Sermon Tone Analysis

*10 MARKS OF HOLINESS*

*ISAIAH 44:3*

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

 

God does many wonderful things in our spiritual walk with Him as we bring His plan to reality in our lives.

God works with us as individuals, so no two believers’ experiences with God will be identical.

God’s timetable is seeker-sensitive to an individual’s need and openness to Him.

Never get discouraged because growth is not as quick as you would like.

*I.

Holiness Makes Us More Sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in Our lives*

          A.

We become more aware of God’s direction, more in tune with the gentle              Voice guiding our choices.

1.

This fulfills the images that God gave His prophets about how                          things would be when the Holy Spirit filled followers.

a.

Isa.

44:3 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and                                      floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy                                          seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

                             b.

Jer.31: 31-33 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I                            will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with                                        the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I                                  made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the                                    hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my                                             covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them,                                  saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will                                    make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the                                   LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in                                     their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my                                     people.”

c.

Ezek.

36:23, 25-27 “And I will sanctify my great name,                                      which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have                                                profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know                                    that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be                                       sanctified in you before their eyes.”

“Then will I sprinkle                                     clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your                                       filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new                                          heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within                                         you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,                                          and I will give you an heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit                                       within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall                           keep my judgments, and do them.”

d.

Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will                                      pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your                                  daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,                                          your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants                                      and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my                                        spirit.

                   2.

Not only do these passages speak of heart cleansing from the                                        spiritual infection that hinders our progress, but also they speak of                             an internal awareness of God’s will and plan for us.

B.

God only asks that we seek Him and welcome His presence in our lives                       more than anything.

With that open invitation, He willingly gives us new                         insight for daily living.

*II.

Holiness Gives Us a New and Deeper love for God and Others*

          A.

Love becomes affection and a principle of life for us.

B.

We seek to love God more than anything.

When we see something else                       taking that supreme place in our lives, we quickly lower its position and               restore God to first place.

C.

We begin to see people as God sees them.

                   1.

We genuinely care about their needs and find ways to meet those                                needs.

2.

The driving force of this love is not a great deal of extra effort on                                our part but the love of God flowing through us.

a.

The reason we call it "perfect love" is not that it responds                                  perfectly in every situation but because it comes from God                                          and reaches to His hurting world.

b.

It contains no mixture of selfish ambition.

D.

We strive to love others the way the Father loves His Son and the way the       Son loves us.

                   1.

We become channels through whom His love flows.

2.

We love others with a love God gives us, as described in 1 Cor.

13.

 

God works with each believer on an individual basis.

His timetable and way of working with each of us will be somewhat different.

Doing God’s will brings great fulfillment, satisfaction, and spiritual fruit.

That fruit of God’s work is the mark of holiness.

Holiness helps us realize the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives to make us more loving, humble, and spiritually sensitive.

He wants us to conform to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

*III.

Holiness Gives Us a New level of Humility and Awareness of the Grace of God at Work in Us.*

Perhaps the chief enemy to humility is self-centeredness.

          A.

Self keenly tracks personal accomplishments.

B.

When the Holy Spirit takes full control of our lives, He replaces self-                centeredness with Christ-centeredness.

 

*IV.

Holiness Gives Us a New level of Spiritual Sensitivity*

          A.

This new spiritual sensitivity helps us recognize temptation, faults, and                     sin for what they really are.

B.

Temptation is simply Satan offering suggestions for us to fulfill                                  legitimate needs in ungodly ways.

*V.

Holiness Encourages Us to Seek Every Opportunity to Serve God*

          A.

The holy life brings a life of service.

B.

We offer our service as a thanksgiving offering to God for all He has                 done for us.

C.

We serve because He first served us.

*VI.

Holiness Strengthens Our Resolve to Resist the World’s Attempt to    Squeeze Us into Its Mold*

          A.

It’s not an accident that we’re picking up stray signals from our culture                     calling us to conform.

God knows all about the world’s plan to squeeze us            into certain molds.

B.

Jesus urged us in John 17 to be in the world but not of it.

We do have to                    live here, but we don’t think and act like the world.

C.

The more we’re attracted to Christ; the less we’re attracted to the world.

*VII.

Holiness Brings Our Greatest Fulfillment in Life from Finding and Doing God’s Will*

The committed Christian who spends every day immersed in pleasing God finds fulfillment beyond description.

A.

George W. Truett reminds us, "To know the will of God is the                           greatest knowledge, to find the will of God is the greatest discovery, and               to do the will of God is the greatest achievement."

B.

In the end, we’re much happier doing God’s will than our own.

*VIII.

Holiness Gives Us a Hunger for More of God’s Presence and Influence in Our Lives*

An amazing paradox emerges when believers’ lives are totally dedicated to God.

          A.

We are full and yet seeking to be filled at the same time.

B.

We are satisfied and yet hungry, because while God totally fulfills and                        satisfies us, He also urges us to seek a deeper relationship with Him.

          C.