What is holiness?
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
HOLINESS.
What promises is the apostle Paul talking about?
He is referring to those at the end of
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 "Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;"
Then there is this glorious promise.
"And I will receive you and be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
You will be the kind of son or daughter who brings honor to the Father.
God wants to be a real Father to us but if we alienate ourselves from Him,
how can He be a Father to us?
If we do not lead a clean - holy life - God cannot treat us as His children.
WE NEED TO CLEANSE OURSELVES.
Read carefully the parable about the prodigal son in
Luke 15:10 When the son reached rock bottom, he found himself in the pig-pen. The only food he had to eat was the husks that the pigs ate. Soon he came to his senses: a true son always does, because he does not have the nature of a pig - he has the nature of a son.
A Christian can get into sin but he cannot remain in sin.
Pigs love the pig-pen.
A true son will arise and go home to his father.
Luke 15:18-19 "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."
But the father had been watching for his return and
Luke 15:20 " ... when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
THE FATHER RAN TO MEET HIM.
HE PUT LOVING ARMS AROUND HIM.
HE PREPARED A BANQUET FOR HIM.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
THE GENUINE CHILD OF GOD WILL ALWAYS CONFESS THEIR SIN BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY BACK INTO THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FATHER'S HOUSE.
Notice the things that the Father does:
1) He washes His son.
The One who girded Himself with a towel, washes His son and gives him a robe.
2) He gives him a robe of righteousness.
That robe covers him after he has been cleansed.
3) He places a ring on his finger.
The ring brings him back to his original position.
CHRIST JESUS IS AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND AND HE IS STILL GIRDED WITH THE TOWEL OF SERVICE.
HE WASHES THE FEET OF THOSE WHO GET THEIR FEET SOILED IN THIS WORLD.
HE CLEANSES HIS OWN IN THIS WORLD AND HE RESTORES THEM TO FELLOWSHIP AND USEFULNESS.
Dear reader, we need to know by experience what a wonderful Father we have.
We need to go to the Lord Jesus and we are to confess our sins to Him. He knows them anyway but He wants as to acknowledge them before Him. This is the thing that will make us humble. There are so many proud and arrogant Christians in this world they are actually proud of the fact that they have been saved by grace.
How can we cleanse ourselves?
We cannot cleanse our own conscience from the guilt of sin.
We are unable to wash away the stain of a guilty conscience but God has done that through the death of Christ and the shedding of His precious blood upon the cross.
After we have been cleansed from our sins by the precious blood of Christ, our hearts still need a daily cleansing from the contamination of each day.
When we receive the Word of God in faith and we act upon that Word, We are cleansed from all the filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
This is what the Lord Jesus meant when He said,
John 17:17 “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.”
THE WAY TO CLEANSE OURSELVES IS BY THE WASHING WITH THE WATER OF THE WORD.
THE WORD OF GOD IS THE BEST BAR OF SOAP THERE IS.
IT IS LIFE GIVING LIVING WATER.
THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES US TO DEAL WITH THE SIN IN OUR LIVES.
" ... let us cleanse ourselves from from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
What is the difference between the sins of the body and the sins of the flesh.
The sins of the flesh are those sins that we commit in the body.
This has to do with unholy lusts, unbridled appetites, drunkenness, gluttony, licentiousness and inordinate affection.
We need to be aware of the fact that we are living in a world today that is giving a respectability to the sins of the flesh.
An illustration of this is the attitude of the world toward liquor.
Most people today say that alcohol is all right.
It is well advertised in the media and it is brainwashing the people!
No political dictator has done a more thorough job.
Then for those who just don’t know how to handle their liquor and there are a whole lot of them - several million of them - the taxpayers, are paying the hospital bills that the liquor interests create.
This is an example of the sins of the flesh.
What does the Bible say about this?
Habakkuk 2:15 "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!"
May God have mercy on you if you serve cocktails in your home and tempt your neighbor to drunkenness.
The Word of God rebukes that.
Another illustration of the filthiness of the flesh is the bookstands filled with the vilest pornographic literature that is imaginable which glorifies the human body and sex.
In this permissive society God’s Word still condemns the sins of the flesh.
If you as a Christian are going to indulge in them, then God cannot act toward you as your Father.
Although you may be His son, He cannot treat you as a Father would like to treat His son.
You are away from home and living in the pig-pen.
Apostle Paul mentions the filthiness of the spirit.
What are some of those sins?
There are a great many people who would never take a gun and pull the trigger to shoot a man down, but they will take the dagger of gossip and put it in his back when he is not listening.
Some of the dearest saints in the church engage in that kind of practice.
Conceit, haughtiness, unbelief, and covetousness are the dirty sins of the spirit.
There are many saints in the church who live by a series of "don’ts" - don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t play cards. Not one of them would have a cigarette on the end of his tongue, but the words on the end of his tongue burn more deeply than a cigarette could burn. These are some of the sins of the spirit.
Apostle Paul states clearly that we are to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
We are to
Hebrews 12:13-14 " ... make straight paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord"
Christ is our righteousness.
Christ is our holiness.
The problem is that my life and His perfection are really far apart.
God says we are not to have such a big holiness gap.
He wants us to be holy in our daily living.
We have a new way of living.
The sins of the spirit are gossip, slander of a Christian, pride, haughtiness, unbelief and covetousness.
Some of these sins are secret like vanity and pride.
WE NEED TO CLEANSE OURSELVES DAILY FROM THE SINS THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLE US.
CHRIST IS MADE UNTO US RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Are you in step with the Lord Jesus Christ today?
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Chorus.
Are you washed .... in the blood ....
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you walking daily by the Saviour's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright?
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean -
Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos 379.
AMEN.
Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us"
The Christian life is likened to a Greek race.
Christ Jesus is the way to God,
and along the way the Christian, as a soldier, has to stand firm.
As a believer, he is to walk, but as an athlete, he is to run the race.
And one day we are going to fly - that will be at the Rapture.
We are going to do a little space travel to the New Jerusalem.
We are to run with patience.
GOD HAS SAVED US FROM SIN.
HE HAS BROUGHT US INTO THE HEAVENS, INTO THE HOLY PLACE AND HE HAS MADE US TO SIT IN HEAVENLY PLACES.
HE HAS GIVEN TO US HIS HOLY SPIRIT.
But in spite of all these spiritual blessings that God has given to us in Christ Jesus the average Christian still falls down and stumbles and wanders about like a person in the dark.
What is wrong with the Christian life as it is being lived today?
CHRISTIANS DO NOT GO ON WITH GOD.
They get saved, have a testimony and that is all they will ever have.
They do not maintain a serious study of the Word of God, which is essential for growth.
We need to go on and run in the race.
We need to move out by faith like Abraham and Moses and Daniel all did.
We are to run by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a race - win or loose - and it is the only race where everybody can win.
The apostle Paul ran to win the prize of his high calling.
One of the conditions was
"to lay aside every weight."
SIN - THE GREAT SIN OF UNBELIEF - WILL HOLD US BACK (This is the sin that has held me back the most in my own Christian life - not believing the marvelous things that God has, is and will do for me because they are just too good to be true.)
WEIGHTS ARE A HINDRANCE.
WE OUGHT NOT TO BE CARRYING WEIGHTS.
1 Corinthians 9:24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."
SOME DID RUN WELL UNTIL
Galatians 5:7 "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth."
The Galatians were running well until the Judaizers came along.
"The truth" is the gospel - the Lord Jesus Christ in PERSON.
Hebrews 12:12-14 "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way: but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled"
"Lift up the hands which hang down" - don't go through life complaining about the way you feel. Endure the exercise that you are going through with joy. There is a purpose in it.
Don't get in the habit of limping through life.
There are some people who will not ever be at peace with us but we are to follow peace with all people.
WE CANNOT PRODUCE HOLINESS BUT WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS.
WHEN WE ARE BORN-AGAIN, CHRIST JESUS IMPUTES HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS TO US.
THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE HOLINESS IS TO HAVE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
THE LORD JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY BACK TO THE FATHER.
From the dark paths of sin.
There's a door that is open,
And you may go in.
At Calvary's cross,
Is where you begin
When you come as a sinner
TO JESUS.
Played by Losinda
AMEN.
GOD CANNOT EVER LOOK UPON SIN.
SIN MUST BE DEALT WITH AND GOD DEALT WITH IT ON THE CROSS.
SIN IS SO UGLY, IT SHOWS THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN.
WHAT MANKIND DID TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE MESSIAH OF THIS WORLD, WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED HIM, NAILED HIM TO A CURSED TREE AND THEN SAT DOWN TO WATCH HIM DIE.
THE DEATH OF THE LORD JESUS ON THE CRUEL CROSS IS THE UGLIEST DEED EVER COMMITTED.
IT SHOWS US THE UGLINESS OF OUR SIN.
OUR SIN WAS LAID UPON HIM.
HE BORE OUR PUNISHMENT.
This is what the Lord Jesus did for me.
He took my deserved place on the cross.
And it makes me want to get moving and run the Christian race to win the prize of my high calling in Christ Jesus.
This is one big cross country race, come and run with us.
Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The only way that I will ever get into the presence of God is because Christ died for me.
Have you been justified dear reader?
Do you have peace with God through Christ Jesus?
If not will you please turn to Him right now.
The Lord Jesus will see your heart when you turn to Him.
He is patiently waiting for you to turn to Him.
He is full of grace and mercy.
He died so that we might live.
Live in Him.
He rose again from the dead in order that we might have brand new life in Him.
We are able through the Holy Spirit to live the rest of our lives in Him.
CHORUS.
Altogether lovely, He is altogether lovely,
And the fairest of 10,000 This wonderful friend of mine,
He gave His life to save me. Now He lives in heaven to keep me,
He is altogether lovely Is this wonderful Saviour of mine.
AMEN.
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
THIS IS GOD'S METHOD.HE CHOOSES,
THE VERY BASE OF MEN.
WE DO NOT HAVE A THING TO BOAST ABOUT.
WE NEED CHRIST JESUS.
HE IS EVERYTHING WE NEED.
HE IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM.
HE IS MADE UNTO US RIGHTEOUSNESS.
HE IS MADE UNTO US SANCTIFICATION.
HE IS MADE UNTO US REDEMPTION.
Is He not more wonderful than tongue can tell?
What could possibly give us greater joy?
What little tribulation down here could ever take this joy of Christ Jesus in our hearts, our minds, and our souls, away from us.
I used to sing a little chorus when I was at Sunday school and it goes like this.
I've got the joy of Jesus down in my heart.
Down in my heart, WHERE?
Deep down in my heart.
I've got the joy of Jesus down in my heart.
GLORY TO HIS NAME.
Today I can really sing this chorus in truth because I know I have this wonderful joy of Jesus in my heart.
Do you have the joy of the Lord Jesus in your heart today dear reader?
Perhaps there is a little root of bitterness in your life.
Will you come to Him who loves you and gave Himself for you on the cross of Calvary and confess it to Him.
He gently calleth thee;
In true repentance bow,
Before Him bend the knee!
He waiteth to bestow
Salvation, peace, and love,
True joy on earth below,
A home in heaven above.
Come, come, come.
Come to the Saviour now!
Gaze on that cleansing tide -
Water and blood that flow
Forth from His wounded side.
Hark to the suffering One:
"Tis finished!" now He cries;
Redemptions work is done,
Then bows His head and dies.
Come, come, come.
Come to the Saviour,
He suffered all for thee:
And in his merits thou
Hast an unfailing plea
No vain excuses frame,
For feelings do not stay;
None who to Jesus came
Were ever sent away.
Come, come, Come.,
Come to the Saviour now!
Ye who have wandered far,
Renew your solemn vow,
For His by right you are.
Come, like poor wandering sheep
Returning to the fold -
His arm will safely keep,
His love will ne'er grow cold.
Come, come, Come.
Come to the Saviour all!
Whate'er your burdens be;
Hear now His loving call -
"Cast all your care on Me"
Come and for every grief
In Jesus you will find
A sure and safe relief,
A loving friend and kind.
Come, Come, Come.
Sacred Songs and Solos 399.
Played by Caryl.
AMEN.
If you do not have this joy of Christ Jesus dear reader, then ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with it.
The Word of God tells us plainly that we are to
"ask and it shall be given unto us.
we are to seek and we shall find."
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us:
And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."
Ephesians 1:7-8 "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;"
If you have turned to Christ dear reader, then you can know, from the Word of God, that in eternity past, God chose you. He predestined you and He has made you accepted in the Beloved.
The Lord Jesus came into this world over 2000 years ago and after He had been on this earth for 33 years, He died upon the cross.
He was buried and after 3 days He rose bodily from the tomb and He ascended into heaven.
THOSE ARE THE FACTS OF THE GOSPEL THAT THE WORD OF GOD GIVES US PLAINLY.
WE ARE REDEEMED BY HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD WHEN WE TRUST HIM FOR SALVATION.
This is not popular today.
The cross of Christ does not appeal to the pride of man.
Unfortunately most churches today make an appeal to the old nature of man and there is no emphasis on the blood of Christ.
Perhaps they feel it is repulsive.
SIN is what is repulsive about the precious blood of redemption.
THE LORD JESUS CAME TO THIS EARTH TO FORM THE CHURCH WITH NAIL PIERCED HANDS.
IT IS HIS CHURCH.
HE IS THE ONE WHO IS IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING IT.
MANS PART IS TO GIVE OUT THE WORD OF GOD.
THE HOLY SPIRITS PART IS TO TEACH MANKIND.
TO OPEN MANS EARS TO HEAR THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL.
CHRIST IS THE ONE WHO BAPTIZES US WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONE WHO SEALS US.
THE LORD JESUS TOOK AWAY THE FIRST
(The Old Testament sets forth the expiation of sins by the blood of an animal sacrifice yet this sacrifice could not take away sins it only covered sins)
SO THAT HE MIGHT ESTABLISH THE SECOND.
ONLY THE BLOOD SACRIFICE OF CHRIST COULD TAKE AWAY SINS.
GOD TOOK AWAY SACRIFICES THAT WERE OFFERED BY LAW AND HE OFFERED CHRIST JESUS ONCE FOR ALL.
Hebrews 10:6-12 "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin I have no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God."
Here is one of the most beautiful pictures in Scripture.
The Lord Jesus came to this earth, grew to manhood, and at thirty years of age He began His earthly ministry. When He came to the end of that ministry, He could say,
John 8:46 "Which of you convinceth me of sin?"
He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.
He could have stepped off this earth any day that He wanted to, gone back to heaven and left this earth in sin - left you and me in the slavery of sin.
But He loved us, and God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
So instead of His ear being pierced with an awl, He was given a body.
A body for what?
For death - to die on the cross.
Hebrews 10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Referring back to that law in Exodus, if a master gave his slave a woman to marry, and he loved her, he could choose to stay in slavery with her.
In like manner the Lord Jesus Christ has been given the body of believers which we call the church as His bride.
In His prayer to His Father concerning them,
He said,
John 17:9 "They are mine. You gave them to Me."
The Lord loves us; He paid the price for us.
But the interesting thing is that He did not stay in slavery;
He went back to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and some day He is going to take us out of the slavery of sin to be with Him.
He alone could do that.
How wonderful this is!
There is a green hill, far away,
Without a city wall.
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.
There was no other good enough,
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven to let us in.
Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander
What a beautiful picture of Christ this is!
The offerings could only cover the sin; they were an atonement, but they could never take away sins.
The offerings were just a reminder that men were sinners and that the sin question had not yet been settled.
"But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God."
Why did He sit down?
BECAUSE THE WORK OF REDEMPTION WAS COMPLETE.
"one sacrifice for sins for ever."
Hebrews 12:9–10 "Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness."
The "profit" here is not material profit.
I do not believe that God is moving in that direction today.
The profit happens to be spiritual profit, - we are "partakers of His holiness."
We live in a day of action, which is rife in our churches today.
We keep on being told to get busy for God.
To do something for God.
And we have a great deal of activity and movement in the churches instead of a desire to live a holy life for God.
But God desires a holy life.
He wants that above your service.
God disciplines His children that they might have a holy life.
PRAYERFULLY MEDITATE:
Hebrews 12:12-13 "Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed."
God wants us to grow up.
He wants to get out of the baby stage.
He wants to get us out of the spiritual nursery and get us going.
He wants to make us men and women of conviction and courage, stamina and strength.
Someone may ask,
"How may I teach my children to live the Christian life and to attend church?"
The answer is:
By living the Christian life yourself and going to church yourself.
This is something that is desperately needed - courage and conviction in the lives of believers.
The greatest pulpits in the world are not in churches; they are on beds of pain. There are many wonderful saints of God who are not in churches - they are not able to attend services.
That is one thing the radio ministry has opened to my eyes to and that is the number of people who are bedridden, and by faith they are living for God.
Many of them write letters of comfort to those who are on the mission field and they pray for them daily.
Many are in constant pain.
And they are rejoicing in the Lord!
What a message to those around them!
Reply to Caryl@cherith.co.za.
THIS PAGE UPDATED: 6-9-2007.