R296 experiencing God By Living a Holy Life

God has been Encouraging Word for you and me today. The Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton in this challenge to live a holy life. Yes, experiencing God by living a holy life.

That's today's message with Dr. Wilton who can take a peek right now at tewonline.org you to see the rest of the story is open God's word together. First Peter one Dr. Don Wilton thank you so much and be would you turn with me in your Bibles this morning to first Peter chapter 1, I trust that you have a copy of God's word with you. Now, ladies and gentlemen are subject this morning is one that I should imagine it would close all of us to want to get up and leave before we hear the message from God's word experiencing God by living a holy life experiencing God while living a holy life. I should imagine that if we were to take a survey in our congregation. Upstairs and downstairs, and every person worshiping with us by way of television this morning we would find the divorce majority of people would say that the one thing that troubles them about the Christian faith is the mandate to lead a holy life. In other words, if we could put it into today's terminology, how is it possible to lead a holy life. Is this an unattainable goal. Is this something that God has safe that's impossible.

I mean, we hear all this talk about holiness and we are all sinners saved by the grace of God.

When not immune nor exempt from sin. We become sensitized to sin. So how is it possible for us to be holy and if I may respectfully submit to you this morning that I want to guarantee you that there is not one holy personality are today, and if there is, I'd like to meet with you for a brief moment off to the service. None of us would ever have the audacity before God to call ourselves holy and I'm here to remind us today that the only difference between the base to bussing here and the worst of them out there is the grace of God. So how can we ever experience God by living a holy life. I want to just use an illustration, if I may be fully read God's word this morning right throughout the centuries people have taken great links and giant steps to try and be more like Jesus. Some of the finest people that you and I will ever meet in the entire world are people who belong to monastic orders. Nuns and monks and people who have denied themselves and have forsaken the world and have given up everything that pertains to human well-being and have put themselves away from God.

Some of the most precious people in the world. Some of the finest schools in the world are run by men and women who are part of monastic orders now there's some people who have gone to the extreme extreme. If ever you want to have an interesting time gun read some of the books about the great monastic orders. There was a man many years ago there near the Negev desert built a pole with a platform on probably the size of the platform.

I'm standing on this morning.

He was a monk and he sat on top of that pole on that platform for 47 years never came down. Just think about his food was sent up to him by means of a piece of string. What ever they had in those days everything. He never came off that platform and the whole idea behind it was to deny himself to such an extent that he was drawn into the presence of God in you and I would have nothing but the highest commendation. The Epicureans where a sect of people who denied themselves the pleasures of life, both physical and material and human pleasures are they just denied themselves. They believe that that deprivation was going to draw themselves into God's presence, and in fact fostering is in keeping with what they had in mind but fostering of course does not find itself in sync with the Epicurean philosophy of life, neither neither does the word of God so we could go on one of the most famous of all people was a man by the name of St. Francis of Assisi, one of God's choice for service. A man who exemplified holy living St. Francis of Assisi was a man who denied himself everything he was very wealthy. He gave away everything Andy gave everything that he had his life and his material possessions in service of the poor. How can we experience God by holy living. Let's read together in first Peter chapter 1 and beginning at verse 13.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action. Now you know that I want to stop right there. Don't you say we talking about action here folks that says it all right there. Prepare your minds for action be self-control.

Safeco hopefully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do for it is written, be holy because I am holy. Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth in the King James version through the spirit through the enabling power of the spirit so that you have received so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart, for you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God for old man alike across and all the glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers full but the word of the Lord stands forever, and this is the word that was preached to you, therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit or hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual move so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. What a tremendous passage from God's word action-packed by the Lord right he's word upon our hearts, experiencing God by living a holy life. What an impossible goal.

The first question that we need to address this morning is why all we to live a holy life. Why in this passage. There are three reasons why we need to live holy lives as Christian men and women number one because God commands. It's right there in verse 15 again in verse 16. But just as you as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do for it is written, be holy because I am holy. Why should we be holy because God commands it. That's what. In other words, if I could put it into classic terminology. There comes a time when you just stop when you say so you are not doing that because I say so answer because one has a crooked letter and you can't make it strike. It's just a simple as that. You go to draw the line in the sand and you say, my son, my daughter, it doesn't matter how unpopular I make it. It doesn't matter how much I'm unable to prove it by means of logical rationalization. It doesn't matter what your friends think about it. It doesn't matter who, what, where, why, when you are not doing it because I say you're not doing it. You know, we can talk about that his parents folks when it comes to God. Sometimes we believe that God says to us, why don't you call the deacons meeting about this one. There are many things in God's word. My friend that you don't need a deacons meeting for you don't need a preacher to rationalize, you don't. You need you and me to try and understand why do we need to drive to be holy because God won't number two. Because Jesus died for.

It's right there in verses 18, 19 and 20 C as we go on mission trips we tell everybody about when we preach in the pulpit. We tell everybody about it when we witness we tell everybody about it when we do we are doing what the Bible teaches us and that is that God.Jesus died for you.

Why because he loves is that true yes sir, it is absolutely biblically true.

It is 100% correct, but I'm going to say to your friends that Jesus died because of the holiness of God.

That's why Jesus died. You see all the attributes of God ought to be found in these holiness whether it be love of grace and mercy. Everything that God is can be summed up in these holiness and Jesus died because of the holiness of God. Why, because God cannot and will not tolerate anything that is even remotely outside of the boundary of these complete holiness. There's 1/3 reason why we need to be holy and that is because the spirit of God in a booze it the spirit of God enables it in verse 22 the King James version. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. How is it possible first of all to purify yourself and secondly how is it possible to obey the truth.

It is through the enabling power of the spirit of God and one of the functions of the spirit of God is to do what is true in able us to lead holy lives outside of the spirit of God. It's impossible. But because the spirit of God lives in us. We are in a mood to lead purified and holy lives only because of him. God commands a Jesus died for the Holy Spirit enables it. So the question becomes them. How am I to lead a holy life. There are seven practical directors here in these verses that we have read this morning. Please permit me to share them with you.

How can I become holy. What what do I need to do. Just tell me. Give me a formula. The Bible has many, many ways. Because this is God's manual that unlocks the key to kingdom living as this is God's direct event. If we are going to experiencing God experience God we need to turn to God's word and say, Lord, what would you teach us. There are seven there are many others. By the way, but there are seven directors here in first Peter number 1B prepared in mind.

Verse 13 therefore, prepare your minds for action. You see, as the apostle by the inspiration of the spirit is moving up to this climactic experience this prerogative.

This mandate this imperative of God that we need to lead holy lives. He says be prepared in your minds. In other words take action to prepare your self to do what God wants you to do. You might say to me will pasta. How can we prepare our minds we doing that this morning. You say to me will pasta you preaching to the wrong crowd. I want to commend you, my dear friends this morning for being in God's house you could just as easily be out on that Blake. You could just as easily be out on the golf course right now, you could just as easily be somewhere, anywhere but in the house of God. The weather is perfect. It's a weekend here. You have every opportunity. Every reason and yet you come to God's house and God's word says forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. You know why because there is something source show about coming and sitting under the word of God and singing and praising God together. It is part of the preparation of our mind. You cite pasta you should never go to such ridiculous links this some people it doesn't matter what you do they not going to do. I would beg you with everything at my disposal. Do you know why because God's word says be. He holy.

How can I be holy. We need to prepare our minds for action.

Action number two.

Be self-controlled and spirit look at the second part of verse 13.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action.

These self-controlled now that gets to all of us to see what the apostle is saying here, my friends, is that the Christian man in the Christian woman does not have license to do what ever he or she wants to do.

Now the United States of America the most beautiful nation upon the world. We are all created equal with equal voice at any time.

We have our rights but that is not the case you are not not right underdog to be Bible says you have got a biblical mandate to be under control. There is there is never an excuse for a Christian person to be out of control. You and I do not have license to say whatever you want to say whenever we want to say we live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and God is in control and he controls everything that we do and hear the apostle is reminding us. My friends, if we are ever to lead holy lives. We must be prepared in mind and we must be self-controlled in our spirit. Number three. We must be dependent on God's grace, we must be dependent on God's grace. I love this one. Look also verse 13 sexual fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed to see all of us here this morning. Everyone of us without exception, every one of us. We know that there is absolutely no earthly hope that we could ever strive to be prepared in mind or to be self-controlled if it is left up to ourselves as is there any way that we could ever do that.

No, sir, but you know what our hope is our hope is simply this is our dependency upon the grace of all and every single day. We live this life.

God's word says that we need to wake up with a reviews and I see a fresh dependency upon the on going pouring the greatest overall line to draw through the Lord Jesus Christ be prepared in mind these self-controlled in spirit be dependent upon God's grace and number 4B be impartial judgment. Now this is a tough one.

Be impartial in judgment.

I want to look at verse 17 because I believe that God's word is endeavoring to try and teach us and unbelievable eternal truth about the condition of the Christian person. Since you call on a father now listen care. The apostle here is signing because what you do is only made possible by virtue of your relationship with this one called God, our heavenly father who judges each man's work impartially, therefore, live your lives as strangers in a reverent fear. Now that there is a very pristine word because there is no ability and his king.

The king and possibly St. Louis here is simply this, that if we often do what God says, which is to be holy. What I have to do is we have to submit ourselves in red and to the father is partial judgment. Please forgive the interrupted will be back with the rest of today's message experiencing God by living a holy life with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment, but he wants me to remind you we are connecting on our website 24 seven TT W online.org maybe even before but if you haven't been lately, you're missing out on this fresh new book easier to navigate easier to sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email watch broadcasts and more.

That's online@tewonline.org is today. TW online.org trade this my beloved prayers will kill the soul of the Christian person and enjoy your you will never leave the life that God is calling you and all of us. Every single one of us with prejudice about people, about ways of doing things about down. We have biases every single one of us and one of the things that God teaches is that there is not to go to the bone, not the male and female will one in Christ Jesus be impartial in judgment. Perhaps what he is saying is that we need to love one another on an equal footing. We need to love one another on an equal footing and that is very clearly to the point.

Be sincere in love. Look at verse 22 now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth that we need to just examine that word in that structure there because the apostle is saying all the fat you have now come to grips with the fact that Jesus died God's holiness. Jesus died and gone tomorrow regarding May and you want to be prepared in mind and still controlling spirit upon God's grace and impartially in judgment and if you are able to understand these things, you will become sincere in love now that you have purified your sales by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for all of the brothers and that love is the Omaha. What a tremendous thing to think about. That's why love this congregation so much. It's a magnificent thing to think about the love that exists between people. You see, it is the mandate of God, then it is inextricably intertwined into the holiness of God. You cannot dive horse the holiness of God from the love of God, and you cannot divorce the love of God from the love we are instructed to have one number six. Be pure in motive be pure in motive. Look at chapter 2 in verse one that could preach on this one until the cows come home. There is a diverse one. Therefore, regional assumes all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and all injury and slumber of every kind. What is he saying to us what is God's way of teaching us about holiness. Maybe it can be summarized in this one statement be pure in motive are you curing your motives or do you have strings attached to whatever you do, what is he saying here in chapter 2 verse one therefore reduced to cut it all of all malice, all the seafloor hypocrisy what is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is sitting in church on Sunday signing and looking something and from Monday to Tuesday sign in looking something entirely different. Hypocrisy is going up to someone and saying I love you and going up to someone else and say I don't love that person that receives a two-sided nature hypocrisy and slowing to my friend and impure motive is someone who goes around making phone calls and trying to hurry people's flavor and sow seeds of doubt and distraction and is down and assassinated.

The apostle is talking about the G because I am holy, pure, remote, be prepared in mind, self-controlled in spirit be dependent upon God's grace we impartially judgment. Be sincere and loving pure in motive, but there's one more belonging for purity. Look at chapter 2 in verse two like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk pure spiritual mom. I love that word crying and always used to think that was kind of a Martin term. I suppose it is trying means that the longing the soul-searching that needs to be going on is that he should have pure spiritual so that there is just a consequence by you may grow in your cell that strike you, not the apostle sign saying you want to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ you want to be more like Jesus. You want to grow up crave purity strive for yourself, for powerful challenge Dr. Don Wilton today's teaching about the pursuit of purity and here is the reality. You cannot do it. I can't do it. Dr. Wilson can't do it alone. But Jesus is ready to empower you and me to do remarkable things.

As we start with him. Here's Dr. Don Wilton with the most important 60 seconds of art are you ready to give you half life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with right here. God knows that I miss and I know that Jesus died for me today.

I repainted my sin and by faith I receive you into my in Jesus name, my friend. I would welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news.

Welcome to the family of God. Welcome home. I believe some of you have made significant decisions is Dr. Thomas praying and we want you to know we are here to walk you through the next steps give us a call at 866-899-WORD for your free copy of information Dr. Don Wilton you have if you just gave your life to Jesus. That's 866-899-WORD 9673 email us at online@tewonline.org, and many have been asking and visiting the website talking about going to become supporters. The ministry well if you're interested, that's what we call encouragers spring brings the promise and where do we find help find hope in Jesus this great help with as many people will you join us to learn encouragers, left at 8899 wearing 866-899-WORD nine information on how you can support the work and The Encouraging Word The Encouraging Word is a newer listener supported ministry.

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