A SERIOUS CALL TO A HOLY LIFE
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OUTLINE
1.CALLING
2.COMMANDMENTS
3.CASE-STUDIES
4.CONTRAST
5.COMFORTER
6.CHOICE
7.COVENANT
THE MESSAGE
A SERIOUS CALL TO A HOLY LIFE
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1.CALLING
I Peter 2:9 Phillippians 2:15 Matthew 5:13-16
A holy life is a fundamental part of our calling as a Christian . God has chosen us to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation and a peculiar people . We are called to be different from the people of this world . God wants us to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation . He knows the ungodly circumstances in which we live and He wants us to be an example to others. We are called to be the salt and light of this world . Salt gives taste and acts as a preservative. Light removes darkness and shows the way clearly . This is the calling upon our life as the children of God .
2.COMMANDMENTS
Exodus 20:3-17 I Corinthians 3:16-17 I Corinthians 6: 9-20
God has given commandments for us in order to live a holy life . He gave the ten commandments to Moses to give to the people of Israel . The very first commandment was to have no other gods before Him . He wants His people to be totally commited to Him . Seperation and consecration to God is the basis of Holiness. We are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Therefore as the temple of God we must be holy. Moreover we are not our own , we have been bought with a price by the Lord Jesus and we belong to Him. Hence we cannot live our life as we like but must be careful to live a life that pleases God.
3.CASE-STUDIES
Genesis 6:5-9 Genesis 12:1-3 Genesis 49:22-26 Hebrews 11:24-26
Daniel 6:10 Daniel 3:16-18 Acts 10:2,22 I Corinthians 10:6-12
The Bible records many case-studies and examples of people who choose to live for God in the midst of ungodly circumstances . We can see clearly how God blessed them abundantly for their faithfulness to Him. The lives of Noah , Abraham , Joseph , Moses , Daniel , Shadrach , Meshach , Abednego , Cornelius and others are shining examples for us to follow . These men of God chose to live a holy life inspite of the ungodly lives of the people around them. And the Lord blessed them in a special way. The Bible also records the failures and the sins of the people of Israel to serve as a warning for us . The judgement and the punishment they received should act as a deterrent to us so that we can prevent such a tragedy from befalling us .
4.CONTRAST
II Corinthians 6: 14-18
There is a big contrast between sin and holiness . They are mutually exclusive and we cannot have both in our lives. There is no common ground for them . There is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness , no communion between light and darkness , no concord between Christ and Belial , no part for a beleiver with an infidel , no agreement beween the temple of God and idols. The word of God makes it clear that there are irreconcilable differences between godliness and ungodliness. Therefore the people of God have to thoroughly dissociate themselves from evil. They cannot tolerate sin and strive to coexist with it. The Lord wants us to come out from among them and be seperate and touch not the unclean thing .
5.COMFORTER
John 16:7-11 Galatians 5 :22-23 Romans 8:13
The Lord has given us the Comforter ,The Holy Spirit to help us live a holy life. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin , of righteousness and of judgement . When we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit He will work in our hearts and transform us and the fruit of the Spirit will be produced in our lives . We will develop the Christ like qualities of love ,joy,peace ,patience, gentleness ,meekness, goodness, faith, and longsuffering . We should mortify the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit. In the beginning of creation where there was darkness and void and no form ,the Holy Spirit moved over the face of the waters and God began the work of creation . In the same way The Holy Spirit is willing to work in our broken and shattered lives and do a creative work in us. When a hen broods over an egg , a work of creation takes place inside the egg and a little chick is formed. In the same way when the Holy Spirit works in our hearts a work of creation takes place and we are transformed into the image of Christ .
6.CHOICE
Joshua 24 :15 I Kings 18:21
We must make a choice to serve God with all our heart. Joshua told the people ’Choose this day whom you will serve . As for me and my house we will serve the Lord ’ . It was a deliberate choice to follow the Lord with all his house. Elijah challenged the people ’ How long will you limp between two opinions ’ . The Lord does not want us to be double minded. We must not be alternating between serving the Lord and serving the world and the devil . We must make a clear and final choice to live wholeheartedly for the Lord.
7.COVENANT
II Corinthians 6:16-18 II Chronicles 16:9 Psalms 1:1-3 Exodus 19:5
Exodus 15:26 II Chronicles 7:14 Joshua 3:5 Isaiah 59:1-2
The Lord makes a covenant with those who choose to serve Him diligently and wholeheartedly. He will be their God and keep them as His people . He will be a Father to them and keep them as His sons and daughters. It is a covenant relationship. He will show Himself strong on their behalf. He will cause them to prosper in all their endeavours. He will bring health and strength to their lives. He will treat them as special treasure to Him. He will heal their nation. He will do great wonders among them. There are so many blessings we lose when we fail to live a holy life and live a life that is displeasing to God. However there is an abundance of God’s goodness and mercies waiting for us when we turn to Him wholeheartedly and live a life that is pleasing in His sight. May God help us to live for Him and experience His abundant goodness in our lives.
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