Heighten the Habits of Holiness in Our Lives!

We gather to worship and exalt the name of Jesus Christ, our risen King. Today, provides us another opportunity to fall more in love with Jesus Christ as we seek to follow Him as His disciples.

If you are visiting with us this morning, we want you to who we are here at Ephesus...

We are all one family of faith: “giving our all to love God, love people, proclaim Jesus, and make disciples in our generation.”

That is our mission, our purpose, why we exist as a church.

We have a connect card in the pew in front of you. I invite you to take one and fill it out! If you have prayer needs, you can let us know about those as well.

I promise, our prayer team will lift you up your request confidentially. You can place those cards in the offering plate when it comes around.

Scripture Memory

Colossians 1:15–16 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Opening Scripture Reading

Jude 17–25 ESV

17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Introduction

Ephesus, I have a question for you this morning:

Does God really love you?

We’ve gathered to worship Him!

We sing the praises of God for all of creation to hear.

We declare the greatness of God’s love and faithfulness from His inspired Book the Bible!

Why, some of us even declare His love to others.

But… Does God really love you?

The Bible says....

Psalm 138:6–8 ESV

6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Despite being the Lord of the Universe, high and lifted up, God regards the lowly! Who are the lowly? All of us!

That word “regards,” means that God sees us with understanding and revels in us with pleasure. Literally, it pleases God to watch the lowly in need of His great love and assistance.

While He knows the haughty, that is those filled with prideful arrogance who have no desire or need for His love and assistance, He only knows them from afar.

In other words, they get from Him only the basics of His love need for survival, because He knows they care nothing for their Creator and therefore they don’t ask because they don’t see the need. They can’t understand the love God has for them.

But the lowly, cry out to God for help, and verse 7 says God preserves life and delivers us from the wrath of our enemies by the power of His right hand.

Who or what is our enemy? Oh, some of you will say Satan, and you would be right. Some of you would say S…I…N… Sin, and you would be right.

But the greatest enemy we face is ourselves, mired in that sin nature allowing ourselves to be tempted by Satan to believe that God doesn’t care! That God doesn’t regard us! That God doesn’t love us!

Church! Do you know who sits at the right hand of God the Father? It’s Jesus! It has always been Jesus! When David said, “and Your right hand delivers me,” he didn’t know it then, but it was Jesus that he need all along!

Jesus delivers us because He loves us! The Father sent Jesus to deliver us because He loves us! The Holy Spirit guided Jesus to deliver us because He loves us! God loves His people!

To paraphrase, what the Psalmist David was saying in verse 8, was “Lord, I know You will finish what You started in me, Your love is sure and eternal. Don’t give up on me now!”

God will fulfill His purpose for me and for you!

Are you simply surviving in life? Or are you thriving as you allow God to fulfill His purposes for you?

Last week, we saw our need to Trust God in all things! But how do we trust God if we don’t understand that He loves us? And if He loves us how do we respond to that great love?

To word this in another way.

If God loves us, not only can we trust God in all things, but we can also respond to Him by humbling ourselves before Him and allowing Him to create in us a masterpiece for His glory!

We are just diving straight in this morning! Truth No. 1.

1. God’s will demonstrates God’s love for you!

Jesus told us what the Father’s will was!

John 6:44 ESV

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Matthew 18:14 ESV

14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

John 6:40 ESV

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

God loves us as dear children, and does not wish that any of us should perish. He wants us to all have eternal life with Him! That is why He sent Jesus!

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Peter reminds us that true belief requires repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Again, we see that God’s will is that none should perish, but to believe on Jesus and repent!

The Bible says that God is the one… 1 Tim 2:4........

1 Timothy 2:4 ESV

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Father is still persuading the people of our day to come and love Him. God loves us all and wants us to believe in His Son, Jesus, for salvation!

Some of you know what that means! Others among you are still not sure of God’s love. My prayer is that you realize the great depths of God’s love for you this morning.

Love is what our God extends to us. It is a love relationship that transcends our shackles of sin and self-dependence. God chooses us out of His perfect love, fully displaying His glory. His very character is that of love.

An anonymous saying expresses this thought well:

Love is the spark that kindles the fires of compassion.

Compassion is the fire that flames the candle of service.

Service is the candle that ignites the torch of hope.

Hope is the torch that lights the beacon of faith.

Faith is the beacon that reflects the power of God.

God is the power that creates the miracle of love.

1 John 4:19 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us.

He loves us first, He chooses us first, He rescues us, He seals us, and He continually sustains us. God alone has the right to sovereignly direct our relationship. In return, He simply asks for our love.

We have seen that God’s will demonstrates God’s love for you! Now we see that......

2. God desires that His love be reciprocated.

There is no better place to see this than on the shore of the Sea of Galilee during a very personal encounter between Peter and the Risen Christ!

John 21:15–19 ESV

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

In contrast to Peter’s three earlier denials of Christ, Jesus restores Peter demonstrating His love for His disciple by asking Peter three questions and giving three responses.

Each one begs of a response on Peter’s part to reciprocate the Love demonstrated to Him by Jesus!

1st Question: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Answer: “Yes, Lord you know that I love you.”

Response: “Feed my lambs.”

2nd Question: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Answer: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”

Response: “Tend my sheep.”

3rd Question: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Answer: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Response: “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus ends this by telling Peter the same thing He told them when they first met, “Follow me.”

Jesus wants us to reciprocate His love!

It is for the glory of His love that we are to return this love. As we consider the great love of the Father, there is no other response that is worthy of the life-giving love of Christ.

Our hunger and thirst for the things of this world must suddenly fall away! The Father has sent His Son to die for the sin of man. Lovingly, He has lavished His grace upon those who will believe. And now we must respond.

God’s love for me deserves the return gift of my own love. Of course, God’s love extended to me deserves much more than any of us can give.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We can’t love Him enough to earn our salvation, and yet He still requests our love. Love should be the theme for our life in Him.

The entire reason for our relationship with Jesus is love.

It is not to try harder. That would insult the sufficient work of Christ for our salvation.

It is not in seeking to earn His affection. That would negate His grace toward our sinfulness.

Rather, Christ seeks us out as He did Peter on the beaches of the sea of Galilee. Peter was in full retreat mode prior to this encounter with Christ. Peter thought he had failed, but on that shore, Jesus calls for a return to love, a return to following Him in loving discipleship!

Jesus wanted Peter and all of the disciples to become what Peter would later describe in the letter bearing his name as.....a holy people, a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 1:15–16 ESV

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.”

and later he added,

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The work that God is doing is to make for Himself a holy people who are set apart for His good work in this world. He is seeking people to represent Jesus who are like Jesus!

We love God best by seeking to grow to be like Christ!

How are we to grow to be like Christ? How are we to grow in Holiness?

3. God’s love is reciprocated when we seek to heighten the habits of holiness in our lives!

The Bible says that we are to train ourselves in godliness, that is in becoming more like Christ!

1 Timothy 4:7 ESV

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

We need to train or discipline ourselves because, as the Scriptures also teaches us, the things we plant in our lives are the things that grow in our lives (Galatians 6:7-8).

Galatians 6:7–8 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

As the central discipline of the Christian life, love is what propels habitual holiness and our desire to follow God into the world for His redeeming mission.

Everything else will flow from that as the centerpiece of our spiritual growth. As those who love God, we should seek to develop our relationship with God through spiritual disciplines exercised within the guardrails of the church which result in a habitual holiness.

All of our biblical skills, prayers, spiritual disciplines, and relationships are used by God as tools to make us holy, to make us unified in Him, and to set us on fire for His mission to redeem others as we spread the message of His great love.

What is a spiritual discipline?

A spiritual discipline is an act of our will to develop a habit that expresses our love for God as we strive to display of His glory in our lives.

It is where our beliefs move to action!

The Gospel brings an internal transformation within our soul founded in our love for Christ that reveals itself in our external endeavors to develop our relationship with God. Endeavors such as:

Worship

Bible Reading and Study

Prayer

Fasting

Fellowship

Giving and Stewardship

Resting

Serving

Silence and Solitude

Journaling

Learning and Leading

Evangelism

Disciple-making

These are all spiritual disciplines or habits that we should seek to help us in developing a relationship with our amazing and loving Lord!

As we heighten or develop these habits in our lives holiness will be the outcome if we allow love to remain our foundation for all we do.

As Brother Lawrence wrote in his little book The Practice of the Presence of God,

“The end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshippers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity.”

Conclusion

Is that you this morning? Is that the desire of your heart? In a few moments, I want to give you the opportunity to take the next step that God is calling you to take in this journey, first a few questions and a story.

We have come together and sang songs, was that worship for you or was it singing?

We have heard from the good book, was that transforming for you, or did it put you to sleep and make you look at your watch?

We have an eternal home awaiting us and Jesus is our ticket to enter heaven. Are your tickets punched?

Billy Graham told a story once about a couple who traveled to New York to see the broadway musical, “My Fair Lady.”

Oh they were so excited that before they left their Oklahoma home, they told everyone they knew that they were going to go see “My Fair Lady!”

Well they got to New York City

Tickets were all sold out

They got to thinking and they came up with a plan.

They bought one of those program books from a stand across the street for $1.

They stood outside the building until the end of the show. They listened as best they could to the sounds people were humming and singing as they left the building.

They dug through the trash to pick up ticket stubs that were discarded by the people who had actually seen the show.

When they got home, they showed everyone their book, they hummed and sung some of the tunes, and they showed everyone their torn tickets.

Only one problem: They never actually saw the show!

They are like many churchgoers today! Maybe like some of you!

They sang their songs, they had the book that told about it, and they had a used ticket, but they never did have a relationship with the show.

You sing our hymns, you have our book, but do you have a real ticket that only comes from a real relationship with Jesus Christ?

If you don’t, your next step today is to start that relationship by accepting Jesus as your Lord!

If you do, are you daily seeking to heighten the habits of holiness in your life that will cultivate your relationship with the one who shed His blood for you, the one who loves you more than you can ever imagine.

Bow your heads and pray about what next step God may be calling you to move toward today?

You may need to follow the Lord in Baptism.

You may need to find community in one of our Sunday School Classes.

You may need to find an outlet to exercise your spiritual giftedness through service in ministry.

What ever it may be, won’t you respond to God this morning!

Song of Response

I am thine O Lord, Hymn No. 290

Prayer

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