Set Apart
As believers what sets us apart from the world? You may say various things like going to church or doing good or even believing in God.
Psalm 4: 3 says, “But know that the LORD has set apart him that is godly for Himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.”
So what does that mean to be set apart? Matthew 25:31-36 says this, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.”’
So that’s it! All we have to do is do good deeds. Well, if all we had to do is what Matthew says here, then why do we need the whole rest of the Bible? There must be more to it. 1 Peter 1:14-16 tells us, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy (set apart) One who called you, be holy (set apart) yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: You shall be holy (set apart) as I am Holy (set apart)”
But Peter was quoting Leviticus 19:2, “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” God’s Word is one. There is no old and new. This is man made to make you think that the old is done away with. God and His Word are One and there is no part of God that is obsolete. His Word is eternal. So what separates us from the world, all of God’s Commandments. We may call them the 10 Commandments, but God’s Word explains those Ten in numerous chapters in Exodus. Moses says this in Deuteronomy 4:5:10 to the people then, and his words still speak to us today. “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you are to do these things in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today?
“Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may have them hear My words so that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’”
When we keep God’s Word the nations will rise and see the wisdom of God. Don’t kid yourself, this is exactly what they hate, the holiness of God and His people. But There are more than the Ten Commandments, there is also God’s Biblical Appointed Times. These are the times that God has asked for us to come to Him, and during these times God draws close to us. These times are not for just the Jewish people. You must understand that God entrusted His Word to the Jewish people because there were no other people at that time who believed in the One True God. But this does not mean that God has one word for the Jewish people, and one for the rest of His people. Yes, the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 settled the issue that we Gentiles do not need to ceremonially become Jewish, but this is in circumcision, and at that time the sacrifices that went with this. This has nothing to do with being holy and being set apart from the world. God’s Appointed Times are in some ways even more for the Christian, because they all point to the Messiah. The Spring Feasts are about Yeshua’s first coming, and the Fall Feasts are about His second coming. And the 7th day Sabbath points to Creation, and it tells the world that we are the people of the Creator. These are the things that give us wisdom and separates us from the world. We must have the mind of Yeshua and His Holy Spirit, and unless we die to ourselves and the world, we can not be reborn into newness of life, a holy life, a life that tells the world that I am God’s child. Much deception has crept into the Body of Messiah, and we have seen the fruit of it over the centuries, and it all began right after Yeshua rose from the grave, the devil began his lies. Matthew 28:11-15 tells us this, “Now while they were on their way, some of the men from the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, ‘You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and keep you out of trouble.” And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day.”
https://judeochristianclarion.com/podcast-teachings/the-sins-of-our-forefathers/the-sins-of-our-forefathers-part-1
The whole counsel of God’s Word is the Bread of Life, the True Manna from heaven, the finest of wheat. It is the Tree of Life and the Well of Salvation for all who come and partake. It is the Holiness of God and it will make us holy (set apart) also if we live by its council.
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