THE WORD PERFECT HERE MEANS... to bring to an end, accomplish, perfect, execute, complete.... SADLY, WE ARE NOT ONLY NOT PERFECTING THIS... WE ARE NOT EVEN LOOKING AT IT! THE IDEA OR MENTION SEEMS TO TURN US OFF... YET IT IS AS OBVIOUS A TRUTH AS IT FOUND IN THE BIBLE....
DENIAL OF OBVIOUS TRUTH... THE STORY OF THE GUY OF WHO WAS CONVINCED HE WAS DEAD.... FINALLY HIS FRIENDS SAID TO HIM GO TO A PSYCHIATRIST..... "DO DEAD MEN BLEED?", NO I DON'T THINK SO....NO THEY DON'T.... WITH THAT THE PSYCHIATRIST TOOK OUT HIS LETTER OPENER.. AND JABBED HIM IN THE ARM AND THE MAN BEGAN TO BLEED... THE PSYCHIATRIST LOOKED AT HIM AWAITING WITH GREAT EXPECTATION THE ADMISSION THAT HE WASN'T DEAD, AND GUY LOOK BACK WITH EQUAL AMAZEMENT AND SAID TO HIM, "WHAT DO YA KNOW, DEAD MEN DO BLEED!" TONIGHT I WANT TO LOOK AT A BIBLE TRUTH THAT IS TREATED EVEN WORSE THAN "REALITY" WAS TREATED BY THE GUY WHO THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD, TONIGHT I WANT TO LOOK AT ONE OF THE GREAT NEGLECTED OBVIOUS TRUTHS.
SPURGEON SAID, "WHATEVER CALLING YOU MAY PRETEND TO HAVE IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED TO HOLINESS YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED OF GOD".
Christianity is not just a high-sounding ritual which we perform on Sundays. Christianity is abiding by Biblical standards of personal holiness and in turn seeking to bring holiness into the society in which we live.
-- Loving God, Charles Colson
IT HAS WELL BEEN SAID, "When there is no thirst for righteousness, the sermons seem dry." GOD HELP US TONIGHT...
THE BOTTOM LINE OF HOLINESS IS DISTINCTION..... GOD'S PEOPLE ARE TO BE A DISTINCT, PECULIAR PEOPLE....
THE WORD HOLINESS MEANS LITERALLY IN IT'S NOUN FORM... "APARTNESS". HOLINESS IS BEING APART, DISTINCT, SEPARATE. THE VERB FORM OF HOLINESS MEANS TO "SET APART". BE HONEST, HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE HOLINESS, OR SEPARATION??? AS A POSITIVE AS A NEGATIVE DOCTRINE...
I THINK IF WE WERE HONEST TONIGHT WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY MOST "SAVED" PEOPLE HAVE A VERY NEGATIVE CONNOTATION IN THEIR MIND WITH REGARD TO HOLINESS! THIS NEGATIVE PERCEPTION HAS BROUGHT ABOUT A FAILURE TO EVEN ADDRESS THE ISSUE. TONIGHT LET ME TRY TO ADDRESS THIS AND TURN THIS AROUND.
THEY ARE SEPARATING THEMSELVES FROM EVERYONE ELSE UNTO EACH OTHER... IS THAT POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE? POSITIVE..... WHAT MAKES IT NEGATIVE... TONIGHT THE VERY SAME IS TRUE WITH GOD... SEPARATING YOUR SELF UNTO GOD IS LIKE SEPARATING YOURSELF TO YOUR SPOUSE... IT IS AN ACT OF LOVE. WHEN A PARTY IN THAT COVENANT REFUSES TO COMPLY IT IS UGLY, AND HURTFUL…
WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO IS FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF HOLINESS.... WHEN YOU GET MARRIED YOU CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE YOUR VOWS.... FRIEND IF YOUR NOT READY TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM ALL YOU OLD LOVES THEN YOUR NOT READY... "DEAL WITH REPENTANCE RIGHT HERE!) IF YOU HEARD A NEWLY WED SAYING TO THEIR NEW SPOUSE... "all right, WHAT ARE THE DO'S AND DON'TS AROUND HERE... YOU WOULD WANT TO SLAP THEM....
A POSITIVE THING LIKE MARRIAGE... WE WOULDN'T RUN AND HIDE AND ASK, "HOW WEIRD DO I HAVE TO BE"... WE WOULD ASK INSTEAD, "HOW CLOSE CAN I GET THIS SIDE OF GLORY!"
IN ALL MANNER OF CONVERSATION.... THAT WORD MEANS "WAY OF LIFE", "LIFESTYLE", HOW ARE WE TO BE HOLY? IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIFESTYLE....
REMEMBER, WHAT IS HOLINESS? THE WORD HOLINESS MEANS LITERALLY IN IT'S NOUN FORM... "APARTNESS". HOLINESS IS BEING APART, DISTINCT, SEPARATE. THE VERB FORM OF HOLINESS MEANS TO "SET APART".
---- IF THE KIND OF WORK YOU DO CAUSES YOU TO BE UNHOLY, UNSEPARTE, UNAPART YOU SHOULD QUITE THAT WORK. YOU GOTTA MAKE A LIVING.... WHAT IF YOUR WIFE WAS A PROSTITUTE WOULD YOU WANT HER TO CONTINUE? BUT SHE HAS TO MAKE A LIVING.. WHAT IF YOUR JOB FORCED YOU TO SELL LIQUOR? WHAT IF YOU JOB DEMANDED THAT YOU NEVER CAME TO THE HOUSE OF GOD FOR WORSHIP?
--- LYRICS THAT DEAL WITH SIN ARE UNHOLY LYRICS... ... "KILL YOU PARENTS" IS WICKED AND UNHOLY... ROCK MUSIC, MOM AND DAD, IS NOT SEPARATE UNTO GOD... MOST OF IT IS VERY SENSUAL AND SEDUCTIVE.... IT IS WRONG... BY THE WAY THAT IS WHAT WAS PLAYED IN
--- SLANG, ETHNIC TALK, SEXUAL INUENDOES, PROFANITY, IS NOT SEPARATE UNTO GOD..... IS IT? WHAT IS HOLINESS? THE WORD HOLINESS MEANS LITERALLY IN IT'S NOUN FORM... "APARTNESS". HOLINESS IS BEING APART, DISTINCT, SEPARATE. THE VERB FORM OF HOLINESS MEANS TO "SET APART".
--- MEN CAN YOU IMAGINE YOUR WIFE LOOKING AT YOU AND SAYING, "I'M GOING TO WEAR THIS BECAUSE IT WAS MY OLD BOYFRIENDS' FAVORITE! TELL ME WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LADY DOING THAT AND A CHRISTIAN CAUSING THEMSELF TO APPEAR AS MUCH LIKE THE WORLD AS THEY CAN? NO DIFFERENCE. GOD DEMANDS HOLINESS IN ALL MANNER OF CONVERSATION...
A) WE ARE NOT TO BE CONFORMED TO THE WORLD.. CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT BE FADISH PEOPLE.. FOLLOWING EVERY WHIM OF THIS WICKED WORLD... ROM. 12:1-2; JAMES 4:4 Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God
B) WE ARE TO BE MODEST... A SKIRT MAY BE FEMININE BUT IF IT'S A MINNY SKIRT IT'S NOT MODEST... 1 Tim. 2:9
C) WE ARE TO BE DISTINCT... MEN ARE TO LOOK LIKE MEN... WOMAN ARE TO LOOK LIKE WOMAN.. SOMEONE SAYS WHAT ABOUT THE LADIES PANTS... MY RESPONSE IS GET READY FOR THE MEN'S DRESSES... DEUT. 22:5 (LADY WHO FOUGHT THIS, AND NOW HER HUSBAND WEARS DRESSES AND FINGURE NAIL POLISH AND SAYS YOUR WEAR PANTS)