However, you are not [living] in the
flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the
Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of
God]. Romans 8:9
01/08/2019
_________________________________________________________________________________
When you became a Christian, Jesus put
the Holy Spirit in you, thus equipping you to be holy. You are still
vulnerable to the world, the flesh {sinful nature}, and the devil. These
three conspire against holiness, tempting you to respond to people and
situations in your old, habitual ways. The Spirit will not force His ways
on you, so it's easy for you to ignore His inner Presence. That's why I
encourage you to pause before responding - inviting the Spirit to live and love
through you.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO CONFUSE BEING HOLY
with trying to appear holy. The Pharisees fell into that trap, parading
their pretension of holiness on street corners, at banquets, in the temple -
wherever they found an audience.
If Jesus Christ were to walk into
the Mega Churches and even most of the smaller Churches, He would be handing
out the SAME WOES that handed the Pharisees and Scribes during His time on the
earth. Like those Pharisees and Scribes the modern “Church Leaders” along with
their flocks would hate the TRUTH BEARER doing everything they could to put Him
in prison while requesting that He be killed to shut Him up. If you listen to
the garbage coming from these pulpits you will understand exactly why Jesus
called the Pharisees vipers in Matthew 23:33.
Read for yourself in Luke 11:37-54
and Matthew 23
just how much God cannot stand when people PRETEND to be HOLY but are only
practicing “RELIGION” to please the people.
Jesus warned that many FALSE
prophets and teachers would be standing in the pulpits described as sheep when
they are ravenous wolves using charisma NOT character to steal from the people
they are supposed to be teaching and protecting Matthew 7:15-20
and 2 Timothy 3.
From Romans 8:9-17
we learn that the Holy Spirit gives us new life including the ability to live
in the Spirit and quit serving the fleshly desires of this world we live in.
Again in 1 Peter 1-16
we learn how the Spirit of God transforms our lives into lives of holiness. We
learn that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to have godly character
and moral courage in this world of sin.
Throughout the Word of God from Old to
New Testament God commands His people to be Holy just as He is Holy. Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7, Leviticus
20:26, Leviticus 21:8, Deuteronomy
23:14, and 1
Peter 1:15
Once you become a child of God by allowing His Son to cleanse you from all your filthiness through the Holy Spirit, your journey will become one of walking in the realm of the Spirit. Looking at the Word of God we learn in Romans 8 to be lead by the Spirit and live our lives on God’s terms not mankind's.
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:9-17
Let
us now look at six way to “Be Holy for I am
Holy” {And Why It's Important}
But like the Holy One who called you, be
holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your
godly character and moral courage]; because it is written, “You shall be holy {set apart}, for I am holy.” {1 Peter 1:15-16}.
What does it meant by “holy” in 1 Peter 1:15-16? The word translated “holy” means sacred, morally blameless,
consecrated, being set apart from the world. God is looking for some people who
are consecrated or set apart for His use. And He knows who those holy ones
should be because He chose us {Ephesians 1:4} and called us to be holy for His purpose {2 Timothy 1:9}.
Blessed and
worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love]
He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the
foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set
apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He
predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His
own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and
good pleasure of His will. {Ephesians 1:3-5}.
He delivered us and saved us and
called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life—a
life set apart—a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any
personal merit—we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own
purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor] which was granted to us in
Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago]. {2 Timothy 1:9}.
The King James Version of 1
Peter 1:15 uses the word “conversation.” The word translated “conversation”
means behavior or conduct. What the Word is saying to us is that we must
make the conscious choice to separate ourselves from the world by living godly
and moral lives. The verse is saying our manner of life or behavior should
reflect holiness because God is holy.
Followers
of Christ Jesus {TRUE CHRISTIANS} should stick out and stand out. Our lifestyles should
be distinguishable from unbelievers and match our profession of faith.
But it’s not easy, is it? In a day and age in which any and everything goes,
Christian’s are constantly facing temptations to live in a manner which isn’t
pleasing to God. Although ungodly living is encouraged, embraced, and expected
in the world today, God’s Word stands as a beacon of hope, life, and
instruction to Christian’s everywhere.
Our Challenges:
A Christian only needs to turn on the television to see programs encouraging
adultery, fornication, abortion, lying, cheating, stealing, foul language, and
drug and alcohol abuse. When you add our access to the internet to the
equation, it only takes a moment for our eyes and ears to be
bombarded on every side by unholy {worldly, lacking God} activity.
We have all be guilty at one time or another of laughing along with
sinful videos, sharing them so others can laugh along with us. Even the majority of
celebrities and clergy members we follow on social media exemplify anything but
holy lifestyles.
Instead of renouncing the hidden things of darkness in one’s life {2 Corinthians 4:2}, many people have chosen embrace and
affirm them. People
{including
“Christians”}
are calling evil good, and good evil {Isaiah 5:20}. It’s time for the church to be set apart, which is
what God intended.
“So come OUT from
among UNBELIEVERS and be SEPARATE”, says the Lord, “And DO NOT touch what is
UNCLEAN; and I will graciously receive you and welcome you [with favor]”
2 Corinthians 6:17
"It's time for us to be holy because God is holy."
Our Calling:
Just
because the world says ungodly living is OK doesn’t mean the Lord says it’s OK.
The Lord expects us to be holy because He is holy and abides in us.
In the Book of James 4:7-10 we learn that just like our Savior Christ Jesus, when we RESIST the Devil, he MUST FLEE from us therefore his temptations become NULL and VOID.
Jesus Christ is our perfect example of one who walked in holiness. If we look at how He lived and
exemplified holiness, we see a life committed to honoring God, showing love,
honoring parents, serving others, and keeping the body holy.
1.
Honor God
If
we want to be holy, we must honor and reverence God. Without reverence of the
Father, we won’t be able to live holy. Christians should have a reverential
fear of God, submitting themselves to the Lord and desiring to please Him. If
we want to walk holy, we must honor God by seeking His face in prayer and the
study of His Word.
The [reverent] fear
of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly
awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point
and its essence], and the knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight. Proverbs
9:10
A
relationship with the Father is imperative to those who want to be holy. Since
we are His children and members of His family, we should resemble Him {1
John 3}. We should take after Him. If we aren’t a part of His family – if
we aren’t His children, we can’t live holy.
2. Show Love
God is love {1 John 4:8}. Love is the foundation upon which everything else is built. 1 Corinthians 13:1 teaches that without love, the work we do isn’t
profitable for us. Thus, love is essential to holy living. The love that flows
from Christians should be pure, without hypocrisy, a healing balm that soothes
the tired, angry, depleted soul. Holy men and women should have forgiving
hearts full of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance.
{Colossians 3:12-13}
Those who are holy and walk uprightly before the Lord need to be on guard against
harboring unforgiveness, anger, and resentment in their hearts. We
should be quick to forgive and spread the love of Christ everywhere we go. If
we’re going to be holy like He is holy, that means, we have to show love and
forgive even when the recipient doesn’t deserve our love or forgiveness.
Sometimes, we’ll have to love others first, even when we don’t feel like or
want to love them {see 1 John 4:19}.
Understand this, my beloved brothers and
sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener],
slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger
[patient, reflective, forgiving]; for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man
does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He
requires from us]. James
1:19-20
3. Honor Parents
Jesus Christ was the Word of God in flesh {John 1:14}, and even He honored His parents by being “continually submissive and obedient to
them” {Luke 2:51}. Christians should honor their parents as much as possible, without following any immoral,
illegal, or sinful behavior they may display. In Exodus
20:12 we read, “Honor {respect, obey, care for} your father and
your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.”
- Honoring our parents means loving them and helping them as much as we can.
- Honoring our parents’ means witnessing to them about Jesus Christ and remembering that we wouldn’t be in the earth without our parents.
- Loving our parents and forgiving them, despite their shortcomings and flaws, is an excellent way to be holy because God is holy.
4. Serve Others
Matthew 5:16 tells us to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they
may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Being
holy glorifies your Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ emulated the Father by
serving others. And since Jesus served people, we must serve people as well. Romans
15, Galatians
5:13
- We can serve anyone by using our gifts, talents, and resources to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus, feed the hungry, and provide shelter to the homeless.
- We can serve fellow believers by edifying, exhorting, and comforting them {see 1 Corinthians 14:3} along their Christian journey.
- We serve the Lord by obeying His Word and glorifying Him in the earth.
5. Abstain from Sin
Our bodies are God’s temples {1 Corinthians 6:19}. We need to keep our temples holy because
God’s Spirit abides in our temples. Christian women should dress modestly, as
not to draw attention to self. We want to attract people to God, not to
ourselves. Although the world tells us otherwise, Christians need to stand on
the truth of God’s Word and keep ourselves from the lusts of the world.
Romans 12:1 teaches us to present our bodies [dedicating all of
yourselves, set apart] as a living
sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational
(logical, intelligent) act of worship.
The Bible also tells us that when we commit acts to please the flesh we
reap ruin {Galatians 6:7-8} and in order to best resist
sexual sins one should be married to one person {1
Corinthians 7:2}. An interesting point about sin is the Bible tells us
to avoid the very appearance of evil {1 Thessalonians 5:22}. So, not only are we to avoid sin, we’re called in
holiness to avoid the appearance of evil.
6. Marketplace Conduct
Those who desire to live holy will reflect that desire in their conduct
everywhere they go {see 2 Peter 3:11}. Therefore, being holy includes our conduct or behavior at the places we visit most
frequently: stores and our jobs.
Christians shouldn’t engage in worldly behavior in the workplace. We
should respect our managers and co-workers. We should also show respect for
those in the marketplace. We should not be seen in stores using rude or foul
language with cashiers or other customers, nor engaging in sinful behavior {such as stealing}.
Christians should remember that our lives are open books being read by people
around us every day {2 Corinthians 3:2-3}.
Equipped for Our Calling:
As a Christian our daily walk must reflect the holiness of the One who so graciously saved us from our former selves creating a NEW Creation for the glory of God.
So
this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence],
that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the
futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls], for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they
are] alienated and
self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of
the [willful] ignorance and
spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having
become callous and unfeeling,
have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving
the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand]. But you did not learn Christ in this way! If in fact you have [really] heard Him and have been taught by
Him, just as truth is in Jesus [revealed in His life and personified in Him],that,
regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely
discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful
desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh,
untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and
put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s
image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a
way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]. Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding,
telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts
of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ]. Be
angry
[at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame,
nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. And
do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge,
or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness]. The
thief [who has become a believer] must no longer steal, but instead he must
work hard [making an honest living], producing that which is good with his own
hands, so that he will have something
to share with those in need. Do not let unwholesome [foul,
profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up
others, according to the need and
the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please
Him], by whom you were sealed and
marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance
from the consequences of sin]. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger
and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, and strife, fault-finding] and
slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all
spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. Be kind and helpful to one another,
tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily
and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you. Ephesians
4:17-32
Being
holy isn’t natural, and it isn’t something we can do under our own strength.
Walking in holiness requires the Holy Spirit received when we become “new
creations.” When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts, we
become new creatures {2 Corinthians 5:17}. Holiness is only possible when we are put on the new self
and live life as the new creatures God ordained us to be. Although holiness
isn’t natural to us, we are instructed in Scripture to follow or pursue
holiness.
Practicing our Calling
We
should look for opportunities to be holy. Being holy may mean:
- Not listening to the same music as our family and friends or watching the same television programs.
- Holiness may involve changing the way we dress, think, or respond to temptations.
- Most certainly, holiness means being set apart for the Master’s use. Walking in true holiness means being like our Father.
We all fight the flesh in our walk
with Christ. How many of us can identify with Paul who wrote “I
do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate
I do. And if I do what I
do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it,
but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in
my sinful nature. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. For I do not do the
good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it
is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
{Romans 7:15-20}?
I know I still battle my own flesh
every single day but for those who are the children of God, we fight from
victory, not for victory for “If
God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?” {Romans 8:31}? The answer of course is no one can
prevail against us if God is for us for who is mightier than God?
I pray you find the joy in life
that comes from being a child of God. Learn from what you have read today and
be the best you can be for your Heavenly Father. Continue to strive to be HOLY
as your Heavenly Father is HOLY {1
Peter 1:16, Leviticus
20:7}.
Forever in the service of Christ Jesus,
·
No comments:
Post a Comment