What Gifts Can You Give Him

Matthew 2:9-11
  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.11  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Your Heart

Proverbs 23:7 – For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Daniel 1:8 – But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Your Time

Ephesians 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Romans 13:11

Galatians 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Ephesians 6:13-18   Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

YOUR Money

II Corinthians 9: 6-8 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so  let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

I Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

YOUR Family

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Ephesians 5:25

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Your Job

Luke 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father,  and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. I Thessalonians 5: 18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. John 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

DEEP CLEANSING AND PREPARING FOR TEMPTATION

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

II Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

I believe regular cleansing is imperative to defeating temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Steps to deep cleansing

  1. Find a quiet place to sit alone – Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
  2. Quiet your heart before the Lord
    Close your eyes and reflect on Him
    Remove all distractions – tv, phone, computer, people, job, etc
    Put all worries aside for a time. They are not going anywhere
    Matthew 6:25-33 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
  3. Pray and thank God for allowing you to be at this place at this time Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
    Ask for courage to be honest before Him Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
    Ask for grace to help you as he reveals hidden things in your life.
    Commit to the Lord that your will pay the price necessary for total complete cleansing – Psalms 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
    Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
    Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
  4. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal your specific sins to you Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
  5. List everything He reveals to you.
    List everything, not just the easy ones
    Re-ask Him to reveal more
    Number them in order of difficulty
    Wait on Him – Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Psalms 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
  6. Confess your sins one at a time – Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. – I John 1:9-10 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
  7. Accept the fact that this will be a struggle in some areas of your life – Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
    You may well desire to stop because it is to personally hard
    This is the normal human response
    Give yourself time to properly get the job complete (could take more then one time alone) so make this a regular habit.
  8. Make restitution if it is needed. Matthew 5: 23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
    You will have to expect you will be humbled – I Peter 5:5-9 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
    Commit to go to whomever you have sinned against and set it right.
    This is necessary for spiritual victory and freedom
  9. Write done beside each sin you have confessed
    You are not done until you have confessed, made restitution, and received God’s complete cleansing of your sin
    When you have finished the list, burn it as a sign that it has been forgiven.
    10.Thank the Lord for His work in your life as your complete each one.
    Praise time now – praise Him for His faithfulness in forgiving and cleansing you.

Psalms 109:30  I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

Psalms 111:1  Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Psalms 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.
Psalms 115:18 

Psalms 135:1-3   Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.2  Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

The Importance of Cleansing Oneself

Matthew 7:1-6
Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

This is not easy

Romans 7:21-25 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Our own sin often seems smaller than someone else’s sin
All growth is preceded by cleansing

Erwin Lutzer – pastor emeritus of Moody Church “We must not part with sin as with a friend, with the purpose of seeing it again and have the same familiarity with it, or possibly greater…we must shake our hands of it as Paul did the snake the viper off his hand into the fire”

Sin – anything beyond the will of God or short of the will of God

James 4:11-17   Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.12  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

ALL PERSONAL SIN MUST BE DEALT WITH

MOVING TOWARD HOLINESS
Do not defend your sin

  • Your sin is not less then the next person’s sin
  • Your sin is not the result of someone else action
  • Your sin is not the devil’s fault
  • Your sin is entirely your own fault
NO ONE CAN MAKE YOUR SIN!

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14

This is where both personal and corporate revival begins

Begins at salvation

Continues through phases of spiritual growth

Spiritual growth is often

• A time of growing
• A leveling off
• Sometimes a slip backward
• Then moving forward
• Then leveling off (digesting what God has taught you)

It is more than

• Worship
• Praise
• Devotions each day
• Attending church once a week

You can do all these and still not be in the will of God – back to James 4 and II Chronicles 7

I Must cleans myself and learn to commune with Him (to share my emotions and feelings with Him, to be in close contact with Him, have intimate communications, a closeness)

Most people here today can quote      II Chronicles 7:14

Few practice it

Did you seek personal holiness this week or just continue as usual?

Let us examine today

  1. Do you actively pursue your personal sin?
  2. Does sin just happen in your life by accident, you did not mean too?
  3. Do you try to avoid sin most of the time?
  4. Do you feel regret when you do knowingly sin?
  5. Do you become angry with your sin?
  6. Do you become deeply grieved with your sin?
  7. Do you hate and detest your sin and turn from it?
  8. How does God feel about your sin?

Where do you stand

  1. Rejection of cleansing because of the hardness of your heart?
  2. Some cleaning because of outside influences such as a message or sermon?
  3. Initial dee cleansing and an intense inward desire for a deep relationship with God? Humbled, prayed, sought after Him, and turn from?
  4. Repeated deep cleaning and a hunger to be holy – desire to be more Christ like
  5. Regular cleansing and a deeper relationship with Jesus

I Corinthians 15:31-34 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

How to Grow in Holiness

Therefore:


II Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.7 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

He will be a Father to us
We will be able to exercise rights as His children
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12
John 1:12

The word power means – choice, authority to choose, liberty to choose to do as one pleases

Two halve of holiness
NOTE: unholiness comes naturally, holiness comes supernaturally

II Timothy 2:19-22 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

  • Depart from iniquity- revolt against, withdraw from
  • Purge – clean thoroughly
  • Flee youthful lusts – run from, seek swift flight from
  • Follow righteousness – flee to, run to swiftly

THE FIRST HALF OF HOLINESS – LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND, CLEANSE, DEPART
THE SECOND HALF OF HOLINESS – CHASE AFTER SOMETHING, FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS

BIRTH                                                  SALVATION                                                   DEATH

  • UNHOLY THINGS
  • OLD NATURE
  • RUN FROM
  • FIRST PART OF HOLINESS
  • HOLY THINGS
  • CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OF JESUS
  • RUN FROM
  • SECOND PART OF HOLINESS
Hebrews 12:1-2 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Lay aside – first half of holiness
Run- second half

Lay aside – turn away from, put off
Beset – surrounded by
Patience – steadfast, consistency, endurance
Looking – Turning of your eyes from one thing and fixing it upon another

Holiness as a believer is a personal responsibility
YOU Must cleanse from present sins
YOU Must pursue after righteousness

Colossians 3:8;12-13 – But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Put off – cast aside, put away from
Malice – ill will, desire to see one hurt, wickedness that is not ashamed
Blasphemy – slander, injurious speech, defaming one’s character
Filthy communication – foul language, obscene speech

Put on – clothe with
Bowels of mercy – a heart of mercy and compassion
Kindness – moral goodness
Humbleness of mind – modesty, deep sense of one’s moral smallness
Meekness – a spirit of submission
Longsuffering – patience, endurance, steadfastness, slow to avenge wrong
Forbearing – holding up one another, to sustain another
Forgiving – graciously restore one another, show of kindness, benevolence
Quarrel – complaint against another

Holiness is shown in our lives when we are able to forgive as Christ forgave us.

Holiness part three

Becoming More Like Christ

Three stages of Holiness

  1. Salvation – God makes us holy at salvation
  2. Presenting – Our surrendering ourselves to His leadership and Lordship
  3. Progressive – our growing in Christ over time as His child

Progressive Holiness

Growing in Christ – becoming more like Jesus day by day.
Begins at salvation and ends in our physical death – we will be totally transformed completely into His image
Our life’s goal – to be more like Jesus –

Galatians 6:7-10 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

At Salvation we are all equally Holy – We have been set apart by Him
We continue to grow in both character and conduct – we grow a different pace

Romans 8:26-30 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Progressive holiness is up to us

Our obedience to His conforming us is the key
Rebellion slows the process of conforming (Rebellion is any resistance to His leading in our lives
Progressive holiness will be notices by others as well as yourself

Progressive holiness changes:

• Motives
• Attitudes
• Actions – your response to situations
• Anger, bitterness, self-control, critical spirits etc.
• Your love for His word

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1
2 Corinthians 7:1

Cleanse ourselves


This is a moving forward toward perfection (bringing to an
end, to finish, to complete
Birthed at Salvation
Up to us to complete the work that God begins
Yielding to His spirit

Romans 7:21-25 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the
mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6
Philippians 1:6
Perform – bring to an end, accomplish, perfect, execute, complete

NEXT TIME – HOLINESS MISUNDERSTOOD