Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Genesis 17:1-8 and Psalms 25:1-10
Title: Holiness and Advent
Proposition: Advent begins our annual journey towards Christmas. It is also a part of our holiness journey.
INTRO:
Grace and Peace to you this morning from God our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ!
This Lord's Day, we begin our annual Advent journey towards Christmas Day. 27 days from now we will all be celebrating the miracle and mystery of the Incarnation, the first advent our Christ our Redeemer, Savior and LORD! We shall rejoice with billions of our brothers and sisters in Christ along with those in Heaven and as we join in that wonderful old Song - Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King!
Advent season is immersed in journeys. It is during Advent and Christmas season that we focus on some of the great journeys of those who have gone before us. We remember the journey of Zacharias as he traveled to the Temple to burn incense only to be greeted by the Angel Gabriel who told him of the coming of John the Baptist. We remember the journey of Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem. We remember the journey of the Wise Men as they come from the east to bow down at the feet of the child who has been born King of the Jews. We remember the journey of the shepherds as they travel that starry night and give praise and adoration for Jesus, the Savior who is Christ the LORD.
This morning, we too are on a journey. As our scripture readings remind us, we are all on a journey called Christian discipleship and transformation. We are invited to be on a journey that will ultimately lead us to our everlasting home. We are invited to be drawn into Christ, to become renewed and restored into the image of Christ.
We are all invited to join that same journey that Father Abraham was called by God to travel. It is the journey of holiness or as the Hebrew language puts it in Genesis 17 - "walk before me and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly." God invited Abraham and invites us to walk with Him in holiness. God does that so that we may experience a relationship with us that will bless us and our families beyond anything we can think of imagine.
It is this same journey that Paul passionately invites his congregation in Thessalonica to experience.
"Now, may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the LORD make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our LORD Jesus with all his saints."
THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS BLAMELESS IN HOLINESS"
So, this morning, as we journey towards Advent and as we journey towards everlasting life what exactly does it mean to walk blameless before the LORD? What Paul mean when he prays for his congregation that their hearts will be blameless in holiness? What exactly does it mean to walk in holiness with the LORD?
This morning, I would like to share with you two wonderful truths about holiness and then I would like to share with you what a walk of holiness looks like in everyday living.
1. The first truth is: Holiness is not salvation but Holiness is essential for our Christian walk.
We are saved by grace through faith alone.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are not saved by our walk or by our works. We cannot earn our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith alone. Salvation is God's amazing gift to us sinful humans.
To receive this gift, all we have to do is repent of our sins, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38). All we have to do is truly believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD (John 3:16). All we have to do is to surrender all our heart, mind and soul to Jesus. Jesus will then redeem us, renew us and restore us into His image. Salvation has been and always will be a gift from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
So, we must understand first of all, that our walk with the LORD, our walk of holiness will not in and of itself save us. Our walk, our journey of holiness is a direct outcome of our salvation experience with God. Let's look at Abraham's experience for some guidance.
Joshua 24:2 - 3 reminds us that Abraham came from a family that worshipped false gods. Following the flood, it didn't take humans long to once again rebel against God and begin to worship false gods. The ancient rabbis tell us that Abraham's family made their living manufacturing idols out of stone, wood and clay. Many learned rabbis believe that Abraham himself worshipped the sun, the moon and the stars along with other false gods.
Genesis 12 shares with us the story of Abraham's epiphany and salvation moment. One day, Abraham heard the call of God to follow Him. God called Abraham to come out of the darkness of sin and accept His saving grace and follow Him. By faith, Abraham answered that God's call for salvation and grace. God further calls Abraham in Genesis 17 to walk with Him, to walk before Him blamelessly. God first redeems Abraham and then invites and challenges Abraham to walk with Him in holiness. Holiness is simply learning how to live the life that God has designed for all of us. Holiness is simply a life of justice, love and humility. Holiness is simply walking the life that Jesus showed us in the New Testament.
Like Abraham, we too are invited to experience salvation and then to learn how walk before the LORD blameless. That is to say, we too are called to walk in holiness. Hebrews 12:14 reminds us of the importance of such a way. Hebrew 12:14 reminds us that without holiness no one shall see the LORD. That is to say, if we want to experience everlasting life this morning and I believe that we do, then we too will walk in holiness. The Bible is full of references that testify to the essential nature of our walk of holiness. Psalm 15; Psalm 25 and Matthew 5:48 reminds us that holiness is essential for our continued fellowship with God. Ephesians 5:1-21 reminds us that holiness is essential for our spiritual well being. Matthew 5 - 8 reminds us that Holiness is essential for us to experience the life God wants us to enjoy here on earth.
And because holiness is essentially walking with God, we see a 2nd truth about holiness:
II. The 2nd truth is this:
God will always make it possible for us to walk in holiness
God will never call us to do something that He would not also enable us to do. Everything God calls us to do, we can be assured that He will make a way for us to accomplish it victoriously. The writer of Hebrews 13:20-21 reminds us of this fact:
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This morning, listen to how the Amplified Bible puts forward the same thought as it translates Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)
10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
God does not rejoice when we stumble, fall and fail. God find no pleasure in our pain and suffering. He did redeem us and call us to walk in holiness just so we can experience defeat and despair. God is always on our side and He rejoices when we experience joy and victory. God will do all He can to enable and equip us to walk a progressive and successful walk of holiness. God will do all He can to restore us into the image of Jesus.
So, if holiness is essential and holiness is possible what does a walk of holiness look like?
III. Holiness can be summed up by practicing three simply things:
A. Live a life committed to doing all things justly
B. Live a life practicing Loving kindness
C. Live a life of walking humbly before the LORD
Now, what do those exactly mean? In a nut shell this is what they mean.
A. Holiness means being faithfully committed to living out a just (righteous) life which involves these three guidelines:
1. It means being just (righteous) when it comes to yourself, others and nature. It means doing your best to be a good steward of your own life, to be a true neighbor to others and to treat God's animals and nature with a holy righteousness.
2. It means being just with your resources and with your finances. It means working with integrity, honesty and honor. It means working as if you were working for the LORD.
3. It means doing all you can to bring about justice and righteous to our world. It means that we understand that we have a hand in bringing about God's kingdom here on earth. It means that we are to do everything in our power to make our world to be a more just, more kind and a holy place.
B. Holiness means practicing Loving Kindness which involves four simple practices
1. That we are proactive in our loving kindness. That means that we actively seek ways that enable us to put others before our selfish gain and position. It means that we strive to do what Jesus did while He was here on earth. It means that we practice the art of Philippians 2:5-11 where we take on the role of a servant.
2. It means that we do all we can to speak and create words of loving kindness. God's word brought about creation. Our words have creative power. Therefore, we do all we can to avoid harmful and hateful talk. We use our words to bring about healing, reconciliation and joy. We do all we can to avoid words that create an atmosphere of enmity, jealousy and strife.
3. It means that we embrace the stranger with loving kindness. In ancient times the Talmud tells us that the Jews would take a piece of cloth and put it on the door of their homes so that any passing stranger would know that they could come in and share a meal and fellowship. Today, that is done by putting up the mezuzah right beside their doors. The mezuzah means those who reside are committed to living a life of loving kindness.
4. It means we do all we can to make our households places of peace, harmony and loving kindness. It means as husbands we respect our wives, as wives we obey our husbands and as children we honor our parents. It means that we live out Ephesians 5:22- 6:4.
C. Finally, Holiness means walking humbly before the LORD by cultivating the following five practices which by doing them will lead us to a deeper spiritual intimacy with our LORD
1. It first of all means that we practice Sabbath.
2. It means that we make it a life priority to immerse ourselves in God's Word. It means that we take to heart Psalms 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
3. It means that we spend quality time in meditation and prayer. There simply isn't any substitute to our times of meditation and prayer. It is one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can practice.
4. It means that we do all we can do to improve ourselves; our bodies , our minds and our souls for the purpose of being a vessel of honor that the LORD can use for His glory. The closer we are to the LORD the more we can be Jesus to others.
5. It means being a blessing to others. It means interceding for others and it means saying prayers of blessings over our children, our family, our friends and even our enemies.
As you listened to those this morning I am sure like me you began to see the tall order of what it means to walk a journey of holiness. Walking in holiness is not for those who want to be lazy or simply slide by in this life. Walking in holiness requires patience, it requires hard work and tenacity. Walking in holiness requires us to constantly be under the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
So, how can we live up to a lifestyle of holiness?
Well, there is some good news and some bad news. The bad news is on your own you can't even hope to journey the road of holiness. It is impossible for us as humans to be holy or to live a holiness life. It is beyond our human capabilities. The good news is God has provided a way through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.
The good news is that you and I can take a staining through the blood of Jesus this morning.
How many of you have either painted or stained some wood? Both painting and staining wood will provide the wood protection and they can change the wood but there is a great difference between painting and staining.
C. S. Lewis in his wonderful work entitled Mere Christianity points out a vital difference between a paint and a stain. For the most part paint simply lays on the surface of an object. It covers it but does not transform it on the inside. It simply hides what is beneath the surface. It can chip and peel. Stain however, soaks into the product, especially if that product is wood.
Stain not only provides protection but it becomes one with the wood. A stain does not just hide or lay on top of the surface of the wood but penetrates into the wood and brings out its natural beauty and grace. Stain brings about a beautiful transformation in the wood.
It is the same way with the Holy Spirit. In order for us to walk this walk of holiness we have to be more than painted with the blood of Jesus. We have to be more than simply covered. We need to be stained with the redemptive and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be stained fully with the blood of Jesus. We need to the stain of the Holy Spirit sink deep into our bodies, our minds and our spirits. We need to allow that Holy Spirit stain to protect us and enable us to walk the walk of holiness.
Jesus was serious when He preached about holiness and being perfect even as His Heavenly Father is perfect. The LORD knew we need some more than just simply be painted with the blood of Christ. The LORD knew we needed a complete and full treatment. The LORD knew that we as His followers must go all out and allow His Holy to stain us with His Holiness.
In that same book, C. S. Lewis points out we may think that all of this is impossible and truly it is in our own human strength. Lewis points out that it is hard for an egg to turn into a bird. But it is even harder for an egg to learn how to fly while it remains an egg. The egg has to undergo the transformation process of going from egg to baby bird to learning how to fly.
We are like eggs. We cannot walk the walk of holiness without being transformed. We cannot indefinitely go on being an ordinary, decent egg. We must either be hatched and start to grow or we will go bad.
We cannot simply be painted with the Gospel of Jesus. We cannot simply ask Jesus to coat us with the paint of holiness. If that is our aim then we will forever be like the Galatians we read about in Galatians 5:19-21
Galatians 5:19-21New King James Version (NKJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[a] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders,[b]drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
or those immature Christians that we find in Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
That is not the life that God has for any of us this morning.
This morning as we come to the Lord's table let us partake of the cup of Christ and reflect on our own walk of holiness. As we feel the grape juice go down our throats, let us take a moment and ask the Lord to allow His Spirit to stain our lives.
Spend some time with the LORD and ask the LORD to give you an experience that is deeper than paint holiness. For God to give you a walk of holiness that is deeper than being covered. You don't want to crack and peel over time. That is what happens if we just let God's holiness merely touch us; merely cover us. When we get into a time of trials and temptations we will find our Christian values and principles peeling away. We will find that Satan finds the cracks in our paint and we fall backwards and slide backwards. We will find ourselves in trouble.
Instead, allow God to stain your heart, your mind and your body this Lord's Day. Ask the LORD to penetrate deeply into your heart, mind and body. Ask the LORD to bring out the beauty of holiness in your life and live under His protection and power.
Over the next 27 days we will celebrate Advent. We will journey towards our annual celebration of Christ Incarnation, over Christ's first advent. Let us also allow our journey to bring us closer to God. Let's allow this Advent Journey to also be one of holiness. Let's come to the table and ask for the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us toward this goal.
