Okay, so I caved into peer pressure and joined Twitter. Okay, really no one pressured me into joining. I was curious. For now, I don't see how its much different from Facebook, without all the crap. You give a 160 character update on how things are going.
I am following several celebrities, however, and find that entertaining. Rainn Wilson is a gas.
If you would like to follow me on Twitter, you can go to www.twitter.com/lanewidick and choose to follow me.
I've also been tasked with redoing the website at our church. The guy who used to do it, Ryan McDonald, has a full time job with IT Work at Channel 2 news here in Houston. He did a stellar job setting up the old website and maintaining as often as one could with a full time IT job. If you would like to visit our website and let me know what you think, go to www.westuchurch.com and look around.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
This One's Dedicated to my Big (little) Sister, Mary Anne!!
Ever since I was born, I have had an older sister.
I know, it sounds silly doesn't it? Of course if my sister was already alive, then I've always had an older sister. The point is, I've never known life without her. So, imagine the response I had when my mom and dad called me a few months ago and told me that my sister had breast cancer. My first response in my mind was "How bad is it?", or "How long does she have?", and those questions are probably similar to what most people think when they hear those dreaded words.
My best friend growing up, Jason Bybee, sat at the feet of cancer and felt its tightening grip around the life of his mother and his father. Both passed away before he was ever married, had kids, or even graduated from high school. I was so confused at that time, wondering why his life had been touched by cancer, but my life hadn't been.
So, to hear that my sister had cancer, sent me into a world of emotions I had never felt before. My father had been diagnosed with some skin cancers on his back and shoulder, but those were simply cut out, and he continues to live a normal life. He didn't have to suffer through chemo, surgery, or anything of the sort. When my sister was diagnosed, this was a lot more "real".
Its never easy to hear bad news. I remember about 3 years ago when my mother called me and told me that brother was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, at the age of 36. We rushed to the hospital to visit with him, and sit with during his open heart surgery.
And the same thing happened when my sister had her surgery. Money was not an object at all. We bought the plane tickets, and combined some time at home with Josie's birthday party. I wanted to be my her side, to let her know that I loved her and was going to do my little part to get her through this.
Since then, I've thought about all the times we've had together. I remember when I was very little, maybe three or four years old, she would play with me. We would do concerts while singing along to our "Disney Sing Along" records in my room. I remember as we got older, how she would play with her Barbie dolls and Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and I had my G.I. Joe men and my A-Team action figures, and we would an imaginary world for them to play in.
As we got even older, I traveled to every single one of her high school chorus performances from 9-12 grade. I watched her in the plays she was in. She was so good to try to include me in as much as she could. Her friends were my friends as well.
When she left to go to college, I remember getting in the old Dodge Caravan and driving down to Freed Hardeman with her. We didn't have a tape player in the van, (way before CD players), and I had brought my battery powered stereo with me. I played a Suzy Boggus song titled "Letting Go" about 4 times on the way down, getting a kick out of watching my mom and dad cry, and my sister sobbing. She always loved being at home, and she loved us.
I also remember after we dropped her off, and we pulled away from the parking lot, I sat there and watched her walk away, and the "tough guy" inside of me went soft, and I started to cry. At that point, I realized that my big sister wasn't going to be one of my best friends anymore, because she was getting older, and a new chapter in her life and in my life began at that moment.
It has broken my heart that I can't be with my sister and see her while she is going through all of what she is enduring. It breaks my heart that she can't see the concern I have for her. Sure, I could call her and email her everyday, but that's not the same. She means the world to me, and as I've seen her attitude throughout this whole situation, it makes me so proud of her.
She is taking it all in stride. She poked fun of me on Facebook this past week, saying that she is starting to look like her younger brother Lane due to the chemo. Most women would shy away from bringing attention to themselves during a process where their hair was falling out, but not my sister. If you'll go to her blog: "A Journey of Hope and Peace" you can read her tales, and how she is keeping God even closer to her than ever. She was even brave enough to post a picture of her with a cleanly shaven head, which in, sadly, she still has more hair than I do.
Please continue to pray for my sister as she deals with this, and her husband Kevin, who has been a rock for her throughout this trail. Pray for Faith and John Derrick, who have to see their mother go through hurt and pain. I love you big sis, keep up the fight, and know that you are an inspiration to so many.
Lord, give my sister the strength she needs to continue going through this procedure. Please eradicate all the cancer from her body. Help her to fight this fight. Please give her a long and cancer free life from this moment on, as she gives all the glory to you in whatever goes on with her. Amen.
I know, it sounds silly doesn't it? Of course if my sister was already alive, then I've always had an older sister. The point is, I've never known life without her. So, imagine the response I had when my mom and dad called me a few months ago and told me that my sister had breast cancer. My first response in my mind was "How bad is it?", or "How long does she have?", and those questions are probably similar to what most people think when they hear those dreaded words.
My best friend growing up, Jason Bybee, sat at the feet of cancer and felt its tightening grip around the life of his mother and his father. Both passed away before he was ever married, had kids, or even graduated from high school. I was so confused at that time, wondering why his life had been touched by cancer, but my life hadn't been.
So, to hear that my sister had cancer, sent me into a world of emotions I had never felt before. My father had been diagnosed with some skin cancers on his back and shoulder, but those were simply cut out, and he continues to live a normal life. He didn't have to suffer through chemo, surgery, or anything of the sort. When my sister was diagnosed, this was a lot more "real".
Its never easy to hear bad news. I remember about 3 years ago when my mother called me and told me that brother was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, at the age of 36. We rushed to the hospital to visit with him, and sit with during his open heart surgery.
And the same thing happened when my sister had her surgery. Money was not an object at all. We bought the plane tickets, and combined some time at home with Josie's birthday party. I wanted to be my her side, to let her know that I loved her and was going to do my little part to get her through this.
Since then, I've thought about all the times we've had together. I remember when I was very little, maybe three or four years old, she would play with me. We would do concerts while singing along to our "Disney Sing Along" records in my room. I remember as we got older, how she would play with her Barbie dolls and Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and I had my G.I. Joe men and my A-Team action figures, and we would an imaginary world for them to play in.
As we got even older, I traveled to every single one of her high school chorus performances from 9-12 grade. I watched her in the plays she was in. She was so good to try to include me in as much as she could. Her friends were my friends as well.
When she left to go to college, I remember getting in the old Dodge Caravan and driving down to Freed Hardeman with her. We didn't have a tape player in the van, (way before CD players), and I had brought my battery powered stereo with me. I played a Suzy Boggus song titled "Letting Go" about 4 times on the way down, getting a kick out of watching my mom and dad cry, and my sister sobbing. She always loved being at home, and she loved us.
I also remember after we dropped her off, and we pulled away from the parking lot, I sat there and watched her walk away, and the "tough guy" inside of me went soft, and I started to cry. At that point, I realized that my big sister wasn't going to be one of my best friends anymore, because she was getting older, and a new chapter in her life and in my life began at that moment.
It has broken my heart that I can't be with my sister and see her while she is going through all of what she is enduring. It breaks my heart that she can't see the concern I have for her. Sure, I could call her and email her everyday, but that's not the same. She means the world to me, and as I've seen her attitude throughout this whole situation, it makes me so proud of her.
She is taking it all in stride. She poked fun of me on Facebook this past week, saying that she is starting to look like her younger brother Lane due to the chemo. Most women would shy away from bringing attention to themselves during a process where their hair was falling out, but not my sister. If you'll go to her blog: "A Journey of Hope and Peace" you can read her tales, and how she is keeping God even closer to her than ever. She was even brave enough to post a picture of her with a cleanly shaven head, which in, sadly, she still has more hair than I do.
Please continue to pray for my sister as she deals with this, and her husband Kevin, who has been a rock for her throughout this trail. Pray for Faith and John Derrick, who have to see their mother go through hurt and pain. I love you big sis, keep up the fight, and know that you are an inspiration to so many.
Lord, give my sister the strength she needs to continue going through this procedure. Please eradicate all the cancer from her body. Help her to fight this fight. Please give her a long and cancer free life from this moment on, as she gives all the glory to you in whatever goes on with her. Amen.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Give Me A Heart That Wants To Be Holy
What comes to your mind when you think of the word holy? Seriously: Most of us probably think of things such as robes, chants, long prayers, Bible carrying scripture quoting type people. Or we think of a very sacred place.
Holiness simply means consecrated, sacred, hallowed, or most importantly, set apart.
How many of us really think about ourselves when we think about the word “Holy”.
Peter did. Peter, a fisherman by trade, a scummy and dirty job that didn’t require good looks or a good attitude, tells us that we’re supposed to be Holy. That’s like a fat man telling you to go on a diet. Its like a bald guy giving you hair styling advice. Of all the people to tell us that, why him? We all relate to him so well, because, well, he often seemed one of the most unholy of disciples. He was always sticking his foot in his mouth. He’s the one whose flaws seem so great. He’s the one who was swearing, denying that he even knew Jesus. He’s the one who cut off Malchus’ ear.
He’s the one who has the audacity to reprimand Jesus, only to have Jesus say “Get behind me Satan!”
If you want to go a step further, Peter is the one who when he first met Jesus said “Go away from me, I’m a sinful man!” By his own admission, he was saying he couldn’t be holy like Jesus was Holy.
And that’s how a lot of us feel. We feel like Jesus is just too Holy. There’s no way that He would want anything to do with a sinner like me. Peter felt the exact same way. Peter knew a thing or two about unholiness.
But there it is simply stated in I Peter 1:15-16 -- Be holy, as I am Holy.
For many of us, that might be the thing that basically tells us to close our Bibles, put them away on the shelf, and never look at them again. We might as well say goodbye to everyone this morning, and let them know we won’t be back again. We know God isn’t messing around when he gives us a clear cut demand from the Bible. This isn’t one of those GRAY issues that the church debates and argues about…oh no…this is a command, a straight up command: BE HOLY. See ya church! I can’t do that, and I suggest you come with me, because there ain’t many of us that can.
It just seems so hard to achieve, to reach, to even strive for. How can we ever be Holy?
God said to a little teenage girl: “You’re going to bear my one and only Son”. And Mary gave birth to Immanuel, to Jesus. And Jesus walked on the earth, and the people were with God, and they could touch him and talk with him. They could hug him and see him. And that was as close to God as they could be.
Then we took this Holy Child, and we arrested him, and we beat Him, and we put him on trial for being the king of the Jews. We convicted Him, and hung him on a cross, and crucified him. That’s where the cross comes in. 2 Corinthians 5 says God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The cross is the place where we see most clearly that Jesus is indeed Immanuel, “God with us”. He atones for our sins and we are purified by his blood, which makes Holiness possible.
But then this Savior rose from the dead. He came and appeared to hundreds to show the prophecy fulfilled. He went to the mountain and ascended back into Heaven, and in ACTS 2, after he had ascended, his Holy Spirit DESCENDED amongst the people. Now we are truly as close to God as we can be, with his Holy Spirit among us, living in us. When you became a Christian and the Spirit of God came upon you, you became HOLY!
If you are a Christian, you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. But how much room is there for the Spirit’s Holiness to shine through? Even though we received this wonderful gift of God into our lives, so many of us treat it like a gift that we were given by a third cousin in law at Christmas. We accept it, and we forget that its there. Instead, it gets shoved aside, never used or remembered. This is what we do with the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at some verses that show what many of us fill our hearts with, instead of the holiness:
Sexual Immorality? Oh well don’t worry Lane, I love my spouse, I’m saving myself for marriage, I would never lust after someone…
Impurity? Oh, I live a pretty pure lifestyle…I don’t defile myself.
Lust? Even if a pretty lady or a handsome guy walks by, I can control myself after a peek.
Earthly things? I mean, I’ve got my possessions that I love, but I’d never put them before God…
Greed? I’m not greedy, I’ve got all I need, except for…
Anger and Rage? Not me, I’m perfectly calm all the time,
Malicious behavior? Why that sounds horrible. I always behave.
Dirty language? You won’t ever hear the words come out of my mouth.
REALLY? We have all these things under control, right?
The problem is, we may love our spouse and save ourselves for marriage, but what about the raunchy television shows and movies we watch that promote sexual immorality? But I’m not doing those things, I’m just watching it…YEAH, but you’re supporting it, you’re letting those things enter into your heart.
Impurity? So we don’t defile ourselves, except for the food and drink we fill ourselves with, the things we smoke or drink, or the images we put into our heads from the internet. There’s such filth we come across on the web. The things we see never leave our mind.
Lust? So you may catch a peek and not lust…but the Holy Spirit is there to keep you from the peek. If you’re in a loving committed relationship, what does that person have that your spouse doesn’t have?
Earthly things? So many of us have things we can’t give up, and those things continually make us unholy. They make us unholy because we can justify putting God aside for things we spend good money on, or things we need to make good money with. Season tickets, fancy TVs and cars. Our jobs are so much more important than our God. Remember the Rich Young Ruler? He was asked to give up everything to follow God. His inability to do this kept him from being holy. What can you give up that is keeping you from dedicating your life to God? Are you so busy that you can’t devote yourself to Heavenly things every once in a while?
Anger and rage? I’m never angry…especially while driving through Houston during rush hour. I know what its like, I also lived in Memphis and Nashville. Anger and rage rear their ugly heads all the time. Anger and Rage may be one of the biggest things keeping the Holy Spirit out of our hearts.
Malicious Behavior? What do you think gossip is? Me gossip? Its all constructive gossip, for their benefit…
Gossip is one of the most unholy things we involve ourselves in, yet its one of the things we involve ourselves in the most.
Dirty language? God will forgive the occasional slip, right? If those words are in your mind, is there room for you to also store up God’s Word as well?
Think about this. What is the only unmistakable evidence that an apple tree is an apple tree? ANSWER - It has apples on it. The fruit is all the evidence you need.
Jesus talked about the same thing in Matthew 7. He said “by their fruits you shall know them.” You can tell a lot about a person by the fruit of their lives.
The fruit of the Spirit filled life is outlined in Galatians 5.
That’s the evidence of the Spirit filled life. The Fruit of the Spirit.
Authentic Christian Holiness is characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Spirit of God produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives. We can’t obtain them by trying to get them on our own. And we can’t live this way consistently apart from Him.
If you want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in your life, you must join your life to the life of Christ. You must know Him, love Him, hear Him, and obey Him.
And once you are connected, you must stay connected. Because just like any branch will die if it is detached from the vine, you must stay connected to the life-giving Source which is Jesus Christ.
In talking about what holiness is, we learn that Anything less than being holy is not obedience, but disobedience
If we are not children of obedience, we are children of evil desires. We live out a life of disobedience. We do those things that God makes clear He is against.
My father is my hero, I’ve told him before, and I’ll tell him again. He means so much to me, and I want in so many ways to be just like him. Many of you imitated your parents when you were young. I remember him letting me use an old shaver with the razor taken out of it. He’d take his old shaving mug and fill it with the cream, and take his shaving brush and brush the shaving cream on his face. Then he’d give me what was left, and I’d smear it all over my face. I’d shave just like him, minus the razor, imitating what he did. I’d look up and he’d be smiling at me, and I’d smile back.
But I’d often get in trouble. I’d get in trouble for lying, even though I never heard my father lie. I’d get in trouble for talking back, but my father never talked back. And even though I’d be imitating my father the best I could, I always got off course. When I got off course, I continued to go off course time and time again, even though My father was always there to punish and correct me.
Why do so many choose to stay in their disobedience, to stay away from the Holiness, to remain Unholy?
1.) Pleasure -- We are creatures of pleasure. Our society promotes an attitude: If it feels good do it. Like fools we buy into it. We may not do things that are “sinful” in our own minds. Maybe you eat a little too much of that food you like so well. Maybe you flirt with the co-worker because you like the attention. Maybe you spend money for the thrill that the purchase gives you. Even if you’re not willing to admit it, you do things that make you happy or feel good.
2.) Comfort -- We are also creature of comfort and there are times when we would kill rather than leave our comfort zone. We strive to that which we are comfortable with. This is why we often settle for far less than God wants for us. Growing spiritually is seldom comfortable. God stretches us and expands our limits. We like what we are comfortable with. Things that are comfortable give us a sense of security.
3.) Change -- The simple fact is that it is incredibly hard for people to change. People only change when they have enough information to make a decision or when they are hurting bad enough that they have to change. Change is hard but often difficult.
So we need to stop, and re-evaluate our lives. Ephesians 5 continues to say many of the same things Colossians warned us of: Sexual immorality, impurity and greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes. It goes on to say that NO IMMORAL, IMPURE, OR GREEDY PERSON WILL INHERIT THE KINDGOM OF CHRIST AND GOD.
But the kicker is this, in verse 6. “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light.”.
I Thessalonians 4:7 says God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Luke tells us right before the story of the Wise Man and the foolish man in Luke chapter 6, in verse 46: So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord, when you don’t do what I say!”
What does he say? I Peter 1:16 – Be Holy, for I am holy.
But I just want to do other things.
Be holy, for I am holy.
But my job keeps me from being involved in the church.
Be holy, for I am holy.
I’m struggling with pornography.
Be holy, for I am holy.
I only gossip at work, and its not about anyone here.
Be holy, for I am holy.
The world is calling my name, I need to go be with them:
Be holy, for I am holy.
God, I’m struggling, its so hard. I can’t go on. How can I be holy, I can’t be
like you. You’re God, you’re perfect. I’m so far from perfect.
Be holy, for I am holy.
Stop saying that God! I can’t be holy. I’ll I try and I try, but I’m never going to be holy.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. He knows its impossible for us to perfect, but he planned for us to do good things.
There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."
There’s a song called “Refiner’s Fire” whose words simply state the following:
Refiner’s Fire
my heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for you Lord
I choose to be Holy
Set apart for you my master
Ready to do your will
Holiness simply means consecrated, sacred, hallowed, or most importantly, set apart.
How many of us really think about ourselves when we think about the word “Holy”.
Peter did. Peter, a fisherman by trade, a scummy and dirty job that didn’t require good looks or a good attitude, tells us that we’re supposed to be Holy. That’s like a fat man telling you to go on a diet. Its like a bald guy giving you hair styling advice. Of all the people to tell us that, why him? We all relate to him so well, because, well, he often seemed one of the most unholy of disciples. He was always sticking his foot in his mouth. He’s the one whose flaws seem so great. He’s the one who was swearing, denying that he even knew Jesus. He’s the one who cut off Malchus’ ear.
He’s the one who has the audacity to reprimand Jesus, only to have Jesus say “Get behind me Satan!”
If you want to go a step further, Peter is the one who when he first met Jesus said “Go away from me, I’m a sinful man!” By his own admission, he was saying he couldn’t be holy like Jesus was Holy.
And that’s how a lot of us feel. We feel like Jesus is just too Holy. There’s no way that He would want anything to do with a sinner like me. Peter felt the exact same way. Peter knew a thing or two about unholiness.
But there it is simply stated in I Peter 1:15-16 -- Be holy, as I am Holy.
For many of us, that might be the thing that basically tells us to close our Bibles, put them away on the shelf, and never look at them again. We might as well say goodbye to everyone this morning, and let them know we won’t be back again. We know God isn’t messing around when he gives us a clear cut demand from the Bible. This isn’t one of those GRAY issues that the church debates and argues about…oh no…this is a command, a straight up command: BE HOLY. See ya church! I can’t do that, and I suggest you come with me, because there ain’t many of us that can.
It just seems so hard to achieve, to reach, to even strive for. How can we ever be Holy?
God said to a little teenage girl: “You’re going to bear my one and only Son”. And Mary gave birth to Immanuel, to Jesus. And Jesus walked on the earth, and the people were with God, and they could touch him and talk with him. They could hug him and see him. And that was as close to God as they could be.
Then we took this Holy Child, and we arrested him, and we beat Him, and we put him on trial for being the king of the Jews. We convicted Him, and hung him on a cross, and crucified him. That’s where the cross comes in. 2 Corinthians 5 says God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The cross is the place where we see most clearly that Jesus is indeed Immanuel, “God with us”. He atones for our sins and we are purified by his blood, which makes Holiness possible.
But then this Savior rose from the dead. He came and appeared to hundreds to show the prophecy fulfilled. He went to the mountain and ascended back into Heaven, and in ACTS 2, after he had ascended, his Holy Spirit DESCENDED amongst the people. Now we are truly as close to God as we can be, with his Holy Spirit among us, living in us. When you became a Christian and the Spirit of God came upon you, you became HOLY!
If you are a Christian, you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. But how much room is there for the Spirit’s Holiness to shine through? Even though we received this wonderful gift of God into our lives, so many of us treat it like a gift that we were given by a third cousin in law at Christmas. We accept it, and we forget that its there. Instead, it gets shoved aside, never used or remembered. This is what we do with the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at some verses that show what many of us fill our hearts with, instead of the holiness:
Colossians 3:1-10 NLT Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the Sinful earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
Look at these examples of unholy living: Anyone sweating yet? Anyone realizing that maybe your life isn’t so holy after all?
Sexual Immorality? Oh well don’t worry Lane, I love my spouse, I’m saving myself for marriage, I would never lust after someone…
Impurity? Oh, I live a pretty pure lifestyle…I don’t defile myself.
Lust? Even if a pretty lady or a handsome guy walks by, I can control myself after a peek.
Earthly things? I mean, I’ve got my possessions that I love, but I’d never put them before God…
Greed? I’m not greedy, I’ve got all I need, except for…
Anger and Rage? Not me, I’m perfectly calm all the time,
Malicious behavior? Why that sounds horrible. I always behave.
Dirty language? You won’t ever hear the words come out of my mouth.
REALLY? We have all these things under control, right?
The problem is, we may love our spouse and save ourselves for marriage, but what about the raunchy television shows and movies we watch that promote sexual immorality? But I’m not doing those things, I’m just watching it…YEAH, but you’re supporting it, you’re letting those things enter into your heart.
Impurity? So we don’t defile ourselves, except for the food and drink we fill ourselves with, the things we smoke or drink, or the images we put into our heads from the internet. There’s such filth we come across on the web. The things we see never leave our mind.
Lust? So you may catch a peek and not lust…but the Holy Spirit is there to keep you from the peek. If you’re in a loving committed relationship, what does that person have that your spouse doesn’t have?
Earthly things? So many of us have things we can’t give up, and those things continually make us unholy. They make us unholy because we can justify putting God aside for things we spend good money on, or things we need to make good money with. Season tickets, fancy TVs and cars. Our jobs are so much more important than our God. Remember the Rich Young Ruler? He was asked to give up everything to follow God. His inability to do this kept him from being holy. What can you give up that is keeping you from dedicating your life to God? Are you so busy that you can’t devote yourself to Heavenly things every once in a while?
Anger and rage? I’m never angry…especially while driving through Houston during rush hour. I know what its like, I also lived in Memphis and Nashville. Anger and rage rear their ugly heads all the time. Anger and Rage may be one of the biggest things keeping the Holy Spirit out of our hearts.
Malicious Behavior? What do you think gossip is? Me gossip? Its all constructive gossip, for their benefit…
Gossip is one of the most unholy things we involve ourselves in, yet its one of the things we involve ourselves in the most.
Dirty language? God will forgive the occasional slip, right? If those words are in your mind, is there room for you to also store up God’s Word as well?
Think about this. What is the only unmistakable evidence that an apple tree is an apple tree? ANSWER - It has apples on it. The fruit is all the evidence you need.
Jesus talked about the same thing in Matthew 7. He said “by their fruits you shall know them.” You can tell a lot about a person by the fruit of their lives.
The fruit of the Spirit filled life is outlined in Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
That’s the evidence of the Spirit filled life. The Fruit of the Spirit.
Authentic Christian Holiness is characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Spirit of God produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives. We can’t obtain them by trying to get them on our own. And we can’t live this way consistently apart from Him.
John 15:4-5 (NIV)
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If you want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in your life, you must join your life to the life of Christ. You must know Him, love Him, hear Him, and obey Him.
And once you are connected, you must stay connected. Because just like any branch will die if it is detached from the vine, you must stay connected to the life-giving Source which is Jesus Christ.
In talking about what holiness is, we learn that Anything less than being holy is not obedience, but disobedience
If we are not children of obedience, we are children of evil desires. We live out a life of disobedience. We do those things that God makes clear He is against.
EPHESIANS 5:1 says to Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
My father is my hero, I’ve told him before, and I’ll tell him again. He means so much to me, and I want in so many ways to be just like him. Many of you imitated your parents when you were young. I remember him letting me use an old shaver with the razor taken out of it. He’d take his old shaving mug and fill it with the cream, and take his shaving brush and brush the shaving cream on his face. Then he’d give me what was left, and I’d smear it all over my face. I’d shave just like him, minus the razor, imitating what he did. I’d look up and he’d be smiling at me, and I’d smile back.
But I’d often get in trouble. I’d get in trouble for lying, even though I never heard my father lie. I’d get in trouble for talking back, but my father never talked back. And even though I’d be imitating my father the best I could, I always got off course. When I got off course, I continued to go off course time and time again, even though My father was always there to punish and correct me.
Why do so many choose to stay in their disobedience, to stay away from the Holiness, to remain Unholy?
1.) Pleasure -- We are creatures of pleasure. Our society promotes an attitude: If it feels good do it. Like fools we buy into it. We may not do things that are “sinful” in our own minds. Maybe you eat a little too much of that food you like so well. Maybe you flirt with the co-worker because you like the attention. Maybe you spend money for the thrill that the purchase gives you. Even if you’re not willing to admit it, you do things that make you happy or feel good.
2.) Comfort -- We are also creature of comfort and there are times when we would kill rather than leave our comfort zone. We strive to that which we are comfortable with. This is why we often settle for far less than God wants for us. Growing spiritually is seldom comfortable. God stretches us and expands our limits. We like what we are comfortable with. Things that are comfortable give us a sense of security.
3.) Change -- The simple fact is that it is incredibly hard for people to change. People only change when they have enough information to make a decision or when they are hurting bad enough that they have to change. Change is hard but often difficult.
So we need to stop, and re-evaluate our lives. Ephesians 5 continues to say many of the same things Colossians warned us of: Sexual immorality, impurity and greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes. It goes on to say that NO IMMORAL, IMPURE, OR GREEDY PERSON WILL INHERIT THE KINDGOM OF CHRIST AND GOD.
But the kicker is this, in verse 6. “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light.”.
I Thessalonians 4:7 says God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Luke tells us right before the story of the Wise Man and the foolish man in Luke chapter 6, in verse 46: So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord, when you don’t do what I say!”
What does he say? I Peter 1:16 – Be Holy, for I am holy.
But I just want to do other things.
Be holy, for I am holy.
But my job keeps me from being involved in the church.
Be holy, for I am holy.
I’m struggling with pornography.
Be holy, for I am holy.
I only gossip at work, and its not about anyone here.
Be holy, for I am holy.
The world is calling my name, I need to go be with them:
Be holy, for I am holy.
God, I’m struggling, its so hard. I can’t go on. How can I be holy, I can’t be
like you. You’re God, you’re perfect. I’m so far from perfect.
Be holy, for I am holy.
Stop saying that God! I can’t be holy. I’ll I try and I try, but I’m never going to be holy.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. He knows its impossible for us to perfect, but he planned for us to do good things.
There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."
There’s a song called “Refiner’s Fire” whose words simply state the following:
Refiner’s Fire
my heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for you Lord
I choose to be Holy
Set apart for you my master
Ready to do your will
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