The Privilege Of Living A Holy Life

THE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING A HOLY LIFE DT 7

When you’re in your 90s and looking back, it’s not going to be how much money you made or

how many awards you’ve won. It’s really "What did you stand for? Did you make a positive

difference for people?" -- Elizabeth Dole, Politician

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." -- Count Leo

Tolstoy

"Your heart is the power core of all your success . . . no matter what you are desiring, if your

heart isn’t in it . . . then you will be without it." -- Doug Firebaugh

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and

convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -- Martin Luther

King, Jr.

1. THE PRIVILEGES OF GOD’S PEOPLE. We see in this chapter they are:

A. DISTINGUISHED. 7:6 DT 14:2for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the

peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession. .

26:18And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he

promised. Mal 3:17"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my

treasured possession. 1 PT 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a

people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness

into his wonderful light. Eph. 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy

and blameless in his sight.

B. THEY ARE REDEEMED. 7:8 “he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the

land of slavery.” The "covenant of love" stems from God’s love for his people, based on his

character and embodied in his covenant; it does not stem from the numerical greatness of the

people or any virtue of theirs. His love must be returned by his people. 7:9 In the Bible, to redeem

means to free someone from something bad by paying a penalty, or a ransom. Likewise, in the

Greek world slaves could be redeemed by the payment of a price, either by someone else or by the

slave himself. Similarly, Jesus redeems believers from the "curse of the law" and "all wickedness".

The ransom price is not silver or gold, but Christ’s blood, his death or Christ himself (Gal 3:13). The

result is the "forgiveness of sins" and "justification Son of God, and that by believing you may have

life in his name.” This whole Gospel is written to show the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and to present

him as the Son of God, so that the readers may believe in him. The writer’s purpose was to draw

them to belief in Christ he uses the verb "believe" 98 times.

D. THEY ARE HIGHLY PREFERRED. Deut. 7:14 28:1-14 When all the plagues were in Egypt

they were protected from them all. God was always working for their good.

E. THEY ARE SHIELDED. VS 15 EX 15:26 I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on

the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." God had brought the plagues in Egypt because

they would not let the people go. None of those things would come on God’s chosen people. He

does send discipline to help correct us to do good.

F. THEY ARE ESTEEMED. VS 21- 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.” Christ dwell in your heart by faith. That faith

brings you into favor with God.

G. THEY ARE MIGHTY VS24. In the N. T. we have a man named Stephen who fell before his

accusers but saw Jesus standing to receive him.

II. WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE THAT ARE HOLY BEFORE GOD.

A. WE CAN NOT COMPROMISE WITH THE ENEMY. VS 2,3 have no association--political,

social or religious--with the idol worshipers. Sin is still sin no matter how it appears to be just a

custom that all are doing. I have seen in my life time the standard for holy living watered down that

people who say they are Christians do wicked things and have no guilt about them. I wonder why it

was wrong when I came into the kingdom of God to go to movies? Play cards? Gamble? Dance?

Now I have been told it OK in the right context. I wonder what happened to the definition of sin. Any

thing that goes against being holy before God. I am amazed at what people do today and show up