Following Jesus into holiness II
Nov. 13, 2005 Various
These are my actual notes and sermon handouts and they probably mean more to me than they do to you. If you don’t understand something in my notes – feel free to e-mail me for clarification (stevenmary7@hotmail.com). Here’s some deciphering hints: I use hyphens (-) to separate key elements in a thought progression. I use quotation marks when I’m illustrating what some one in the congregation might be thinking or asking at that particular point in the message or to illustrate different character voices in an illustration. Bullets are springboards for thought progressions associated with main points in a thought.
1. The Definition of Holiness.
• Set apart, holy
2. The Method of Holiness.
A. Positional Sanctification. What God has done.
B. Volitional Sanctification. Our cooperation.
3. The Obligation of Holiness.
• Called and chosen
4. The Mechanics of Holiness.
The Heart is the battleground
MT 15:16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17 "Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man `unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man `unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him `unclean.’ "
The Heart is a Storehouse.
LK 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
The Heart must be Guarded.
We all start with a clean / dirty slate – sin nature – defined primarily by selfishness – but as grow – sin nature in you becomes defined by what you allow to get into your heart – everyone unique in this.
• Can’t just cram anything in there – garbage in – garbage out.
PR 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
When you reach into the stores of your heart – what comes out?
MT 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Basically talking about the temporal or the eternal - What do you treasure?
• What do you invest your time / attention into?
• Do you treasure what God wants to do in your life?
• That’s the path of a follower…
OK, I’m convinced – but…
How do we get things into our hearts – that will transform our hearts?
• Stands to reason that if those gates can allow access to our hearts in a negative manner – then they can be used in a positive manner as well.
The Battle Plan for Holiness
God has outlined a plan for us to cooperate with Him / to follow Him into holiness. And while I am not sure that these have to be in any particular order, after the first one, they are, I believe essential to getting a grip on the holiness that escapes our grasp.
1. Salvation is the prerequisite.
The first, and by far the most important. Aside from bringing us eternal life through the cleansing of our sin, it is the only avenue to getting the other parts of this plan.
• Must be saved to be sanctified
• Must be saved to receive Holy Spirit.
1CO 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
JN 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesn so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 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.
JN 15:5 "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.
• Your salvation is where you plug into Christ. Stay plugged in…
2. Fellowship Keeps You Strong.
Outline for this section…
HEB 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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.
Fellowship with God.
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…,
Paul says at the end of Corinthians…
2CO 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
• Designed to love God and fellowship with His Spirit.
• How do we do that? We do that in many ways…
• Known as worship…
John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
• Do you have a heart to worship? To draw near to god?
• Singing – that’s part of worship – don’t just stand there!!!
• How else do I draw near to God?
1 JOHN 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
• You must be in agreement with the truth to draw near or have fellowship with God. And that fellowship makes you strong.
• You must be in agreement with the truth to be in fellowship with each other as well.
That’s another kind of fellowship that makes you strong…
Fellowship with Others. 24 And let us consider how we may spur
one another on toward love and good deeds.
And here’s what it looks like…
PHP 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
• Being one in spirit and purpose with others is important to God…
• Can’t be strengthened if not in agreement with one another
That’s how so many people torpedo there Christian life - by associating with people that they have no common ground with.
2CO 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belialn? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For 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."n
2CO 6:17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."n
• Separate in relationship – intimacy –
• Seen it happen so many times – friends… No missionary dating…
• If always hanging out with unbelievers – you won’t be strong.
• They can bring you down – because not one in spirit and purpose.
1CO 1:8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1CO 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
• Fellowship with believer – believers strive for unity – truth.
• Believers encourage one another – spur on to love an good works
Fellowship with the Church 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.
• More than just the obvious benefits of attendance -
• If true fellowship is a function of unity around truth and purpose then you can’t possess the truth unless you’re exposed to the truth – church – teaching time.
• Can’t be in unity with the purpose of the church – apart from the church!
• Mutually exclusive – those who try end up being very dysfunctional spiritually.
Fellowship is very important part of the battle plan
Fellowship with God, other believers, and with the church.
Next part of the battle plan…
3. Discipleship keeps us weaponized.
Last week = “Guard your heart” – garbage in – garbage out
• Take the garbage out! – if garbage in heart – get it out!
You mean like taste not an touch not? Paul ran into this…
COL 2:20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
• In the past – illiteracy – system of does and don’ts
• Came to be equated with holiness / holy = a list of things you can’t do
• Over time – ministers raised up that were familiar with the list not Word
• Do well to avoid things on list – but list alone misses the point!
Discipleship / holiness is not avoidance
Holiness / Godly living / Discipleship is… Warfare, struggle, conflict!
The Battle ground is your heart – right?
The Battle plan is to take back / possess what has been redeemed!
The land is yours – given by God – purchased!
• In the land dwells the Canaanites, Amorites, Ammonites, Jebusites etc.
• Must be driven from the land – eradicated from your heart.
ILLUS: See your heart as a vast country before you… When you were saved – heart was purchased by God – you are now a steward… - orders to go in and POSSESS the land!
• I’ve already given it to you! – but inhabitants still there
• As you go through the land to possess it for your king – Lord Jesus…
• Encounter resistance from forces from without and within
• And avoidance of certain things is a tactic – not an end in itself!
If the enemy is in the area – spreads traps or sets ambushes for you.
• You don’t want to step into a trap or wander into an ambush – WHY?
• Because you want to fight on your terms not the enemies.
• But simply avoiding traps is not eradicating the enemies or possessing!
God has called you to take back what was lost!
• He is there with you – His power is there for you
• But you have an enemy to vanquish!
• If you get rid of the enemy – you’re rid of the traps – peace in the land!
That’s the Battle Plan in a nut shell!
• Taking the garbage out of your heart – not just emptying but replacing with God’s truth!
When you were saved – Lord took ownership of your heart – but bullies in the land – won’t just leave unless given a reason – they must be subdued and conquered – not just avoided – like Israel under Joshua – now your heart under Jesus.
On the landscape of your heart you will encounter strongholds/garrisons
ILLUS: Imagine stone walls – fortified – inhabitants mocking from the wall – inside walls – scheming – where is your weakness? How exploit?
When you aren’t looking or in an unguarded moment – launch attacks – gorilla warfare designed to undermine your resolve – to distract, disrupt, discourage – cause panic.
If you just turn and run – avoid – won’t eradicate – so we must engage!
How do we fight? What are our weapons? How do we weaponize?
Fill your Head with the Truth of God’s Word.
Hearing, reading, studying. Fill your mind with the Word of God, and you will find it easier to flee temptation.
2 Cor. 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Can’t demolish Strongholds/arguments – unless you know the Word of God.
• Strongholds of untruth and error – against the knowledge of God – can only be countered by the truth of God’s Word.
• We must know the Word of God intimately in order to wield it’s truth as a weapon – to demolish arguments
• The word of God works – it counters and demolishes untruth of world.
A disciple / Follower of Jesus Christ understands that at every turn – thoughts, arguments, world views assault you – because we are on guard – we challenge them – if they pass the truth test – allowed to continue – if not then take captive – wrestled into submission – make it obedient – prisoner of war!
Talking about Battle Plan for holiness – holiness of heart
Problem with many is that these strongholds are never challenged – let alone demolished – rather - they walk through their gates willingly – eat at their restaurants, watch their parades, listen to their music – instead of subduing them we are subdued by them
You do that every time you submit to a lie – every time a lie goes unchallenged by you.
You are not to enter into the lie!! - You are to attack and demolish these strongholds with Truth of God’s Word – OK?
• Don’t demolish and walk away – lie will revive, regroup, and rebuild
• And we don’t occupy the strongholds – demolished!
• What you do is build a stronghold of truth in its place!
How do we do that? How do we translate the Truth of God’s Word into a stronghold of truth?
You download that truth from your mind into your heart!
That’s the next part of keeping yourself weaponized…
Fill your heart with the Truth of God’s Word.
Psalm 119:9-11 says…
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
• How do you hide God’s Word in your heart?
• Memorizing and meditating – brings Word from head to heart
Meditating on what you get from the hearing, reading, etc., helps you avoid being the man described by James who looks at himself in a mirror and then steps away and forgets what he looks like, because he is not a doer of the Word, but a hearer only. Don’t make that mistake. Meditate on His Word. For those of you who don’t know what I mean, let me explain.
It is NOT the emptying of your mind that the New Age people talk about when they discuss meditation. That’s dangerous, if you ask me. To meditate on the Word of God means to do just the opposite.
• Fill your mind with it – think it over, asking questions, thinking of how you can apply it to your life and situations.
• Invest yourself in doing that!
Your heart will be wherever you invest it – right? – treasure?
• Invest it in praying as you read – “lead me…” – then follow!
• Invest it in singing…
EPH 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Invest it in warfare! – supply – reinforce – strategize – demolish – etc.
• Invest it in Serving the Body of Christ! – each part doing it’s part!
You do that and you’ll be building fortresses of Truth that you can seek shelter in.
Here’s probably the biggest no-brainer in Discipleship process…
Engage your Hands in the Truth of God’s Word.
Talking about obedience to God’s Word – hearing and then doing! – it’s a seamless formula for Holy and Godly living.
1 John 5:3 says this: This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Obedience isn’t an option. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your background. You are required to be obedient.
You see, even if you have the Word of God in your mind – it must be followed with action – action is where we pick up the weapons we have accumulated by filling our minds with the Word.
Now if you’ve taken the time to invest in getting it from the head and into the heart – I believe that obedience is inevitable because you’ve been investing in and valuing the word of God. As a result your desires and affections will begin to change.
They can’t help but change - That’s the Battle Plan for Holliness!
Starts with Salvation
Strengthened by Fellowship with God, Others, Church
Discipleship keeps you weaponized when you…
Train the Head – when you fill it with the Word of God.
Transform the Heart – when fill w/Word of God – memorize / meditate
Engage the Hands – Obey the Truth of God’s Word
Following Jesus Into Holiness II
November 13th, 2005 Various Texts
The Battle Plan for Holiness…
1. ___________________ is the Prerequisite.
1 Cor. 6:9-11; John 15:1-5
2. ___________________ keeps you Strong.
Heb. 10:19-25
Fellowship with _______________. Heb. 10:22-23
2 Cor. 13:14; John 4:23-24; 1 John 1:3
Fellowship with _______________. Heb. 10:24
Phil. 2:1-2; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; 1 Cor. 1:8-10
Fellowship with _______________. Heb. 10:25
3. ___________________ keeps you weaponized.
Col. 2:20-23
Fill your H_______ with the Truth of God’s Word.
2 Cor. 10:4-5
Fill your H_______ with the Truth of God’s Word.
Psalm 119:9-11; Eph. 5:19-20
Engage your H______ in the Truth of God’s Word.
1 John 5:3
