of like going to a hospital where the doctor gives you a shot, and for a moment, the symptoms go away. But people are existing for this shot. They say that this Word is good for them or that Word is good for them. It’s almost like people get emergency room treatment, taking these shots. But I hope you believe in God. I hope you believe in the Word. 

This is what happens when you don’t believe in the Word. When you receive a shock from the Word, you may receive grace, but you end up falling away from the Word again. Every time you face a problem, you have to get another shot. This might work at the beginning, but this is not the work of God. If there is someone like this, you have to just recognize that this is your spiritual state. It is not that you believe because you try to believe, but as the Word becomes imprinted and rooted within you, you come to believe. At that time, you are able to hold on to 24 hours as the Word becomes yours. “Oh, but I could do this.” No, that is your state. If you see what will happen, then you can really believe in the Word. You will hold on to the Word, simply because you believe it. 

But if you try to diagnose this, you’re going to try to receive treatment from somewhere else because the Word has not become deeply imprinted within us. It is like us going to an emergency room, receiving emergency injections.  It is okay because it is a process, but the important thing is that the person recognizes their state. Later on, you will recognize that if you want to be normal, you have to eat. In a similar way, you will realize that you need to hold on to the Word of the Covenant. 

The ones, who are going to save the world and are set apart from the world, will be Words that you believe. But if you keep going away from the Word, you will reject this, and you will continue to look for bigger shots. This is normal. But this is the way to become rooted in the Word. If there is someone like this, then be patient and take the time to hold on to the Word and become rooted in it. 

Leviticus 19:32 “Rise in the presence of the aged show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” Just like you respect your parents, you must respect the elderly in the church and society. This is just Korean culture. I don’t know if they stole it from the Bible, but it’s definitely related. That’s why there are few instances where people turn away from their parents.

There are more and more each day. The parent-child relationships are breaking up. People say that you are you and I am me. If this is the culture, what are we going to teach the people who are living like this? Will you just say that this is American culture? It may be, but it is not biblical and that is why God’s blessings and Word keep disappearing. 

Leviticus 19:33-34. “When an alien lives with you and your land, do not mistreat him.” These are those who are aliens. The Bible says we must love them because you were once aliens yourselves. What does that mean? It means that God does not kick out the aliens like Gentiles.

Leviticus 19:35 “Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity.” I saw on YouTube that someone would change the weights on their scales, and he would deceive his customers, but he got caught. In Korea, there are so many instances where people try to con other people like this. Even if you do it according to the Word, that person will not get fired because they are a good worker.In order to prevent this conning, the government tries to regulate everything with laws and rules. But if Christians go out and show what it’s supposed to be like, we can actually go out and save society. 

Leviticus 19:36 “Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.” We’d like for things to be about fairness, but as long as there are strong people, it will never be about fairness. Even in America, there is no fairness because right now. They’re saying that they will remove the police force and other people are saying that this is not fair, but there is no fairness. If someone really cared about fairness, then we would redistribute everything and make it fair, but we can’t. It’s the same if I cannot be fair to other people, then people are not going to be fair to me. If I am being unfair to other people because I want my own benefit, then it will come around to me, and society will never be fair. 

Leviticus 19:37 “‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.” In verse 1, it says to relay this to the people, and have these Words become your laws and decrees. What does this mean? It means to hold on to God’s Word as your standard even as you live. If you have the culture of the Gospel that is close to the Word, then you will see physical blessings. 

If you look at powerful nations. What are they? It is those people who are close to God’s Word.

Powerless nations are far from God’s Word. In Japan, you see the culture of the Gospel. They do not have the Gospel, but they have the culture of the Gospel as it is revealed in God’s Word. In Korea, people have the Gospel, but they do not have the culture of the Gospel. They have this Gospel, but they live by the ways of non–believers and they bring that into the churches. Then what will become a problem?

In the Old Testament, God gave them this, and the Israelites could not keep up with it. God says He will give us a new covenant. What does he mean? It means that God is going to write these Words in our hearts, and we will be God’s people and God will be our God. What does this mean? It means that the Holy Spirit is going to come upon us. The Lord will put these Words into our hearts because He knows that we cannot follow it. 

This is why we must hold on to the Word and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can have the strength to follow the Word. If you are not holding on to the Word and you receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, then you are not going to know if you receive the filling of the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit. The Word is unchanging. If you hold on to the Word, then God is going to work. If you hold on to the Word and do this with the relentlessness of a non- believer; or if you do it because you really believe it, then God will show you physical blessings. 

For us, we must receive the filling of the Holy Spirit and move this way. This means that as long as we do not stray from the Word, then God is going to work in us. This has nothing to do with whether we are going to lie or not, but God’s Word shows us the direction in which we must go. If the Word comes to us, then it doesn’t matter if you like the Word or not, but the Word is going to be fulfilled. You hold onto the Word and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit because the Word being fulfilled means that you will be able to follow after the Word. 

If you do not receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, then you have to try so hard to live by this Word. If you do not, then you will be depressed. If things are working out for you, then you will look at other people who cannot do this, and you will judge them. You will ask why they can’t live according to the Word. This repetitive cycle of judging other people and pointing fingers will continue happening. Fundamentally, this is a person who does not understand why Jesus Christ had to come and die for us, and we have to look at it this way. This is why we were first given the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of Truth. 

The Holy Spirit will teach us and remind us off God’s Word. Why? It is so that we can follow God’s Word. This is so we can go out into society and change the culture into the culture of light. I hope you will enjoy this blessing. 

Prayer

Let us pray about the Word we have just received. Let us pray that we are able to receive the strength to follow this.