Follow Holiness

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-29-2020

Hebrews 12:14

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Holiness is a subject that is not often preached in our day.  We have come to accept worldliness and casualness with God as the “new normal.”  The government has introduced us to several oxymorons because of the COVID-19 scare.  New is not normal and normal is not new!

 

B.  “Without which no man shall see the Lord.”  The Book of Hebrews re-introduces the believer to holiness, which is necessary for seeing the Lord.

 

C.  “See the Lord” does not mean our perception of Him, it means to see Him as He is.

 

1.  The worldly have a warped perception of the Lord. 

 

2 Corinthians 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

 

2.  The holy have a right perception of the Lord.  Purity is the key to a right perception.

 

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

 

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

1.  The Path of Holiness.  Our Approach to God.  We are exhorted to “follow” holiness.  Therefore, there must be both a clear path to holiness as well as examples of holiness.  The First Mention of the word “holy” is the context of man’s approach unto God. 

 

Exodus 3:5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

 

Joshua 5:15  And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

 

2.  The Person of Holiness.  Our Perception of God.   The First Mention of the word “holiness” gives us an attribute of God. 

 

Exodus 15:11  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

 

Isaiah 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.  (A thrice holy God.  Found only once in both the Old and New Testaments.)

 

Revelation 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

 

3.  The Purpose of Holiness.  Our Seeing of God.  As our sin separates us from God, our holiness brings us near to God.

 

Hebrews 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

 

1 John 1:5-7  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (6)  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

 

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

 

4.  The People of Holiness.  Our Sanctification to God.  Too many have preached sanctification from a negative point of view.  Our sanctification is to God which is our reasonable service.  It is both physical, our bodies, and mental, the renewing of our minds.

 

a.  A Physical Holiness.

 

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  

 

b.  A Mental Holiness.

 

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

2 Corinthians 5:14-17  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  (15)  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.  (16)  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.  (17)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

2 Peter 3:11-12  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  (12)  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

 

 

5.  The Pattern of Holiness.  Our Example from God.   The believer has the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Old Paths to follow.

 

Matthew 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

 

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

6.  The Power of Holiness.  Our Witness for God.   As we become salt and light, people see Christ in us and desire what we have.

 

Matthew 5:13-16  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  (14)  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  (15)  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  (16)  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

7.  The Pleasure of Holiness.  Our Joy with God.   Oh, what joy!  To walk with God each day!

 

Psalms 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

2 Corinthians 3:17-18  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  (18)  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

Conclusion:  1 Thessalonians 4:7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

The Purpose of The Cross

Temple Baptist Church - 4-7-2019

1 Corinthians 1:18; Galatians 6:14

Introduction: 

A.  In this verse, which is my Life Verse, we find the importance of the Cross of Christ.  The Cross of Christ is the Focal Point of the Bible.  It is here that “eternity hinges.”  It is the bridge between Adam’s Fall and eternity.

1.  For four thousand years, from the fall of Adam along with the first Messianic Promise in Genesis 3:15, the world awaited the coming of the “Seed of the Woman,” God’s Messiah.

2.  For the past two thousand years, God’s people have looked back to the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

3.  Looking both forward in the Old Testament and back in the New Testament are acts of saving faith. 

B.  “God forbid that I should glory” covers it all.  Our glory is to be found in what Christ did and now in what we have done.  It makes salvation an act of grace and not of works.

C.  The preaching of the cross has a two-fold purpose found in this verse concerning the cross of Christ.  The song Rock Of Ages said it all: “be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.”

1.  The first purpose is salvation:  “by whom the world is crucified unto me.” 

2.  The second purpose of the cross is sanctification:  “and I unto the world.”  

1.  The Realization of The Cross - God Sacrificed His Own Son -  “Truly, this man was the Son of God” - Mark 15:33-39 - At The Cross Was Manifested The Holiness Of God.

1.  God’s Holiness Separated Him From Sinful Man - Habakkuk 1:13  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? 

Job 15:15  Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are                                        not clean in his sight. 

Psalms 5:4  For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 

1 Timothy 6:16  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

2.  God’s Holiness Demanded Sacrifice And Full Payment For Sin - Nahum 1:3a  The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked:

2 Peter 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

3.  God’s Holiness Demanded A Perfect Sacrifice For Sin - His Perfect Son  - 1 Peter 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

2.  The Forgiveness of The Cross - “Father, Forgive Them” - Luke 23:27-34 - At The Cross Was Manifested The Sinfulness Of Man And God’s Love For Sinners.

1.  God’s Hatred For Sin - The Sentence of Death - Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

James 1:14-15  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  Do not err, my beloved brethren. 

2.  God’s Love For Sinners - A Spotless Lamb Dying On An Old Rugged Cross For Sinful Man - 1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 

1 Timothy 1:9-10  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,   For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 

3.  The Salvation of The Cross - “Lord, Remember Me” - Luke 22:39-43 -At The Cross Was Manifested The Remedy Of God.

1.  The Willingness Of God To Send His Only Begotten Son - John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

2.  The Willingness Of Jesus Christ To Suffer For Our Sin - Philippians 2:5-8  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

3.  The Acceptance Of The Cross As Final Payment For Sin - Isaiah 53:10-11  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

4.  The Preaching of The Cross - “That ye might believe” - John 19:32-35 -At The Cross Was Manifested The Love Of God And His Willingness To Sacrifice His Own Son.

1.  The Contradiction Of The Cross - An Infinite God Smitten At The Hands Of Finite Man -  Hebrews 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 

John 19:11  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. 

2.  The Compassion Of The Cross - A Sovereign God Caring For Rebellious Man - Matthew 14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Psalms 78:38  But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 

Psalms 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

Psalms 111:4  He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. 

Psalms 145:8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

                        Luke 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

Seeing God in a Right Perspective - The Importance of the Holiness of God

Temple Baptist Church - 1-11-2015

Isaiah 6:1-5

 

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  One, if not the, greatest problems facing the churches of our day is a lack of the fear of the Lord.  This is a problem in both the lives of the saved and lost.  No longer do most churches recognize the absolute holiness of a thrice holy God!  The holiness of God is an attribute that is essential to God and to man.  Without perfect holiness:

 

1.  God would be as imperfect as man and there could be no salvation. 

 

2.  God would not be just and there can be no biblical fear of God.

 

B.  R. C. Sproul makes this insightful observation from Isaiah 6:  “The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy.  Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy.  He is holy, holy, holy.  The Bible never says that God is love, love, love, or mercy, mercy, mercy, or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice, justice.  It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

 

1.  The Bible definition of the fear of the Lord is found in Psalm 19:9 which says, “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”

 

2.  It is of small wonder that the world is in the shape that it is in when people no longer have a fear of the Lord.  Sin is rampant and “that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  (Genesis 6:5)

 

C.  The church is also in a mess for the same reason!  Even God’s people do not have a right perspective of the holiness of God.  Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. (Holiness has now become “legalism” in our economy and God’s people see no real need for living in a biblical manner.)

 

D.  The Bible asks this question–Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?  For thou only art holy:  for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are mad manifest.

 

E.  God is infinitely and immutably holy.  In our text, the prophet Isaiah got a vision of the holiness of God and it was life changing!  Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 

 

1 Timothy 6:15-16  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.  (Not “a” light but “the” light.  Notice the definite article “the” when speaking of God’s light.  It is one of a kind!  Not a dim light; not an average light; not a bright light; but THE light.)

 

1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (God not only dwells in “the” light, God IS light: a light with no darkness at all.  No shadows and no gray areas but a brilliant, all exposing, all revealing light that lights not only the world but every man who is born into this world.  To deny God is to deny the light that God has given to man.)

 

F.  The Holiness of God is unequaled–Isaiah 40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.  (God is unequaled; God is unparalleled; God is one of a kind; God is indescribable because He is beyond the realm of our experience.  God is infinitely holy!)

 

G.  I want to look for a few minutes at the importance of the absolute holiness of God.

 

1.  The Holiness Of God Is An Unreachable Standard For Personal Righteousness - Romans 10:3-4  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  (4)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.  (No man or woman can attain perfection!  There are some who believe that they can but the bibles declares that all, both saved and lost, are sinful.)

 

2.  The Holiness Of God Makes Salvation All Of Grace – Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to

his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy

Ghost;

 

3.  The Holiness Of God Is Our Seal Of Eternal Salvation - Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

 

4.  The Holiness Of God Changes Our Conduct and Attitudes In Worship – Psalm 96:9 O worship the LORD          in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

           

5.  The Holiness Of God Brings About Holiness Of Life – 1 Peter 1:15-16  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16)  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

No Darkness At All

Temple Baptist Church - 2-26-2014

1 John 1:3-7

 

Introduction:

A. Last week, I preached on the subject of “The Basis of Fellowship.” Fellowship or getting along within the local church is essential to the well-being and work of the church. A house divided “against itself” cannot stand. Not divided by the world or Satan or doctrine, but by personality conflicts.

B. When speaking of our fellowship with the Lord, the bible describes God’s holiness in one short phrase: “In him is no darkness at all!”

1. Impeccability is also found in this verse: “no darkness at all.” This speaks of the absolute perfection of a thrice holy God. No fault, no sin, no possibility of sin is found in the God of this bible.

Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

2. Immutability is also found in this verse: “in him.” God is infinitely and immutably holy.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

C. The holiness of God is unequaled!

Isaiah 40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

D. One of the best ways to understand a portion of scripture is to find the truth God sets forth in the first mention of that subject or word.

Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

1. Darkness – to hide or obscurity

2. Light – luminous, clear or glorious, complete visibility

3. Divided – to sever or distinguish

4. We often use the axiom “as different as day and night.” These are opposites.

5. God saw the light and said that it was “good” and divided it from the darkness about which nothing was said. Thus giving the immediate impression that, if the two are opposites, then the day or “light” was good and the darkness or “night” was not.

E. I understand that the night, as far as the twenty four period is concerned, is not in itself evil but the spiritual application is different. Night in the bible is a time of sin and sorrow. The night comes in which man does not work (at least in years gone by) so man sleeps it away in order to rest for the following day.

F. In our text found in 1 John 1, we find that light is good and holy while darkness is bad and sinful. This is the proper interpretation of these verses; therefore, it is both good and holy to walk in the light while it is bad and sinful to walk in darkness. Darkness breaks fellowship with God and, therefore, with man.

G. Walking in light:

1. Light Discloses The Sin That Hinders Our Fellowship - 1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (Sin always breaks our fellowship to some degree. When people begin to back off or become unfaithful, there is sinfulness in the background somewhere.)

2. Light Defines The Peace That Describes Our Fellowship – James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (As righteousness prevails in our lives, it is sown in peace with our brethren. Peace produces peace.)

3. Light Directs The Path Of Our Fellowship - Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Missing the will of God is a matter of walking in darkness to some degree and causes the perpetrator to walk contrary to the brethren.)

4. Light Displays The Person Our Fellowship Is Established Upon - 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (The perspective that we have of Christ is of the utmost importance because as He is, so are we in this world. We cannot properly conform to Christ without a proper vision of Him nor can we fellowship with one another in light if we do not perceive the Light Himself.)

5. Therefore, Light Defines The Basis And Establishes The Parameters Of Our Fellowship - 1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (Fellowship has biblical boundaries which are uncompromisingly set in the Bible! To walk in the light is to walk circumspectly within the realm of God’s Word; therefore fellowship is established upon the basis of light.)