Called to Holiness

Called to Holiness

¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

I Peter 1:14 – 16

Have you ever considered what it means to be holy? We are clearly told in Scripture that our lives are to be holy because our God is holy. What does this mean?

Our society does not truly know what it means to be “holy.” They somehow believe that to be holy is to be weird or out of touch with reality. They equate being holy with being ‘holier than thou.’ But holiness is not about comparison with anyone else. Holiness is about being separate for God’s purposes.

Nelson’s Bible Dictionary defines holy in this way:
…moral and ethical wholeness or perfection; freedom from moral evil. Holiness is one of the essential elements of God’s nature required of His people. Holiness may also be rendered “sanctification” or “godliness.” The Hebrew word for “holy” denotes that which is “sanctified” or “set apart” for divine service.

I Peter 1:14 – 16 gives a good description of holiness. Here is a list of the words used to describe it:

Ø obedient children

Ø not conformed to lusts

Ø like God

Does this describe your life? It doesn’t describe mine very well either. There are many days that I am less than obedient to the will of my heavenly Father. He has set a standard that is clear, and I often fall far short of it.

There are also many days that my life is just as selfish and materialistic as any unbeliever. I want everything my way and now. But this is not what God has called my life to look like.

My life does not always look like God. But this is God’s desire for me. In nature God set up the sun, earth and moon so that the moon would reflect the light of the sun to the side of the earth that faces away from it. Likewise He has appointed us to reflect the light of His glory to an unbelieving world that has turned its back on Him.

How are we doing? Honestly, not very well. But there is hope – God is not finished yet. He is the God of many chances. God gave Abraham many chances to obey and follow. God forgave Moses when he acted out of his own anger instead of as the mouthpiece of God. David was an adulterer and murderer, but was still called “a man after God’s own heart.” Peter denied he even knew Jesus, but was established as a leader of the Apostles. Paul was a murderer and a terrorist, but still God called him to write almost half of the New Testament.

God does not discard us just because we have fallen. (If He were, none of us would have been picked up to begin with.) Take heart, God has chosen you as a messenger of His mercy. Each of us has fallen and each of us has areas of our lives which God is still in the process of sanctifying. We must not despair, but we must stop resisting Him. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God’s mercy is great.

His grace is amazing.

We must rest in Him while not treating His forgiveness flippantly.

The Biblical Christmas Story

The Biblical Christmas Story

Matthew and Luke

Jesus’ Birth Foretold to Mary

Luke 1:26 – 38

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The Circumstances of Jesus’ Birth Explained to Joseph

Matthew 1:18 – 25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:1 – 7

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Praise of the Angels and Witness of the Shepherds

Luke 2:8 – 20

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

Luke 2:21

21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple with the Homage of Simeon and Anna

Luke 2:22 – 38

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2:1 – 12

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Satisfied With Jesus

Just Three Verses:

Satisfied with Jesus

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Ephesians 4:1

…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Colossians 1:10

…so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
I Thessalonians 2:12

As many know, I have a background in music. Specifically church music. As a result lyrics quite often nail me between the eyes and stick with me for long periods of time. For the last few months the text of a hymn has haunted me. The words and music were both written by the famed hymn writer B. B. McKinney. The title of the hymn is Satisfied with Jesus:

I am satisfied with Jesus,
He has done so much for me:
He has suffered to redeem me,
He has died to set me free.

He is with me in my trials,
Best of friends of all is He;
I can always count on Jesus,
Can He always count on me?

I can hear the voice of Jesus,
Calling out so pleadingly,
“Go and win the lost and straying”:
Is He satisfied with me?

When my work on earth is ended,
And I cross the mystic sea,
Oh, that I could hear Him saying,
“I am satisfied with thee.”

I am satisfied, I am satisfied,
I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the question comes to me,
As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master satisfied with me?

The last three lines of the refrain are what nail me to the wall. The question about our Christianity is not whether we are satisfied with the peace and grace that are so freely given, but is our Master satisfied with us? Are we walking in a manner that pleases God?

Three separate times, in three different epistles, Paul uses the phrase translated, “…walk in a manner worthy…”:

• In Ephesians 4:1 he urges believers to “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called….”
• In Colossians 1:10 he again urges “…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”
• In I Thessalonians 2:12 he urges believers to “…walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

So as the hymn asks, “…the question comes to me, as I think of Calvary, is my Master satisfied with me?” If I am to be honest I must confess that far too often the answer to that question is a resounding “No”. When I ponder this many times I am quite angry with myself and often discouraged.

But is this the point of the hymn? My answer to that question would also be, no. The point of the hymn is not to make us feel dejected because we have failed to live up to the standard set by Christ. That is the whole point. We desperately need Christ to provide salvation on our behalf. We are unable to live up to the standard on our own and whenever we attempt to do this in our own strength we will utterly fail. The point of the hymn is to drive us to our knees in gratitude for the gift of God’s grace that has been poured out on us. As Paul writes in Romans 5:5 – 6, “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Here are the facts:

1. We are in desperate need of salvation.
2. We cannot earn salvation on our own.
3. Jesus has provided the one and only way of salvation through His death on the cross.
4. We can never do enough or live righteously enough to repay the debt that Christ has paid on our behalf.

Does this mean that we can simply live any way we choose and still be called by the name of Christ? No. If we have genuinely received the indescribable gift of grace and salvation, how could we possibly thumb our noses at what that gift cost our Savior?

Though we cannot repay the debt (nor should we try) we must strive to “walk in a manner worthy” of the One who has called us and saved us from the eternal consequences of our own actions.

May His grace continually motivate us to reflect the love that we have been shown. So that in the end He may look at us and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

God Loves You...More Than You May Think

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:16 – 18

“God loves you just the way you are,” is a true but incomplete statement. It is true that God loves every person on earth just the way they are, but He does not stop there. God loves them so He sent Jesus Christ to redeem them and bring them into relationship with Him. The cover of Max Lucado’s book Just Like Jesus has the statement in its true and complete form, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way.”

John 3:16 is one of the most treasured verses in Scripture, but many people do not realize that when we accept His gift of love and salvation that we must be changed. Not in order to receive salvation, but as a result of receiving it.

Here is a paraphrase of John 3:16 – 17:
God loved the world (people, His creations) so much that He sent His only Son so that the people (every human who has ever lived) He loves so dearly would have a way to be reconciled (not perish, die in their sin) to Him (eternal life). Jesus’ coming was not a sign that we (humanity) were bad and needed to be punished. Jesus’ coming was a sign that God loved us so much that He wanted to remove the condemnation that we had brought on ourselves.

When some people hear the name Jesus they think of judgment and intolerance, but they do not know this Jesus the way I know Him. Jesus is the One who has made intimate relationship with God possible. He is the One who has saved me from the condemnation that I so rightfully deserved. As a result of the gift that I have been given I am moved to behave more like my Savior. Sadly, many people do not wish to change. They want to take their “fire insurance” policy and be on their way. This, however, is not possible. As long as our lives are lived “our way” we have not received God’s matchless gift of salvation.