The Real God - The Holiness Of God, Part 2

We all know that even the very best of Christians mess up and since sometimes full of that's true, how we obey God's command be holy because I am well stick around. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edge features the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram on the Staley discipleship program. This program she continues her series the real God were studying the most important attributes of God's character defined and affect how we live a clear understanding great way to study with Chip is to do a quick download of this message, you'll find them on the broadcast tablet LivingontheEdge.org or on the chipping remap under fill in notes okay. If you have a Bible open to the book of Hebrews chapter 12 let's join Chip for part two of his message the holiness of God. Isaiah chapter 6 is the pattern of what happens to a man or a woman who gets a glimpse of the holiness of God. As I read it I want you to begin thinking about three views one and upward view to is an inward view and three is an outward view and in the context I want to suggest that this is a deep deep crisis in Israel. And if you're a prophet in Israel and the world is falling apart and that the political situation is unstable. Does this sound familiar, and you're not sure what the future's going to be like. Does this sound familiar, and everyone's fearful and you have a moral responsibility as a spokesman for God to know what's going on. You go meet with God in the midst of a crisis on to suggest that your personal crisis are the one that when your kids have might be the doorway where God leads you to get a glimpse of his holiness in the year that King Uzziah died.

That's the crisis I saw the Lord sitting on a throne he goes into the temple to gets this vision high and lifted up in the train of his robe filled the temple and above him stood the seraphim each had six wings with two recovered his eyes and with two he covered his feet was to he flew.

And one called out to another holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called in the house was filled with smoke and I said here's the inward look woe is me is the most righteous guy on the planet is the prophet for I am lost, for I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips from the eyes of seen the king the Lord of host then one of the seraphs flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he taken with tongs from the altar and he touched my mouth and said, behold this is touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for and I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and whom will go for us and then I said here my send me to see the pattern by the way God always speaks think God really speaks to us in ways often that are unique to our personality and how we hear in this profit and he's living in a world of kings.

And you know the train of his robe.

If you are a pretty important king you know X amount of armies X amount of wealth you might have a trained its 45 feet long. If you are like a super super powerful king and you are like the big king and you had big armies and you are in really big control you might have a trained its 20 feet long and might be seven or eight or nine or 10 attendants behind you.

The length of your train was the evidence of your status in your power. So when we read this, we think the train of his robe filled the temple.

It's it's looping looping looping filling filling know it's it's overwhelming what is doing to Isaiah is of any king ever he's ever heard of in his mind it's going and he just realizes what was me. He's undone and he's a righteous man if we would. Here's the thing. Isaiah compared to probably everyone else is here compared to God. He's here at end for some of you with a really sensitive conscious you have to be careful that in your moments with God. You don't just go completely introspective to some of you can can just yeah had become really terrible, worm, I'm worse than a worm, I don't even know got right there with her was that there was an air of what I call worm theology and people felt really really good about feeling really really bad. Here's the deal. When the Holy Spirit convicts you it's for a very specific reason. You are the object of his love, and he will tell you very specifically where you don't measure up so that you can say to him.

I am so sorry and the blood of Christ covers it to restore you to fellowship when the enemy wants to discourage you. He doesn't convict. It's called condemnation and condemnation is vague and general you're allow me when I go through this him. He never does that when I have my bad condemnation moments. It's like I'm a terrible dad. I'm a terrible pastor. I'm a terrible husband I bet you know what it 97.3% of all my motives are wrong even when I'm teaching you little blood little luck and and you know it makes me feel like I don't want to pray I don't get near God condemnation was Romans eight say there is no condemnation for those of us in Christ Jesus. So that's when you do spiritual warfare is I don't believe any of that. This is who I am in Christ on the sign on the daughter of the living God. I have his righteousness unrolled in righteousness, accepted by the beloved here, but when he says you were rude to your wife. You, left the channel on you started with. I don't believe that's on prime time TV this is terrible.

I wonder how much they're going to show I should probably investigate to make sure and then one of the kids or someone walks in the room. Click in you, and then you realize you were sucked in, or 68%.

I don't know where they get the statistics I hope they're all wrong. But all these people do these things, a 68% of Christian men are on triple X porn sites regularly and if you solve time magazine, Esq. in the epitome of biblical journals. In my opinion has has done research recently on pornography, independent research basically said that a man who watches pornography has a four times the probability of divorce when a woman begins watching pornography it six times and basically what they're discovering is that it's a complete rewiring of the brain that is absolutely akin to cocaine use when God wants us to be pure and holy. It it it it's not that old thinking of, there's probably something really fun and he's like a cosmic killjoy. It's he is a loving father who knows the implications every command of Scripture is given by an absolutely holy God, who in his kindness and tender heartedness once to prevent you from being hurt or damage.

Holiness is wholeness.

Holiness is for your health and Isaiah has this picture of upward and then inward and then notice when when that happens, your priorities change and you say God what you want me to do is just the opposite of our day. God, what can you do for me. God had you wake make my life for How can you be more fulfilled. How can I get more of this. How can I do some of that how you change were always asking God to change everything. Try this one God change me to say just just change me now than the next place where God reveals his first Corinthians chapter 6 and sort of time permitting. All I want to do is is read the passage is interesting because of what the deep bonds that occur in the realm of sexual activity since flee from sexual immorality. All other sins man commits are outside his body. But Houston sexually sins against his own body and we we now have the evidence in our day in our world long before this was written about what happens do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you receive from God, you are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Now I just want you to. It's hard to just pause and I want you to go back to that mountain with the smoke lightning earthshaking and I want you to sort of semi-visualize this temple filled with this train of this robe in the Bassar looking creatures with all these eyes chanting, holy, holy, holy is your face down on the ground and then I want you to try and even ponder that the temple that God has chosen in the new covenant where he wants his presence manifested is your body he owns. You keep bought you, you know, we read of these Old Testament characters and David empowered by the spirit and the prophet empowered by the spirit Elijah doing this even Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter Yoon of Transfiguration. We New Testament believers having more intimate relationship and access to the God of the universe than any of them did. Because the spirit of God would come in the Old Testament.

At times, and anoint with power and manifest his presence in Jesus that last night said there is a new covenant, a covenant is it is an agreement that people make that on the basis we will shed blood to demonstrate that we will give our lives before will break the covenant and he said this is my body given for you. And when he shed his blood. When a person repents of their sin turns and says oh God I believe Christ died to pay for my sin and is my substitute when you come into my life. The spirit of God literally pulls you out of the kingdom of darkness places you into the kingdom of light. The spirit then enters your mortal body you're sealed with the spirit spiritual gifts are deposited here in crafted into a supernatural family called the church and the holy spirit lives in your body, and now God's game plan to take his message to the world is not to get people to come to a temple in Jerusalem to see the glory and the power of God and a nation it's been transformed but to take you and I sort of decentralize distribution and now we go forth and in your home. You are the ambassador of the living God with his spirit living within you and your job is to reveal God to your family then you go in your driveway to reveal God to your neighbors and then you go to work to reveal God, and I was reveal God within, because you are part of the new kingdom you bring the kingdom and you bring the kingdom love in the kingdom life in the kingdom values and so instead of ego and pride. You champion humility instead of the powerful people get close to you care for the marginalized and you become this living temple that begins to impact like salt and light or 11 inbred transforming. That's how the world got changed and nothing is changed in terms of God's agenda. If you ever thought so ask yourself so what do you put in this temple. What does this temple view where these hands go how do you treat this temporary temple if we would ever grasp that would be a set of very logical implications, and again it would be some legalistic. I can never do this. I can't watch this. This is bad. I don't wear lipstick.

I don't go to movies on play cards. I think I got us very far but you like the psalmist would say, oh God, I will put no worthless thing in my mind you'd say I want only holy thoughts you wouldn't be asking questions like, I wonder how close to sin.

Can I get without falling in, you would be asking how close can I get to righteousness and holiness to be pleasing to my God just completely different paradigm well God's holiness raises a couple questions and we we touched on them earlier, but I think it's important that we at least address them here if God is so holy that they can't gaze on sin. How can sinful people like us have a relationship with God right this is this is the greatest news in the world.

The gospel's gospel.

This is I guess what you can't. But Jesus made it possible Romans chapter 5 verses six through 10 for why we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly notice it's not when we cleaned up our act is not when we got together is not only got religious at the right time when we were helpless when you bring nothing in this is for one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die and then underline this verse, verse eight but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that why we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and put a circle around the little word for these two words in Greek for four this is a word that means on behalf of and in the place of teacher substitute.

Everything that I deserve because of my sin. As the just, righteous wrath of God would come toward me. She's the steps in front says I got it and is will learn later, José all take the judgment of God, and I will give you the righteousness of Christ much more than having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him, for if while we were his enemies we were reconciled that were just means you become friends.

Think of the juxtaposition of upper talk about this holy awesome God were undone and over here were friends. I mean, if you would.

Don't don't get over that.

If you think wow that's amazing.

That's far out. That's like I can't grasp it. Good is not casual for what we were his enemies were reconciled to God to the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

The second question then is if trusting God's work on the cross blots out our sin before God and were holiness site.

Why do we keep on sinning and we touched on this, but just right. In these notes because it would be more clear. The three aspects of holiness. There's a point in time is a process and there's an end.

The moment you put your faith in Christ as Savior. You are legally declared righteous of sins penalty. In other words, the penalty for sin, you are forgiven because of Christ's work and as I said before, I love this. I love this picture just have this picture in my mind of a computer screen and Jesus and me and undermine as all the sins and thought, word and deed, and under.

Jesus is the very righteousness of God and I just I just love this picture when I trust in Christ I'm justified in its delete and then the righteous of Christ is put into my account. That's my positional legal standing.

I've been forgiven legally. Of all my sin and the power have sent has been broken but notice then and sanctification is progressive holiness. And so the penalty of sin is gone but now I work out I begin in my practice to become holy and so I now before I couldn't decide whether I wanted to sin or not. Now I can choose to live righteously, but since the flesh wages war against the soul. And since I live in a world system drawing me awake. I can still choose to sin.

And when I choose to sin, it breaks fellowship with my heavenly father, I don't lose my salvation, but the connection but the line their static and and the more I willfully sin I can over time begin to shut off connection relationship with his power in my life so I confess my sins he is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and keep on cleansing me.

Finally, the day will come when either the Lord returns, or I die and I immediately go into his presence and when I see Christ.

I'll be transformed. Let me give you an illustration I bought a house in California which is actually pretty miraculous. So I put X amount money down and legally. That house is in my name and my wife's I own the house is mine bank doesn't own it. I own it.

However, each month on progressively owning more. I'm beginning to get in reality what is legally true and and and and it just keeps coming down as I pay off each month right this is where if you really play this out real carefully doesn't quite work, but just stay there with me okay and then at some point in time, at least some of you have had the experience you pay it off. It's fully mine. It was mine legally because there was a down payment and I own it. Anybody know what the Spirit of God is called in the book of Ephesians. Your down payment of the spirit of God coming into your life, the residence of Christ, then you will live out and you progressively become more holy and it requires like a newborn baby long for the pure milk of God's word so that by it you might change and be transformed.

I have to go through the process of putting off the old putting on the new.

It's a journey it's a process I'm knocking to be conformed to this world.

I'm to be transformed by the renewing of my mind so that my lifestyle could progressively demonstrate God's will. The good acceptable perfect will of God. Romans 12 to but at some point in time when I die, that which is true of me legally and Lord willing. My life is progressively and dramatically changed in the last 35 more years then I will meet Christ and I will be transformed once and for all the holy glorification kit.

That's the best explanation and if you by the way, if you can come up with a better illustration or find to not when email me because of the middle part doesn't quite work right. I mean because you're making payments and you could read and works in okay. How must we respond to the holiness of God.

First, it's a commitment that we make. Hebrews 1214 make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy without holiness no one will see the Lord you don't slide into holiness either as a commitment.

Scripture says God hates sin. God hates arrogance a commitment to holiness is I want to be holy.

Not I'm doing better than others. Or, you know, I think you know I've had to struggle and I come from the family background so anger is an issue in our family and you know everyone I've known our family will they've always divorced and you know it's it's really hard not trying to good that you know we just don't do relationships well worth you know you and I had this problem with my you know it's to stop it.

We all have that stuff be holy even if God is holy, is it impossible. Of course it's impossible the Christian life is impossible. Only Jesus can live it and once he lives in you.

That's why surrendering being in his word, doing life and community together. God causes us to be transformed progressively but it starts with you got a want to be holy. Member one profound thought from someone I really respect it said you will be just about as holy as you want to be.

Think about the perfect, even as your heavenly father's perfect board is mature, then the command is in first Peter it's command to obey all of it because he makes it really clear that it was hard for those early Christians. It's hard for us and it's not about willpower, therefore, prepare your minds for action.

Be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace that is to be revealed. It's that eternal perspective set. My hope on the grace the line, not the.be sober right understand what life is really all about and prepare your I lot of the King James on this anybody note this in King James. Gird your loins if you are a Roman soldier is you have a long robe and you would have a belt but when you were ready to go into battle, you would gird your loins and so what you do is you would take your robe and you would tuck it in your belt.

So now you're ready for action. And so what way saying is you want to live a holy life you got get your game face on his way, we would say you get your mind and gear you to realize there's all this stuff coming at you and you slide into it.

But here's this can be hard even to set your hope on the grace and then therefore as obedient children. Don't be conformed any longer to the former lots with for years in your ignorance, but like the holy one who called you be holy.

Also in all of your behavior because it is written, be holy, for I am and I love that in all your behavior program, stop right now speak to those of you that are followers of Christ, and as you've heard this message, you realize there's issues in your life that are preventing you from getting cuts best. He is holy, he cannot bless your sin, we can't compromise you need to repent.

You need to tell them that you're sorry and he will help you.

He wants to forgive you but I also want to talk to some of you that just find yourself listening to this and maybe you are channel surfing.

Who knows how you got here, but you realize if God is that holy I'm in big trouble.

I don't know what to do.

I want a relationship with God. I want love. I want intimacy, but I have sin I want you to know that today may be, in fact, the most important day of your entire life on this earth.

And God is offering you through the work of his son.

Forgiveness and peace were every year at in your heart of hearts, acknowledge, I have sinned. I have blown it.

I've hurt people. I've stolen I've lied.

We've all done these things, you admit that you send and you fall short of God's pure holy standard and in your heart of hearts, even if you're driving right now God knows and here's cry out.

Oh dear God forgive me, cleanse me. I admit my sin and this date at this moment I put my faith in Jesus's work on the cross to cover and pay for my sin once and for all Lord Jesus come into my life, cleanse me, forgive me. I believe you died on the cross for me and that you rose from the dead in my place to prove that you are in fact God, and you may not have all the answers to this. But pray in your heart right now, cry out to God, our hearts desire is to see you connected with your creator who loves you. He's got a great plan for your life.

But the next step is yours. Put your faith in him today if you prayed with Chip.

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