I AM THANKFUL GOD DOES NOT LEAVE US WHERE HE FOUND US

Good morning NCF!!!

Welcome everyone and welcome guests.

Remind them to fill out the connection card in the bulletin and receive a mug at the end of service.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week we started a 3-week series on Thankfulness.

Let’s turn to our key scripture.

1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I AM THANKFUL GOD DOES NOT LEAVE US WHERE HE FOUND US.

I was the prodigal son, raised in the church, experienced the power of God, the love of God, and the joy of God. Yet, I left and walked into the filth of the world and the lusts of my own heart.

I did not and do not deserve God’s favor, yet he pulled me out of hell I made for myself.

But more than that, he did not leave me where he found me.

Like the story of the prodigal son, he washed me and is still washing me clean with His Word and by His Spirit.

I am not where I will be but this I know

I am not where I was!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Corinthians 6:9–20 NLT

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1 Cor 6:

I know Holiness is not a popular message in our culture today but, I am thankful that God did not leave me in my own personal hell.

God is not a killjoy but rather He desires to give you

Life, Joy, and Beauty

Holiness is not about stopping you from having fun but, rather it is about giving you a Life full of joy and beauty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today I want to share with you 4 truths about holiness.

Holiness is Promised

Ephesians 1:3–14 NLT

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

And then -

Romans 8:29–30 NLT

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

God chose you, and he chose you to be Holy, to look like Jesus.

Not only did he choose you to be Holy but He gave you the Holy Spirit winch is your down payment to the promise of holiness.

The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee to you, that are his that You will be Holy.

This promise is unbreakable by God and therefore already refers to you as Holy.

This promise of Holiness is based on what Jesus has done for you and what the Holy Spirit is doing in you.

God Promises to finish what he started.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not only is Holiness promised but.......

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holiness is Personal

Philippians 2:12 NLT

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

Phil 2:12

While holiness is promised, it is also our responsibility to work towards it.

Paul tells us up front that it is hard work and not easy.

We must be willing to work at living Holy.

Hebrews 12:14 NLT

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

We must be willing to cut ties with our past life.

The Holy Spirit will reveal to us what displeases God, and then we must be willing to leave it.

We have to run from temptations rather, than flirting with them.

We must strive for a deeper love for Jesus.

Once we love Jesus more than we love sin, sin will disappear.

As our love for Jesus grows our love for the sinful will decrease.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holiness is Promised and Holiness is Personal and....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Holy Spirit is Powerfully Working Through Us

Philippians 2:12–13 NLT

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Yes God wants us to work hard towards holiness but, that work is not without His help.

God is working in us, giving us the desire and power to live Holy.

You see, God has given us everything we need to live this life in a way that pleases Him.

2 Peter 1:3–4 NLT

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

God has given us everything we need to share in His divine nature and escape the corruption of the world.

He has given us His Holy Spirit, who is working His desire and power through us.

If we will only submit to the Holy Spirit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holiness is Proof of our salvation.

Galatians 5:16–17 NLT

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

2 cor

2 Corinthians 13:4–6 NLT

Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.

Galatians 5:22–25 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Gal 5:

A fruit tree is known by the fruit it produces.

The faithful are known by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

If a person looked at your life both public and private would they see the Holy Spirit or would they see you?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The enemy loves to use our past to condemn us.

Holiness acts as sign posts in our lives that point to the acceptance and love God has for us.

When the enemy brings fear and condemnation, we can look back at our lives and see, how much God has done in and through us.

How much have you been changed?

How different are you today than you were before you knew Jesus as Lord?

He is not done with you yet.

While holiness is hard work and at times a real struggle, be confident that God will do all it takes to make us look like Jesus.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I AM THANKFUL GOD DOES NOT LEAVE US WHERE HE FOUND US.

HOLINESS IS PROMISED

HOLINESS IS PERSONAL

HOLINESS IS PROPELLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US

HOLINESS IS PROOF OF GOD WORKING IN AND THROUGH US.