The Pursuit of Holiness
The Pursuit of Holiness- Mandate of A Growing Church • Sermon • Submitted
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The Church of God is a critical point in its existence; I has been set on an enduring journey by The Lord Jesus Christ- Its Head. We are at the point where there are evident challenges in the church’s existence, which impact its growth. But the Church is a growing organism- I emphasize this for two reasons. Christ did not call us to be static (lacking movement, action or change) or to be a passive church. He is the Living God, whose temple we are, and his live in us at work through us makes us a lively and living organism to the praise of his glory.
The writer to the Hebrews writes to us on the a pursuit that is the business of each and every one, brought to live again, reconciled to God the father, freely fully and finally justified by the Saviour, The Lord Jesus Christ. In the preceeding verses he warns a growing church about avoiding impediments to growth and setting aside any sin that impedes onward spiritual mobility (these are not just sins of the flesh, but any sin).
He then moves to treat the matter of The believers truest pursuit and by extension to the church and finally moves on to demonstrate the ways in which this mandate is to be fulfilled. Observed with me quickly a few things that the writer legislates for our direction in this pursuit, by the following imperatives contain within our mandate:
We Must Overcome Loss of Courage (Despondency)-12:12-13
We Must Overcome Loss of Courage (Despondency)-12:12-13
We Must Maintain Communal Peace (Harmony)-12:14a
We Must Maintain Communal Peace (Harmony)-12:14a
We Must Pursue Holiness (Personal Holiness)-12:14b
We Must Pursue Holiness (Personal Holiness)-12:14b
In this onward march believers must not only live in loving harmony with one another, but also in vital personal holiness before God
Negatively, believers must keep themselves from defilement, a theme to be developed in the following verses. Like the sanctified vessels in the temple, or the best vessels in a house, they must be kept pure and clean. But there is a positive side to all this as well: believers must not only be set apart from what is evil, but separated to God, consecrated and entirely given up to his service.
Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 238.Negatively, believers must keep themselves from defilement, a theme to be developed in the following verses. Like the sanctified vessels in the temple, or the best vessels in a house, they must be kept pure and clean. But there is a positive side to all this as well: believers must not only be set apart from what is evil, but separated to God, consecrated and entirely given up to his service.
Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 238.
We Must Seek Grace (Rely Upon God’s Grace)-12:15a
We Must Seek Grace (Rely Upon God’s Grace)-12:15a
We Must Prevent Defilement (Constantly be on Guard for anything that compromises your spiritual health)
We Must Prevent Defilement (Constantly be on Guard for anything that compromises your spiritual health)
As on commentator renders it: If believers are to pursue holiness, then they must also shun evil. Sin, possibly in this context the frightening sin of apostasy, is like a contagious disease. It can quickly spread throughout a whole church
If believers are to pursue holiness, then they must also shun evil. Sin, possibly in this context the frightening sin of apostasy, is like a contagious disease. It can quickly spread throughout a whole church
Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 239.