Introduction:
Many Christians doubt, despise, disdain, discredit,
disbelieve, disobey, and even deny holiness.
But that does not make it wrong, because it is in the Word of God, and forever God’s Word is settled in Heaven (Ps. 119:89).
But that does not make it wrong, because it is in the Word of God, and forever God’s Word is settled in Heaven (Ps. 119:89).
Look at the WARNINGS of the Lord in this
regard:
i. Proverb 13:13 says, “Whoso despiseth the Word shall
be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”
ii. Proverb 13:18 says, “Poverty and shame shall be to
him that refuseth instruction (the Word of God): but he that regardeth
reproof shall be honoured.”
NTL puts it this way, “If you ignore criticism, you will
end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honoured.”
Holiness
is the only thing that qualifies you for Heaven (Heb. 12:14). So,
today we want to look at - “WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU AS A CHRISTIAN WITH
REGARDS HOLINESS!”
Men and women, created in the image of God, are called
to imitate God’s holiness in their lives (Lev. 19:1-2; Lev. 20:6; Num. 15:40; 1
Pet. 1:14-15).
What
then is expected of you as a Christian with regards holiness? As a Christian:
1. God has called every Born-Again believer unto a
life of holiness. If you desire to have a breakthrough in this life and make it
to Heaven at last, you MUST be holy.
First Thessalonians 4:3
says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye
should abstain from fornication.”
“For God hath not
called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7).
The call to holiness is
found in the different parts of the Bible. This call is:
a) A divine call,
b) A direct call. Be ye
holy for I the Lord your God, I am holy.
c) A declared call. It is
declared on the pages of Scripture.
d) A distinct call. This
is the most important call that gets you ready for Heaven.
e) A desirable call. A
call to holiness or a call to immorality and tradition! Which one do you really
desire?
f) A deliberate call. God
planned it. God is holy. Heaven is holy. Christ is holy. The Holy Spirit is
holy. The angels in Heaven are holy. Therefore, the church must be holy.
God’s very nature is
holiness. Therefore, you MUST be holy since you are a partaker of that divine
nature.
g) A daily call. You wake
up in the morning, and you are asking the Lord what He would have you do for
the day. The first thing He desires of you is: Be holy. It is a daily call.
In Leviticus 11:45 God
said, “For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt,
to be your God: ye shall therefore, be holy, for I am holy.”
Because of what I have
done for you, you shall therefore, be holy. And because I have delivered you
from captivity, because I have destroyed that yoke of bondage in your life, you
must be holy, otherwise you will lose your freedom again.
In Leviticus 20:7 God
said, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the
Lord your God.”
In Leviticus 20:8 God
said, “And ye shall keep My statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which
sanctify you.”
“Give unto the Lord
the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chron. 16:29).
“And be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:23-25).
1 Peter 1:14-16 says, “As
obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in
your ignorance: 15 But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in
all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Consider holiness in your
home: Are the members of your family holy? What is the interaction in your
family like? Is it cordial or hostile? How is the interaction between you and
your spouse? How is the interaction between you and your house helps? Are you
hostile to your house helps or do you relate with them in humility?
What of holiness on the
highway? We ought to demonstrate holiness on the highway. Holiness is
practical. If you want to know the difference between a sinner and the upright
man, just watch the methods of the drivers.
As a Christian you should
not drive rough on the high-way. You should not insult people that offended you
in the traffic. You should always stop at the traffic lights when they are red
in colour. You should dress clean when you are driving and not like a taut. The
music you play in your vehicle should be songs that bring glory to God. Also,
the car you are driving should be clean inside and outside. If not, where then
is the holiness?
Holiness should be
without hypocrisy. Holiness and hypocrisy can never dwell together.
Holiness should also be
without pride (haughtiness).
Holiness should be
without harshness. How do we talk to one another – harsh, critical, slanderous?
Look at what the Holy Spirit says to the faithful
saints:
Ephesians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “That ye put off concerning the
former conversation (conduct, manner of life, behaviour) the old man (the
sinful man, the sinful nature), which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.”
1 Peter 1:14-15 says, “As
obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts
in your ignorance: 15 But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation (in all your conduct).”
Which
lusts? The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life.
1 John 2:15-17 says, “Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, (1) the lust
of the flesh, and (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life, is not
of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Therefore, in Leviticus 19:1-2 the LORD spoke to
Moses, saying, “Speak unto all the
congregation of the children of Israel [the congregation of the House of
Glory], and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”
2. You are expected to conform to the image of Christ.
Romans 8:29 says, “For whom
He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
The image of Christ is the image of holiness. Christ
is completely holy because He is completely free from sin.
Hebrews 7:26 says, “He is the kind of High Priest we need
because He is holy and blameless, unstained by sin…”
3. The
Scriptures say that as a Born-Again believer, you are a child of God, and a
partaker of divine nature.
2 Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.”
4. God has given to all His children all things that
pertain unto life and godliness (God-likeness/holiness).
2 Peter 1:3 says, “According
as His divine power hath given unto us ALL THINGS that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and
virtue….”
5. Holiness is stressed as the condition for possessing
your possession – everything that Christ died to give you. It is
only in holiness that you can possess these exceeding great and precious
promises.
Obadiah 17 says, “But upon
mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the
house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”
6. You are
called to perfect holiness in the fear of God. To perfect holiness is to
maintain your holiness by ensuring that no spot or wrinkle remains on your
garment of righteousness.
To perfect holiness means that there must be a
conscious cleansing effort made by every individual (1) within, and (2)
without.
What you are on the inside manifests on the outside.
If you are holy inside, it will manifest on your outside by way of your outward
appearance.
If you can compromise what people can see, you can
also compromise even more that which is hidden, which people cannot see.
2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Having therefore these promises
(which promises? 2 Cor. 6:16-18), dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of (1) the flesh and (2) spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.”
Every Christian is commanded to wash away all dirt
from both the flesh and spirit. The purpose of the cleansing is to “perfect
holiness.”
Why? This is
because without holiness you can never see God.
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
“Let your garments always be white,
and let your head lack no ointment” (Eccl. 9:8).
In other words, maintain your holiness by not allowing
any spot, blemish or wrinkle on your garment of righteousness. If any stain
happens to come on it, quickly ask God for mercy, forgiveness and plead the
blood of Jesus Christ (Isa. 1:18; 1 Jn. 1:9).
In Matthew 5:8 Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.”
Hebrews 6:1 says, “Let us go on to perfection….”
When you cleanse yourself from all the filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, you perfect holiness in the fear of God (you perfect
holiness by staying away from anything that is contrary to God’s Word).
CONCLUSION: The Word of God should
settle God’s stand in this matter: Without holiness no man shall see the
LORD (Heb. 12:14).
Watch out for the next
edition of Good News from
the Pulpit!
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