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Can we live holy?
Read Hebrews 12:14
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord."
How important is holiness to a Christian?
Holiness describes God and his people.
In I Peter 1:16 and 2:9 It is written "Be
ye holy, for I am holy."
In Acts 11:26 Christ’s disciples were called
Christians. Why? Because they were like Christ. The only way we can be God’s
children is to be holy. The only way to be holy is by and through the power and
grace of God.
It is he who removes our sin and fills us with
his righteousness. In this lies the formula for holiness.
Let’s look at Psalms 29:2 "Give unto the
Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of
holiness."
Let me ask you a question before we continue
much farther.
Is living holy possible? If so when and how can
we achieve holiness? These are the questions I would like to answer today in
this message.
Let’s begin by looking in I John 3:6 and
verse 9"Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not
seen him, neither known him."
The Lord let’s us know in no uncertain terms
that whosoever abideth in sin is not of God.
Let’s read in Romans 6:1-2 and verses 11-12
and 15
The question you might have is what is sin?
The definition of SIN
is:
Lawlessness <1 John 3:4>
or transgression of God's will, either by omitting to do what God's law requires
or by doing what it forbids. The transgression can occur in thought <1 John
3:15>, word <Matt. 5:22>, or deed <Rom. 1:32>.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Paul raises the question "Shall we
continue in sin?" In other words "Shall we continue to transgress
against God’s will, either in thought, word, or deed?"
I thank the Lord that Paul answered as he did.
His reply to this very important question is
"God forbid"
Just as Paul said in these words should we live
in sin? God forbids us to live in sin. Why should we have to live in sin when
our heavenly father has provided a way to live above the life of sin? God has
provided a blameless and spotless lamb for the sacrifice of all man’s sins.
In John 3:8 The word of God says, "He that
committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
I thank the Lord that one day
God showed his infinite mercy on the world. One day God manifested his Son,
Jesus Christ in the flesh through a virgin birth. A birth induced by the Holy
Ghost. This babe grew in strength, stature, and in spirit. God gave his son so
that a lost and helpless world could have hope. Hope of freedom from the bondage
of sin, hope of a brighter day, hope of having a heavenly home waiting for them.
Hope that our creator loves us so much to give His very best.
God is so good to us.
God knew that the wages of sin
is death, so he gave the only sacrifice that would pay the bill He gave the
blameless, spotless Lamb of God so that we may have the gift of eternal life. It’s
only through Jesus Christ that we obtain salvation of the soul. It’s by the
indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit that we can enjoy peace, happiness, and
contentment today.
I thank God for God’s
sacrifice for my soul. For once dear one’s I was blind---- blind to the love
of God, but now I see. I once was deaf; I couldn’t hear the voice of the Lord.
But now I can hear the still small voice of God’s Spirit talking to my heart.
I now can taste the sweetness of God’s goodness to me. I now can feel the
warmth that the Lord gives me deep in my soul. I feel the peace and contentment
that once Satan and this old flesh deprived me of.
Satan would have the world to
believe that God wants us to look into the future somewhere to enjoy the good
things of God. Different religions want us to believe that we are only going to
reign with Christ for a thousand years. I know for a fact that God wants to live
in our hearts now, today, and forever.
In Titus 2:11 Paul writes to
Titus "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men."
Verse 12 "Teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and wordily lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world."
Notice this verse didn’t say
in the future, or in a millennial reign. This verse clearly states that we are
to reign over sin now in this present world. How can we do that? Because we have
the master, the conqueror, the king reigning in our own hearts and lives. It’s
only through Jesus that we can obtain salvation and it’s only through him that
we can live holy.
Now that we have established
the fact that we can and should live holy, righteous, and godly, let me ask
another question.
Is living holy really
necessary?
Look at Hebrews 12:14
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord."
Time after time, God plainly
let’s us know that we serve a righteous and Holy God. He is the God of God’s,
Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. He is Jehovah, the great iamb. He is our all
in all. He is the one who created the universe with just a word.
He is the same God that is the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the one that has given his son Jesus
Christ to die for our sins, and to be resurrected on the third day.
Oh how wonderful and great a
God we serve. Oh how sweet it is to be able to walk with our hand in his. It is
an honor and a privilege to be called a Christian, which means to be like
Christ, or one who lives in the grace of our Lord Jesus.
Thank God that we can enjoy
great joy and consolation in the complete love of God. It’s only through the
blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that we can have complete salvation from
sin and a life of bondage.
Satan would have God doesn’t
want us, or that we have done too much to be accepted by God. I am here to let
you know that the word of God says for whosoever will. Whosoever includes
everyone in this world that has breath in their lungs.
Don’t let Satan rob you of
happiness of joy. Don’t let him take away your victory. Let God take control
of your life. Let God lead you through the walk of this world. Only through him
will we reach Heaven’s Gates.
You my friend can be saved
today and be made holy. All you have to do is surrender your all to God himself.
The only way to gain eternal
life is to die now. Die to your own selfish will. Let God take control of your
life. He is able to give you the peace and rest that you seek after. It doesn’t
matter what the problem is; God has already won the victory. You can obtain
victory in Jesus. Why don’t you give your life over to God?
FREEDOM FROM SIN
Jesus is eternal life.
From sin He sets us free.
We must live for Him on earth,
If we would live eternally.
We can not live in daily sin,
And win a home in glory.
In his love a soul we win,
Our life must tell the story.
How we live upon this earth,
Decides our destination.
Thru Christ only is the birth;
For he is our salvation.
We press our way on and on.
His truth does show the way.
Though burdened down, we may groan;
Sufficient is his grace today.
We must gladly give all of self,
And bear our cross with care.
God does gently show the way,
When we kneel to him in prayer.
When we kneel before the lord
And self is left behind,
There is a sweetness in His word,
Now, here on earth we find.
Though God is love, himself;
Our love for him comes first.
He gives us water then to drink,
That we may never thirst.
This water is eternal life,
And Jesus is the source.
He frees us from all worldly strife
And pilots our safest course.
We can never lose the way,
With our eye upon the master.
‘Twas He who made both night and day.
He is the alabaster.
He that overcometh here,
Is made a pillar in the temple.
Perfect love casteth out fear.
God has made it plain and simple.
Be plain that a wayfaring man,
Though a fool, shall not err therein.
God states plainly in His plan,
He came to save us from our sin.
He does not save us in our sin;
But from it plainly states.
A new life for us begins,
And we lay aside all weights.
With patience let us run the race,
That is set before us now.
We may look upon his face,
When at the cross we bow.
No, chastening seemeth to be joyous;
But grievous we now confess.
God chasteneth whom he loveth;
Thru this our soul to bless.
We cannot see the storms ahead;
For then our hearts might fail.
Our Savior is the living bread.
Thru Him we shall prevail.
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