Matthew 5:6-8 Luke 6:21
Holiness is a standard set by God that none of us will
achieve this side of heaven. However, it
will be the reality of every person who has trusted Christ for salvation for
all of eternity. A large part of what
will make heaven such a wonderful place is the fact that we will all walk in
holiness all the time. There will be no
sin so there will be no sorrow. Our
happiness in heaven will be complete because our holiness will be
complete. Since that is true, it only
stands to reason that our happiness on earth will be proportionate to our
holiness on earth. The pursuit of
happiness guaranteed in the Bill of Rights of the United States can only truly
be successful through the pursuit of holiness.
Too often we have an incorrect image of God in our minds. We picture Him as being angry and sad. While it is true that God hates sin, and is
broken hearted over the consequences sin inflicts on us, His creation; God, by
His very nature, is full of joy. God is
the happiest person in the universe. The
key to being able to share in His happiness is to share in His holiness. Today’s text examines three ways that we
should strive for holiness.
HUNGER FOR HOLINESS: Desires tell us a lot about our
hearts. When our hearts are full of desire
for God and His Word, holiness will be the results we see in our lives. Unfortunately, the desires of our hearts are
often focused on sinful lusts that promise pleasure but always leave us broken
and hurting. Physical hunger is an
almost constant companion from the day we are born until the day we die. If we go very long without food or water we
begin to feel hungry or thirsty. Those
feelings become a driving force in our lives that become stronger with each
passing moment that we don’t eat or drink.
The only time we don’t feel hungry is when we are sick or when we are
satisfied. A huger for righteousness is
a sign of spiritual health. The
recognition of our sinfulness in humility should create a hunger for
holiness. The sinful realities we see in
our hearts should create a craving in our souls to be set free from sin and
become like Christ. The promise of God’s
Word is that those who truly hunger and thirst after righteousness will be
satisfied. God loves to satisfy our
desire for holiness. Hunger is a great
analogy for the process of sanctification because it is a constant pursuit that
brings intense satisfaction. In Brazil,
we have all you can eat steakhouses where a large variety of meats are cooked
over an open flame and then cut from the sizzling hot skewer right onto the
plate. The moment you walk into the restaurant,
the smells from the grill fill your mouth with water. You can’t wait to put the meat in your
mouth. An hour or so later you waddle
out holding your stomach wishing you could stand to eat more. At that moment, you no longer feel hunger and
you think you will never be able to eat again, but in a few short hours you are
both hungry and thirsty. God wants the
constant desire of our hearts to be for His holiness. Through His Spirit and His Word, He will
bless us with an abundant supply that will only deepen our desire to grow in
holiness.
GIVE FORGIVENESS: Mercy is what flows from a holy
heart. When we recognize our sin and
mourn over our own sinfulness, we are quick to extend mercy to others because we
understand the depth of our own sinfulness.
The unforgiving and unmerciful are the way they are because their hearts
are full of pride and self-righteousness.
The path to holiness begins at humility and is accompanied by mercy
along every step of the way. In our
minds, we often associate holiness with grumpy old people who are constantly
looking down their noses at people while they wag their fingers at shake their
heads at the sinful people they think surround them. Nothing could be further from the truth. That is a picture of self-righteousness that
Satan sells to sinful souls as counterfeit holiness. The Pharisees and many in the church going
crowd throughout history have been buying up this falsified faith as if it were
Black Friday. It has nothing whatsoever
to do with the true holiness that comes from God. God’s holiness is only available to those who
see their sin, are broken hearted over their sin, have a tender heart before
God that longs to be like God and then demonstrate that all these things are
true by being merciful towards others who are in the exact same boat. Those who have experienced God’s forgiveness
will be quick to forgive the offenses of others. When God sees repentance and faith that flow
from humbled hearts; He forgives us of our sin and begins the process of making
us holy by conforming us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. When this happens in our lives we become
grateful, joyful and merciful.
PURSUE AFTER PURITY: Purity of heart is the requirement for
being able to see God or be accepted in the presence of God. This could be very discouraging for all of us
because none of us have a completely pure heart. The idea of purity is to be completely void
of any contaminants. The idea of
purification comes from the idea of refining precious metals under extreme heat
in order to remove any impurities from the gold or silver. The idea behind our hearts is our inner man
which includes our actions, thoughts and even our motivations. Those of us who look into our hearts
understand that they are far from pure.
We are constantly bombarded with impure thoughts that produce sinful
words and actions. Even the seemingly
good things that we do are often motivated by pride and a desire to promote
ourselves instead of bringing glory to God.
This is the entire reason God sent Jesus to this earth to die for our
sin. Our hearts have been so
contaminated by sinful thoughts, desires and motives that purity is an
impossibility without His supernatural work of salvation in our lives. When we trust Christ all of the sins from our
hearts are forgiven and transferred to the Lord Jesus Christ and all of the
purity from Christ’s heart is transferred to us. This is a legal transaction that takes place
which allow us access to the Father. It
is the only way any of us will “see God.”
However, it is more than a legal standing, it is a spiritual reality
that God has given us a new nature that delights in His holiness. It is like a hungry new born that cries out
to be satisfied by the holiness of God.
Our lives will change on this earth and begin to align more and more
closely to the life of Jesus. This is
that good work of salvation that God has started in our hearts that He will be
faithful to continue and complete in our lives.
One day because of the sacrifice of Jesus, all who have trusted Him
alone for freedom from sin will stand in God’s presence with perfectly pure
hearts. That work has already started in
the hearts of all true believers and will bring wonderful joy to all who enjoy
this grace.
APPLICATION: Have a great hunger for the holiness of God. Extend mercy and forgiveness to all who might
offend us. Never forget the depths of
our own sin and the extent of God’s mercy towards us. Allow the work of the Spirit and the Word of
God to do their purifying work in our hearts.
Never be satisfied with external good deeds. Allow the Lord to transform and purify our
hearts.
Comments
Post a Comment