Holiness

Kevin Deyoung, in his book: The Hole in our Holiness, deals with our struggles in seeking to be holy as He is holy.

I find it quite interesting how he points to a comparison of holiness and camping.

His words, “It’s fine for other people. You sort of respect those who make their lives harder than they have to be. But it’s not really your thing. You did not grow up with a concern for holiness. It wasn’t something you talked about. It wasn’t what your family prayed about or your church emphasized.”

So really he communicates how functionally we can separate, in our world view or our functionality, the idea of living a holy life.

I would love to think this is something that the supposed nominal Christian or community person struggles with, but if read statistics about those of us who “called” me or vocational ministers…we struggle on the same level percentage wise as those in the pew or outside of the Lord.

So i want to take a few moments and look at the words of Jesus from John’s Gospel Chapter 15

John 15:3–5 ESV

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Let’s take a moment and be reminded that we need not think that because many of us can quote verses like this one chapter and verse that we are not subject to what demands of us and declares for us.

You are clean!

“because of the word...”

there is a realty of Jesus implying here of not the Word spoken alone, but a gripping and delighted faith in the Word.

So Christ delivers the idea that there is the Gospel He communicated and they received.

The message is a regenerating one, but there is something more to be pragmatic in this idea.

Remain, Dwell, & Delight

John 15:4 (ESV)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Three times in verse 4 Jesus uses the word, “abide”.

The Greek word comes from the root meno meaning to remain, stay, or reside.

Listen brothers as much as Christ has called our congregations to remain in Him…He has called us to finding our dwelling place with Him.

He has called us to grasp, as Deyoung says, “Only by knowing our position in Jesus can we begin to live like Jesus.”

So Christ reminds that His Word cleanses, but the demand is to as an outflow of His work to remain in relationship with and delight in our Savior.

As we seek holiness we are seeking Jesus, not some idea but the personage of Christ as we pushed along towards by the Spirit.

Produce!

John 15:5 ESV

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

How do we know we are abiding during a season?

A certain outflow of abiding is fruit.

Walking Away, But In...

Be clean

Delight

Harvest