God promises…Holiness
Selected Scriptures
Introduction-
Recap-
We have been looking at the promises of God. Looking and seeing that God’s promises we can take to the bank. His faithfulness, His forgiveness, Grace, Mercy, and Him giving us purpose.
This morning we want to talk about Holiness.
When most people think of holiness, they think of perfection. (Usually self professed perfection standing on their rowan pedestal.)
Some think of people who are trying to be good, but fall short and are considered hypocritical because they act like they are perfect but they are not, people can see right through to their faults.
What does the Bible say about perfection?
Actually the Bible has a lot to say about holiness.
Holiness begins with God and is filtered down to God’s people.
1 Peter 1:15-16
“But just as he who has called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do; for it is written; be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Samuel 2:2
“There is no one holy like the Lord, there is no one besides you, there is no rock like our God.”
Holiness is perfection. It begins with God.
A holy God who is perfect.
A Holy God who is without sin and without fault.
A Holy God who sets the standard and all fall short of the glory of God.
A Holy God who determines what is considered sin and what is pleasing or displeasing to Him.
A Holy God who determines what the punishment is for sinning against a holy God.
Isaiah 6:1-5
“In the year of king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple, above him were seraphs, each with six wings, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two they were flying and they were calling to one another. “Holy. Holy, Holy is the lord God Almighty, the earth is full of His glory.”
At the sound of His voice, the thresholds and doorpost shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me, I cried, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty.”
The Nation of Israel had mocked God-
Isaiah was commissioned by God to call them to task. He says verse 1 that He saw (probably a vision) God sitting on a throne high and exalted, high and lifted up!
Seraphs all around the throne crying out Holy, Holy, holy- the triple reputation underscoring God’s infinite holiness. In His vision the doorpost shook and the room was filled with smoke and Gods powerful voice terrified them almost to death.
That’s a glimpse, a tiny portion of God’s holiness-
We treat him like a buddy.
We argue with Him.
We tell Him no.
When Isaiah got a glimpse of who was in front of him, he fell to his knees and was as a dead man waiting to be sentenced.
God’s holiness would of burnt him up if God would of let it.
That holy God tells his people that they must be holy!
Romans 12:1-
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship.”
A holy God tells his people that they need to be holy.
How can we do that?
We cannot do it on our own. We cannot possibly have the power or motivation to do it without God’s help.
Where do we start?
By asking God to take something that is unclean and make it clean, where a holy God can dwell and work in our lives.
I. Become a vessel that God can use
The prophet Jeremiah saw that the potter was allowed to mold the clay into the pot that was needed.
God’s hands, where God was allowed to mold His people.
2 Timothy 2:15-
“Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved, a workmen who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of truth.”
If we let God do the work, and we don’t jump off the table, He makes us useable vessels.
Our speech
Our actions
Our plans all get addressed by God.
He uses some for noble cause and some for everyday use.
Example-
Communion plates/ every day dinner plates. Both are needed, and both have a purpose.
To be used of God, we need to get rid of the things that makes us unclean.
God’s standard of holiness must be cleansed by God using His standards.
If you are to present yourself as one approved, you need to flee the things that would make you unclean and love the things that God loves.
Holiness by God’s standard is being set apart.
Set aside for God’s work and be God’s dwelling place.
Sanctified- set apart
Sanitized- cleansed by God’s holiness being reflected in our lives.
I would encourage you to separate yourself.
Determine that you will let God use you.
Remember it is not your job to determine if you will be used for noble or ignoble or ordinary use, that is God’s job.
Make yourself a vessel that God can use.
II. Become a life in Christ
Ephesians 5:1
“Be imitator of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. “
One way we can imitate God is to have a forgiving spirit.
The way that we imitate God is to act like God. The sacrificial way that Jesus expressed His love for us not only for the means of salvation, but also an example of the way that we are to live for the sake of others.
We put on a new life……………………..created in me a clean heart O God, renew a right Spirit in me. Once I was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see.
We put away the former life……………..God has to be working on each one of us daily. The old has to go!
We put down the things that don’t please God …………Becoming a life in Christ. Don’t make god pry your fingers open of things we should be willing to give Him.
Illustration-
See if this sounds familiar.
I don’t need to be in a church on Sunday morning to love God. I can worship him in the woods, on my boat, doing what I enjoy. What is so bad about that?
Leaving God out of your plans.
You are not taking time to thank God for the good things that he has already gave you.
You would not be seeking God’s will but your own.
You would be only pleasing yourself.
Some people think churches only want your money.
Some people have been in church their whole life and never parted with their money. It is more about you being able to trust God to meet your needs. Less is more! You don’t give to get but ii will tell you that you would not be the only one giving. God is a giver and he has a bigger shovel. He will take care of his people.
We put on the new life.
We put away things that displease God.
We do it because it pleases God, and what pleases God is rewarded by God.
III. Become a transparent life
Your journey begins with God.
He is the perfect one.
The only perfect one.
Realize that God never commands us to do something that he is not willing to help us do. He demands submission so he provides so that we can trust Him.
Isaiah 40:31-
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
We need to be open and transparent to God.
People can say to others that I am not perfect- that is not an insult, that is a fact. But I pray that they don’t say I hide things from God.
It is an exchanged life.
My weakness and imperfections for his strength.
Someone said that we make rules for others and exceptions for ourselves.
We make exceptions for ourselves because in our mind our situation is unique. No it is not!
We just have not submitted it to God and let our weakness be exchanged for his strength.
Gal 2:20-
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Close
Let me try to summarize this information this morning.
When you talk about holiness in the world, the world of un-churched people have a distorted view of holiness.
They either picture a God as task master that cannot be pleased by anything we do.
A God that cannot be reached, does not care anything about us.
A God that created us and abandoned us, all of that is wrong, it is false.
Hear me this morning!
God is a holy God. He does not ignore sin.
He is a perfect God. But He cares for us ,not one of us is excluded.
He is not a task master, He is a holy God that reaches out and makes Himself known to al that want to be found.
He created us, has not abandoned us, but desires to have a relationship with us and provides for us the power to live the lives that he demands of His people.
Christian holiness is about being Christ-centered. Not self centered.
It begins the moment that you become a vessel that God can use, becomes as you let him in your life. Every day we can become more transparent, we allow God to make us more Christ-like.
Repentance is turning around, making a u-turn in our lives.
Amen.
