CALL TO WORSHIP: Ezek 36; Jer
31; Dt 30
THE MACHINE METAPHOR: Think of a fine machine (you) simply operating (living) according to the manufacturer�s (God�s) instructions (the Bible).
I. A couple of years ago Will Smith starred in a movie called "The Pursuit of Happyness misspelled by his 7 year old son. Did you know you�re starring in that same movie if you�re pursuing holiness? That came up in our POH group as someone misspoke and called it "Pursuit of Happiness. Then said quickly, and they�re a new Christian, it�s the same thing isn�t it?
Some struggle with calling these the same. I struggled with this for the longest time. I thought "holiness people were those who dressed strange. They defined holiness by the length of your sleeves, hair or neckline. They were defined by the frown on their face. I thought of them like Menchen did the Puritans, as those who were deathly afraid that someone, somewhere might be having a good time.
II. But what I�ve come to realize is that pursuing holiness is pursuing happiness, because the same God who made us for wholeness, for happiness and healthfulness, said the way there is the way of holiness.
A. These terms all go together. Think of this picture: a fine machine (you) simply operating (living) according to the manufacturer�s (God�s)
instructions (the Bible).
B. I�m sure what you�ve been hearing in this series doesn�t always sit well, like we are "dead to sin, and "perfection. It may strike you as arrogant or impossible. Holiness people think they�re better than you. They�re isolated from real people when Jesus Himself ate with sinners and tax collectors (and who�s worse? Tax liberation was this week.)
C. These terms and doctrines can be confusing when we compare that to our experience of struggling with sin, esp when terms aren�t familiar (entire sanctification). There is confusion/frustration, but here�s my encouragement: live what you DO understand.
D. Some have said this stuff isn�t where I live. I can�t pay my bills. I�m out of work. The roof leaks. I have little kids pulling at me all day or older ones that are causing lots of worries. The verdict is back from my lawyer/doctor, and it�s not good. I can�t concentrate on something so lofty when life is so daily.
E. But the holy life is also so daily. It�s lived one day at a time. Too often we envision it as something "way out there when it is right here, up close.
III. Moses addressed many of these questions and frustrations in the nation of Israel when they were struggling to live out the ways of God in (Dt 30:5-6). It is the healthy, happy and whole life.
A. It�s not too hard or too difficult to understand (11-20). Note: "the Lord your God is your life. The Christian life is a life to be lived in relationship of love to the Lord our God through Jesus.
1. It�s not some system of doctrine. It�s not about laws and rules, or even striving to be good or holy. It�s love and life lived in relationship to the God who made us, loves us, so much He died for us on the cross to take our sins on Himself. GOSPEL.
2. The holy life is very practical, personal and daily. It�s to be lived in the little acts of every day that add up to define our character, and eventually, our destiny.
B. Too often we want everything to change all at once. We want instant everything, including spiritual maturity. "Give me the spiritual silver bullet, to make me holy or give me spiritual growth.
C. But we can�t go straight from the addition tables to calculus without going through second, third, fourth grades. It�s daily growth. It�s maturity.
D. We want the heroic acts of holiness in our lives without the disciplines of the little ones. It�s like the couple I was counseling about marriage.
The wife confessed: "He SAYS he�d swim the deepest rivers and climb the highest mountains for me, but he won�t go upstairs and get my sweater. The holy life is so daily.
IV. Don�t misunderstand this: the pursuit of holiness is SO MUCH MORE than actions. It�s a deep change within when God changes, cleanses our heart by His cleansing Holy Spirit. It�s radical and deep (Mt 3:11). The Holy Spirit�s baptism, (cleansing, sanctifying) changes our entire direction, orientation, focus of pursuit. He changes our passions, motivations, drives. His cleansing changes who is center of our lives, and who is in charge.
A. And holiness happens only because of the Holy Spirit�s cleansing deep within. It�s described again so radically in (Ezek 36:24-28 MESS), a changed heart. That leads to another area of confusion.
B. So often we say, I can�t live the holy life. I hear these terms like "perfect love, "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, and "purity. I know I can�t do it. Sometimes that�s a misunderstanding of what is perfected and what is not. Our humanity is not perfected. That means we won�t think perfectly. We won�t have perfect judgment, perfect insight or foresight into the future. We�ll still make bad investments, bad business decisions, and even make poor choices for spouses.
C. However, we won�t continue to make choices or do things contrary to what we KNOW God wants. We won�t always feel things the way we want to. Our emotions and our thinking abilities are a part of our humanity. God has no quarrel with our humanity.
D. What he DOES have a problem with is our intentionally saying no to Him, a rebellious heart. "No to the things He wants us to do, or "No when He tells us to stop doing that�s hurting us or others.
E. Our bodies aren�t perfected so may contract illnesses. We may have chemical imbalances that affect our personality. All these until the Lord chooses to heal us through medicines, nutrition or some other touch.
V. But what is to be pure and right is our DESIRES, our INTENTIONS and MOTIVATIONS. I will never preach the perfect sermon. I�ll forget some illustrations. I�ll misspeak.
A. How much has Obama tried to go back and correct what he meant to say about embittered religious people? And he�s a pro, a skilled orator.
I�ll blow the punch line of a joke. I�ll tell a story or illustration that will offend someone (unintentionally). I�ll interpret a passage incorrectly. Even though I�ve studied it long, it wasn�t enough. This is human stuff, not sinful stuff. See the difference?
B But…I can always WANT to preach the perfect sermon. I do each Sunday when I step up here, for Him and for you, because this Book, His Book, teaches us the way of life.
VI. We can mistake "perfection for "maturity. Maturity is a process that never stops. That�s the PROCESS side of sanctification.
A. Another illustration. Take three apples. First you have the buds coming out on the trees right now. They are just buds [TAKE CRABAPPLE BUD, "green apple, and mature apple]. They are extremely immature apples. But they are perfect, for the stage they�re at. How about in 3-6 weeks. You�ll have a little hard green apple, the kind Denny Criss and I used to eat off Jeff Yeagley�s tree in Beloit that made us sick. Were they mature? No. Were they perfect? We didn�t think so lying on the ground with a belly ache, but they were. Don�t confuse maturity with perfection.
You can be immature, constantly in need of the maturation process, but still perfect in heart, for the stage you�re at.
B. God is constantly going to be showing you areas where you need to grow and grow up. That doesn�t mean you can�t be pure-hearted and perfect for the stage of maturity you�re at right now. That�s what we mean by Christian perfection, perfect love, or a perfect heart. It can�t be much clearer in (I Jn 4:16-19 P ).
C. It�s so easy to judge someone as not surrendered to the Lord because we look at their "maturity instead of their "perfection (heart). The reason: we can�t see their hearts (i.e. motivations, intentions, desires).
V. Only God sees both our maturity and the perfection of our hearts accurately. He sees our hearts and the level of maturity we should be on.
That brings us to the place of spiritual disciplines in spiritual growth, another misunderstood subject.
A. They lead us on to greater maturity. I�m talking about God�s Word, prayer, worship, confession, accountability, solitude, celebration, fasting, etc. We too often think these make us holy. No, it�s three things: the Holy Spirit as we surrender our will. Then SDs are used by God to help us get strong and grow up in the Christian life.
1. So often we have people come to the leaders here at AFC who�s lives are in disarray. They can�t figure out why. And we�ll ask: "Are you regularly worshipping the Lord? Are you in fellowship? Accountability "iron sharpening iron? Regularly in His Word? Are you obeying what you know?
2. Their answers are often "No, no and no; and they�re still amazed they have these problems. We�re not. The Holy Spirit uses these as one of His tools to help us grow up toward maturity and Christlikeness. That�s the process nature of the Christian life.
B. Ill. 2. If we want to get physically stronger. There are at least four factors: there are the weights we lift, there�s our desire to go in and lift them. There�s our bodies that have to be able to lift them. You need all 3.
1. The capacity to lift the weight is role the empowering Holy Spirit plays. We must provide the desire. The weights are the spiritual disciplines, the tools God uses to make us stronger. We need all three.
2. Any of these three missing? You need all three to keep growing/maturing in the Christian life.
3. And that�s God�s goal for us, which is nothing less than becoming more and more like Jesus.
C. For a long time I read (I Jn 3:2), without [OPT v. 3-10. Just because you�re obeying the devil now doesn�t mean you�re lost forever, and just because you�re obeying God now doesn�t mean you�re saved forever. It�s your choice!] D. (4:16-19). God wants us to be growing more like Jesus each day, and has given us the ability to do so. We make all kinds of excuses why get stuck, don�t grow, keep on sinning. Facing up to the fact they are just excuses is a great start. Stop excusing and start growing like Him today.
THE MACHINE METAPHOR: Think of a fine machine (you) simply operating (living) according to the manufacturer�s (God�s) instructions (the Bible).
I. A couple of years ago Will Smith starred in a movie called "The Pursuit of Happyness misspelled by his 7 year old son. Did you know you�re starring in that same movie if you�re pursuing holiness? That came up in our POH group as someone misspoke and called it "Pursuit of Happiness. Then said quickly, and they�re a new Christian, it�s the same thing isn�t it?
Some struggle with calling these the same. I struggled with this for the longest time. I thought "holiness people were those who dressed strange. They defined holiness by the length of your sleeves, hair or neckline. They were defined by the frown on their face. I thought of them like Menchen did the Puritans, as those who were deathly afraid that someone, somewhere might be having a good time.
II. But what I�ve come to realize is that pursuing holiness is pursuing happiness, because the same God who made us for wholeness, for happiness and healthfulness, said the way there is the way of holiness.
A. These terms all go together. Think of this picture: a fine machine (you) simply operating (living) according to the manufacturer�s (God�s)
instructions (the Bible).
B. I�m sure what you�ve been hearing in this series doesn�t always sit well, like we are "dead to sin, and "perfection. It may strike you as arrogant or impossible. Holiness people think they�re better than you. They�re isolated from real people when Jesus Himself ate with sinners and tax collectors (and who�s worse? Tax liberation was this week.)
C. These terms and doctrines can be confusing when we compare that to our experience of struggling with sin, esp when terms aren�t familiar (entire sanctification). There is confusion/frustration, but here�s my encouragement: live what you DO understand.
D. Some have said this stuff isn�t where I live. I can�t pay my bills. I�m out of work. The roof leaks. I have little kids pulling at me all day or older ones that are causing lots of worries. The verdict is back from my lawyer/doctor, and it�s not good. I can�t concentrate on something so lofty when life is so daily.
E. But the holy life is also so daily. It�s lived one day at a time. Too often we envision it as something "way out there when it is right here, up close.
III. Moses addressed many of these questions and frustrations in the nation of Israel when they were struggling to live out the ways of God in (Dt 30:5-6). It is the healthy, happy and whole life.
A. It�s not too hard or too difficult to understand (11-20). Note: "the Lord your God is your life. The Christian life is a life to be lived in relationship of love to the Lord our God through Jesus.
1. It�s not some system of doctrine. It�s not about laws and rules, or even striving to be good or holy. It�s love and life lived in relationship to the God who made us, loves us, so much He died for us on the cross to take our sins on Himself. GOSPEL.
2. The holy life is very practical, personal and daily. It�s to be lived in the little acts of every day that add up to define our character, and eventually, our destiny.
B. Too often we want everything to change all at once. We want instant everything, including spiritual maturity. "Give me the spiritual silver bullet, to make me holy or give me spiritual growth.
C. But we can�t go straight from the addition tables to calculus without going through second, third, fourth grades. It�s daily growth. It�s maturity.
D. We want the heroic acts of holiness in our lives without the disciplines of the little ones. It�s like the couple I was counseling about marriage.
The wife confessed: "He SAYS he�d swim the deepest rivers and climb the highest mountains for me, but he won�t go upstairs and get my sweater. The holy life is so daily.
IV. Don�t misunderstand this: the pursuit of holiness is SO MUCH MORE than actions. It�s a deep change within when God changes, cleanses our heart by His cleansing Holy Spirit. It�s radical and deep (Mt 3:11). The Holy Spirit�s baptism, (cleansing, sanctifying) changes our entire direction, orientation, focus of pursuit. He changes our passions, motivations, drives. His cleansing changes who is center of our lives, and who is in charge.
A. And holiness happens only because of the Holy Spirit�s cleansing deep within. It�s described again so radically in (Ezek 36:24-28 MESS), a changed heart. That leads to another area of confusion.
B. So often we say, I can�t live the holy life. I hear these terms like "perfect love, "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, and "purity. I know I can�t do it. Sometimes that�s a misunderstanding of what is perfected and what is not. Our humanity is not perfected. That means we won�t think perfectly. We won�t have perfect judgment, perfect insight or foresight into the future. We�ll still make bad investments, bad business decisions, and even make poor choices for spouses.
C. However, we won�t continue to make choices or do things contrary to what we KNOW God wants. We won�t always feel things the way we want to. Our emotions and our thinking abilities are a part of our humanity. God has no quarrel with our humanity.
D. What he DOES have a problem with is our intentionally saying no to Him, a rebellious heart. "No to the things He wants us to do, or "No when He tells us to stop doing that�s hurting us or others.
E. Our bodies aren�t perfected so may contract illnesses. We may have chemical imbalances that affect our personality. All these until the Lord chooses to heal us through medicines, nutrition or some other touch.
V. But what is to be pure and right is our DESIRES, our INTENTIONS and MOTIVATIONS. I will never preach the perfect sermon. I�ll forget some illustrations. I�ll misspeak.
A. How much has Obama tried to go back and correct what he meant to say about embittered religious people? And he�s a pro, a skilled orator.
I�ll blow the punch line of a joke. I�ll tell a story or illustration that will offend someone (unintentionally). I�ll interpret a passage incorrectly. Even though I�ve studied it long, it wasn�t enough. This is human stuff, not sinful stuff. See the difference?
B But…I can always WANT to preach the perfect sermon. I do each Sunday when I step up here, for Him and for you, because this Book, His Book, teaches us the way of life.
VI. We can mistake "perfection for "maturity. Maturity is a process that never stops. That�s the PROCESS side of sanctification.
A. Another illustration. Take three apples. First you have the buds coming out on the trees right now. They are just buds [TAKE CRABAPPLE BUD, "green apple, and mature apple]. They are extremely immature apples. But they are perfect, for the stage they�re at. How about in 3-6 weeks. You�ll have a little hard green apple, the kind Denny Criss and I used to eat off Jeff Yeagley�s tree in Beloit that made us sick. Were they mature? No. Were they perfect? We didn�t think so lying on the ground with a belly ache, but they were. Don�t confuse maturity with perfection.
You can be immature, constantly in need of the maturation process, but still perfect in heart, for the stage you�re at.
B. God is constantly going to be showing you areas where you need to grow and grow up. That doesn�t mean you can�t be pure-hearted and perfect for the stage of maturity you�re at right now. That�s what we mean by Christian perfection, perfect love, or a perfect heart. It can�t be much clearer in (I Jn 4:16-19 P ).
C. It�s so easy to judge someone as not surrendered to the Lord because we look at their "maturity instead of their "perfection (heart). The reason: we can�t see their hearts (i.e. motivations, intentions, desires).
V. Only God sees both our maturity and the perfection of our hearts accurately. He sees our hearts and the level of maturity we should be on.
That brings us to the place of spiritual disciplines in spiritual growth, another misunderstood subject.
A. They lead us on to greater maturity. I�m talking about God�s Word, prayer, worship, confession, accountability, solitude, celebration, fasting, etc. We too often think these make us holy. No, it�s three things: the Holy Spirit as we surrender our will. Then SDs are used by God to help us get strong and grow up in the Christian life.
1. So often we have people come to the leaders here at AFC who�s lives are in disarray. They can�t figure out why. And we�ll ask: "Are you regularly worshipping the Lord? Are you in fellowship? Accountability "iron sharpening iron? Regularly in His Word? Are you obeying what you know?
2. Their answers are often "No, no and no; and they�re still amazed they have these problems. We�re not. The Holy Spirit uses these as one of His tools to help us grow up toward maturity and Christlikeness. That�s the process nature of the Christian life.
B. Ill. 2. If we want to get physically stronger. There are at least four factors: there are the weights we lift, there�s our desire to go in and lift them. There�s our bodies that have to be able to lift them. You need all 3.
1. The capacity to lift the weight is role the empowering Holy Spirit plays. We must provide the desire. The weights are the spiritual disciplines, the tools God uses to make us stronger. We need all three.
2. Any of these three missing? You need all three to keep growing/maturing in the Christian life.
3. And that�s God�s goal for us, which is nothing less than becoming more and more like Jesus.
C. For a long time I read (I Jn 3:2), without [OPT v. 3-10. Just because you�re obeying the devil now doesn�t mean you�re lost forever, and just because you�re obeying God now doesn�t mean you�re saved forever. It�s your choice!] D. (4:16-19). God wants us to be growing more like Jesus each day, and has given us the ability to do so. We make all kinds of excuses why get stuck, don�t grow, keep on sinning. Facing up to the fact they are just excuses is a great start. Stop excusing and start growing like Him today.
4/27/08 AM
Service
Pursuit of Holiness
"The Joy Of Holy Living
(Deuteronomy 30; I John 3-4)
Pastor Rick Sams
Pursuit of Holiness
"The Joy Of Holy Living
(Deuteronomy 30; I John 3-4)
Pastor Rick Sams
BIG IDEA: Don�t confuse
maturity and a pure heart. Don�t excuse lack of spiritual growth in your
life.
