Holiness

Explain Noah is not here - Sick unfortunately so we will postpone our interview with PA

It is a privilege to get to teach tonight - Tonight will be a little shorter than usual - In small groups I want to make sure you guys all get to the last question of praying for your “one more”

Why is the one more important

Also encourage you all to spend time in prayer requests for one another

Tonight, we will be looking at Holiness under three headings, What it is, Why it’s important, and How to cultivate it.

Pray

Let’s together open our bibles to 1 Peter 1:15 as I ask this question.

What It Is

Now, we talk a lot about Holiness at church.

What do you think are some of the most common misconceptions about what holiness is?

avoiding bad things

Super spiritual Christians

Holiness is legalism

Holiness is restrictive, and joy-killing

If you were asked to define what Holiness is, what would you say?

“chief attribute of God and a quality to be developed in his people. The primary OT word for holiness means “to cut” or “to separate.” Fundamentally, holiness is a cutting off or separation from what is unclean, and consecration to what is pure.”

Can we all turn to 1 Peter 1:15-16 and will someone read that for us?

1 Peter 1:15–16 “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

What is important to note here is that holiness begins with God’s own character. His Godlike character reflected in His people is how we can view Holiness.

Aspects of holiness

Holiness Has to Do with My Heart

When we talk about the heart, we mean the center and focus of ones personal life. Meaning the source of your motivation, where your passion comes from, the spring of all your thought. Holiness starts from within a person, it begins in the heart. Holiness is a right purpose, that seeks to express itself in a right performance. I’m going to say that again, holiness is a right purpose, that seeks to express itself in a right performance. Do you guys see the right correlation there between purpose and performance? It’s not just about the things that you do, the motions that you go through, but ultimately the motives that prompt you to do it.

A Holy person’s motivation, passion, desires, aspirations, goals, and drive are to please God, both by what they do and what they avoid doing. This looks like practicing good works and cutting out the evil ones, but ultimately those works aren’t what make us holy, but the motivation from the heart to do so is a sign of holiness. Good works in holiness begin with praising, worshipping, honoring, and exalting the name of God. Do you guys live like this? In every waking moment, in every conflict, in every decision, are you thinking about praising, worshipping, honoring, and exalting God? Maybe we neglect these things, that’s where evil thoughts and actions come from. Our unholiness is shown through us neglecting God, and turning things of this world, and our own sin to satisfy.

All of us must labor to keep our hearts actively responsive to God.

Holiness Has to Do with Christlikeness

Jesus Christ is both God for man, and man for God. We know him as God’s incarnate Son, fully divine, and fully human. Jesus is God in the flesh, showing us who God is, but also he shows us how to live as a human. He is the perfect model of holiness. He is the mediator of divine grace and the model of human godliness. Human godliness is simply human life lived as the Creator intended—in other words, it is perfect and ideal humanness, which is an existence in which the elements of the human person are completely united in a totally God-honoring and nature-fulfilling way.

I want you to think about this—Since God made humanity for Himself, godliness naturally fulfills human nature at the deepest level. No contentment can match the contentment of obeying God, however costly it may be.

I am not saying that it will be easy to be Christlike—it most certainly is not— but it is the most fulfilling thing for us.

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Practically speaking, how can we model this? None of us knew Jesus when he was on Earth but we are told to follow in his steps. What does that look like for us?

What was Jesus’ highest priority?

What is ours?

Holiness Has to Do with My Relationships

Sometimes, it is thought that a state of isolation and solitude, detached from relationships is helpful, or even a necessity for the practice of holiness. It is true that holy living calls for regular times of aloneness with God, but the implication in the previous statement that one gains freedom to move ahead with God by cutting oneself off from communal life, family, church, and society is not true at all. Rather than becoming a monk, we need to recognize holiness as actually the fulfilling of one’s relationships.

A book I was reading shared a story about a lady who was a popular speaker on holiness platforms, and a friend writer on holiness themes a long time ago. Her son in law however, wrote while many thought of her “a sage and a saint,” he “gradually came to think of her as one of the wickedest people he had ever known.” That seems impossible right? His list of reasons started with this - he said “Her treatment of her husband, whom she despised, was humiliating to the highest degree. She never spoke to him or of him except in a tone that made her contempt obvious. It cannot be denied that he was a silly old man, but he did not deserve what she gave him, and no one capable of mercy could have given it”

Now the son-in-law was not a Christian, but there is nothing un-Christian about this bit of reasoning. In this relationship, love was replaced by resentful contempt between husband and wife, which is a negation of holiness. Whatever one may display in books, or relay from pulpits does not fully encapsulate what is going on in their hearts.

The true problem in our hurting relationships is a “self that has not learned to die” . A true surrender to Christ however, shrinks our inflated ego back to its proper size in relation to Him. Don’t think - and don’t let one say that they have an advance in holiness when there are such gaps in their Christian relationships. These relationships still mark their paths.

Do you view the health of your relationships as a reflection of your holiness? Our relationships are to be invested in, to be pursued. Our relationships are meant to guide us towards Christ, to commune with one another as we were created to by God. We’re going to talk about this more in group, but is there a relationship in your life right now that reveals an area where you need to grow in holiness? Are your motives and thoughts towards that person God honoring, and exalting?

Holiness needs to be understood as a number of things together. It has both outward and inward aspects. Holiness is both action and motivation, conduct and character, divine grace and human effort.

Pursue holiness through our worship to God, and good actions will flow from it as a result of us living as we were created to.

Why It’s Important

Substance of Happiness

Some people are in a constant pursuit of happiness, but they completely miss it. However, those who pursue holiness through the grace of Christ, happiness comes unasked. Why is this so? Let’s look at what holiness in your life means.

Your heart is clean rather than conflicted

Your desires are ordered rather than chaotic

Your conscience is at rest rather than guilty

Your relationships are healthy rather than selfish

Your life is aligned with how God created reality to function

We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve experienced how sin promises happiness, but ultimately creates conflict. Happiness isn’t found by chasing pleasure, rather we find it by becoming the kind of person who fully surrenders to God. When you live in holiness, you’re running from sin, and running to God who created you to love him and delight in him - and that you will do.

We were made by God and when we pursue him, we are filled with joy because he is the source of our joy

Holiness is not easy - just because you’re going to pursue it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be happy all the time

If pursuing God is what we were created to do, why is that not easy?

Sin promises happiness upfront

It’s not that sin doesn’t offer any pleasure

We wouldn’t do it if it didn’t

Why is Holiness not always easy and comfortable?

Let’s read this verse from Psalms.

In Psalm 119:47 it says,

Psalm 119:47 “for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.”

and later in the chapter says for they are the joy of my heart.”

Needed to See the Lord

Holiness is actually the true health of a person. Holiness effectively thwarts Satan in his designs on our lives. But when we live with an unconcern for holiness, and we fail to practice the purity and righteousness in which we are called to, we play into Satan’s hand every time.

Holiness

Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

If we are saved by grace alone, how can Hebrews say this?

When you are saved by grace alone, through faith, it transforms you

If theres no love for God, no love for other people, you are not saved and you will not see the Lord

Ephesians 5:25–27 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Jesus Christ gave himself up for the church—for us—that we might be holy and that he would sanctify us. It is not required of us to be holy to first receive salvation—There is not a level of holiness that you need to reach before you enter heaven, but holiness is a clear sign of a transformed life.

How to Cultivate It

Know who you are in Christ

1 Peter 1:18–19 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,”

We need to understand the difference between Definite vs. Progressive Holiness. Definite holiness is what happens the moment you are united to Christ. This is the moment that you surrender your life to him. You are holy because Christ is holy, and you belong to him.If you are in Christ, you are already holy, and now you are living out who you are. Our progressive holiness is the ongoing growth in Christlikeness through out life. While you are now holy in God’s eyes because of Christ, we need to progressively be made more like him through the help of the Holy Spirit.

As we talk about holiness maybe you feel convicted - we are always being told who we are - in false identities - in addictions “I am an addict” - “I am a sinner” true - but more fundamentally now, you are holy because of what Christ has done

Hebrews 10:14 “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

We are being sanctified, but we are already perfect by his single offering

If you are not being sanctified, you are not partaking of his single offering

What do you think are ways to cultivate holiness

Holiness is like prayer—which is indeed a part of holiness. but it is similar in the sense where it is something that needs to be learned. Prayer and holiness are learned in a similar way as commitments are made, habits are formed and battles are fought against a real opponent (in this case being Satan). Trials will be thrown at us, and we need to be on guard and prepared for it.

Let’s now take some time to go through these questions together in small groups, and don’t forget…..