Our Goal Is To Live A Holy Life

Acts 19:1-6

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers. [2] "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No," they replied, "we don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." [3] "Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, "The baptism of John." [4] Paul said, "John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later." [5] As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them.

Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?

God saves men frm sin to holiness through faith in Jesus Christ by the inward action of the Holy Spirit in two works of grace and in susequent supervision and discipline

1. God saves men.

A. God’s plan for man is to be redeemed.

B. God provides for a salvation from sin that man could never achieve by himself.

C. Preaching holiness is God oriented.

D. It comes from a reverence for God’s love, holiness and sovereignty.

2. From sin.

A. Man’s eternal lostness away from God is helplessness.

B. From God’s view sin is the only thing really wrong with man.

C. Everything else is side effects.

D. Without sin there could be no hell; with sin there could be no heaven.

E. God does not want man to be in sin or else He would not have sent His Son.

3. To holiness.

A. Salvation in man includes not only a cure but a return to wholeness. In Adam all die but in Christ all are made alive.

B. Holiness is to the soul what is what health is to the body and sanity is to the mind.

C. Deliverance from sin is on the negative of salvation as holiness is on the positive side. Holiness makes a Christian a while person as God desires.

4. Through faith in Jesus.

A. In Jesus Christ, God revealed himself to men and it is through His death and resurrection has given us the means of complete redemption.

B. Christ is our access to the Father and the basis for our justification, sanctification and glorification.

C. Acceptable faith in Christ involves repentance, surrender, obedience and walking in the light. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house. John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. Romans 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Our faith is not dependant on our own good works, our goodness, our efforts, our growth and improvement. It is not dependant on church membership, church activities, taking sacraments or being baptized.

D. Our faith must be completely Biblically and doctrinally sound centered in Christ.

5. By the inward action of the Holy Spirit.

A. We are regenerated and sanctified through the blood of Jesus and influence of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thes. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thes. 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

B. Before our conversion the Holy Spirit only could convict us of our sin so that we might come to salvation in Jesus Christ. Once we come to Christ the Holy Spirit supervises, teaches, illuminates, checks growth and helps the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives.

C. We also must be careful that we walk in the fullness of the Spirit or we might come into resisting, quenching, despising and grieving the Holy Spirit.

6. In two works of grace.

A. In light of Scripture there are three works of Grace that are from God and in His plan. Those being salvation, Sanctification and Glorification. The first two are given us in this life and the last is our reward in heaven.