The Importance Of Being Holy

The Importance of Being Holy

1 Peter 1:13-16

August 13, 2006 AM

I don’t know about each one of you, I can only speak for myself. It has become increasingly hard over time to live the life that God would have each one of us to in the world today. People are hard to deal with. The temptation for me is to explode on someone, but I know that I cannot. Unfortunately, many times, we run into these people at our churches or at our workplace, we run into hard heads who proclaim to be Christians, but show their tails better than anyone. I heard Dr. David Jeremiah say this about a person who came to his church one Sunday, “I don’t hate Christians, I just don’t like being around them.” The world expects you and I to blow up on people every now and then. However, God’s word teaches the contrary.

Last week, we discovered about the greatest hope that you and I can have – eternal life through Jesus Christ. This morning, we look at the principle of Sanctification or Holiness as it is referred to in this passage.

TEXT

Right off the bat, we must realize that:

I. Holiness comes from God, not the individual

a. Holiness is a gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ

i. Ephesians 2:8-9

1. By grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of God.

b. Holiness means that a believer is set apart for service to Christ

i. Malachi 3:3

1. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord as an offering unto righteousness.

2. “Refiner’s Fire”

a. “My goal is to be holy, set apart for you Lord, to be holy, set apart for you my master, ready to do thy will”

3. Once saved, a change takes place

ILL Each person who has been born again is equipped with an internal sin alarm box. When we make a mistake and fail, our alarm is sounded. Do you have that alarm system?

c. Holiness means that a believer is to refrain from sinful activity

i. 1 John 3:8

1. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

ii. John 8:1-11

1. Woman in adultery

2. “Go and sin no more”

3. She found Jesus, He forgave her, and gave her a proclamation.

d. Holiness means following everything Jesus taught

i. John 15:14

1. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command of you.

ii. 1 Peter 1:14

1. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts.

* v.13 Gird up your mind– prepare your mind: Infiltrate it with good

* v.13 Be sober and hope – don’t get caught up in the riff-raff of the world – get into God’s word and be prepared.

* v.13 Be thankful for GRACE: God’s riches at Christ’s expense

* Believe that God has a supreme purpose for you and your life

II. Holiness means you are set apart all of the time, not just some of the time

a. Remember about the person not really liking Christians…

i. There’s a reason for it.

ii. Holy on Sunday, Hellion on Monday

b. 1 Peter 1:15

i. Holiness in all manner of conversation

ii. ALL

c. Colossians 4:6

i. Let your speech always with grace be seasoned with salt

1. Even when we get aggravated

2. Even when we get hurt

3. Even when we know that we’ve done all that we can do to help in the situation

d. 2 John 6-8

i. Beware of deception

ii. Beware of the “Holy Hellions”

III. “Be ye holy, as I am Holy”

a. We are to gird up, sober up, look up, fix our hope on Christ

b. We are to be thankful for God’s Grace

c. We are to speak with Love in everything that we do

d. We are to be watchful

e. We are to strive to be like Jesus

i. HOLY