Untitled Sermon (2)

Strive For Peace And Holiness

Date: 03/09/2017

Speaker: Bro Chase

Place: C.0.C. Fyzo

Topic: Striving Or Pursuing Peace & Holiness.

Striving For Peace And Holiness!

(ESV)

12. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,

13. And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

14. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

15. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

16. That no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

17. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Introduction:

1. The Writer Of Hebrews tells Us .... That We Must Run The Christian Race With "Faith".... . Why?

Be There Is A Need! To Do What?

a). To Lay Aside tings Things That Will Hinder Us, Especially The Sin Of unbelief.

b). To Have Endurance, Even As Jesus "Endured" And The Cross.

c). For To Keep Our Focus Or Gaze On Jesus, Who Is The Author & Finisher Of Our Faith... This Is A Good Example For Us To Follow...

Which Can encourage Us Not to become Weary & Discouraged.

2. After Reminding His Readers Of The Value Of The Lord's Chastening...

a). He Encourages Them To A Call To "Run With Style"..... . This a Metaphor.

b). With Instructions To Pursue Or Strive For "Peace And Holiness"...... .

c). With A Word Of Caution Giving The Example Of Esau..... .

3). One Way To Describe "The Christian Race," Is "The Pursuing Or The Striving For Peace & Holiness."

a). How are We Doing In Our Pursuit Or Striving?

b). Do You Know What You Are running After?

c). Are You Aware Of The Reality Of Pitfalls Which can Hinder You?

PS: In Order To Encourage Excellence In Regards To Our Pursuit & Striving...

Let's Take A Closer Look At This Passage!

I. We Must Make Preparation For Our Pursuit.... .

A). A Call To run!

1. We Must Do Some Strengthening Of What?

a). Our hands Which Are hanging down.

b). Our feeble Knees.

c). "These Are Common Figure Of Speech"

(ESV)

3. Behold, you have instructed many, and You have strengthened the weak hands.

4. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and You have made firm the feeble knees.

(ESV)

3. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.

Can we Run With Endurance, If We Do Not heed This Call?

We Are called To Shake Off All Weariness, And Be firm & Strong...

Are We Heeding Such A Call?

2. We Are called To "Make Straight Paths" For Our Feet, Why? So That!

a). What Is Lame Would Not be Dislocated.

b). But Rather Be Healed... This Is Another Common Expression...

Which Encourages Us To remove Anything That Will Hinder Our Progress... This Is why Preparation Is Important.

(ESV)

3. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

B). What Is The Implications Of this Call?

1. We Must Firstly Respond To This Call With Action.

a). We Are called To do Something... What It Is?

b). Can We Expect God To Do Everything?

c). While God Will Certainly Help Us... We Must Make every Effort To do Our Part.

(ESV)

12. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

13. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

2. This Call To Action Is Not Limited To Oneself.

a). Even Thou It Is Personal In Its Application...

b). We Should Seek Concerned Christians To Strength Others...

i). Whose Hands & Knees Needs Strengthening.

ii). And To Make Straight Paths For Others...

(ESV)

14. And We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

c). We Need To Show Concerns For Those Who Are weak. .

d). This Call Is Similar To The Call That The Lord Gave Joshua... .

i). Will We heed This Call To Be Strong & Very Courageous.... So That We Can "Run With style!"

II. What Is The Goal Of Our Pursuit Or Striving? .

A). To Be At Peace With All Men

1. We Should Not be Surprised that We Must "Pursuit Peace." Why?

a). Because Jesus Is "The Prince Of Peace"... .

(ESV)

6. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

b). He Died To Make "Peace" Possible... Between God & Man...

(ESV)

1. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(ESV)

13. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

15. By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16. And might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

17. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

c). He taught That "Peacemakers" Will Be Called The Children Of God... .

d). One Of The Key Element Of God's Kingdom Is "Peace"... .

e). Therefore We, Must "Pursue Peace" With All Men...

(ESV)

19. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

(ESV)

18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

2. How Does One "Pursue" Peace With All Men?

a). By Seeking "Peace" With God First!

(ESV)

7. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

b). By Letting The "Peace" Of God Rule In Our Hearts... .

B). To Seek Holiness, Because Without It, No One Will See The Lord....

1. Just as God is Holy, So His Children Must Be Holy..

(ESV)

14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

15. But as he who called you is holy, You also be holy in all your conduct,

16. Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

(ESV)

7. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

2). How can One "Pursue" Holiness?

a). True Holiness Comes Through "Sanctification":

i). And This Sanctification Involves Faith In Jesus.

(ESV)

18. To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

(ESV)

10. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(ESV)

14. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

ii). We Are Sanctified Through The Word Of God.... .