HOLINESS: A MATTER OF THE HEART

February 7     Holiness: A Matter of the Heart    1 Peter 1:15-16  

NOTICE:  There will NOT BE a Facebook “Live” Sermon today!!

 Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “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.”  (1 Peter 1:15-16)      

A father told his young son that it was time to get ready for Sunday School. They would be leaving in just a few minutes. You know how little boys can be. They are inquisitive. The boy asked his dad, "Did you go to Sunday School when you were a boy?" The father gladly answered, “Well yes I did." The boy looked disappointed as he said, "It probably won’t do me any good either!" One of the greatest problems with Christianity today, are people who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle. Their lives don’t line up with their testimony on Sunday morning. How has your lifestyle reflected the holiness of God this past week? Are you living the holy life that God has called us to live? We are sometimes afraid to answer that question, because we aren’t 100% sure what it means to live the holy life. We have heard some confusing messages down through the years. There have been some conflicting reports. 2 Pet 3:11b (NIV) tells us, “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives!  Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) tells us, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV) tells us, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life!” It seems obvious that God has called us to holy living. But one of the biggest problems we face in the church is that sometimes people don’t really understand what holiness means. That’s due in large part to the fact that through the years we have heard some pretty unfortunate explanations as to what holiness is and how it looks. For instance, some have taught that holiness for a man means things like NOT wearing shorts, NOT having long hair, or NOT wearing jewelry! For women we were told that holiness meant NOT wearing makeup; NOT wearing jewelry; NOT cutting their hair and so on. Across the years we have been told that holiness is NOT watching television; NOT going to the movies; NOT dancing; NOT gambling; NOT playing pool; NOT smoking; NOT drinking; and the list goes on. We were told that this is holiness. I know we could add to this list, but you get the idea. I think it would be fair to say that for many years, holiness was interpreted as a long list of don’ts. We don’t do this. We don’t do that. We don’t do the other thing. I suppose that even though we didn’t hear as much about it, holiness did include some do’s, like DO read your Bible; DO pray; and DO go to church every time the doors are open. But we certainly focused more on the DON’Ts than we did on the DOs. Even though that’s sometimes how we have defined holiness, I don’t think it is ever how God defined holiness. We sometimes tend to choose tradition over truth. Truth should always be the goal. And that’s not always easy, but it is always right. Sometimes our traditions have been with us so long that we are tempted to value them above truth if we are not careful. What we need today is a biblical understanding of Christian holiness. I am concerned that what we have heard about holiness through the years, though usually well intended, was not always based solidly on the truths of scripture. In some instances I believe tradition was actually given precedence over the truth. This is where the legalism of the Pharisees creeps in. Straining to keep over 600 rules and regulations, life was lived by the measuring rod. There’s little to no joy in that kind of existence and it is clear from the Word of God that it is not God’s will. To live a holy life; is not a list of more rules and regulations. What we need is a heart change! Holiness is really a matter of the heart. The transformation Christ wants to bring to your life, is not an outside-in transformation, but rather, an inside-out revolution that will cause you to not only look different, but to be think and act differently. For years we were basically told, “if you do the do’s, and don’t do the don’ts, you are holy.” But there was some inconsistency with that message because we saw some people who looked the part, but their actions seemed anything but holy. Growing up, one of the meanest ladies I ever met; wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of slacks. She always wore a dress. She didn’t wear makeup, and I doubt that she had ever cut her hair. She really looked the part of what stereotypical holiness might look like. She apparently kept all of the man-made rules. She lived by the letter of the law. People could easily identify her as a church lady, but there was a problem. As I said, she was mean. It seemed kind of inconsistent, but no one ever raised the question because she looked the part. And besides, everyone was scared of her, including me. It is interesting what Jesus said about the evidence of what it really means to be Christian. He didn’t point to haircuts, clothing, jewelry or makeup. John 13:35 tells us, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  Love is a basic requirement for Christian living. Love for God and love for people. Matthew 22:35-39 teaches us, “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  I know there are many who adhere to these outward standards, who also demonstrate genuine Christian love in their daily lives. I thank God for them. But I think it is important that we establish the fact that the only real evidence of a truly spirit-filled life comes from the heart.  What is the only unmistakable evidence that an apple tree is an apple tree?  - It has apples on it. The fruit is all the evidence you need. Jesus talked about the same thing in Matthew 7. He said “by their fruits you shall know them.”  Is there evidence of the Spirit filled life in your actions and witness?  Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!