Pursuit Of Holiness 3-30-08 "The
Pursuit of Holiness
3/30/08 AM R. Sams (Heb 12:14)
BIG IDEA:
Rom 6 talks, not about a rooting out of an object within our bodies, but a
re-direction of the love within our hearts.
SCRIPTURES TO VIDEOPROJECT (coded
with P ):
OTHER SCRIPTURES:
OTHER ITEMS TO VIDEOPROJECT: stuff under
bulletin bottom CALL TO WORSHIP: Beh 12:14 THEMES/SONGS:
GOSPEL/MISSION:
VISION/PRIORITIES:
ASSIGNMENTS:
PASTOR�S MINI-LESSON:
BULLETIN
BOTTOM, p. 1 One way that has helped some is to think of Romans 6 is: we
are dead to the PENALTY of sin (Beb 9-10) and POWER of sin to rule and cause
persistent sinning, but not to the PRESENCE of sin or the PULL of sin to
constantly tempt us.
I. There are LOTS of hindrances to our pursuit
of holiness. My first memories, as a child & teen, of the word
"holiness involved people who measured your spirituality by measuring
length of your sleeves, your hemline or hair, the height of your neckline, and
the color of your lipstick (fire engine red was out, but it didn�t look good on
me anyway). The kind of cards you played with entered in. Face cards
were out. Uno was in.
We called it "Quaker poker. A. I
remember my dear departed mother bought into some of these standards, but didn�t
have much patience with people who just looked at all the external signs of
holiness. She focused on practical holiness, living it out.
[THANKS.] B. Those that were wrapped up in external signs of holiness
often did not express show much joy or love. They were often
legalistic. They came across as holier than thou, better than everyone
else. They tended to give Christians a bad name, like the campus preacher,
brother Micah, who rails against everything that moves ending with: "You�re
going to hell. He�s teased and taunted. Christian groups on campus
distance themselves from him. He sets their work back. HUGE
HINDRANCES TO HOLINESS.
C. Maybe they were so separated they were no
earthly good, wanting to separate themselves from everyone. Did Jesus tell
us to separate ourselves from the world? Careful, it is a trick
question. He did call us to live differently, but to live with sinners,
meaning right beside them at work and play to reach them with His love (Jn
17:15, 18).
1. "Holiness or "sanctification in this
passage, means "separated to God, but separation because we are different,
we don�t just act different.
We ARE different because we are living by God�s
ways because we belong to Him, we love Him.
2. But we live IN the
world. Jesus says in (Jn 17) that He sends us into the world to redeem and
heal the world with His message of redemption and healing.
D. These
people KNOW their stuff, but their PRACTICE of holiness is too often
lacking. I think it�s important for us to be honest about the "hindrances
to holiness in our own lives.
E. But should we miss out on
something incredibly good just because somebody else did it wrong, presented and
represented it wrong? I saw a few kids squander their college
educations. Daddy was footing the bill so they just goofed around majoring
in staying up late, and sleeping half the day. How smart would it have
been for me to focus just on those few and reject an education just because a
few did it badly? I likely wouldn�t be here today able to fulfill my
calling and do this job I�d do even if you didn�t pay me (Don�t tell the Finance
Committee).
F. I�m venturing more people would pursue holiness more IF
they truly believed that the holy life is the happy, healthy and whole life that
Jesus described in (Jn 10:10). Do you believe this, or are the hindrances
to holiness I�ve (not) mentioned holding you back?
II. Holiness is very
biblical. JB says it�s in there 600x. Leviticus is entirely devoted
to holiness. It tells how sinful man can approach, be separated unto a
holy God who cannot look upon sin. Because of His purity and justice there
needs to be something to take care of our sin, or we can�t be in close
relationship to God.
A. Someone had to take the punishment for our sin
or God�s holiness and justice has no meaning. That payment requires a
life. Animals could die in man�s place, but they had to be offered time
and time again in a never-ending cycle that made the sinner wonder if the work
was ever complete or sufficient.
B. That�s where Jesus came in, to take
away our penalty for sin once and for all (Heb 10:1-4; 9:14, 26-28a).
GOSPEL III. Rooting out a substance vs. re-directing our
love.
A. There are ways of thinking about holiness that confuse and
hinder us when we read passages like Romans 6 that tells us we are "dead to
sin (vs. 5-7). The question that inevitably comes up is: "If
I�m dead to sin, then why am I still tempted? If the sin nature has been
eradicated, cleansed, or killed, then why do I still stumble and fall into sin
on occasion? B. The answer is you�re still human and there�s still
sin in this world. Satan is still alive and well and isn�t done with
you. But (I Jn 4:4). God�s Spirit who lives within us to empower us
to live a holy life is not weak. He is mighty to save and to cleanse us
from sin and to lead us into righteousness. BUT WE have to appropriate His
power.
C. One way that has helped some is to think of (Romans 6) in
this way: we are dead to the PENALTY of sin (Beb 9-10) and POWER of sin to rule
and call the shots in our lives, but not to the PRESENCE of sin or the PULL of
sin [PROJECT]. Some will tell you they sin in thought, word and deed every
day.
1. There are two problems with that. One is they are using
a definition of sin that is biblical, but not as helpful as it could be.
They say that sin is anything falling short of God�s perfect will. So
obviously you can see why they think they sin so often every day.
2.
But if we define sin as intentionally doing what we know God doesn�t want, or
refuse to do what we know He wants, then that is rebellion. It�s a whole
different story. Sin is an orientation or direction of our lives. It
describes a relationship with the living God that is not right, good or holy.
We keep on sinning because of this distorted, unhealthy, unholy relationship
with the living God. If our relationship is wrong then we will sin and
keep on sinning. Sin will rule and reign in our hearts, minds and
bodies. Sin (self) is in charge, not God.
3. Holiness happens
when we give God the rule He rightly deserves, AND the leadership in our lives
that best for us. That�s why I keep saying the holy life is the happy,
healthy and whole life. Holiness is when our love is re-directed toward
Him instead of ourselves, so we live to please Him, not ourselves.
D.
One of the hindrances to holiness is we view sin as some substance, like an
infection, that needs to be rooted out of our body. Holiness is a
re-direction of the love within our heart toward God so that we do what He wants
because we WANT to, not because we HAVE to.
E. There was a season in
our marriage that I can talk about better because it was some years ago.
It was persistently doing things that were not helpful to our marriage
relationship. They hurt Joyce.
1. Now if you�re on the edge of
your seat OR you�re cringing waiting for some confession on the level of a NY
governor (or lieutenant governoregad!), don�t hold your breath. First,
because nothing on that level happened.
2. I didn�t need some substance
surgically removed from my body, I needed a redirection of my love from myself
to my wife and my Lord. In fact there are people in church history that
took Jesus command literally that if your eye offends thee, cut it
off. But they found they still were tempted.
3. The Holy Spirit
doesn�t root out some literal part of your body, He ALONE enables and empowers
us to re-direct our love toward God and toward the people God intends us to
love. But we have to receive His power. We have to appropriate His
power.
4. It�s not helpful to think of sin as a material
substance. Why? We�ll think once it�s removed then it�ll be gone,
over and done with; "It won�t bother me again. Sin is dead.
5. But the Bible teaches us that cleansing is not only an event that
the Holy Spirit alone enables, it�s a daily process that He alone enables, but
WE have to appropriate.
F. Some of you are struggling with the
direction of your love. It may be toward some drug. It may be toward
images that are harmful on a computer screen. It may be toward
money. It maybe toward someone other than the love of your life that God
gave you for life. It may simply be you can�t love her because you love
yourself too much.
1. The empowering of the Holy Spirit can re-direct
your love. But you have to want His power. You have to appropriate
it, receive it.
2. It�s like an excellent teacher who wants to give you
vital information that you can�t get on your own. But after he�s taught
you, you have to appropriate or apply that knowledge or it doesn�t do you any
good. It�s like the gas card someone gave me. I let it sit in my
wallet until I expired.
It was only potential power in my wallet. All
I needed to do was present it at a gas station. I didn�t. That hurt
my pocketbook. Letting the power of the Holy Spirit to change the
direction of your love toward your spouse or Him, is a whole other
story.
3. He will give you to power to do what you know is right,
healthy, and will produce happiness and wholeness in your life. Closing
song(s).