HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD​
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Psalm 24:3:7
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
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There are two mountains: One represents the temporary kingdom of this world (Satan’s domain) and the other represents the Eternal Kingdom of God. In chapter 4 of Matthew, verse eight, we see Satan’s domain, where he even tried to tempt Jesus on this exceeding high mountain by showing Him all the kingdoms of the world. Satan told Jesus that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would fall down and worship him. To which Jesus responded, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
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At the outset of the very next chapter (Matthew 5:1), we see the other mountain. Great multitudes had just come to Jesus, and He healed them all. After which, Jesus looked on all the people and moved away into this mountain. Scripture does not say that everyone followed Him there, though He had just healed and delivered them, but that His disciples followed Him, and He taught them of the Kingdom of God.
As believers, just as Satan tried to tempt Jesus so he tries to tempt us to lead us up his mountain (the kingdom of this world). A broad path of unrighteousness paved with pride, vanity, lust, idolatry, materialism, sexual immorality, fornication, adultery, outbursts of wrath, drunkenness, gossip, slander, hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy. The bible warns believers that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who allow Satan to have dominion in their lives dwell on the wrong mountain and will go to the place of everlasting fire that God made for the devil and his angels. Satan knows this and is after your soul as he wants you to spend eternity in torment with him, separated from God.
But Jesus wants your soul more, so He left eternity and shed His blood to atone for all our sins that piled up from living in and for a fallen world. That we would consider our ways, think upon the Son of God being crucified for us, and truly repent. That we would place our faith in Him who died for us and is alive forevermore, with all power and authority.
But we cannot come to Him in pretense as great multitudes do; we must love Him and live a life of consecration towards Him, following Him up His holy mountain, to the place where He dwells. “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” - Psalm 2:6
In this place, He reveals more of Himself to us, the way of the eternal Kingdom of God that He manifested when He walked this earth and that He wants manifested in our lives. Which, when manifested, will follow us into eternity to the glory of God. “Without holiness, no one will see God.” (Hebrews 12:14)
Jesus shows us and teaches us how to deny ungodliness and live righteously in this present evil world and He gives us the power to do it through the Holy Spirit who comes to live in all who surrender to Him, to His will. The Holy Spirit, who was in Christ, forms the character of Christ in us as we abide in Him, as we yield ourselves as servants to righteousness unto holiness, a people who are willing in the day of His power.
Through this faith, through this grace of God, we go from desiring sin to desiring righteousness; from living a carnal life to manifesting the character of God (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control) increasingly with each passing day to glorify His name. This is why we were created, this is our purpose: to know God, to love Him and to live in communion with Him.
Yet, in all of this, Jesus tells us to count the costs of what it means to follow Him. In this fallen world where the vast majority are on the wrong mountain, under the rule of Satan, truly following Jesus is not an easy life as there will be trials and tribulation within and without. But there is no life like it. Nothing compares to knowing the Lord and living for Him. And the eternal cost of not following the Lord is far greater. Not just the cost of not believing, even demons believe, but the cost of not truly following Jesus. Eternal judgement is real, Hell is real.
Therefore, as we made (or make) the decision to follow Jesus, we understand that we must continuously die to ourselves by picking up our cross daily. This requires suffering, this requires pain. Death (of the old nature) is painful, but the resurrection is glorious; as we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Our Lord who has eternal rewards for those who seek Him with all their heart, with all their mind, with all their soul, with all their strength. For our lives are not our own, we were bought with a price.
John 12:24-26
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
Psalm 24:6-7
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Romans 16:27
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.