What manner of man is this that
even the winds and the sea obey him? I wish somebody would ask
me that question this week. The Lord would give me grace
to answer as that should be answered. Well, Lord willing, we're going
to have our Bible conference in two weeks. Everybody pray
for the Lord's blessing upon that. We will be having meals
after the Saturday and Sunday morning service. And Friday night, the Vincents
are going to have a bonfire at their house after the service,
and everybody is invited to that. I've entitled this message, Holy
Brethren. What does the Bible mean by the
word holy? I couldn't really think of a
more important thing for us to understand, not that we'll ever
truly completely understand it, but there's no understanding
of the gospel without some understanding of this thing as to what the
Bible means by holy. We read in the scriptures of
holy vessels, holy cups and so on, and there's nothing inherently
in those things that are holy, but God said they were holy. That makes them holy. But the
holiness spoken of here is more than that. Holy brethren. What is holy? The word means set apart. Other. Not of this world. Sinless. Sinless. Venerable. When the seraphims cried concerning
the Lord, they cried, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is filled with
his glory. Holy father, the holy one of Israel, the holy
ghost. all three persons of the Godhead,
holy, holy, holy. You know, we read in the scripture,
I mean, the scriptures are called the holy scripture. There's no error in the scripture.
There's nothing wrong in the scripture. It's all inspired
by God. Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost Believers are called Believers
twice in the scripture Christians twice in the scripture Saints
Holy ones is what the word means 61 times Now, every believer is a saint
of God. Every believer is one that is
called by the writer of the Hebrews a holy brethren. He's speaking
to every believer when he says, holy brethren. Now, how can that be? In light
of these scriptures, I'm going to quote these scriptures. You
can look them up on your own. I'm going to quote them rapidly
to save time. Genesis 6, 5, and God saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Isaiah 64 verse 6 says, but we
are all as an unclean thing and our righteousness is filthy rags. Jeremiah 17, nine says the heart
is deceitful above all things. Somebody says, trust your heart.
You better not. Scripture says he trusted in his heart is a
fool. The heart is deceitful above all things, desperately
wicked. You know what that means? Incurable. It can't be made better. Romans 3, 10, there is none righteous. No, not one. There's none that understands.
There's none that seeketh after God. They have all together gone
out of the way. They've together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.
No, not one. The carnal mind, Romans 8, 7,
8, the carnal mind, the flesh of the mind, the mind you were
born with, the mind I was born with, is enmity. against God. It's not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. Let me read this passage of scripture
from Job chapter 15 verse 14. What is man that he should be
clean? What a question. And he which
is born of woman, that he should be righteous. Behold, he putteth
no trust in his saints. Yea, the heavens are not clean
in his sight. How much more abominable and
filthy is man which drinketh iniquity like water. Now you've just heard those scriptural
descriptions of me and you. Holy brethren, How can that be? Saints, holy ones. And I'm not talking about saint
in the Catholic sense of the word, one who by his good works
Reaches the status of sainthood by what he does and then the
church declares him to be a saint That's foolishness and evil.
There's no truth to anything like that. Every believer is
a saint Every believer is a holy one. Now, how can that be in
light of those scriptures? I just read I know this If I
don't have this holiness, I won't be in heaven. I follow peace with all men and
holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. If I don't
have this holiness, if I'm not a holy brethren, I will not see
the Lord. The only people who will be in
heaven are holy people. sinless people. How can I be,
how can you be, one of these people called holy brethren? When Christ revealed himself
to Peter, you know what Peter's response was? Depart from me. I am a sinful man. Oh Lord, you don't want to have
anything to do with me. How could somebody like Peter,
when he, by his own admission, he was a sinful man, that means
full of sin. How could somebody like Peter,
or me, or you, be counted by God himself a holy Brother Look
in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 11 For both he that sanctifies and
that word sanctifies is makes holy Both he that makes holy
and and they who are made holy. He that sanctifies and they who
are sanctified, both he that makes holy and they who are made
holy are all of one for the witch cause. He's not ashamed to call
them brethren. Now, what this is speaking of
is union with the Lord Jesus Christ. One with him. If I'm
one with him, if he's holy, guess what? I am too. I'm one of these holy brethren,
if I'm one with him. Turn to Ephesians chapter five. I want
you to look at this with me. This is so important. Ephesians
chapter five. Verse 25, husband, love your
wives, even as also Christ loved the church. and gave himself
for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word that he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish, so ought men
to love their wives as their own body. He that loveth his
wife loveth himself. And you know what that means?
If I'm one with Christ, and the scripture says, both he that
sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, this
is speaking of union with Jesus Christ. The vine and the branches,
the same stem that flows through the vine, flows through the branches,
and there is no connecting point. If I'm one with him, when he
loved me, he was loving himself. Don't miss that. He that loveth
his wife, loveth himself. When Christ loved me, he was
loving himself because I'm one with him. Is he holy? I am too. 1 Corinthians 1.30 says, of him
are you in Christ Jesus. who of God is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and holiness and redemption. I am holy for this singular reason. God made Christ to be my holiness. And beloved, this is true with
regard to every child of God. They are holy ones. Saints of God. Now, before we go on with this,
I want to ask you this question. Is this what the Bible teaches?
Not is this what a particular brand or denomination or preacher
teaches. Is this what the Bible teaches?
That Jesus Christ is my holiness before God. Well, it says he's
made into us by God. Holiness. Now all of these initial
descriptions are true with regard to all of these holy ones. They're
sinful and they are holy. Christ is their holiness. Let
me quote two scriptures. Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.15,
this is a faithful saying and it's worthy of all acceptation,
you ought to accept this, receive it, believe it, it's the best
thing you've ever heard. Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners of whom I used to be the chief before God saved
me. Didn't read it right, did I?
Present tense, active voice, of whom I am right now the Paul said in Romans 7, 24, Oh,
wretched man that I used to be until God saved me. No. Oh, wretched man that I am. Only the holy brethren and all
the holy brethren see themselves in this light. And if you do not see yourself
in that light, It's because you're unholy. You do not have a holy
nature that recognizes sin in the first place. The only reason
someone would struggle with this is because they don't know what
sin is. If you have a holy nature, you know what sin is and you
know how sinful you are. If you don't have a holy nature,
this is, goes over your head. You don't get it. A believer in this life is a
sinner, oh wretched man that I am, and a saint, a holy one,
a sinless one, both men in the same body. Now, let me tell you why every
believer is a holy brethren. And by the grace of God, I'm
going to be given what the scripture teaches, not my opinion or thoughts,
but what the Bible teaches with regard to this. You know, I,
I don't know why I always feel a need to say this, but I always
do. I don't understand anything I believe, but I believe it all.
I don't grasp, I don't intellectually grasp any of this. I believe
it though. I believe it with all my heart. And something you can understand,
there just isn't much to it, if you can understand it, or
if I can understand it. It's just not, there just ain't
much to it. It's just human. It's fleshly,
it's carnal. This is above the ability of
a man to intellectually grasp it. It's something every believer
believes. Why am I a holy brethren? If I'm a believer, why am I a
holy brethren? First, because God chose me to
be holy. Ephesians 1, 4 says, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy. without blame before Him. Now, the foundation, the origination,
if you will, of holiness is the electing purpose of God. If you're a holy brethren, it's
because He, before time began, chose you to be holy and to be
without blame before him. Now, I'm a holy brethren because
he chose me to be a holy brethren. And if he chose me to be a holy
brethren, guess what? I'm a holy brethren. I'm one
of them. Let me show you a scripture in
Hebrews chapter 10. Would you turn with me there?
Hebrews chapter 10. Verse nine. Then said he, lo,
I come to do thy will, O God. That's the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. He taketh away the first, the covenant of works,
that he may establish the second, by the witch will, God's will,
that's the witch will, by God's will, we are sanctified. We are holy. Now, if God willed you to be
holy, is there any way, under any circumstances, where God's
will is not done? If God wills you to be holy,
is there any way you can be anything but holy? No. By the witch will, we are sanctified. We are made holy. But don't miss this. By the which
will we are sanctified, how? Through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ. Now remember, holiness is sinlessness. Holiness is sinlessness. How can I be without sin? There's only one way. through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ on Calvary's tree. You
see, my sin became his sin. He took my sin and my sorrow
and he made it his very own. He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. My sin became His sin. And you know what He did with
my sin? He put it away. 1 John 3, verses 5 and 6 says,
He was manifest to take away our sin. And in Him, is no sin. If I'm in Him, I have no sin. Do you hear that? If you're in
Jesus Christ, you don't have any sin. You're holy. You're without sin. Now, preacher, how can you say
that I committed a sin this morning? You committed a whole lot more
than that this morning. But the point is, in Christ Jesus, He
put all of those sins away. And I stand before God right
now while I'm talking to you without sin, justified in His
sight by virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ. What can wash
away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Through the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ, I stand before God as a holy brethren, a sinless
brethren. I'm made holy by God's choice
of me to be holy before time again. I'm made holy by the work
of Christ in my behalf. Turn with me to Colossians chapter
one. I want to emphasize this with one other scripture. Colossians
chapter one, verse 20. Colossians 1 verse 20, and having
made peace through the blood of his cross. I can't help but make this comment
every time I read this passage of scripture. Somebody, have
you made your peace with God? No, Christ made my peace with
God. He made my peace with God. Having made peace through the
blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.
By Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in
heaven and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body
of His flesh through death to present you, what? Holy. Unblameable. and unreprovable
in his sight. Now, let me remind you, his sight
is how it really is. Your sight, my sight, We don't
see anything when it comes right down to it. Don't see the reality
of anything. In his sight is how it is. And if I'm holy and
unblameable and unapprovable in his sight, that means I'm
wholly unblameable and unapprovable. He sees things as they are, not
as they should be, as they are. Now, not only are the holy brethren
chosen to be holy in eternal election, Not only are they declared
to be holy by the precious blood of Christ that made them holy
and sinless, every one of these holy ones are holy. They have a holy nature. They have a sinless nature. Now, what this is a reference
to is regeneration, being born again, being made a new creature,
a new creation, something that was not there before. But when
He creates it in you, there it is, a new man, a new nature,
a new creation, one that was not there before. Turn with me
to 2 Thessalonians 2. I want you to read this. 2 Thessalonians
2. Verse 13. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation What comes next? Through sanctification of the
Spirit. The sanctifying work of God the
Holy Spirit in regeneration. It's called the new birth. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh. And it can never rise
above that. Anything that comes from my natural
flesh is sin. That's all it is. That's all
it is. But that which is born of the
Spirit is Spirit. Now I want to ask you a question.
I want you to think about this. Can God the Holy Spirit give
birth to anything but that which is holy? Can He give birth to
a sinful, something that comes from Him? Can it be sinful? No! Every believer is given a new
nature, born of the Spirit, and that new nature is a sinless
nature. I want to look at two scriptures.
I'm asking you to turn to a lot of scriptures, but I want you
to see this. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 3. Verse 1, likewise ye wives, be
in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word,
they also may without the word be won by the conversation of
the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation, coupled
with fear, whose adorning, let it not be the outward adorning
of planting the hair and of wearing of gold and of putting on of
apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the heart. in that which is not corruptible. Now this hidden man of the heart,
and I think it's very interesting the way Peter calls it a hidden
man. You know why it's hidden? Because
you can't see it. You can't look within your heart and say, yep,
that's holy. You can't do that. You see two natures coming out
of one consciousness. That means that I never say,
yeah, that's holy and that's not. No, because it's all coming
out of that one consciousness. Kind of like I've used this illustration
before, the hot water and the cold water, they all came out
of that one spigot. So you can't really distinguish
the two, but every believer does have this new man, which is not
even subject to corruption. That's what it says. Which is
not corruptible, even the ornament that which is beautiful. Here
is what this looks like a meek and a quiet spirit, which is
in the side of God of great price. Now meekness is attitude toward
God that whatever he does is right. Whatever he does is right because
he did it. That's where humility comes from.
God is God, and I'm not, obviously. And whatever he does is right,
just, holy, and good because he did it. That's meekness before
God. Quiet, tranquil, peaceable, not always looking for a fight,
not always becoming angry, peaceable, peaceable. Turn to 1 John chapter
3, verse 9. First John chapter 3 verse 9,
whosoever is born of God, birthed by the Spirit, born again, doth
not commit sin. Now what's that say? Says whoever is born of God does
not commit sin. Somebody says that means he doesn't
practice sin. That's not the rule of his life. That's not
the general tenor of his life. You're a big fat liar if you
think that about yourself. I shouldn't have said it that
way. The point is sin's not the bent tenor of my
life. All that's in me is sin. In me, in my flesh. I know that
in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. But I have a holy nature that
does not commit sin. That's what the Bible says. That's
what the Bible says. What's it say? He that's born
of God doth not commit sin. For his seed, the seed of God,
remains in him and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to
sin because he's born of God. Now understand this about holiness.
Holiness cannot sin. If it can sin, it's unholy. Amen? That's the truth. Holiness
cannot sin. Look in 1 John 5, verse 18. We know, verse 18, we know that
whosoever is born of God, what? Sinneth not. Sinneth not. But he that is begotten of God
keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. Now I want
you to think about what's being said there. Do you remember when
the Lord said of the prince of this world's coming has found
nothing in me? You know what it means? He didn't have anything
to work with. Christ could not sin. You know, I've heard people
say, well, yeah, he could have, but he didn't. No, he couldn't
have. Because if he could have, that means he could mutate. That
means he could change. That means he's not God. God
cannot sin. Jesus Christ cannot sin. That
which is born of God cannot commit sin. His seed remains in him. God's seed. He can't sin. The
wicked one, you know the wicked one? He's got plenty to work
with in my old man, but he's got nothing to work with in my
new man. He can't touch me because I'm born of God. Now, how can this be? How does one have a holy nature? How can one be a holy brethren?
Well, God chooses you to be holy. Christ declares you to be holy,
sinless because of His blood. God the Holy Spirit gives you
this holy nature, being born of God. This is what being born
again is. This is so basic to the gospel,
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by
the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. God saves, God the Father elects,
God the Son redeems, God the Holy Spirit regenerates, gives
life. Now, how can I know if I have this holy nature? Because
I can't see it. I can see its effects, but I
can't see it. How can I know? Of his own will begat he us through
the word of truth. We're bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has, from
the beginning, chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Now this I know. Anybody that is one of these
holy brethren, here is the evidence. They believe the truth. They
believe the truth. They believe the truth concerning
the true character of God as He's revealed in this Word. They
believe everything He says about Himself in this Word. They believe the truth, the truth
concerning the true character of God, His holiness, His sovereignty,
His justice, His honor. They believe the truth concerning
God. They believe the truth concerning
themselves. They really do believe that they're
nothing but sin in and of themselves. Every one of them. They believe
the truth concerning the gospel of how God saves sinners by Christ. I know every believer will hear
the truth, the whole truth, and bow to it, and receive it, and
believe it. How do I know that? He that's
of God heareth God's words. What else needs to be said? Then
he said to these fellows who he was speaking to, he said,
you therefore hear them not, because you're not of God. He
that's of God heareth God's words. Holy brethren. This is the description of every
believer without exception. Holy brethren. Chosen to be holy. Declared holy by the blood of
Christ. Given a holy nature and regeneration
in the new birth. And this is evidenced by this
simple thing. may believe the truth. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
holiness, for your otherness, for your altogether gloriousness. And Lord, we are thankful, acknowledge
and stand amazed that you gave your holy son for such as us,
that we might be holy brethren. You chose us for that, you made
us that way through the blood of thy dear son, and you gave
us your Holy Spirit to cause us to be holy brethren. And Lord,
we do by your grace, I pray that it might be said with regard
to each person here, we do believe your truth, the truth of your
gospel. Now bless this word for Christ's sake. Be with us as
we meet together tonight, for Christ's sake, in His name we
pray, amen.