Holiness Fruit of God’s People | 11.5.23 | Sunday AM | On Fire Christian Church
Holiness Fruit of God’s People
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” Hebrews 12:14-17 NKJV
God has called all who would follow Him to be holy
Holy-set apart different from the world
No turning back, Don’t be like Esau
Fornicator or profane-treating Gods business with no importance
if we should despise our privileges as Esau did his birth-right, and renounce our religion, it would be impossible to recover what we had lost. There would be no possibility of changing the divine decision in the case, for it would be determined forever. This passage, therefore, should not be alleged to show that a sinner. “cannot repent,” or that he cannot find “place for repentance,” or assistance to enable him to repent, or that tears and sorrow for sin would be of no avail, for it teaches none of these things; but it should be used to keep us from disregarding our privileges, from turning away from the true religion, from slighting the favors of the gospel, and from neglecting religion until death comes; because when God has once pronounced a sentence excluding us from his favor, no tears, or pleading, or effort of our own can change him. The sentence which he pronounces on the scoffer, the impenitent, the hypocrite, and the apostate, is one that will abide forever without change. This passage, therefore, is in accordance with the doctrine more than once stated before in this Epistle, that if a Christian should really apostatize it would be impossible that he should be saved;
Esau took a position for granted and that is very dangerous
“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” II Peter 2:20-22 NKJV
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6 NKJV
Because of so great a salvation We are called to holiness and denial of flesh which is the ways of this world
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” Philippians 2:12 NKJV
“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:6 NKJV
Rendered powerless
“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.” Colossians 3:5-7 NKJV
As believers we are to put to death self, which is a brutal, violent act from believers who once lived in disobedience. The modern church has become a social club for what will God do for me in 2023. How can me serving God serve my needs? Remember behind idolatry is an actual demon that receives the worship. So we as Christians are to make sure we are putting to death the desires of the devil not using God to get actually what we want. Holiness is not to be sacrificed on an altar for self preservation. He called believers to be disciples, followers! A disciple a follower that would be led to oppose a system that hated God. A system, a breath that opposes the will of the living God. Therefore the only way to stay true to the living God would be to put to death carnality. Apathy and compromise have become the idols of the American Church!
Your enemy—-Apathy-Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness. Want of feeling; absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement; insensibility; indifference.
