Holiness: The Hope of the Gospel

Holiness

I want to discuss the idea of holiness. The concept of holiness is addressed throughout scripture as a way to describe God, an attribute of a place where God resides, and as something for humans to try and attain.

Read

What are some ways to be holy?

What happens when man seeks his own way to redemption?

· Man quickly realizes the audacity of this task (Leviticus – hopelessness)

· Those who are honest with themselves but not willing to bow their will before their Creators will conclude that life is not worth living, or that nothing is worth striving, and their days will become dark with meaninglessness.

· Those who are better at convincing themselves of their own lies, as most of us are, will justify their ways to men, a standard that is further from holiness than the surface of water to the greatest depth of the ocean! These men will create rules for living that make sense culturally and socially, they will obtain for themselves a cheapened but championed man made gospel which serves their own devices (makes them appear good before man, gives them an upper hand in some way, or allows them to live the life they desire).

Paul mentions this kind of false Gospel in – the truth of the gospel does not come from the minds or power of men

But holiness is a different thing. And we are called to be Holy as our God is Holy.

Subject: The way to holiness

Ideas of Holiness: Holiness is being set apart, being pure, being righteous

1. Moses stands on Holy Ground – something untainted , , Moses asks to see God’s glory, but God has to hide much of it from him so that Moses doesn’t die

2. Isaiah sees the angels singing “holy, holy, holy”

Complement: Holiness is to be sought subsequent to the failures of man, namely his vain attempt to discount the law of God and ignore the magnitude of just punishment for any infringement on that law. Therefore holiness is achieved through a life-focus and meditation on the Gospel.

The way to holiness is the hope of the Gospel.

· Holiness is the goal of the Gospel, because by becoming holy we become proper stewards of our ability to relate to and worship our God. We can achieve communion with him and glorify Him appropriately as we become holy.

· How does Peter tell us to be holy?

o Setting our minds to action, our sober minds

o Placing our hope fully in the grace we will receive at the revelation of Jesus Christ!

o V. 14 it is the knowledge of the Gospel that leads us to obedience through our gratitude for the grace that has been shown to us and in which we place our hope.

o This holiness rescues us from the futile efforts of man for meaning and purpose in life, for we know our purpose as stated so perfectly in by the heroes of the reformation, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

o V. 22 love one another because of your salvation founded in the Gospel

What happens when we seek holiness God’s way?

The better we are able to see the great divide between our humanity and God’s holiness, the more desperate and thankful we become for the grace we find in Jesus Christ. In the midst of this desperation we are saved and the more obedient we become in our gratitude by the grace of God and the holier we become by the grace of God, being sanctified by the work of the His Spirit in our lives!

– God’s dwelling place is with man, man is made holy!

This is why it is so important for man to seek the law of God, fail, confess, take hold of the gospel, fall in love with Christ, and become obedient out of that love for him!

How do we do this?

A life-focus and meditation on the Gospel:

We reflect on the dead ends and the bridges (often times the same things)

These dead ends lead to hopelessness and despair at our human condition, the cross of Christ carries us quickly out of that despair and into the light as Christ shines on us, justifies us before a Holy God, makes us heirs to the throne of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and places us in right communion with the Father. This truth is something to give your life for, and the beauty is that Christ tells us that those who give up their lives will receive life, and more abundantly!