Recently, when we were away from the city and in Victoria’s alpine region we had an experience (a technology experience) that is pretty rare these days. Driving through the mountains on a very winding road we lost mobile phone signal every so often. Not that we urgently needed to contact anyone, but when the radio program (connected to the smart phone app, which appears on the car’s dashboard courtesy of Apple Car Play) stopped working, we knew that there was no phone signal in the area to run the radio app. (Hope you got all that). Then, as signal strength in the area slowly improved we were able to hear interrupted, scratchy pieces of radio program here and there – which was annoying because it always seemed to happen when we wanted to listen to the news. But, I digress …
Then, as we saw the signal strength bars going from one to two, and then two to three, and so on, radio app reception improved and we could hear what was left of the news quite clearly -and uninterrupted. The born-again person has a “radio”. We might call that righteousness, by way of illustration. The “radio” works best when signal strength is strongest – and we are tuned in properly. When it isn’t strong reception is weak, scratchy or even non-existent. When we are redeemed it is kind of like we are given a “radio” (i.e. righteousness). However, we need to learn two important things in order to maximise the use of that “radio”. We need to learn how to tune in to God’s voice by spending proper time in God’s Word which trains us to know God’s “radio station” and differentiate His voice from all the world’s voices. This is about clarity. We also need to learn to maintain strong signal strength. And that’s the other issue. So, how to do this?
We could liken our mobile phone’s signal strength to holiness. Bear with me. As we have been exploring recently in sermons and bible studies, holiness is about our condition – the condition of our redeemed state. Specifically, the condition of our relationship with God. Our condition is directly related to holiness – not the “radio” (righteousness), itself. See the difference? And so, when God is commanding us to “be holy”, these are the two key issues. How much signal strength and clarity do we have so that we can clearly hear our heavenly Father, and clearly see, clearly know, clearly understand Him? This is a critical issue for believers. We can have a “radio” but never receive messages, bulletins, prophecy, revelations – news! – from God. Because we’re not properly tuned in and we don’t have sufficient signal strength. So the issue is not at God’s transmission end, but our receiving end. But we do have the “radio”. Or, we could be picking up something, but it is quite faint, scratchy, hard to hear, and only bits and pieces and never the whole. Why? Because we lack signal strength.
One of the rich blessings of holiness is that we are able to use the “radio” competently. Signal strength for holy people is at maximum. So, holiness is not a program to improve ourselves so much as it is the pursuit of the best possible signal strength we can acquire. This is one of the main blessings of holiness. Divine signal strength, to press the illustration.
So, when God says …
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NIV) "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.”
… this should immediately alert us that God is wanting us to tune in and receive communication from Him with a strong signal strength. Why? Simple!! God wants to talk to us. He has given us a “radio” now He wants us to position ourselves in order to have increasing signal strength- increasingly powerful signal strength, and clarity. Nothing scratchy and hard to hear, nothing dropping in and out, nothing fuzzy – real clarity, real strength. Being holy is a decision we make to tune in (consecrating ourselves), and God responds with signal strength. Here’s the big thing here: when a born again can clearly hear God it is much, much more than getting the news, or information. When God speaks and we hear what He is saying, there is something so much more given to us. We have absolute assurance about whatever it is God is saying. We have total confidence in His leading – we just know, accurately and without any doubt, and no one can shake that from us! This aids our faith exponentially. Wouldn’t you like to have more of that from God? Friends, we have the “radio”, and now we need to learn how to really use it well. The condition of our relationship with God, our new life in Christ depends on it.
When we commit to holiness, it is not something we achieve, it is a deep heart attitude - something God works in us, because He is holy. And wants to talk to us. Our commitment to consecration gives God the room, the space and opportunity to remove from us signal blockers, atmospheric interference, environmental pollutants and the world’s harsh static, so that we can hear His voice. Clearly.
John 10:2-6 (NIV)
[Jesus] “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger's voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what He was telling them.
So, remember that one of the big blessings of holiness is signal strength to the radio and clarity of the message. The best possible communication reception! Holiness, as I said last BLOG, is a process. Being made holy by God is a continuing process – the process of being sanctified – by which we willingly get rid of anything impeding signal strength and clarity in our relationship condition . We were not saved from the fires of Hell and left at that. We were saved unto God for His great purposes and good pleasure, for His glory, and so that we might experience the richness of Him in all things.
When Noah was commanded by God to build an ark for himself and his family God gave him a very detailed set of instructions – even down to exact measurements of timber and so on. This tells us something incredibly useful about Noah – his radio was carefully tuned to God’s voice and the signal strength was excellent.
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:10 (NIV) “… but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.”
Get your radio tuned in, be holy, because God wants to talk to you.
Ps Milton