WE SHOULD LIVE AS HOLY AS WE CAN

PROCLAMATION

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see The Lord.”  Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the Hebrew believers and indirectly to all believers.  In this twelfth chapter, the author begins by telling them to throw off sin and everything which hinders them as the run their Christian race and to focus on Christ. (Hebrews 12:1-2)  Then he tells them that in their struggle against sin that they have not yet experienced the worst of things. (Hebrews 12:4)  He reminds them, as he quotes Proverbs 3:11-12, that no matter what they are going through or what is to come, that God disciplines His children because He disciplines those that He loves. (Hebrews 12:5-6)  The author then goes on to encourage them to live as holy as they can. (Hebrews 12:14)  Then he tells them of the mountain of fear, Mount Sinai (Hebrews 12:18-21), and the mountain of joy, Mount Zion. (Hebrews 12:22-24)  He ends the chapter by warning them not to refuse God. (Hebrews 12:25-29)

 

APPLICATION

Some people will not let you live in peace with them because they are not at peace with themselves.  It is better for us to avoid those people. (Proverbs 21:9 and 21:19)  While none of us is perfect, we should strive to be as Christ-like and as holy as we can.  We should all strive to be holy because The Christ which is within us is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  We should treat people as we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12) and not as they treat us. (Romans 12:17)  When we know better, we should do better. (2 Peter 2:21)  Striving for peaceful living is a good thing, however striving to live holy is even better and much more important.

 

WE SHOULD BE AND LIVE AS HOLY AS WE CAN

Proclamation:

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see The Lord.”  Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter of The Bible Book of Hebrews, the author begins by telling them to throw off sin and everything which hinders them as the run their Christian race and to focus on Christ. (Hebrews 12:1-2)  Then he tells them that in their struggle against sin that they have not yet experienced the worst of things. (Hebrews 12:4)  He reminds them, as he quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 to them that no matter what they are going through or what is to come, that God disciplines His children because He disciplines those that He loves. (Hebrews 12:5-6)  The author then goes on to encourage them to live as holy as they can. (Hebrews 12:14)

Application:

Some people will not let you live in peace with them because they are not at peace with themselves.  It is better for us to avoid those people. (Proverbs 21:9 and 21:19)  While none of us is perfect, we should strive to be as Christ-like and as holy as we can.  We should all strive to be holy because The Christ which is within us is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  We should treat people as we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12) and not as they treat us. (Romans 12:17)  When we know better, we should do better. (2 Peter 2:21)  Striving for peaceful living is a good thing, however striving to live holy is even better and much more important.

WE WILL BE BLESSED IF WE DO AS CHRIST DID

Proclamation:

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." John 13:15-17 (NIV)

Explanation:

According to The Holy Spirit inspired word recorded by the Apostle John, the disciple who referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  Jesus said these words to His disciples after He had washed the feet of each of the disciples. (John 13:3-10)  Jesus was not giving them a “mini” bath, He was just knocking the dust off of their feet.  The point that He made was that the man who has been shown and taught the right way, and then does right and follows the right way, will be blessed.  Jesus had shown them that not only was He a teacher but He was a servant and they were also to be servants.  They should be willing to wash each other’s feet.

Application:                        

When we know that which is right, we should do that which is right.  As the saying goes, "when we know better, we should do better."  We are encouraged to not just be hearers of The Word of God, but also to be doers of The Word. (James 1:22)  The Lord God will show His wrath to those who hear The Word of God, and then do not obey it. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)  Christ lived His human life on earth as an example to us.  He was the perfect example of Christian behavior.  While we cannot be perfect, we need to follow His example.  We should not think too highly of our selves. (Romans 12:3)  If Jesus was willing to do lowly tasks for the benefit of His disciples, then we should not think that we are too whatever to do menial things to benefit others.  If we live a Christ-like life, and do that which we know is the right thing to do in order to help others, then we will be blessed.

PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL OF CHRIST-LIKNESS

Proclamation:

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Paul told them that although he was saved, he was not perfect.  However, he was pressing on towards the mark for which Christ had laid hold of him.  While he had not attained it yet, he was going forward towards it, and he was not going to worry about his past mistakes and sins as he worked toward the prize for which God had called him. 

Application:

We can learn from Paul.  All of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23)  We all have skeletons in our closets because of our negative, mistake filled, and sinful past.  However, once we have confessed our past sins, and asked God to forgive us, He forgives us.  We should also let go of them. (1 John 1:9)  We should not let our past sins, or our past successes, hinder our present work, or block our future efforts.  God has a work for each of us to accomplish as part of His kingdom building project. (1 Chronicles 28:20 and Colossians 3:23)  As Paul said, we are all like a runner in a race heading for the goal of Christ-likeness, we are not there yet, but we must keep on running towards the goal.  None of us is perfect, but God loves us and He can still use us to accomplish His purpose.  None of the men in The Bible were perfect, except for Jesus, The Christ.  They just believed and were willing to work for The Lord God, and He used them for His purposes.  We must likewise forget about our past and be willing to use our skills and abilities to work for The Lord. (Exodus 36:2)

BE LIKE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

BE LIKE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Proclamation:

"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."  Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

Explanation:
These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples, and to the crowd that surrounded them, in His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus told His disciples that they were "the salt of the earth."  Salt has a unique flavor.  It can change the taste of food.  Salt is also a preservative.  Because of its chemical properties, it has a purifying and a preserving influence.  Salt has been used to preserve meat.  Jesus told them that if they lose their "saltiness", then they were no longer good for anything.

Application:
As students of Christ, and of His Word, believers today are to be like salt.  We bring a unique "Christ-like" "flavor" to the world.  Just as salt prevents most germs from growing or surviving on meat, we should inhibit the spreading of sin, evil, and wrong-doing by our presence, principals.  Our presence, and our words and actions, can cause others to change their behavior.  People won’t say or do certain bad things around us.  We can encourage good works in the people that we come into contact with.  Our words should be "seasoned with salt" so that we speak appropriately to people, and answer their questions correctly. (Colossians 4:6)  By speaking with “salt” in our words, we add a Christ-like flavor to the world.  If we lose that ability to add a Christ-like presence in the world, then we would be good for nothing.  So, let us be like salt, and be a Christ-like purifying influence in a sin sick world.

Be Christ-like And Tell The Truth

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV)

While under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote these words in a letter to the believers in Colosse.  As part of his encouragement to them to live a holy life, Paul told them not to lie to each other.  He said that lying was part of their old nature, which they had given up when they were transformed into new creators by their acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior.  He also said that they should be renewing themselves daily in the image of The Lord God. 

As believers, when we speak we should tell the truth.  The Ten Commandments state that we should not bear false witness. (Exodus 20:16)  Even though today we are not under the law, we are under grace, we should note that Jesus told the rich young man that he should keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:18-19)  We should always tell the truth.  We should probably talk less than we do, because the more we speak, the more likely we are to lie. (Matthew 5:37)  Lying is an abomination to The Lord. (Proverbs 12:22)  There is a special place in hell for liars. (Revelation 21:8)  Since believers are not to act or talk like non-believers, we are to transform our behavior and renew our mind each day, in order that we might become more like Christ. (Romans 12:2)  Let us hold our tongue, and when we speak, let us speak in a Christ-like manner.  Let us be truthful and kind.

We Cannot Follow God And The Worldly Ways

"No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money."  Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

These words of Jesus, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew, were spoken during His Sermon on The Mount.  His point was that they could not follow the ways of God and follow the ways of the things of this world at the same time.  They would either truly follow one and only pretend to follow the other.  They could not follow both of them because they would be going in two different directions.

Our actions speak much louder than our words with regard to whom we follow, serve, and obey.  A lot of us call ourselves "Christians" but our behavior suggests that we are not being truthful.  If there is no difference between us and our worldly friends and associates, then we are not true followers of Christ.  When we accepted Christ into our lives, we became a new creature, and some of that old behavior ceased to exist. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We did not become perfect, but we did become a new person. (Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10)  When The Holy Spirit of God indwelt us, we in effect, put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27)  From that moment on we began to exhibit some of the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:23-24)  Our behavior began to reflect The Christ within us. (Ezekiel 36:27)  We are to grow in the knowledge of Him and His Word, and as we grow in age, we should grow in grace and holiness. (1 Peter 1:16 and 2 Peter 3:18)  We are to grow in The Word of God from the simple milk to being able to digest, and understand, and live by the more meaty principals. (1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12)  If we are not following, serving, and obeying Christ, then who are we following??? 

Be Salt A Purifying Influence In A Decaying World

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)

In this passage of his letter to the believers in The Church at Colosse, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul told them to be careful in the way in which they act towards and speak to outsiders.  He told them that they should make every effort to interact with others in a Christ-like manner, displaying the grace of Christ, so that their behavior and their words were helpful and reflected positively on Christians.

As believers, we should speak with grace.  Our words should be spiritual and wholesome (Godly), fitting and sensitive (appropriate), purposeful and complimentary (helpful), kind and gentle (considerate), truthful and thoughtful (filtered by our mind before being spoken).  Our words should also be seasoned with salt.  Salt adds flavor to food, but it also prevents corruption.  It was used to prevent the bacterial contamination of meat before refrigeration in days of old.  Salt is a purifying influence in a decaying world.  Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)  As believers, we should know how to, and be ready to answer people.  To do this we must read and study The Word of God. (2 Timothy 2:15)  Then, after we hear and read The Word of God, we must be doers of The Word. (James 1:22)  We must live in such a way that our Christian beliefs and our behavior are consistent.  Let us pray that God will use us to add a Christ-like flavor to this sin-sick world, and that He will use us to be a purifying influence in this decaying world.

Do Not Rejoice At The Misfortune Of Others

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or The LORD will see and disapprove and turn His wrath away from him."  Proverbs 24:17-18 (NIV)

The wise man, King Solomon, told the people that they should not laugh or rejoice when their enemy stumbles or falls.  Their being joyful at their enemy's misfortune is not pleasing to The Lord, and their joy may cause Him to turn His wrath away from their enemy.

It is not Christ-like for believers to laugh at, make fun of, or find joy in the misfortune of others.  The Lord may allow you to see your enemy's downfall, but that is not intended to be a cause for celebration.  Vengeance belongs to The Lord, and He will repay or punish them for the wrong that they have done to one of His saints.  We are not to return a wrong for a wrong, nor are we to rejoice if The Lord lets us see when those who have done us wrong, get what they deserve.  No one's misfortune should bring us pleasure.  We should not fine joy in any one's sorrow.