Sermon on Holiness | Encouraging Us To Follow Holiness

1. God is holy.

1) Because God is holy, we are required to be holy as well — 1 Peter 1:15, 16 “but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.”

2) God wants us to share or partake of his holiness – Hebrews 12:10 “For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.”

3) He wants us to be a people that He can possess – 1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

4) He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing so that we can be holy – Ephesians 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:”

2. Jesus is holy.

1) As our High Priest His holiness has been established: Heb. 7:26 “For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;”

2) He was sinless: 1 Peter 2:22 “who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”

3) His sacrifice purifies us unto holiness; Titus 2:14. “who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works”

3. God’s word is holy.

1) God’s word comes from the Holy Spirit, hence it is a holy word/message: John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.”

2) Because it is holy it can sanctify: John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.”

3) Christ uses it to cleanse and make holy: Eph. 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

4. When we follow after God, Jesus, and God’s word, we can be holy and live holy lives.

1. Pure in mind.

1) Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

2) Holiness of the heart prevents impure thoughts. Jesus said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Matthew 15:19).

3) James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

4) For the purpose of Christ’s second coming: 1 Thess. 3:13 “to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

2. Pure in body.

1) 2 Cor. 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

2) We are called to have holy vessels: 1 Thess. 4:7 ” For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

3) Our members must be servants to holiness: Romans 6:19 “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”

3. Pure in all things in this life.

1) 1 Peter 2:12 “having your behavior seemly (honest, honorable) among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

2) We should be concerned about holy living because one day the world will be destroyed. How does this affect our holiness? 2 Peter 3:11 “Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness”

3) In all things in this life: 1 Peter 1:15 “but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;”

1. The world, contrary to its protests, offers no distinctness.

1) When it all boils down to it, the world simply desires you to conform to its lusts.

2) “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17).

3) Those who are truly different/unique, don’t follow the world.

2. But we are God’s special people and must be distinctive.

1) This was so with Israel: Deuteronomy 7:6 “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

2) It is so with spiritual Israel today: 1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

3) Isaiah 35:8 “And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein.”

3. We need to be distinct from the world.

1) We are to walk as distinct from the world: Eph. 5:8 “For ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light”

2) We are to come out of the world: 2 Cor. 6:17, 18 “Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

3) We are not to conform to the world: Romans 12:1, 2 ” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”