Following Jesus Into Holiness Ii Series

Following Jesus into holiness II

Nov. 13, 2005 Various

These are my actual notes and sermon handouts and they probably mean more to me than they do to you. If you don’t understand something in my notes – feel free to e-mail me for clarification (stevenmary7@hotmail.com). Here’s some deciphering hints: I use hyphens (-) to separate key elements in a thought progression. I use quotation marks when I’m illustrating what some one in the congregation might be thinking or asking at that particular point in the message or to illustrate different character voices in an illustration. Bullets are springboards for thought progressions associated with main points in a thought.

1. The Definition of Holiness.

• Set apart, holy

2. The Method of Holiness.

A. Positional Sanctification. What God has done.

B. Volitional Sanctification. Our cooperation.

3. The Obligation of Holiness.

• Called and chosen

4. The Mechanics of Holiness.

The Heart is the battleground

MT 15:16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17 "Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man `unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man `unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him `unclean.’ "

The Heart is a Storehouse.

LK 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

The Heart must be Guarded.

We all start with a clean / dirty slate – sin nature – defined primarily by selfishness – but as grow – sin nature in you becomes defined by what you allow to get into your heart – everyone unique in this.

• Can’t just cram anything in there – garbage in – garbage out.

PR 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

When you reach into the stores of your heart – what comes out?

MT 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Basically talking about the temporal or the eternal - What do you treasure?

• What do you invest your time / attention into?

• Do you treasure what God wants to do in your life?

• That’s the path of a follower…

OK, I’m convinced – but…

How do we get things into our hearts – that will transform our hearts?

• Stands to reason that if those gates can allow access to our hearts in a negative manner – then they can be used in a positive manner as well.

The Battle Plan for Holiness

God has outlined a plan for us to cooperate with Him / to follow Him into holiness. And while I am not sure that these have to be in any particular order, after the first one, they are, I believe essential to getting a grip on the holiness that escapes our grasp.

1. Salvation is the prerequisite.

The first, and by far the most important. Aside from bringing us eternal life through the cleansing of our sin, it is the only avenue to getting the other parts of this plan.

• Must be saved to be sanctified

• Must be saved to receive Holy Spirit.

1CO 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

JN 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesn so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.