Holiness and Service.
'If a man therefore cleanse himself from these, he shall be a
vessel unto honour, _sanctified_, meet _for the Master's use_,
prepared _unto every good work_.'--2 Tim. ii. 21.
'A _holy_ priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. A _holy_
nation, that ye may _show forth the excellences of Him_ who called
you out of darkness into His marvellous light.'--1 Pet. ii. 5, 9.
Through the whole of Scripture we have seen that whatever God sanctifies
is to be used in the service of His Holiness. His Holiness is an
infinite energy that only finds its rest in making holy: to the
revelation of what He is in Himself, 'I the Lord _am holy_,' God
continually adds the declaration of what He does, 'I am the Lord that
_make holy_.' Holiness is a burning fire that extends itself, that seeks
to consume what is unholy, and to communicate its own blessedness to all
that will receive it. Holiness and selfishness, holiness and inactivity,
holiness and sloth, holiness and helplessness, are utterly
irreconcilable. Whatever we read of as holy, was taken into the service
of the Holiness of God.
Let us just look back on the revelation of what is holy in Scripture.
The seventh day was made holy, that in it God might make His people
holy. The tabernacle was holy, to serve as a dwelling for the Holy One,
as the centre whence His Holiness might manifest itself to the people.
The altar was most holy, that it might sanctify the gifts laid on it.
The priests with their garments, the house with its furniture and
vessels, the sacrifices and the blood,--whatever bore the name of holy
had a use and a purpose. Of Israel, whom God redeemed from Egypt that
they might be a _holy_ nation, God said, 'Let my people go, that they
may _serve_ me.' The holy angels, the holy prophets and apostles, the
holy Scriptures,--all bore the title as having been sanctified for the
service of God. Our Lord speaks of Himself 'as the Son, whom the Father
_sanctified and sent_ into the world.' And when He says, 'I sanctify
myself,' He adds at once the purpose: it is in the service of the Father
and His redeemed ones,--'that they themselves may be sanctified in
truth.' And can it be thought possible, now that God, in Christ the Holy
One, and in the Holy Spirit, is accomplishing His purpose, and gathering
a people of saints, 'holy ones,' 'made holy in Christ,' that now
holiness and service would be put asunder? Impossible! Here first we
shall fully realize how essential they are to each other. Let us try and
grasp their mutual relation. We are only made holy that we may serve.
We can only serve as we are holy.
_Holiness is essential to effectual service._ In the Old Testament we
see degrees of holiness, not only in the holy places, but as much in the
holy persons. In the nation, the Levites, the priests, and then the High
Priest, there is an advance from step to step: as in each succeeding
stage the circle narrows, and the service is more direct and entire, so
the holiness required is higher and more distinct. It is even so in this
more spiritual dispensation: the more of holiness, the greater the
fitness for service; the more there is of true holiness, the more there
is of God, and the more true and deep is the entrance He has had into
the soul. The hold He has on the soul to use it in His service is more
complete.
In the Church of Christ there is a vast amount of work done which yields
very little fruit. Many throw themselves into work in whom there is but
little true holiness, little of the Holy Spirit. They often work most
diligently, and, as far as human influence is concerned, most
successfully. And yet true spiritual results in the building up of a
holy temple in the Lord are but few. The Lord cannot work in them,
because He has not the mastery of their inner life. His personal
indwelling and fellowship, the rest of His Holy Presence, His Holiness
reigning and ruling in the heart and life,--to all these they are
comparative strangers. It has been rightly said that work is the cure
for spiritual poverty and disease; to some believers who had been
seeking holiness apart from service, the call to work has been an
unspeakable blessing. But to many it has only been an additional blind
to cover up the terrible want of heart-holiness and heart-fellowship
with the living God. They have thrown themselves into work more
earnestly than ever, and yet have not in their heart the rest-giving and
refreshing witness that their work is acceptable and accepted.
My brother! listen to the message. 'If a man _cleanse_ himself, he shall
be a vessel unto honour, _sanctified_, _meet_ for the Master's use,
_prepared_ unto every good work.' You cannot have the law of service
more clearly or beautifully laid down. A vessel of honour, one whom the
King will delight to honour, must be a vessel _cleansed_ from all
defilement of flesh and spirit. Then only can it be a _sanctified_
vessel, possessed and indwelt by God's Holy Spirit. So it becomes _meet
for the Master's use_. He can use it, and work in it, and wield it. And
so, clean and holy, and yielded into the Master's hands, we are Divinely
prepared for every good work. Holiness is essential to service. If
service is to be acceptable to God, and effectual for its work on souls,
and to be a joy and a strength to ourselves, we must be holy. The will
of God must first live in us, if it is to be done by us.
How many faithful workers there are, mourning the want of power; longing
and praying for it, and yet not obtaining it! They have spent their
strength more in the outer court of work and service, than in the inner
life of fellowship and faith. They truly have never understood that
only as the Master gets possession of them, as the Holy Spirit has them
at His disposal, can He use them, can they have true power. They often
long and cry for what they call a baptism of power. They forget that the
way to have God's power in us is for ourselves to be in His power. Put
yourself into the power of God; let His holy will live in you; live in
it and in obedience to it, as one who has no power to dispose of
himself; let the Holy Spirit dwell within, as in His Holy Temple,
revealing the Holy One on the throne, ruling all; He will without fail
use you as a vessel of honour, sanctified and meet for the Master's use.
Holiness is essential to effectual service.
_And service is no less essential to true holiness._ We have repeated it
so often: Holiness is an energy, an intense energy of desire and
self-sacrifice, to make others partakers of its own purity and
perfection. Christ sacrificed Himself--wherein did that sacrifice
consist, and what was its aim? He sanctified Himself that we might be
sanctified too. A holiness that is selfish is a delusion. True holiness,
God's holiness in us, works itself out in love, in seeking and loving
the unholy, that they may become holy too. Self-sacrificing love is of
the very essence of holiness. The Holy One of Israel is its Redeemer.
The Holy One of God is the dying Saviour. The Holy Spirit of God makes
holy. There is no holiness in God but what is most actively engaged in
loving and saving and blessing. It must be so in us too. Let every
thought of holiness, every act of faith or prayer, every effort in
pursuit of it, be animated by the desire and the surrender to the
Holiness of God for use in the attaining of its object. Let your whole
life be one distinctly and definitely given up to God for His use and
service. Your circumstances may appear to be unfavourable. God may
appear to keep the door closed against your working for Him in the way
you would wish; your sense of unfitness may be painful. Still, let it be
a matter settled between God and the soul, that your longing for
holiness is that you may be fitter for Him to use, and that what He has
given you of His Holiness in Christ and the Spirit is all at His
disposal, waiting to be used. Be ready for Him to use; live out, in a
daily life of humble, self-denying, loving service of others, what grace
you have received. You will find that in the union and interchange of
worship and work, God's Holiness will rest upon you.
'The Father _sanctified_ the Son, _and sent_ Him into the world.' The
world is the place for the sanctified one, to be its light, its salt,
its life. We are 'sanctified in Christ Jesus,' and sent into the world
too. Oh, let us not fear to accept our position--our double position; in
the world, and in Christ! In the world, with its sin and sorrow, with
its thousands of needs touching us at every point, and its millions of
souls all waiting for us. And in Christ too. For the sake of that world
we 'have been sanctified in Christ,' we are 'holy in Christ,' we have
'the spirit of sanctification' dwelling in us. As a holy salt in a
sinful world, let us give ourselves to our holy calling. Let us come
nearer and nearer to God who has called us. Let us root deeper and
deeper in Christ our sanctification, in whom we are of God. Let us enter
more firmly and more fully into that faith in Him in whom we are, by
which our whole life will be covered and taken up in His. Let us beseech
the Father to teach us that His Holy Spirit does dwell in us every
moment, making, if we live by faith, Christ with His Holiness, our home,
our abode, our sure defence, and our infinite supply. As He which hath
called us is holy, let us be holy in His own Son, through His own
Spirit, and the fire of His Holy Love will work through us its work of
judging and condemning, of saving and sanctifying. A sanctified soul God
will use to save.