Be Thou Holy
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Ø We are told that we should think more highly of ourselves since God thinks so highly of us.
Ø We tell people they should accept Christ as their Savior
Ø We use everything we can think of to sell Christ to the world as if He were a product.
Ø We are told that God loves us just the way we are.
God does not want us to just remain the way we are.
Ø He loves us and He knows our weaknesses,
Ø But He also demands that we live in the nature of his son and grow to maturity in Christ.
We can say that we love and accept our children unconditionally in those areas where they have no control, but none of us, if we are good parents, accepts our children's actions if they are disobedient.
God is our Father, and He has a lot in common with earthly parents.
Ø He loves us unconditionally
Ø He accepts those things about us which we have no control over
Ø But He will not accept our disobedience.
Leviticus 20:7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
Ø People ignore this type of verse because it was written in the Old Testament.
Ø It was written to the Israelites and therefore has no relivance to us today.
Ø After all we are no longer under the law, but under His grace, right?
God has not stopped calling us to be holy since this verse was written.
Ø We are not to conform, play the game, any longer to the pattern of this world.
Ø We are to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.
Ø When was the last time you heard this taught from the pulpit?
Ø When was the last time you were told that you must live a holy, consecrated life because God commanded it?
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Look at these verses very carefully.
Ø Fornication and all uncleanness, let it not even be named among you.
Ø Filthiness, nor foolish talking,
Ø Nor coarse jesting, are not fitting.
Ø It is clear that not any of this will see the kingdom of Christ
Why does the church today ignore these things or even worse smile at this kind of behavior? Why can't we just take God seriously?
We tell everyone that God understands our weaknesses, and then we act as if disobedience is a weakness.
Disobedience is sin not a weakness and it is time we started realizing this.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
Salvation does not give us a freedom to sin. Salvation frees us from the slavery to sin. With that freedom we have the responsibility to live holy lives.
Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Ø Holiness should be the most important truth that we teach our children.
Ø Holiness should be the most important truth that we teach in our churches.
The Bible makes it clear that without these truths no one will see the Lord or have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
Why do we allow people to think that all God requires is that they repent of their sins at least once in their life?
Ø We make it sound like after that it's all God's responsibility not ours.
Ø Why don't we tell people that they must walk out their salvation daily?
Ø Why don't we teach them how to grow from spiritual children always depending on the church mother's milk?
Ø Why don't we see more Christians becoming spiritually mature, able to feed and teach each other?
The world is sick and tired of people telling them about Jesus.
Ø They can tune into any TV show on the Miracle Channel and hear people telling them of Jesus.
Ø What they really want is to see people who will show them Jesus through the way they live their lives.
James 2:20 But do you want to know, 0 foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
A whole division of the Christian community will disagree with what I have just read here.
Ø The argument goes something like this: "Living by works will not bring salvation and it is wrong to tell someone they have to do or live a certain way to please God."
Ø I would agree with them if this is what James was teaching.
Ø Works for salvation is wrong, but what many call works is really a call to obedience.
If I tell you that you must read your Bible at least 30 minutes per day and go to church at least 3 times per week to please God and continue in the faith, that is works. I won't deny that it is important for Christians to read their Bibles or to have fellowship with other believers, but our salvation is in no way based on our doing these things.
If I tell you that you must withdraw from sexual impurity, that you must not lie, cheat, or live a worldly life that is not works, it is obedient living and obedience is required for living a mature, holy, set-apart life for Christ.
Ø There is a reckless disrespect for Christ among those who call themselves “Christians”
Ø There is an indifference for His sacrifice on the cross.
Ø There is a willful disregard for God's grace that allows us to grow into the full nature of Christ.
How can we claim to be “Christian” and yet disregard these things?
Don't fool ourselves, we can't.
Ezekiel 18:24 but when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
I don't speak these words to get people to agree with me or to get people to change their minds.
Ø I speak them so that people will think about their faith and learn to discern and hear God word.
Ø I speak these words to help you become spiritually mature
Ø I speak these words because there is a responsibility to warn you what awaits those who disobey God
Ø I speak these words because the Holy Spirit has told me to
But believe me when I say that I know that there is a cost to living this way.
Luke 14: 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it
29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, `This man began to build and was not able to finish'?
Sit down first and count the cost to following Christ.
Ø The cost is loneliness. Having both worldly and Christian friends abandon you just as your about to face your cross
Ø The cost is sleepless nights in prayer while others are asleep, not feeling the same burden that you feel.
Ø The cost is being ridiculed and being called a heretic by members of your own church
Ø The cost is being accused of over-spiritualizing everything by others who call themselves Christians
Ø The cost is death to self on the Cross.
Ø You will lose friends
Ø You will be talked about
Ø You will be ridiculed
Ø You will have to have a nature change
Jesus said "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. "
Ø We need to weep and mourn over our sins
Ø We need to obey the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us
Ø We need to count the cost of living a life wholly devoted to Christ.
Ø We need to grow up spiritually, become mature Christians
Ø We need to learn to hear and descern the will God for ourselves.
Ø We must become Holy even as He is holy
Only then will we see the Lord working through our lives.
Only then can we have life more abundantly.
Only then can we live in peace with all men
Only then will we enter into the Holy of Holies and stand face to face before our God.
Only then will we here the words "well done good and faithful servant”.
I long to walk as a true believer of Christ and to see God face to face. I long to dwell in the Holy of Holies and I want to walk there with you.
We must become the church without spot or wrinkle.
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