Sermons - 2008 Week 16 - Apr Wk 3
More Like the Lord Jesus Christ
Pleasing God Part 3
1 Peter 1:15-16
“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Colossians 1:10, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” We must walk to please God.
What is this “walk”?
In Deuteronomy 8:6, keeping God’s commandments and to walk in His ways and to fear Him is what is required. Without the Word, none of us can know how to walk. And if God is holy as stated in our key verses today in 1Peter 1:15-16, then we would have to walk in holiness.
1Peter 2:9 tells us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are the chosen generation when we accept Christ as our Lord and saviour. We are the royal priesthood basking in His marvelous light. If so, we should be holy in every aspect of our lives. 1Th 4:3 tells us that it is the will of God that He wants sanctification for us, He wants us to be holy. Holiness is a way of life, affecting every thing we do, and not compartmentalized into only the religious part of our lives. It is not conformity to a set of rules. Holiness is to choose to march to the beat of a different drummer - God.
In objective holiness, we have Christ which is equal to our positional sanctification. In subjective holiness, we grow to be more like Him, which is progressive sanctification. In our union with Christ, God sees His holiness as our holiness.
What are some of the practical aspects of sanctification?
Let us look at marriage and the Word of God. In Ephesians 5:25, husbands are exhorted to love their wives as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. Similarly, wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church. These are not empty words but the word of God that we keep dear to our hearts and manifest them.
Children often run the homes today because parents are too afraid to discipline in love, but give in to their every want. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord. In work, we are to be good employers, as well as good employees, all under the guiding principle of the presence of the Lord.
Our money is yet another area of the practical aspect of our sanctification. We learn to give right, from the beginning, setting aside a certain portion and not waiting for more to come, because when we earn more, it will very soon become apparent that we do not seem to have enough.
Strange with money, isn’t it?
It keeps getting less when we have more, our expenses goes up with our incomes.
In 1Th 4:3 we are told, “that you should abstain from sexual immorality.” Sexual immorality is deviation outside of marriage. Sexual sin does not come out of the blues. A mind susceptible to sin is cultivated. Temptation may come suddenly, but the mind of sin has already been molded through time. Guard against temptation by cultivating a pure mind (Proverbs 4:23).
How do we do all these?
Be Spirit-filled. 1Ti 4:7 tells us to discipline or exercise ourselves towards godliness. We do not drift towards godliness or holiness, we drift into sin. Discipline is the key to progressive sanctification. Discipline is doing what we don’t want to do, to accomplish what we always wanted.
Do we not always want to be holy?
Mr and Mrs ET Chua
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