The Reason for Holiness
The Reason for Holiness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 7 viewsTheme: We live holy lives because we have been made holy Purpose: To live Holy Lives as a result of the Gospel, not to earn the Gospel. Gospel: Holiness is living according to the realities of the Gospel. Mission: Disicples are equipped to live holy lives.
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Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
Introductions: Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?
15 - Humans Try to Be Moral.
15 - Humans Try to Be Moral.
In Paul’s day - A variety of Paganism and Greek Philosophy.
Paganism - Fear of the God’s, you have to do immoral things in order to appease the gods. Appeasing the gods gets you what you need to survive.
Greek Philosophy - Not saying they are not smart people, but you basically have to pick your teacher. You are beholden to Human Reason. - This is the old futile way of thinking.
Today’s world - Reason.
- Humans have no purpose - by chance.
- “Survival” is the reason? Who gets to say who survives?
Christians have a reason for doing good. They are set a part to do so.
16 - We have been made holy.
16 - We have been made holy.
- 1 Peter written to - The Elect, exiles, “born again,” “living hope,” “inheritance that is imperishable,” suffering because of being separated, the salvation of their souls. All these phrases point them back to being set apart.
vs. 3-13 - God, through Jesus has made us Holy, by his Mercy has saved us into a Living Hope. We receive this salvation through Faith.
We grow through refining fire moments. But the promise is we will be cleansed from all impurities to enter an imperishable, undeflied, and unfading eternal future with God.
Ben saying he accidently became famous. All of our kids became fairly well known at the High School for one reason - Jarvis. - Iron Man. Are there characterstics in our family that are unique that stand out that is "Common to our Family"
1. We cannot live the full life Christ intended for us if we have not yet been convinced that we have been set apart to be used by Christ.
Danger: - When we think about Therapeutic Moralism. "I am a good person so God has to let me in."
- What is the grounding for this kind of religion. - Reason our own personal perceptions of what right and wrong.
Verses: "You are not by nature a good person, no one is. The only Good person, Jesus has cleansed you from and made you Holy." We then do good which is defined not by us, but by the Word, and not to get into heaven, but as representatives of heaven. Out of the implications of the Gospel.
Paul Gives us 4 good reasons...
17 - We live holy lives because we have been made holy.
17 - We live holy lives because we have been made holy.
1. Because Jesus has given us a Living hope, and so doing God's will is worith it. vs 13
- We all need to pursue holiness, but we must begin somewhere. Josh Moody suggests the start is with Jesus, not ourselves. Josh Moody says, “We don’t start with doing; we start with the work Christ has done in our lives by his Spirit.” We need to spend more time focusing our thoughts and time on holiness. “Our behavior follows the orientation of our affections, emotions, and reason. There’s a correlation between decreasing Christlikeness and decreasing time spent in God’s Word, study, and prayer. In other words, I can’t expect to grow in holiness if I spend most of my time focused on things that aren’t holy” (Josh Moody, “5 Ways to Pursue Holiness,” The Gospel Coalition, July 3, 2022, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pursue-holiness/).
The more we think of God’s Grace, the more we realize that we have worth in God’s eyes, the more we realize others have worth in God’s eyes. God wants us, Jesus sacrificed himself to get us. He loves us and he did all of this for a reason. He has a purpose and a future for us. This immediately shapes how we see others through God’s eyes, and draws us to loving God and Loving others more.
The tribe in Africa led by Missionaries - The missionary did not try to change their culture, but just share the Gospel and the Word of God. They received Jesus. Their Women would serve the men and then eat in separate huts. As they read the scriptures they began to realize that in Christ their is neither greek or jew, slave or master, male or female. That God had leveled the playing field at the Cross. They began inviting the women to eat with them.
2. To represent God well, "Be Holy as I am Holy."
We are called to be representatives of God in this world. That is what we have been set a part to do.
vs. 22 - purification leads to obedience and love. They will know you are my disciples by how you love one another. - God allows the world to judge us believers by how well we love one another. How are we doing at that. Are we representing God well?
Not perfectly, but grow into it. Know who you are and whose you are.
3. To be obedient to the our Good and Loving Father who holds us accountable.
Harvest Network - takes time to get systems set up. It was taking time to line up book keeping etc., no method to pay the Staff members. Tim Vink was concerned, he had to stand before the Lord and give an account about how he treated Staff.
4. To be a part of building the new home, the imperishable, unblemished home, and whatever in our life or in this world that does not line up with the word will perish.
regarding the teaching about being here as a temporary residence - Mistake is to think that this is the world that we will escape from. "Just Biding our Time." Instead, the situation of sin and curse is temporary, God is restoring this world. - We are to participate now in things that will not perish into the restored world. - So it's like moving, my least favorite thing in the world to do, but I work hard at it, and sometimes painfully, because I know that the period of moving is temporary, and there will be a time that all will be in its place, and I can sleep restfully in my bed, sit on my couch and watch Oak Island for some down time. Things will be settled. - You want to do the painful part well of packing and organizing and preparing so that the settling is much more enjoyable.
Conclusion: Why do good?
Not to earn our salvation or to cleanse our selves - Jesus does that for us.
As a realization of God’s goodness, Grace, love towards us.
To represent God’s well to others.
We are his children who wants to do His will.
We are participating in building something that will last for eternity.