My Holiness is in Him

Leviticus 19:1 – 2

Introduction: Philip Yancey

In writing a book entitled

Disappointment with God

Once said

Once, as an experiment,

the great scientist Isaac Newton

stared at the image of the sun

reflected in a mirror.

AND

The brightness burned into his retina,

and he suffered temporary blindness.

and even after he hid for three days

behind closed shutters,

still the bright spot would not fade

from his vision.

Newton said

"I used all means to divert my imagination

from the sun,"

"But if I thought upon him

I presently saw his picture

though

I was in the dark."

But the truth is

If Newton had stared a few minutes longer,

he might have permanently lost all vision.

Because

The chemical receptors that govern eyesight

cannot withstand the full force

of unfiltered sunlight. 

And

there is a parable

in Isaac Newton's experiment,

and it helps illustrate

what the Israelites ultimately learned

from their wilderness wanderings.

see, they had attempted

to live with the Lord of the Universe

visibly present

in their midst;

but, in the end,

out of all the thousands

who had so gladly fled Egypt,

only two survived God's Presence.

And the point is

If you can barely endure candlelight,

how can you gaze at the sun?

We might say it this way...

If you can’t live for God

Then maybe your holiness

Is the problem

And with that in mind

Let’s read our brief text

for this evening

It is just 2 versus

The Bible says

In Leviticus 19: 1 – 2

“ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.”

-Let’s pray

(Prayer)

I. The concept of holiness

Declaration

Now then

As we read through our Bibles

Each year

All of us

If

We are paying attention

Read some amazing statements

Statements like the one

We read in the book of Genesis

Where

Joseph told his brothers

But as for you

You thought evil against me

But God meant it unto good

The Bible says

In Genesis 50:20)

We

Read Statements

Like what Joshua said

He said

in Joshua 24:15

King James Version Chapter 24

if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

We

likewise know the statements

That God Himself made

Which we will talk about

In the days ahead

Where

The Lord said

In Deuteronomy 5:29

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

and

There are many other statements

All throughout the Bible

That we could focus on

this evening

But

Tonight

We turn our attention

To the book of Leviticus

The third book

In the Old Testament

now

The book of Leviticus

Is filled

with important statements

Statements like

Leviticus 20:13

Where the Bible says

“ If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Or

Leviticus 19:18

Where the Bible says

“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”

Or

Leviticus 17:11

Where God’s Word

Tells us

“ For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

But

That being said

There’s one important statement

That I want to draw your attention to

in Levf 19

Turn there if you would please

Lev 19

And read with me

Versus 1 – 2

We’ve already read it

But let’s read it again

The

Bible says

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Now

Notice that last phrase

ye shall be holy

For I

The Lord your God

Am holy

By the way

We’ve read that phrase

before

Haven’t we

In fact

Keep your place here

In the book of Leviticus

And turn way ahead

To the book of 1 Peter

1 Peter

Chapter 1

In verses 15 – 16

Peter wrote

“ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Discussion

Now

The Bible has much to say

About the topic of holiness

In fact

I’m going to ask you

To turn to several passages

And I want us to see these

Turn if you would

To 1 John 3

And read with me

Versus 6 – 10

The apostle John wrote

“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 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. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”

Somebody said

Pastor

Where in those verses

Is the word

holiness

mentioned

Well

It is not mentioned directly

But it is mentioned

indirectly

Because

It condemns

Abiding in sin

And see

Holiness

Is separating oneself

From sinful behavior

In fact

In Biblical terms,

holiness refers to a state of separation,

purity,

and sacredness,

primarily

associated with God

and,

by extension,

with those who are

dedicated to His service

and way of life. 

Easton’s

Bible dictionary says

in the highest sense

Holiness

belongs to God

As a matter of fact

We know What the angels said

In Isaiah 6:3 ; 

Isaiah the prophet

Heard them saying to God

Holy

Holy

Holy

And the point is,

Holiness belongs to God

Revelation 15:4 ),

But

At the same time too

Holiness ought to be a part

Of the Christian life

as they are consecrated

to God's service,

and

in so far as they are conformed

in all things

to the will of God ( Romans 6:19 Romans 6:22 ; Ephesians 1:4 ; Titus 1:8 ; 1 Peter 1:15 ).

Easton

Went on to say that

For the Christian

Personal holiness

is a work of gradual development.

It is carried on

under many hindrances,

hence

the frequent admonitions

to watchfulness,

prayer,

and perseverance ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 ; 2 co 7:1 ; Ephesians 4:23 Ephesians 4:24 ). (See SANCTIFICATION .)

Deliberation

The

Apostle Paul wrote

in 2 Corinthians 7:1 

 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The

Writer of Hebrews said

IN Hebrews 12:14 - 

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

in

1 Thessalonians 4:7 

Paul went on to say

 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

And again

Back in the book of Leviticus

The Bible says

Leviticus 20:26 

And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

So

The essential idea

Or the concept

Of holiness

As far as people are concerned

Is clear

It

Is essentially

A willingness

To separate oneself from sin

And thus

To separate one’s self

To God

And

If we were to take the time

This evening

We could Study

Bible Figures

Who

By all accounts

Endeavored regularly

To live holy lives

For example

We could talk about Abraham:

And undeniably

His unwavering faith

and obedience to God's command

to sacrifice his son Isaac,

even though

it was a test of his devotion,

those are central

to his legacy

Of a holy life

We

Could also read about

A man named Noah:

Who

is described

as "a just man,

and perfect

in his generation,"

and

The fact is

Noah's righteousness

and faithfulness to God

Yes, his Holiness

led him to build the Ark

and preserve life

during the Great Flood. 

I

Think it is safe to say

That as far as God was concerned

Noah was holy

And

What about Job

in Job 1:8

the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

and

Though he experienced

immense suffering

and loss,

Job remained steadfast

in his faith

and refused to Curse God

Even when his friends

Questioned his righteousness

And

Think about Moses

Moses

was a key figure

in the Old Testament,

who

led the Israelites out of slavery

in Egypt

and he received

The 10 Commandments

From God Himself

God

Likewise did something for Moses

That no one else

Has been able to experience

God revealed to Moses

His back parts

The Bible says in Exodus 33:23

And

Why?

Moses

Was a holy man

Likewise

We could talk about both

Elijah

And Elisha

Who

We’ve been reading about

In our daily Bible reading

Both of those men

Lived lives

that were holy

Discussion

By the way

Let me make an important statement

Anytime there are people involved

Whether

They are holy or not

People sometimes sin

In fact

All these ones

That I made mention of

Had problems with sin

Abraham did

He stepped away

From God’s perfect will for his life

In Genesis 12

he lied on occasion

But

Even though he had sin issues

His heart’s desire

Which likewise

ought to be

our hearts desire

But

Abraham’s heart’s desire

Was to live a holy life

And

What about Noah

Even though Noah was perfect

In his generation

Yet

After surviving the flood

By the grace of God

Noah got drunk

Moses

Had a problem with his temper

I mean

In anger

He broke the 10 Commandments

And in anger

He smote the rock

Rather

Then speaking to the rock

Like God had told him

In Numbers 20:11

And

My point is this

Sinners

Are going to sin

But

That doesn’t mean

We can’t strive

And endeavor

To live holy lives

Determination

But

Be that as it may

God is holy

And again

Holiness is essentially

A separation from sin

And a separation

To righteousness

So

When God says

that He is holy

He is saying

I sin not

In fact

In 2 Corinthians 5:21

The apostle Paul wrote of God

With regards to Christ

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Now

Think about that

The Lord Jesus Christ

Doesn’t even know sin

Likewise

The apostle Peter said

Of the Lord Jesus Christ

in 1 Peter 2:22 

that

He

did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

in

Hebrews 4:15 -

The Bible says

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

And

My point is

Back in our text

in Leviticus 19

God

Told his people

I the Lord

your God

am holy

I am sin free

II. The commission for holiness

Declaration

So look

Back in our text

For this evening

In Leviticus 19

and

I

Want us to consider

The commission

That we all have

For holiness

We

Have talked about the concept

Of holiness

That

God wants us

To live lives

That are separated from sin

Because

As it says here in Leviticus 19

As God said

“, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

But

As we think about the concept

Of holiness

Let’s talk about the commission

To holiness

now

we have the great commission

In the New Testament

We spent right much time

talking about it

This past week

But

While we have the great commission

In Matthew 28:19 – 20

Yet

We have

the godly commission

In Leviticus 19:1-2

Where again

The Bible says that

“ the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Now

I want you

To think about that

if you would

God

Told Moses

To commission His people

Ye shall be holy

That is

You shall be sacred

You shall be

set apart

Unto me

Discussion

And

Keep in mind

In the context here

This commission

Was given specifically

To the nation of Israel

To

The 12 tribes of Israel

And remember

They

Had been in bondage

For 400 years

And God delivered them

From their bondage

He

Brought them out of Egypt

With a strong hand

And

an outstretched arm

He

Led them through the Red Sea

God literally

Redeemed them

Which is a picture

of our salvation

And now

Here in our text

God is commissioning them

To be holy

To be set apart

To Himself

So

Think about that

God saved them

From never-ending bondage

And then

God commissioned them

To be holy

but

Let me ask you a question

Did God have a right

To give that commission

to them?

Absolutely

and

Number one

God had a right

To commission them

To be holy

Because He is God

But

At the same time too

God had a right

To commission Israel

To be holy

Because

God

Had redeemed them

from bondage

Which

Implies that

They were His

Deliberation

But

Allow me if you would

To make an observation

This commission

That God gave here

In Leviticus 19

Is not just applicable

To God’s people

the Jews

No

God has given this commission

To all of us

Because

Think about it for a moment

God

has redeemed us too

In fact

I’m reminded

Of what the apostle Peter wrote

In 1 Peter 1:18 – 19

he Said

“ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Peter

Was saying simply

God has redeemed us

Literally

Paid a ransom for us

Saving us

From our captor

God redeemed us

With

the precious blood of Christ

Jesus

Went to the cross

And shed His blood

To pay our ransom

Because

let’s face it

Before becoming believers

We were in bondage

To the devil himself

And to our own sin

Oh

But the Lord Jesus Christ

Shed His blood

To pay the ransom

For our souls

To save our souls

And

Let me say

What an expensive ransom

God paid

For the redemption of our souls

And therefore

Aside from the fact

That God is God

And has every right

To commission all of us

To be holy

Yet

God paid for us

In fact

I’m reminded

Of what the apostle Paul said

In 1 Corinthians: 19 – 20

“ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

So

Think about

What Paul was saying here

Christian

You are Purchased

with a price

Therefore

Or because you were bought

With the precious blood of Christ

Therefore

Glorify God

In your body

And in your spirit

Because they belong to God

And

The point is

Because God bought us

He therefore commissions us

To be holy

Listen again

If you would

to 1 Peter 1

And read with me

3 versus there

Versus 14 – 16

In

1 Peter 1: 14 -16

Peter wrote

“ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Determination

By the way

There’s no way to be holy

If you are fashioned

According

to your former lusts

Do

You see that phrase

In verse 14?

That means simply

To pattern yourself after

To conform yourself to

Peter was saying

The obedient Christian

Does not pattern himself

After his former life

his Life

Before becoming a believer

But

The reality is

sometimes

Christians do that

They accept Christ as their Savior

They then

begin

To walk in newness of life

After having been redeemed

And for a time

They live consecrated lives

But

For whatever the reason

In time

They begin to stray

They begin to fall away

They

Begin to follow the pattern

Of their life

Before becoming a believer

but

There’s no way

You can heed the commission

To be holy

If

you’re fashion yourselves

according to

the former lusts

But clearly

God inspired Peter

To give the commission

To New Testament Christians

To

Be holy

Because God Himself

Is holy

By the way

John Brown

a 19th century

Scottish theologian

Once said

Holiness

does not consist

in mystic speculations,

enthusiastic fervours,

or uncommanded austerities;

but

it consists

in thinking

as God thinks,

and willing

as God wills.”

What a great thought!

I

Also think

About the Memorable words

Of Robert Murray McCheyne

As

He wrote

to the Rev. Dan Edwards

on 2 October 1840

after his ordination

as a missionary to the Jews:

He wrote

‘I trust you will have a pleasant

and profitable time in Germany.

He said

I know you will apply hard

to German;

but do not forget the culture

of the inner man,

I mean

of the heart.

He said

How diligently

the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean

and sharp;

every stain

he rubs off with the greatest care.

Remember

Mc Cheyenne said

you are God’s sword,

His instrument,

I trust

a chosen vessel unto Him

to bear His name.

In great measure,

according to the purity

and perfections

of the instrument,

will be the success!

And then

He went on to say

It is not great talents

God blesses

so much

as great likeness to Jesus.

A holy minister is an awful weapon

in the hand of God.

And the point he was making

And

The point I’m trying to make

This evening is

God

wants all of us

To be like Jesus

He

wants all of us

To have Christ likeness

That

As He is holy

Even so

We too

Should be holy

That commission

Was given

To the nation of Israel

So long ago

As we read in our text

In Leviticus 19

But

That same commission

Is given

to all of us

As Christians

That

“ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

The Bible says

In 1 Peter 1:14 – 16

III. The concern about holiness

Declaration

But

Now that we have talked about

The concept

Of holiness

That

It is being set apart

From sin

And being set apart

To the Savior

And

Now that we’ve looked at

The commission

For holiness

That

Like God gave to Israel

He Likewise commissions us

As believers today

To be holy

To

Endeavor to think

As God thinks

And to endeavor to will

As God wills

But

Now that we’ve looked at the concept

Of holiness

And the commission

To holiness

Let’s

Turn our attention

To the concern

Regarding holiness

And

The concern for all of us

Is

How can people like us

to be holy

Because

as we look at ourselves

And if we are honest with ourselves

Then

We know what we are

Deep down inside

We know

The struggles we have

As believers

We know

The temptations we face

As believers

And

We know likewise

That sometimes

The temptations are so severe

That we give in

That

We slip back

In the same old patterns

That we had before

And by the way

Lest you think

Your way to spiritual

to do that

Discussion

Then

Let me tell you

About a very spiritual man

In the pages of Scripture

he

Was a man named Demas

Turn quickly if you would

To Col 4

And read with me

Verse 14

Paul wrote

To

The church at Colossae

And he said to them

“Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”

Now

The inference here

Was that as Paul wrote this letter

He was accompanied

By Luke

Who was a very spiritual man

And

by Demas

Who Paul also considered

To be a very spiritual man

He

Was no doubt endeavoring

To live a holy life

now

Paul

Wrote the book of Colossians

In A.D. 60 – 62

While imprisoned in Rome

But

While in the prison

He was accompanied

By his fellow laborers

Men like Luke

and Demas

And these men were no doubt

Endeavoring

To live holy lives

Then

During the same imprisonment

Paul wrote a letter

To a man named Philemon

And

Listen to what Paul said

In verse 24

Of that little book

he Said

“ Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.”

Now

Think about that

Paul said

I’ve got some men

Who are laboring

alongside me

They

Are serving with me

In the ministry

And

Their names are Marcus

That is John Mark

Who went on

to write the book of Mark

There

Is Aristarchus

And there is Luke

But

Oh look

There is also Demas

Demas

Paul said

Is also

my fellow laborer

But yet

In 2 Timothy 4:10

Paul went on to say

“ For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”

Now

I want you to think about that

Demas

Who had been Paul’s fellow laborer

Demas

Who at one time

Was endeavoring to be holy

Demas

Began again

To love this world

He

Started fashioning himself

According to his former lusts

So

if Demas

Struggled with holiness

Then don’t you tell me

That you never

struggle with holiness

Because

The fact is

Every person in this room

Still possesses the sin nature

Deliberation

Paul

Made mention of that

In the book of Ephesians

Turn there

If you would

To chapter 4

In Ephesians 4: 22

Paul said

“ That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”

Now

Think about this

Paul was writing

To a New Testament church

And

He told them

You have this old nature

That you need to put off

In other words

You need to minimize it

Because he went on to tell them

You need to put on the new man

In verse 24

The new nature

So

Paul was saying

Subdue the old man

The old nature

And strengthen

The new nature

by

Renewing the spirit of your mind

That is

Begin to think like God

See

When we begin to think like God

We start living holy lives

But

Here’s the concern

We still have the old nature

That hangs around our neck

Like an albatross

And

This old nature of ours

Is corrupt

According to the deceitful lusts

This

Old sin nature of ours

Endeavors to deceive us

So that we give in

To the lust of the flesh

The lust of the eyes

And the pride of life

Determination

And

When it does

That’s when we struggle

To obey the godly commission

Of being holy

That’s

When we struggle

To live holy lives

As God intended

That

Even though we have been

Bought with a price

by the precious blood of Christ

Well

This old nature

Tries to gain dominance

Which keeps us

From living holy lives

And again

I think about Moses

When Moses was on Mount Sinai

Getting the Law of God

Literally

Spending time

In God’s presence

He was no doubt

living

A holy,

consecrated life

But

As God’s people in that day

Got impatient

And started worshiping a golden calf

And

As Moses

Became aware of it

Well listen to what the Bible says

In Exodus 32:19

It says

“ And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”

Now

Why did Moses lose his temper

Causing him to break

This 10 Commandments?

Commandments by the way

That had been written

With the finger of God

why did Moses do that

Well

It’s true that

he was a child of God

God had redeemed him

From the bondage of Egypt as well

But

Moses

Like Demas

Like all of us

Still had

his old nature

a nature

That he struggled with

A nature that was corrupt

And in that struggle

Like Moses

we sometimes

lose the fight

And our holiness is minimized

So that

Even though as Christians

We know the concept of holiness

And even though as Christians

We have a commission

To holiness

Yet

Our major concern

Is our flesh

It is this old nature

That we have today

A nature which

Thank the Lord

Will be eradicated one day

But in this life

We all have an old nature

Which ought to concern all of us

IV. The comfort we have with regards to holiness

Declaration

But

I’m so very thankful

This evening

For the comfort that we have

With regards to holiness

Our ability

To be holy

Is bound

In our relationship

to Jesus Christ

We

Can be holy

Because He

Is holy

And

As I bring this sermon

To a close

This evening

Let me share

Some key aspects

of living a holy life

And

This is not

An exhaustive list

But let me share

Just a few key aspects

Of living a holy life

Number 1

prayer and Bible Study:

As believers

We need to be regularly engaging

in prayer

and studying the Bible

Because

Both of those things help

to cultivate

a deeper understanding of God's character

and will,

and

will guide us

in making choices

that align with Personal holiness

Because

Think about what prayer does

Prayer brings us into the presence

Of God

In fact

God said in Hebrews

We ought to come boldly into God’s presence

Bringing our petitions to Him

And

Think about the Bible

This book

It has been said

Will keep you from sin

And therefore

As we regularly

Spend time praying

And spend time in the Word

That can help us

Cultivate holiness

In our life

Discussion

There is

A second key aspect

Or Avenue

That leads to holiness

And

That is

Obedience

Making

a conscious effort

to obey God's commands

and to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ

is crucial.

Where holiness is concerned

just

consistently striving to live

according to His principles

and seeking His guidance

in every area of life

that Is

A sure fired Avenue

To holiness

Number 3

Spiritual Purity

Avoiding sin

and striving for purity in thought,

word,

and deed

is

essential

for living a holy life. 

And

Let me say that

This can involve actively seeking God's forgiveness

of sins

and making choices

that honor Him. 

Paul said

In 1 Timothy 5:22

“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.”

Deliberation

Number 4

Love and Humility

by Cultivating a heart filled

with love for God

and others,

and

by practicing humility,

We can cultivate holiness

In our life 

Because

Think about it

Love and humility

Create In us

a

patient heart with others

and kindness

and a forgiving Spirit

Just like Jesus demonstrated. 

Helps us to be more Christlike

And therefore

Holy, as Jesus is holy

So

If you want to be holy

then be sure

to be both loving

And humble

Determination

And finally

There are a few things

That we can practice regularly

Which can help us

Maintain

A level of Holiness

In our lives

and’

The first one

Is something we participated in

As a church

A couple of weeks ago

And that is

the Lord's Supper:

this practice,

also known as communion,

is a powerful way

to remember Christ's sacrifice

and Is designed

To make us regularly examine ourselves

So that, if any behavior in our life

Is causing us to be unholy

We can then judge ourselves

Likewise

frequent Confession and Reconciliation:

Just Seeking forgiveness

for our sins

through confession and reconciliation with God

and others

That too

can help you to live

a more holy life. 

What

Did Jesus say

In Matthew 5:23 - 24

He said

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

And then

Cultivating a Spirit of Reverence

That is

Approaching God

with humility and reverence,

recognizing His holiness

and majesty,

my

What an important part

of striving to live

a holy life. 

And then

Finally

resisting Temptation:

just

Actively seeking God's help

to overcome temptation

and

resisting the allure of sin

that too

is essential

for living a holy life. 

Resist the devil

And he will flee from you

The Bible says

In James 4:7

Determination

So let me ask you

Do you want to be holy

Do you want to be set apart

For the Masters use

Do

You want to live a life

That is pleasing to God

Then

Spend time

In the Word

And on your knees in prayer

Endeavor

To be obedient

To the will of God

As He reveals it to you

And

Keep

Your self Pure

for the Lord

Love God

And love people

In a spirit of humility

Then

Every time

Our church has the Lord’s supper

come and participate

And

When you commit sins

Keep short accounts with God

By getting your heart right

Immediately

When it is necessary

And

By the grace of God

Resist temptation

And

Here’s why

We have been commanded

To be holy

As our Lord is holy

But

Let me ask you

If God were to examine you tonight

Could He say that you are holy

Or

Would the Lord have to conclude

That you’re not holy?

Conclusion: As we have an invitation

I want you to come to the altar

And examine your life

And ask yourself

Am I endeavoring

To live a holy life

I truly hope you are

Let’s close in prayer