Need purpose? You’re set apart with Jehovah-Mekoddishkem: There's power in the name! (part 8)
Are you stuck in a dark “desert” or looking for purpose in your life? You are set apart to God, called to be the light in a dark world. Find your strength, hope, and victory in Jesus!
God’s names can chase away the dark clouds of worry and fear, as you rest in His presence. He is for you and not against you. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak God’s love, peace, comfort, power, and presence into your heart and life.
Understanding His names is a means to understand who God is—and, in turn, how important you are to Him.
We need to set our minds on the things of God and our actions will follow.
As a Christian, you are to live your life holy, set apart unto God—to be a visible example and expression of God’s love and grace. Are you striving to live a life set apart to God? God cares, loves, guides, protects and will bless you all the days of your life—if you will only allow him.
Today we learn about Jehovah-Mekoddishkem: the Lord who sanctifies.
The names of God convey the truth of His power, love, sovereignty and authority. He created you, loves you and His desire is to be intimately involved in your life. He sees you; He has a purpose for your life that is important to Him.
Looking for purpose in your life? God sanctifies you & calls you to be the light.
The Names of God
We have been looking at different names of God that are found in scripture. The names we’ve studied so far are:
Elohim - the strong creator.
Jehovah - the self-existent One, the I Am.
Adonai - owner, master, Lord and sovereign God over all creation.
Jehovah-Jireh - the Lord will provide.
Jehovah-Rapha - the Lord who heals.
Jehova-Shalom - the Lord is peace.
Jehova-Rohi - the Lord is my shepherd.
Jehovah-Nissi - the Lord is my banner.
I want to remind you once again to dwell upon the names of God and allow them to become personal to you. Remember there is power in the name of the Lord. You may want to write down the names of God and place them in your bible, or make a note in your bible app. Read them and allow the Holy Spirit to speak God’s love, peace, comfort, power, and presence into your heart and life.
Both in times of need and in times of peace, pray and worship God with all your heart. God’s names can chase away the dark clouds of worry and fear, as you rest in His presence and understand that He is for you and not against you. Remember who He is—the Lord who provides, heals, shepherds and speaks peace. He is the I am and sovereign God over all creation—and know you are His.
Set apart to God
Today we learn about Jehovah-Mekoddishkem: the Lord who sanctifies. Mekoddishkem is derived from the word kaddesh meaning to sanctify; it refers to being holy or set apart to God.
“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. 8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you” (Leviticus 20:7-8, KJV; emphasis added).
“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (Leviticus 20:7-8, NIV; emphasis added).
Both translations instruct us to act in a certain manner because the Lord sanctifies and sets us apart to be different from the world.
“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13, KJV; emphasis added).
“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy’” (Exodus 31:13, NIV; emphasis added).
The Lord sanctified—set apart—the people of God according to the King James Version. The New International Version uses the word holy rather than sanctify. In both cases, the words sanctify and holy are action words; meaning God is the one who sanctifies you and makes you holy and sets you apart. It is because He sets us apart that we are to live a sanctified (set apart) life in contrast to the ways of the world. The words sanctify or holy do not indicate absence of sin, but rather a setting apart.
The Israelites were set apart unto the Lord as His people. The same is true today: Christians are to live their lives holy and set apart to the Lord.
God wanted to reveal Himself to the Israelites and to display His faithfulness and His mighty hand of deliverance that was theirs as they remained faithful. I believe this was for two reasons:
So the Israelites would know the power, presence, and love of God. The Israelites were to live a life set apart unto God and not compromise; that a life of faith and obedience was rewarded with the blessings of God for all to see.
To display to the world that God is over all creation, and that He is a reward of those who seek Him. The lifestyle that God was calling the Israelites to was in stark contrast to how the people of other nations lived.
The Israelites were called to obey God’s commands, and they were be blessed and He took care of everything else.
God never said it would be easy.
God’s Plan of Redemption
God’s plan of redemption was beginning to unfold. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were part of that plan. And a climax is coming soon with Jesus’ return for believers in Christ. Both the Israelites and Christians alike who live their lives set apart unto God are His treasured possessions.
God had a plan and purpose for the Israelites:
They were to be different from the other nations.
They were to be a visible example and expression of God’s love and grace.
God instructed the Israelites how to live. God gave the Israelites commandments and laws to observe and called them to live accordingly.
If the people of God obeyed, they were blessed. But if they turned away from God and worshiped other gods, God would remove His blessing
Time and again the Israelites turned their backs on God and worshiped other gods. God would then allow adversity to come against the them. Then, when the people of God cried out to Him, He delivered them from their enemies. With each battle and victory the enemy would be defeated, but the Israelites were prone to sin and God was not surprised when they again turned their backs on Him. But when the Israelites lived in obedience, God blessed them and the people of God were delivered from their enemies.
The Old Testament sacrifices we read about in scripture all point to Jesus who was to be crucified. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and whose blood is sinless, paid the debt of sin for all eternity. So that who so ever believes and has faith in Jesus will be delivered from the curse of sin and death.
Are you living set apart to God?
When you place your faith in Jesus, you are set apart unto God. You, a person of faith, are sanctified and are to live your life holy, set apart unto God.
Is that you today?
Does your life reveal that you are set apart to God? Are you living a sanctified, set apart life, for the things of God? Do you realize that Jehovah-Mekoddishkem has called you and sanctified you? He set you apart to live a life holy to the Lord the moment you placed your faith in Jesus. The spirit of God is now in you.
You will sin at times but the question is: are you striving to live a life set apart to God? As a Christian, your spirit, soul, and body are being conformed into the body of Christ. You are being sanctified—set apart—for the glory of God.
You are not to act according to the sinful desires you had when you lived in spiritual ignorance. You need to set your mind on the things of God and your actions will follow.
If you are going to live a life set apart unto God, you cannot go on living as you once did before you believed in Jesus.
You are not the same person.
You have a new spirit in you.
You are to set your mind and heart on the Lord.
You are to live according to the truth of God’s word.
Your spirit is made alive in Christ, whereas before you were spiritually dead.
The fact is you should live alive unto Christ, and dead to the world. Your heart and mind are to be set upon the things of God. It’s a choice you need to make. It’s a way you are to live: hidden with Christ in God. Your life should be a reflection of Christ.
Every believer is being renewed into the image of Christ.
Every believer is being conformed, being made holy, being sanctified by God into the person of God that God desires.
These are things we are to do: We are continually being renewed in the knowledge of Christ. We are continually being renewed in the image of Christ. We need to turn away from our old lifestyle.
We are to live as God’s chosen people.
We are to live in a way that glorifies God.
We are to live in such a manner that people see Jesus in us.
We are to reflect Jesus in our attitudes and actions.
We are to represent Christ to the world.
You have an important purpose
You represent God to the world in all you do and say. He has called every believer to an important purpose: to be a light in the darkness. What do people see when they look at you? Are you representing Jesus? When you live contrary to the things of God, you blemish the name of Jesus. You are not living set apart for God. When you live according to your own agenda that is in contrast to God’s plan for you, you are not living the sanctified life that God has called you to live.
As Christians we are called to live differently.
We are to live as called out, set apart, holy and sanctified unto the Lord.
We are to reflect, by our actions, a life set apart for all the world to see—Jesus in us. I believe the gray area in our lives is being challenged to be removed. No longer can we live in the gray area.
We are called to shine bright in the darkness. We are to be the light to the world as Jesus shines through us. We must live set apart to the Lord.
The world needs to see Jesus in us. Let’s live sold out for Jesus. That is exactly what God has called us to do.
As I reflect on the names of God and become more aware of how much the Lord loves me; as I think about God sending His one and only son to walk upon the earth; when I think about Jesus, who willingly died for my sins and God raised him up from the dead, I have to say thank you LORD; forgive me for the times I have sinned; help me to live my life set apart and holy to the Lord Jehovah-Mekoddishkem, you are the Lord who sanctified me.
Suggested Praise and Worship:
