Lesson
9
The
Beauty of Holiness
III. The Beauty
of Holiness
If man could visualize
his journey through life, he would see two roads which seemed to fade away in
the far distance of time. These two roads represent the (1) road (way) of life
(Acts 2:28) and (2) the road (way) of death (Proverbs 14:12). One is a road of blessing and the other is a road of cursing. "I call heaven and earth to record this
day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may
live"(Deuteronomy 30:19).
A. The Journey of
Life
As on any journey,
there are many places of enjoyment along the way. It would be a monotonous trip
if one didn't enjoy any of the pleasure which dot the map of his travel. As one
goes, he usually plans to enjoy all that he can and take advantage of that
which his traveling time will allow him to do. Even so. God has made
reservations for one's travel through life to be filled with many adventures.
As he travels down these highways, each adventure becomes a part of him.
1. Which Way Will
We Go?
The important thing to
consider in choosing the course of travel is: (1) What will be the results of
these adventures? And, (2) where will the choice of roads lead? Moses was a man
who chose the highway of holiness rather than enjoy the adventures and
pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). This holy way of life is a separated way and is set apart from the way of the
crowds.
2. Becoming More
Like Him
As the new Christian
journeys through life on the highway of holiness. God changes him into His
image from glory (adventure) to glory (adventure). As He continues to conquer
the old man (who is always trying to influence to travel down the old road of
death), He builds within the heart of the new man the character and the beauty
of Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; II
Corinthians 4:4). The true image of God (I Peter 1:15; Ephesians 4:24) can only
be reflected by the Spirit of God working in His people to cleanse this temple
of those things that mar the holy reflection of Jesus Christ. The further man
goes with Him on this journey, the more he becomes like Him. The more he
becomes like Him, the more others are attracted to Him. The only way God will
ever be seen by this searching generation is through His people. The scripture
says that without following ". . .holiness. . .no man shall see the
Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). When Judgment Day comes, God will search among the
flocks for those who have on the same garment of righteousness as He wore. They
will shine as bright lights in a darkened day.
3. Holiness a
Beautiful Way of Life
Holiness is such a
beautiful way of life. When the Scriptures tell us that Jesus came to save from
sins, it was actually saying that He came to protect, preserve, and keep from
those things which cause man to fall short of abundant life. To sin is to miss the mark, or the purpose, for which man
has been designed. To perish is to miss the true aim of life—literally to
ruin your life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish (miss
fulfilling the true aim in life), but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
So then holiness is a beautiful way of life which guarantees God's protection
and blessings from three major enemies which war against the soul. Holiness is
not a list of codes. It is a superior way of life that will lead those that
follow its course into the beauty and treasure of God's Kingdom. "Give
unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of
holiness" (Psalm 29:2).
B. Perfecting
Holiness
How tragic that many
have misunderstood the beauty of holiness. When God fills man with His Holy
Spirit, man becomes holy (I Corinthians 6:17). He doesn't have to exert all
kinds of strenuous physical and mental exercises to be holy. For it is not from
the will of man that holiness is derived, but from the heart filled with God's
Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16 and John 1:13). Remember, it is the fruit of the
Spirit. The heart will have a great yearning to be like Jesus and will, under
the influence of the Holy Spirit, be changed into the holy image of Jesus. He
must yield himself to this influence and power of God (Romans 6:19). This flow
of God's Holy Spirit will reach into every aspect of his life (I Peter 1:15).
It will cause him to abstain from the appearance of evil (Psalms 101:3) and
will cause him to walk in new places (walk as He walked), dress different, act
different, talk different and even think different (Philippians 4:8). He will
be a new man and "behold, old things are passed away and all things are
become new" (II Corinthians 5:17). "But as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct)" (I Peter
1:15).
1. Growing in the
Lord
As the new man grows
in the knowledge of the will of God, he will also grow in his ability to
recognize activities and attitudes that would endanger his new life in Christ.
Sometimes, he may feel a check of the Spirit but not see any danger in a
particular activity. But, thank God for pastors whom God works through to help
preserve him from the subtlety of sin. They will help guide him away from the
dangerous road of sin and death. Life is not governed totally by the inferior
question of whether or not something is sin, but by whether or not it will
damage the image of Christ in a Christian's life. This is why he senses these
impulses from the Spirit—to warn of potential danger. A pastor will be a tremendous help in keeping from pitfalls which
could affect this image.
2. The
Concerned Christ
Jesus is
reaching to every family now. He knows the needs and He sees the sincerity. He
doesn't want any family to perish. He will not force His love upon any, but He
wants the change to show what a great God He can be. He has a new heart made
especially for every individual and the angels anxiously await to record the
names in heaven. A treasure chest of promises await those who will seek Him.
Anyone can receive Him in their life at any moment. The greatest miracle that
could ever happen in any life is the new birth. It is the will of God that all
be saved but the decision rests with the individual.