Holiness: A Matter of the Heart
A father told his young son that it was time to get ready for Sunday School. They would be leaving in just a few minutes.
You know how little boys can be. They are inquisitive. The boy asked his dad, "Did you go to Sunday School when you were a boy?"
The father gladly answered, “Well yes I did."
The boy looked disappointed as he said, "It probably won’t do me any good either!"
One of the greatest problems with Christianity today, are people who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle. Their lives don’t line up with their testimony on Sunday morning.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
How has your lifestyle reflected the holiness of God this past week? Are you living the holy life that God has called us to live? People are sometimes afraid to answer that question, because they aren’t 100% sure what it means to live the holy life. They have heard some confusing messages down through the years. There have been some conflicting reports. I hope we can clear some of that up today.
The Church of the Nazarene is a holiness church. That means we preach and teach holiness. We advocate living a holy life. We believe that according to scripture, holiness is clearly God’s desire for His children. Let me share with you some examples:
2 Peter 3:11b (NIV)
11 What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV)
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
It seems obvious that God has called us to holy living. But one of the biggest problems we face in the holiness church is that sometimes people don’t really don’t understand what holiness means. That’s due in large part to the fact that through the years we have heard some pretty unfortunate explanations as to what holiness is and how it looks.
For instance, some have taught that holiness for a man means things like NOT wearing shorts, NOT having long hair, or NOT wearing jewelry…even to the point of not wearing a wedding ring!
For women we were told that holiness meant NOT wearing makeup; NOT wearing jewelry; NOT cutting their hair and so on.
Across the years we have been told that holiness is NOT watching television; NOT going to the movies; NOT dancing; NOT gambling; NOT playing pool; NOT smoking; NOT drinking; and the list goes on. We were told that this is holiness.
I know we could add to this list, but you get the idea.
I think it would be fair to say that for many years, holiness was interpreted as a long list of don’ts. We don’t do this. We don’t do that. We don’t do the other thing.
I suppose that even though we didn’t hear as much about it, holiness did include some do’s, like DO read your Bible; DO pray; and DO go to church every time the doors are open. But we certainly focused more on the DON’Ts than we did on the DOs.
Even though that’s sometimes how we have defined holiness, I don’t think it is ever how God defined holiness.
This can be a highly emotional issue for a lot of people. My goal this morning, which is always the case, is to be scriptural. I am not going to preach opinion, personal conviction or tradition. I want to stick with the truth. Is that OK?
We sometimes tend to choose tradition over truth. Truth should always be the goal. And that’s not always easy, but it is always right. Sometimes our traditions have been with us so long that we are tempted to value them above truth if we are not careful.
What we need today is a biblical understanding of Christian holiness.
I am concerned that what we have heard about holiness through the years, though usually well intended, was not always based solidly on the truths of scripture. In some instances I believe tradition was actually given precedence over the truth.
This is where the legalism of the Pharisees creeps in. Straining to keep over 600 rules and regulations, life was lived by the measuring rod. There’s little to no joy in that kind of existence and it is clear from the Word of God that it is not God’s will.
What’s needed to live a holy life, is not a list of more rules and regulations. What we need is a heart change. Holiness is really a matter of the heart.
The transformation Christ wants to bring to your life, is not an outside-in transformation, but rather, an inside-out revolution that will cause you to not only look different, but to be think and act differently.
For years we were basically told, “if you do the do’s and don’t do the don’ts you are holy.” But there was some inconsistency with that message because we saw some people who looked the part, but their actions seemed anything but holy.
One of the meanest ladies I ever met, wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of slacks. She always wore a dress. She didn’t wear makeup, and I doubt that she had ever cut her hair. She really looked the part of what stereotypical holiness might look like. She apparently kept all of the man-made rules. She lived by the letter of the law.
People could easily identify her with the holiness movement, but there was a problem. As I said, she was mean. It seemed kind of inconsistent, but no one ever raised the question because she looked the part. And besides, everyone was scared of her.
It is interesting what Jesus said about the evidence of what it really means to be Christian. He didn’t point to haircuts, clothing, jewelry or makeup.
John 13:35 (NIV)
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Love is a basic requirement for Christian living. Love for God and love for people.
Matthew 22:35-39 (NIV)
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
I know there are many who adhere to these outward standards, that I’ve been talking about, who also demonstrate genuine Christian love in their daily lives. I thank God for them. But I think it is important that we establish the fact that the only real evidence of a truly sprit-filled life comes from the heart.
Think about this. What is the only unmistakable evidence that an apple tree is an apple tree? ANSWER - It has apples on it. The fruit is all the evidence you need.
Jesus talked about the same thing in Matthew 7. He said “by their fruits you shall know them.” You can tell a lot about a person by the fruit of their lives.
The fruit of the Spirit filled life is outlined in Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
That’s the evidence of the Spirit filled life. The Fruit of the Spirit.
Authentic Christian Holiness is characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Spirit of God produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives. We can’t obtain them by trying to get them on our own. And we can’t live this way consistently apart from Him.
John 15:4-5 (NIV)
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.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If you want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in your life, you must join your life to the life of Christ. You must know Him, love Him, hear Him, and obey Him.
And once you are connected, you must stay connected. Because just like any branch will die if it is detached from the vine, you must stay connected to the life-giving Source which is Jesus Christ.
When you boil it right down to its most basic element, holiness could simply be defined as Christ-likeness. God’s will is for you and me to be like His son. That scares people. We prefer to compare ourselves with others at church or the people we work with. We can’t do that. God wants us to he like His Son. That is His goal for us. We are called to follow in the steps of Christ.
It sounds like a massive undertaking, to follow in the steps of Christ. To be holy as God is holy. And it is. And it is not something you can do on your own.
Galatians 3:3 (NLT)
3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
Talk about an exercise in futility. You can’t live this life on your own. We need God’s help. And the good news is that He is ready to help you live the life He has called you to live. God wants to help you live the life He has called you to live:
1. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us.
John 16:13 (NIV)
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
One of the wisest things you can do as a believer is to develop a keen sensitivity to the Spirit of God. When you allow His Spirit to guide you, you are on your way to becoming the person that God has called you to be.
Psalms 32:8 (NIV)
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
God gives us His Spirit to guide us.
2. He gives us His Word to instruct us.
Psalms 119:105 (NIV)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
We have been listening through the Word of God over a 40 day period that will end in two weeks. Why do we do it? We do it for the same reason that we seek instruction from the Bible when we gather each Sunday. It’s for the same reason we study the scriptures in Sunday School and in Small Group settings each week. We seek instruction from His Word with an eye on becoming the people God has called us to be and living the life He has called us to live.
This next one is really good news for all of us.
God wants to help you live the life He has called you to live and he does so by offering forgiveness when we stumble.
3. He gives us forgiveness when we stumble.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
What is the proper response when you stub your toe spiritually speaking?
I have know many people who began to walk with the Lord one day, only to give up and quit in a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months. I have even know some who followed Christ for years, but then made a bad decision which ultimately caused them to throw in the towel altogether from a spiritual standpoint.
Most of you know Laurie and I have three children. Two of them got home from college this week and one is serving in the US Army stationed in South Korea.
When each of our kids were learning to walk, if they fell down, we had a choice to make. We could walk away and leave them on the ground, or we could help them up and try to walk again.
We did what every loving parent has done hundreds and hundreds of times. We would go to them, pick them up, brush them off, kiss their owie and encourage them to try again.
We often refer to our Christian life as our walk. We are learning to walk with the Lord.
What do we do when someone stumbles in their walk with Christ? If we are the church that God has called us to be, I believe the proper response is to be loving and redemptive.
When a brother or sister in Christ stumbles and falls spiritually, Galatians 6:1 gives tells us what to do.
Galatians 6:1a (NIV)
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.
I think that is Paul’s way of saying, pick them up, brush them off, kiss the owie and try again. And that leads me to #4…
4. He gives us Christian friends to support us.
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The Body of Christ is to help one another, to encourage one another, to lift one another up.
There are four important things that God does for all of us to enable us to live the holy life He has called us to live.
I know some of you might struggle with the idea of overcoming a sinful lifestyle. You know God has called you to be holy, but you just don’t see how that could be possible. First let me remind you that with God, all things are possible. And then let me invite you to listen to what the Apostle Paul had to say in Romans 8.
Romans 8:12-13 (NLT)
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
This morning, I want to invite you to seriously consider the Word of God and the possibility of holy living.
Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world, and make that man holy and put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it.”
Perhaps you have heard the statement, “I sin in word thought and deed every day.” Whenever I hear someone say that, I think how sad.
We serve the God who created this universe. My Bible tells me that with Him, nothing is impossible. So sad to think that such a great God cannot enable us to live the holy live He himself has called us to live.
We live far beneath our potential and possibility as Christians. God is ready to equip and enable you to live the holy life He is calling you to live.
Ephesians 4:1b (NIV)
1 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Do you think Paul would urge us to do something that he knows is impossible?
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
14 Be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Do you think God would say “Be holy because I am holy” or “without holiness no one will see the Lord” if holiness was not a distinct possibility for every Christian?
When we call ourselves “Christians” we must learn to live as Christ did – in accordance to the Word of God. That’s why we emphasize the importance of knowing Christ and living by biblical principles.
2 Corinthians 6:16b-17a (NIV)
16bFor we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.”
That’s what it means to be sanctified. Set apart for sacred use. That’s what holy living is really all about. We are to be the temple of the Living God today. His Spirit living in us enabling us to live a life we could never live on our own.
A temple is a place where the presence of God dwells. And when we are saved, God’s presence comes and dwells inside of us. That makes us the Temple of God.
Haven’t you heard people refer to your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. That’s what they are talking about. He lives in us.
And we need to understand that God will not live in a temple that is defiled by sin. God must live in a Temple that is set apart for Him. When He comes in, it is wise to allow Him access to every aspect of your life. And you won’t have any trouble doing that when you learn that He can be trusted. He knows what is best. Do you believe that?
It is important to realize that you can’t come to church on Sunday and praise God and sing, and pray, and listen, and give, but then live any way you want to on the weekdays. You can’t compartmentalize God out of the rest of your life. Sunday is not just about feeling better for the rotten life you lived last week. It is about allowing God to transform your life from the inside out.
If you are to pursue holiness and be the temple of God on Sunday, you are still going to be the Temple of God on Monday through Saturday. You must be set apart. That means you exist for the special purpose of being a pure dwelling for God. Holiness isn’t just something you do. It is something you become. Do you see the difference? This is what real holiness is all about.
No matter how hard you try, nobody here will ever be able to be holy on your own. You will never find victory over sin on your own. You will only struggle and fail and get up and fall and get up. It becomes a vicious cycle.
But when you submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in your life, God gives you the power to overcome sin. You can overcome hurts, habits, and hang-ups that you could never overcome on your own. You can break those destructive habits and cycles that keep pulling you down and keeping you from becoming the person He is calling you to be.
We must learn to daily walk with God, because in the daily struggles we need the Holy Spirit to help us overcome each and every day. Then and only then will we possess the fruit of the Spirit that will characterize every Spirit filled believer.
Holiness begins in the heart. It is a matter of the heart. But if you give God a chance, He will transform your heart in such a way, that it will change the way you think and act, as you are shaped into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
