Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. This is holiness. Do you think of holiness in terms of a monastery or a smell of incense or stained glass windows or some religious rituals and chantings? No, biblical holiness is not something mystical, it's not some ethereal experience, it's not some abstract dogma as it were. No, this is intensely practical.
Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. We're continuing our series in 1 Peter, focusing on God's call for his people to be holy. Our salvation in Christ should be evident in our daily lives. Today we'll discuss what holiness actually looks like in practice. not as some unattainable idea.
but as obedient behavior to God in all areas of life. Here's Pastor John Monroe with his message, the call of holiness. Writing in the first century, the Apostle Peter says, But as he who called you is holy, you will also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. We live in an unholy, sleazy, immortal world. It seems that wherever we turn and wherever we look, there is unholiness.
and we must readily confess that not one of us is immune. But when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we receive His righteousness, His holiness. And in the middle of the moral cesspool in which we live, God calls us to be different. He calls us to shine as lights in the darkness.
So last time we understood that this call to holiness is God's call in our lives. Let's look closer. at this very important passage in 1 Peter.
Now let's stand and read. Our text for today from 1 Peter chapter One Verses 13 through 16. Will you stand with me and read this together? And as we read, seek to understand it. Therefore, Preparing your minds for action.
And being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, You also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written. You shall be holy, for I am holy.
So, what is Peter saying here? Here is a very, very important point. Our great salvation And our magnificent Saviour, make a difference in our daily lives. Did you get that?
Now that you have received such a magnificent salvation. And follow this brilliant Savior, Jesus Christ. You must. Live differently. What I'm saying, and Peter is saying, authentic Christianity must make a difference.
In particular, What's Peter saying? We're called to live holy lives. Peter reminds His readers that God is holy. God is so holy, the Bible tells us. That Man cannot look on God's essential being and live.
Their God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Think of the brilliance and the And the light of God, that we by ourselves could never, ever, ever stand in that magnificent light and that absolute holiness, which is the perfection of all of His attributes, that God is holy. And now, Peter is saying. This holy God has called you. And Peter quotes from Leviticus.
Where Leviticus mentions many times that God is holy, and now we are to be holy. And you say, John, well, that's utterly impossible. I'm a very unholy person.
Well, I'm glad you feel that because that is absolutely right. You're absolutely right. It's called sin. And how does God deal then with their sin? Our sin is placed on the sinless one.
The death that we deserve Is born by our Saviour. He who knew no sin becomes sin for us. And then the wonder of the gospel When we receive Jesus Christ, when we repent of our sin, Our sin is placed on Christ who dies for our sin. Pays the price for our sin, demonstrates that by rising from the dead, and not only are our sins forgiven. That's wonderful in itself.
God does something more. He credits to us. The technical word is imputes to us, he puts to our account. There's debit and credit in accounting. He takes our sin and he puts into the credit column his righteousness.
So that I receive The righteousness, the holiness, of Christ. Isn't that incredible? That's the gospel. And now As one who has been sanctified, cleansed. Forgiven.
Justified, declared righteous.
Now I can come into the presence of a holy God. Not because I'm a holy person by myself, I'm not. Certainly not because I'm a pastor. No. I come purely on the standing of my Lord Jesus Christ.
His righteousness has become My righteousness. The Bible pictures it as being clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This individual who was once sinful. Unholy.
Now You're sanctified.
Now you are a saint. And God's will for you and for me. Is that that holiness and that righteousness be worked out in our lives? That we are demonstrating this to our world. No, we don't live a holy life to be saved.
You could never do that. It is because we are saved, because we are forgiven, that God calls us to live a holy life. Listen to Paul. He agrees with Peter on this. 1 Thessalonians 4.
Verse 3. For this is the will of God. your sanctification. Greek word is hagiasmos, same word as in 1 Peter 1, verse 2. You say, what's God's will for me?
Young man. Your life's in front of you. You say, I really want to do God's will. Here it is. This is the will of God for you.
Sanctification. That you abstained from sexual immorality. Oh, really? Is that in the Bible? Yes, it is.
You want to do the will of God? Young man. abstain from sexual immorality. That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor. Verse 7, for God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
This holy God doesn't call you and save you so that you can go back into that immorality and into that unholiness. That your body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit, that you're really going to take that body, the Holy Spirit, and have. Sexual intimacy with this person? God calls us. For holiness.
Holiness then is obeying God's call. He's called me. I'm to be holy. Peter's first exhortation then is not to evangelism, it's not to social action, it's not to political action, but it is holiness, which he says, verse 15. You also be holy in all your conduct.
Holiness is to characterize the totality of our lives, not just when we come to church. Not just when we're serving the Lord in Sunday school. Or feeding the homeless? No, this holiness is a way of life. It is to affect the totality of my being, my actions, my words, my thoughts, my reading.
My music. What I watch. on television. what I see on social media. My relationships, my recreation, nothing is excluded.
Why? Because he's told us in verse 2 that our salvation is in the sanctification of the Spirit. In the holiness Of the Spirit. And so Paul now is explaining the practical implications of this. Be holy in all your conduct.
Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verse 9: God saved us and called us to us. to a holy calling. Peter's going to tell us in chapter 2, verse 9, that God called you out of darkness. into his marvelous light. You see the difference?
This salvation It's not just making a variable profession. and living as you once lived? No. This affects the totality of our being. This is holiness.
Do you think of holiness in terms of a monastery or a darkened sanctuary or the smell of incense or stained glass windows or some religious rituals and chantings? No, biblical holiness is not something mystical. It's not some ethereal experience. It's not some abstract theological dogma, as it were. No, this is intensely.
Practical. And you're thinking. in your conduct. In your attitude. It gets right to the heart of who we are.
Are you a person of integrity? Are you are you honest? Sad, isn't it when Christians tell lies? That's unholy. We're to be authentic people, aren't we?
People of integrity. Business people, how do you do your business? Any sleaziness? Any underhandedness? Any manipulation.
Anything that is on Holy What about your thought life? Would you find yourself thinking about We know that millions and millions of Americans are addicted to pornography. Billion dollar billion dollars industry. Why would you Allow your mind and your actions to be fed on that which is unholy. God is calling you out of that.
out of darkness into Lights. What about your speech? Is your speech holy? You're somebody who c who curses. You think it's funny?
Young man, they're starting to swear. Husbands The way you speak to your wives. V Vulgar there? Unholiness. has to be no part of the Christian home.
The Christian home is to be a holy home. No, none of us are perfect. And I've talked about lying, but that doesn't just apply to children, does it? It seems that lying is epidemic in our society. We wonder When the government says something or a politician says something, is that true?
We put on the news and we wonder: is this actually true? People talk about fake news.
Well There's either truth or lies. People would say, well, it's fake news, it's spin. Make sure. were people of truth. People of Honest Day.
people who are dependable. God calls us. To holiness, and holiness is doing God's will, and in our hearts. You know this, those of us who are following Jesus Christ, we want to do God's will, don't we? You do.
If you don't want to do God's will, You're not really a follower of Christ. This is the spiritual desire we have. We want to please God. And it is also Obeying God. Notice verse 14 how Peter describes us as obedient to the Lord.
Children. Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. We're the children of God. We have God as our Father. And this Father loves us, cares for us, provides for us.
And one of the greatest descriptions of God is that He is our Father. That's not so much in the Old Testament, but now in the New Testament, God is our Father, a God who watches over us, a God who guides us, a God who provides for us. All of that is wonderful. And Peter is now saying: listen, as a child of God, Obey what God is saying. It's a call.
It's a command. Do you find it difficult to do what you're told? I do. My father. I can think of it on more than one occasion.
Saying to me, John. When are you going to learn to do what you're told? I don't like being told. I like to argue. John when you're going to learn to do what you're told.
Could it be your Heavenly Father is saying to you right now? with your name. John Jim. Jenny. Emma.
David Nemes. When are you going to learn to do what you're told? I think our father is grieved, isn't it? You as a parent are grieved when your children deliberately go against what you say. And God is saying, This is my will, you are to be obedient children.
Here's the command, verse 14, don't be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. This again is the change that Christ makes in our life. Be holy. It's not so much a matter of mystical feeling, this is a matter of obedience. Jesus says: if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Now you're a follower of Jesus. You're saying your life is handed over to Christ. When are you going to learn to do what you're told? When are you going to stop? that in holy practice When are you going to Shine.
In the lights. Convicting, isn't it? As I speak, is the Spirit of God convicting you? of some unholiness in your life.
Some lust of the eye, the heart, some pride. unholy attitudes, some unsavory business practice, Some lying gossip, some deceit. Don't be conformed to the passions and lusts of the past. Don't be shaped by the contemporary society. Remember what I said at the beginning: this is God's method to take a clean man and woman, washed in the blood of Christ, and then drop them.
into a rotten Corinthian society. To drop them into Charlotte, to drop them, students, into that university, that school where you're serving. That's God's message. to you and that there you can shine with the beauty of Jesus Christ. Here's the question then.
Am I following my passions? Or am I following Jesus? Here's my father. Telling me to do what he tells him. Those of you who know me know I'm argumentative by nature.
My dad. was not He just said it, that's it. I would try and argue with them. I'd try and think of a of a hundred reasons why I should not do what he says or do what I want. I remember one time, probably exhausted by me.
Trying to argue my case because I didn't want to go against my parents. At the end of the day, I did obey them. But I argued about it. I remember my dad saying to me on one occasion, John, You want to do such and such. Go ahead.
As long as you can say That the Lord Jesus is guiding you there, as long as you're following Jesus. That's good advice, isn't it? Here I am, eighteen years old. I'm going off. to university.
I'm excited. I'm leaving home. I've got the world in front of me. I can do anything I want. Do anything you want.
As long as you're following Jesus. If Jesus leads you into that Scottish pub so you can get drunk and pick up some college student, you go ahead. That's the point, isn't it? And of course, if we look at life like that, don't we? Is Jesus Christ leading me?
into the situation. Am I giving glory to God, or is it my former passions and lusts? We don't become Christians by trying to live a holy life. I want you to get that. The glorious news of the gospel, the good news.
Is that God is in the business of justifying the un Holy Don't think as you listen to me, well Yes, there are some areas of unholiness in my life. And if I get rid of them, God's going to accept me. No, that is not what I'm saying. I'm saying that all of us, without exception, are unholy people in and of ourselves. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 4, verse So the one who does not work, he's talking about salvation.
The one who doesn't work for his salvation, but believes in him. who justifies the ungodly. You would think that God would justify the godly. No. He justifies the ungodly, the wicked, the unholy.
His faith is counted as righteousness. That is That the gospel is this. that Jesus Christ comes to save the unholy. Jesus Christ comes to save the unrighteous. Jesus Christ comes to save the sinner.
And he does that through dying on the cross for our sins, dying and being raised from the dead. He is the just dying for the unjust. The holy dying for the unholy.
so that he might bring us To God. And so how can I receive this salvation? Understand the work is done. Understand that you have to repent of your sin. that you have to Confess before Christ that you have failed.
that you have sinned, that you have come short. And to cry out to Christ. to come and save you and to cleanse you and to wash you. And the Apostle John says that the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses me from all my unrighteousness. Here is total cleansing.
Here is total forgiveness. All of the shame, all of the guilt of your past, all of the horror of it, of things you don't even want to think about because you did them or said them. All of that. Totally gone, washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is.
Salvation. And now that you are saved. God says You shall be holy. For I am holy. Set apart.
From evil. Set apart. for God. God is calling you. is calling me.
to stop living as you once lived. Authentic Christianity means change. Is the Spirit conviction you? Not only does he convict us, but he gives us the power the strength to live a holy life. Life.
So today. As we come to the end of this message. Can we just pause? Ask the Holy Spirit to shine His word into your heart. In the tabernacle In the temple there were certain instruments that were called holy.
Why were they called holy? Because they were set apart. for a particular purpose in the worship of God. Here is a shovel. removing the ashes from the altar.
You say just a shovel, yes, but it's set apart. It's declared holy because it is used for holy Thanks. Do you get the point? I ask you, are you reserved for God? Does God get All of your Are you just a Sunday Christian?
Or Can you say? I'm devoted. To God. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, and the end of a message titled The Call of Holiness. Stay with us, because John'll be right back with his closing remarks.
As we're learning in 1 Peter, God is calling us to be holy, to think and live differently. As followers of Christ, we're meant to have a different perspective. to live with eternity in mind in all areas of life. And to help you gain that big picture perspective and have a clearer understanding of God's plan of redemption. We'd like to send you a free copy of John's booklet For the time is near, lessons from Revelation.
This resource will strengthen your faith as you learn more about how to live in light of Christ's return. Request a free copy of For the Time is Near by mail or download it today when you go to our website at theverdict.org. These daily messages come to you through the heartfelt support of listeners who believe in solid biblical teaching. When you contribute to the verdict, you're not only supporting a radio program, you're helping bring God's transformative truth into thousands of lives. Would you prayerfully consider standing with us through your financial gift?
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Have you had a personal encounter with the Holy Son of God? The more we know Jesus Christ, the closer we follow Him, the more we are aware of our own sinfulness. Today. repent of all unholiness in your life.
Call out to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for your unholiness, your sin. And as you receive Him as Savior, you will experience a radical change. He's calling you to holiness. Let's continue this important subject next time as we think of various models of holiness. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
