Why is Holiness so Important?
Text: Hebrews 12:14
The question is asked today by many people,
“why is holiness so important?” Why do we talk
about holiness and sanctification and John Wesley
all of the time? Many have become disillusioned
by all of the talk of John Wesley and have begun to
think that this is something that he dreamed up.
Sadly, many have completely stopped preaching
and teaching holiness as necessity, but merely as a
nice option. Much like a car salesmen would say
that a CD player and heated seats would be nice in
the new car he’s selling, but he would never
demand that those options must be bought for fear
of losing his sell. Many today preach and teach
holiness as a nice option or a dream that you could
try to obtain in this life, but you never will so why
bother? However, this morning I believe that there
is more to holiness than that. I would like to
present to you three reasons why I believe holiness
is so important.
1. Because Christ died for it. Hebrews 13:12
Jesus Christ suffered and shed his own blood
on the cruel cross that we may be sanctified! He
did not just die that we could be saved from our
committed sins, but he died so that we may be free
from all of sin. He suffered without the gate, that
he may sanctify the people. By rejecting holiness
we are in fact rejecting his death upon the cross.
The reason he died was that we might be sanctified.
If we reject this second work, we are rejecting him.
Heb. 6:1 1 ¶ Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead
works, and of faith toward God,.” And then verse
6 tells us that if we don’t go on into perfection we
crucify Christ again. Holiness is important because
Christ died of it. 1 Thess. 4 gives us what the will
of God is, sanctification.
Benjamin West, the great painter, speaking
of Gilbert Stuart, a brother artist famed for his
beautiful coloring, used to say to his pupils, "It’s no
use to steal Stuart’s colors; if you want to paint as
he does, you must steal his eyes." When we are
baffled in our efforts to live as Christ lived, the
record of His life, however wonderful it is, will not
enable us to be like Him. What we need is His
heart, His nature. Only divinity within us can
recognize divinity without. Without the Holy Spirit,
we cannot know Him as God.
Until we are filled with the Holy Ghost and
completely sanctified we are not all that Christ
wants us to be . Jesus Christ died for our
sanctification and this is the first reason why it is so
important. Holiness did not begin with John
Wesley or George Straub, Jesus Christ died for our
sanctification.
2. Because the Carnal Nature drives us without it.
Romans 7:20-24
Paul wrote these verses describing his battle
to do the whole law of the Old Testament. Yet, he
recognized the sin nature in his heart and he battled
with it to try to overcome it. So many today get
tied up in this chapter of Romans but fail to finish
the chapter and read the next one. Paul was battled
with the sin nature which was driving him to do
things that he did not want to do, but with the
inbred nature of sin in his heart he could not fully
conquer sin. Paul was disillusioned and crying out
for deliverance from his sin nature, however its a
good thing that Paul did not go to many of our
preachers today and ask if there was deliverance for
he would have probably never found deliverance.
But in the next chapter it tells of how he was
delivered in verses 1-6 (read!).
We must be delivered from that sin nature in
our hearts. The absolute necessity of the indwelling
Spirit of God is demonstrated by the forester.
Whitewashing and spraying never reaches some
parasites attacking the tree, so the forester bores
into the very heart of the tree, and introduces
chemical solutions which mingle with the sap and
circulate through every branch and leaf. Thus is the
old tree rendered absolutely safe from its foes.
Is this not exactly the work of the Holy Spirit in the
lives of believers--to so indwell them as to render
them safe from their foes? His ministry is very
much like that of the antiseptic. To be effective the
antiseptic must come in direct contact with the
putrefaction in the flesh. Just so the Holy Spirit
must be permitted direct access to the innermost
secret sins of the believer if there is to be real
spiritual blessing.
The second reason why holiness is so
important, is because our carnal nature must be
removed because it will drive us back into sin if it
is not gotten rid of. Holiness is important because
it removes the sin nature from our heart.
3. Because our Celestial home-heaven demands
it. Hebrews 12:14
If you desire to make heaven your home
someday you must be sanctified. Holiness prepares
us for heaven. No sin can be allowed into heaven
because heaven is holy place that can not tolerate
any sin. This includes the sin nature in our hearts.
If we are not delivered from that nature than the
work is not complete in our hearts. If God can not
completely cleanse us from all sin, than that would
imply that God can not completely defeat the power
of sin. Thank God, that he has conquered the
power of sin, and his has provided full salvation to
this who desire it. He suffered without the gate that
we may be sanctified and make heaven our home
some day.
A minister told how one Sunday night when
he was quarantined in his house because his child
had diphtheria, he watched his church next door;
his church that he could not now enter. He was the
lights shining through the windows. He watched
the people going in. Then the service started, and
he listened to the music. At last he couldn’t stand it
any longer. Silently, like a thief, he stole out at his
back door, and crept up close to the window and
listened. Within all was bright; outside he stood in
the chill darkness. “I realized for the first time in
my life, “ he said, “what it meant to be shut out,
what a terrible thing it meant to be shut out. And
someday I should stand at the gate of Heaven.
What a terrible thing if that door should be shut
against me!” God does not want that! Nor do you!
But we must to neglect the only means of opening
that gate, even the acceptance of him who suffered
without the gate that he might sanctify you.
Heaven demands that we be holy in order to
go there some day and this is why holiness is so
important. No one will make it to heaven without
be holy.
Conclusion:
Holiness is so very important. “Holiness is
our watchword and song”. Holiness is what we are
all about. We must sing it, shout it, loud and long!
Holiness is important because Christ died for it, the
carnal nature drives us without it, and our Celestial
home-heaven demands it.
Holiness is essential. The Bible is a book on
holiness; it tells of a holy God, a holy Christ and
the Holy Ghost. God made a holy man, who lost
his holiness through sin. The Bible reveals a plan
of salvation that restores man to a holy state
through a holy Christ; it tells of a holy heaven
where nothing unholy can ever enter. It promises
that man may dwell forever with a holy God and
holy saints and angels. “Follow peace with all men
and holiness without which no man shall see the
Lord.”-Hebrews 12:14
Holiness is important today, in fact, it is of
supreme importance if you desire to make it to
heaven. I encourage you today that if you have to
already received the Holy Ghost since you
believed, that you do so today. Holiness is
important because Christ died for it, the carnal
nature drives us without it, and our Celestial home
of heaven demands it for entrance. Make holiness
important in your life today.
