Simply attaching God’s name to an activity does not make it holy. We cannot make something holy simply be declaring it such. Only God holds that prerogative. We must avoid turning worship into a circus, common spectacle, or entertainment forum. We should take care that we do not so treat God’s holy things! Remember Nadab and Abihu? They were lax with God’s holy things and they paid the price.
The name of God is holy and sacred. Yet, there are some who profane it by bringing it down to common use. We should only speak of God in a holy way. We profane God’s name when we use it in an unholy way. The church that Christ built and for which he died (Acts 20:38) is a holy and sacred institution. We must regard the church as holy.
Wrestling with the holiness of God means struggling with 1) The Goal of God, 2) The Practice of Purity, 3) The Direction of Distinctiveness. We want to 1) have the goal of God, 2) practice purity, and 3) be distinct.
God spells out some things that are holy— that are sanctified. In Romans 1:2 we see that the scriptures are holy; they are set apart by God for a special purpose (see also 2 Timothy 3:15). In Ephesians 5:27 we read that the church is holy. Hebrews 7:26 says that we have a holy High Priest. And in the epistles of Peter, Christians are to be holy; they are a holy nation (1 Peter 1:15, 16 and 1 Peter 2:9). Are we concerned about holiness?
God has always demanded holiness of those who would approach Him. The reason is clear--He is holy. Thus, those who would come into His presence and have fellowship with Him must be holy (Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:27; 1 John 1:6-10). The apostle Peter penned these words: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16).
What does it mean to be defiled? The Pharisees had one definition. Jesus had a different definition. In this lesson, we will examine 1) the meaning, 2) the manner, and 3) the menace of defilement. Each hearer will be able to explain that defilement originates in the heart, not from some external source. The aim of this lesson is to communicate that Christianity teaches personal responsibility.
God is in heaven. Jesus is in heaven. The angels are in heaven. The saved will be in heaven. Will our pets be in heaven?
God is invisible on purpose (1 Timothy 1:17). He calls us to walk by faith in what we cannot see. Will we trust the visible self or the invisible God (Matthew 16:24-25)?
God the Father continues to give His Holy Spirit to those who ask. The question is, how do we ask? Do we ask with an obedient faith? Or do we ask out of a sense of selfish desire? If it is the former, then God certainly gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe and obey. If the latter, then God is not going to indulge a person’s fleshly desires.
In Psalm 2 we see the eternal reign of the Messiah: 1) The Enemies of the Messiah 2) The Establishment of the Messiah, 3) The Edict of the Messiah, 4) The Ends of the Messiah. The hearer will understand that Psalm 2 prophecies about the eternal reign of the Messiah. Opposition to God’s plans will not succeed but only result in failure and wrath from God.
We affirm the sanctity of life because 1) It has worth, dignity, and value—it is holy, 2) it is worth living, 3) it is worth protecting. In this lesson, I hope to counter the message of our contemporary culture that life is cheap, meaningless, and worthless for those who have no utility and affirm the sanctity of life.
God dwells with the one who swears to his own hurt and changes not (Psalm 15:4). Keeping a costly promise, as God always keeps His, makes us most like Him.
In this lesson, we will notice the problem of sin: 1) What is it? 2) Why does sin separate man from God? 3) Why can’t people find God? We should talk to our friends about sin and how it affects our relationship with God.
In the Old Testament, God makes provision for His people to rest. The Jews did not work on the Sabbath day; they were required by God to rest. Exodus 20:8-10 states, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…. In it you shall do no work….”
Holy living is not just being a moral person: one who doesn’t commit fornication, drink booze, gamble away money, take advantage of other people, lie, cheat, steal, etc. Holiness certainly avoids these things, but that is not all it is.
As we were running, I matched his pace, talked to him about the run, and encouraged him to keep going; we had great conversation and fellowship. As we were running, walking, talking, and enjoying our time together, I realized that our run illustrated the concept of the Greek word parakletos.
We can’t save ourselves because 1) just one sin separates us from God, 2) sin distorts our efforts to do good, 3) the good works we do are not sufficient to save us. The listener should understand that only by trusting in Christ Jesus can we be saved.
In this lesson we will look at the first internal problem for the church and how it was handled. We will then draw some practical lessons from the text. Each hearer should learn that God is always watching what we do and knows our motives, thoughts, and actions. We cannot get away with sinning against God.
http://newbostoncoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/isaiah-6-and-holiness.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSby Bobby Liddell
Men always ought to pray (Luke 18:1). Our prayer life should show 1) Thankfulness, 2) Faith, 3) Love, 4) Holiness. Each person should pray with the attitudes God wants.