00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Well, hopefully you had some good things you were able to share with one another.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:13 Let me just say the reason I got you to do that is because there are so many good things that we can share amongst each other and with each other.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:23 But as we've just sung, there is something good that ought to be on the tip of our lips all the time, and that is the goodness of Jesus Christ.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:32 And that's what we've been discovering more and more in a deeper way here at St. Paul's in this series that have been joining in in the last number of weeks of In Christ.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:36 As we've just sung, his mercy is more, his goodness is more.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 And there's something that we are deeply committed to as a church of discovering that more and more.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 And if there's something that you don't know at this point, we would delight for you to know in that.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 We really would want you to know that.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 His goodness, I think, is reflected really well in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:59 From now on, regard no one from a worldly point of view, though once we regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:04 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 The old is gone, the new is here.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:15 And all of this, the whole lot of it, is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:23 That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:36 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him, that's Christ, we might become the righteousness of God.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 That we might become right before God.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:49 So that's the heartbeat of St. Paul's, that we have not just the goodness of Christ, that we are in Christ, and it's entirely his work and not ours,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:59 but that he's also given us this ministry, this serving the world with this message of hope in Christ.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:17 In the next week, we have, if you've seen the Seasons magazine on page 18, we have one way that we can display that to the number of people who come to St. Paul's in the course of any given week.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:24 But this coming Friday, we have our open house morning tea, where we just get an opportunity just to connect with members of our community.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 So I would invite you to be part of that.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 It's here, start kicking off at 9.30.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:35 Come and connect with some of the people from our wider community who are already here on that day.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 And we've got at least two groups here on that day.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 But we're inviting anyone from the community to come along.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:51 So come along, be part of that, and just connect over morning tea and chat with members of our community.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 At the heart of the Christian life is the gospel.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 It's what we call the gospel.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 It's the good news of Jesus Christ.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 I've just read it out to us from 2 Corinthians 5.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:06 There is absolutely nothing, nothing that any of us do.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:11 Not a single human being can do, deserve to have a right standing with God.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:16 It's a gift that he gives us completely freely in Jesus Christ.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:28 And as we've seen in the past weeks, that means that the Christian is fully accepted by God, loved dearly as he loves his own son, Jesus.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 It means that everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to the Christians.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:46 And it's solely, completely based on the obedience and the work of Jesus from the beginning to the very end.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 We don't contribute a single thing to it at all.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 Even if you've been a Christian for five, six, seven, eight decades.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 You don't contribute a single thing to it.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:06 And the danger is that we can see, well, if that's the case, then it's a great deal.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 What a great deal.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 You know, God's in the business of forgiving sin and I'm in the business of committing it.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 I mean, great deal.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 How then do I live?
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 The Christian is in Christ to be like Christ.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:25 And that's what we're exploring today as John brings God's word to us.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:32 But what the Bible tells us is that the gospel displays our sins so clearly to the world.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:42 And therefore, we ought not hide our sin from God, our heavenly father, but to confess it with a repentant and obedient heart.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 So we're going to do that now.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:53 And we don't confess our sin hoping to be accepted by God.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 We confess our sin because we already are in Jesus.
00:04:59 --> 00:04:59 It's the gift.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 Confession is the gift of the Christian.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 So let's pray together.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:12 Heavenly father, we praise you for adopting us as your children and make us heirs of eternal life.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:18 In your mercy, you have washed us from our sins and made us clean in your sight.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 Yet we still fail to love you and serve you as we should.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:34 Forgive us our sins and renew us by your grace that we may continue to grow as members of Christ in whom alone is our salvation.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 Amen.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:42 Psalm 103 declares God's mercy and comfort for the penitent.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 It says,
00:05:43 --> 00:06:11 Let's continue to pray.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:21 Gracious God and loving heavenly father, you are eternal, but we are finite.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 You are supremely powerful and we are powerless.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:31 You predestine the days, but we don't even know what's going to happen moment by moment.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 You are the one who is faithful, but we lack faith.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:42 Not a word of yours falls to the ground, but we struggle to fulfill any of our promises.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 You are perfect, but we are marked by sin and failure.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:55 Where our love is fickle, yours is a covenant love that is consistent and true.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:00 We are grateful that you have made it possible for us to know you and to relate to you.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:06 We are so grateful for your infinite love in redeeming this broken and sinful world by the Lord Jesus.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:16 Give us a strong sense of all of your mercies this day and the hope of future glory so that we might joyfully live,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 loving you and all of your commands.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:28 Give us teachable hearts that are earnest and intense and passionate about what matters most to you.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:34 Give us the patience to labor hard and deep into your word,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:39 to meditate on it and encounter more of your majesty and your mercy.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:44 We are so weak and easily distracted.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:54 And so we need your enabling each day to stay focused and committed to valuing your word.
00:07:55 --> 00:08:00 And so we commit to you, our preachers and our community group leaders,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 our next-gen leaders,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:12 that they may lead us from your word and pass on to us a biblically informed love for you.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 May they be committed to the authority of your word.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 Shape the culture of this church by your word,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:25 that we might love you and love what you command.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:30 And so please guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit in such a way
00:08:30 --> 00:08:36 that all of us who call themselves Christians may be led in the way of truth
00:08:36 --> 00:08:41 and hold the faith in unity of spirit and the bond of peace
00:08:41 --> 00:08:50 and in righteousness of life as we seek for your name to be honoured here in Chatswood and beyond.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:57 We thank you that you have brought so many people from different backgrounds together into this city.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:05 And so help us as a church of forgiven sinners existing in such a diverse community
00:09:05 --> 00:09:14 to display your grace, your goodness, your beauty, your forgiveness, your mercy to this city.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:21 Empower us as a church to live out our calling and our unity in you
00:09:21 --> 00:09:26 by working hard to break down the walls of misunderstanding that so easily divide,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:32 increasing us a genuine humility and a love for all people.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:38 So we would ask as far as the gospel does that you would humble us,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:44 rid us of the pride that would elevate one group over another.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:52 Give us the grace to listen to each other and even here where we have wronged and done damage.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:57 May we be quick to repent and to seek restoration and healing.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:04 And Father, we pray that we would be ambassadors in this world
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 that desperately needs to know the hope of Jesus.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:13 Almighty God, you are our sovereign Lord and King.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:19 And you're the one who blesses all who seek refuge in you.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:25 And so we pray for our world in all its devastation and destruction.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:32 We pray especially for Nepal and Tibet as they recover from the flash flooding
00:10:32 --> 00:10:36 and also with the risk of further to come.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 You are the God of compassion.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:44 And so please provide for those who have lost everything.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:50 As the floodwaters recede, protect people from illness,
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 provide them with resources to rebuild homes and livelihoods.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 Our hearts ache for the families who have received the news of lost loved ones
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and for those who are waiting for the news.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:06 And for those who are waiting for news with a deep uncertainty of moment by moment
00:11:06 --> 00:11:10 as to whether their loved ones are alive or not.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:18 So many people, nations even, deeply impacted.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:23 And so would you comfort those who mourn for the lost ones
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 and those living with the anguish of uncertainty.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:35 We'd ask that you would grant strength, endurance and skill to emergency workers and search teams.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 Keep them safe, we pray.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 May they reach many who are still alive.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 Direct them in that way, we pray now, Lord.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:51 As the whole creation groans with the effects of sin,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:58 we are thankful for our mission partners, INF and Anglican Aid,
00:11:59 --> 00:12:04 who are on the ground and ready to provide help and relief to those impacted by this disaster.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:12 And so please give them wisdom as they determine where resources should be directed.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:20 And despite this devastation, please strengthen your people in trust and faithfulness.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:26 We pray too for the five Nepali students that we are,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 this church is funding in their training right now.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:38 We ask that you would strengthen them in this moment of devastation,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 feeling all the impact on it.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:47 Strengthen them not just to be able to focus on their studies and complete their studies,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:53 but this would shape them for a life of service.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:58 Service of you in a country that faces so much hardship,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 devastation from natural disasters,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:08 persecution from groups,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 and even the lack of support of a government.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:15 As they show others your love,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:21 give them opportunity to speak about the hope that they have in Jesus Christ,
00:13:21 --> 00:13:25 not just for now in this life that you are the one who walks with them,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 but you are the God who gives them life forever.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:37 Through this we ask that you would bring many people in Nepal and Tibet into relationship with you.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 Help them to know that you are God,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 their ever-present help in trouble,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 and that nothing in all creation can separate us from your love.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 Lord Jesus, may you come soon
00:13:51 --> 00:13:55 and restore all things.
00:13:55 --> 00:14:00 And we pray all this in your name and for your glory.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 Amen.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 We're going to open our Bibles.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 1 Peter chapter 1.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 Mel's going to come and read.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 And as we read this and as John preaches,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:20 may our attention be to God's word that we might hear it
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 and we might inwardly digest it and mark it
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 because as Jesus himself said,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 none of us live by bread alone,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 And so may it be life for us this morning.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 Amen.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 Verses 13 to 25.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 Is this working?
00:15:02 --> 00:15:06 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:11 set your hope on the grace to be brought to you
00:15:11 --> 00:15:15 when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:18 As obedient children,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:22 do not conform to the evil desires you had
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 when you lived in ignorance,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 but just as he who called you is holy,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 so be holy in all you do.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 For it is written,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 be holy because I am holy.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:46 Since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 live out your time as foreigners here,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 reverent fear.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:56 For you know that was not with perishable things,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 such as silver or gold,
00:15:58 --> 00:16:02 that you were redeemed from the empty way of life,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 handed down to you from your ancestors,
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 but with the precious blood of Christ,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 a lamb without blemish or defect.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:18 He was chosen before the creation of the world,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:23 but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 Through him you believe in God,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:30 who raised him from the dead and glorified him.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:35 And so your faith and hope are in God.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:42 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:46 so that you have sincere love for each other,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 love one another deeply from the heart.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 For you have been born again,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 not of perishable sin,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 but of imperishable seed,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:04 through the living and enduring work of God.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 For all people are like grass,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 and their glory is like the flowers of the field.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 The grass withers,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 the flowers fall,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:19 but the word of the Lord endures forever.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:24 And this is the word that was preached to you.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:46 Thank you, Mel.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 If you have not met me,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 I'm John.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 I'm a long-term regular member here at this church.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 I became a Christian in Hong Kong in the early 80s,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 and came to Australia in 87,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:04 and started coming to this church around 2001, 2002.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 And I really love being together with you,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 serving among you,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 and being led by our staff team,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 Steve, Ash, and Nick,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 as well as Jess and Craig.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 I thank God for everyone of you,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 for you are my spiritual family.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 You have chosen to be part of this particular family,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:25 to do life together as the body of Christ.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 That is so amazing and wonderful.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 And living as a Christian is doing life.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 It has a lot to do with our union with Christ,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 and how we are relating to each other.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 We have been reflecting on various Bible passages
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 to ascertain what is involved.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 We have talked about being found in Christ,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 saved in Christ,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 justified in Christ,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 together in Christ,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 and dead and alive in Christ.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 And if you have missed any of those sermons,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:59 please visit our YouTube channel or our app.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 And indeed, you will also see today,
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 I will cover a very broad and pervasive aspect
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 of Christian life, holiness.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 Holy in Christ.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 And I have three points.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 God's holiness,
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 your holiness,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 and our holiness.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:19 We have just read a passage from Peter's first letter
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 to the early Christians.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 Peter is one of the main leaders of the early church,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 one of the main disciples of Jesus.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:32 And he urged them in 1 Peter 1,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 1 Peter 1, 14 to 16,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 As obedient children,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 do not confirm to the evil desires you have
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 when you live in ignorance.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 But just as he who calls you is holy,
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 so be holy in all you do.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 For it is written,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 Be holy because I am holy.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:53 The early Christians faced with a lot of challenges
00:19:53 --> 00:19:57 and opposition in their beliefs and relationship with God.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:00 And so are we who try to live our Christian life
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 in today's society.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:06 Instead of giving in and conforming to the world,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:09 he calls Christians to be holy in all we do,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 just as God who calls us is holy.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:18 Peter quotes from the beginning session of the Bible
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 from Leviticus.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:23 This session of the Bible tells about God's creating this world
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 and human,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:28 and how God established and continued to maintain relationship
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 with his creation.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 The very first time the concept of God's holiness
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 was introduced straight after the world was created,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 on the seventh day of its existence.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 In Genesis 2, verse 3 said,
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:50 because on it he rested from all the works of creating
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 that he had done.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:56 This statement shows three things about God.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 Firstly, God is the holy one.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:03 He is the holy of his very nature of being.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 Secondly, he made holy.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 God's method to make holy is by coming in
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 and resting with his creation.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 And thirdly, he sent his sanctifying word
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 when he makes holy,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 always accompanied by a blessing.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 When God blessed the seventh day
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 and made it holy,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 he elevated it above the other days,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:30 setting it apart for the revelation of himself.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 When the Bible talks about holiness,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 it often refers to setting apart or separating.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:41 When God rests from all the work of creating
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 that he had done,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:46 the glory of that day surpasses everything before it.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 It is a glorious day for God to rest
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 and enjoy the work of his creating.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:56 God's holiness is God's glory and vice versa.
00:21:57 --> 00:22:00 All God's perfection center in the word holy
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 and his glory streamed out from it.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 From eternity,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 before and during creating,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 God has one purpose in mind for human
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 and their highest glory in the coming eternity.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:18 That is to be a particle of his holiness.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:21 He wants to keep blessing us by his holiness.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 The seventh day never ends.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 Not like the sixth previous day where he say,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 and there was evening and there was morning
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 and so-and-so day.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 In this day,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 we don't count the days anymore.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 We count our blessing in God,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 as Nick had pointed out last week.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 God said that
00:22:41 --> 00:22:44 never-ending day for us
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 to count how God makes us holy,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 to consider God's holiness.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:53 Even though human ends up disobeying
00:22:53 --> 00:22:56 and rebelling against God's original intent,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 but that does not nullify God's plan.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 The second time the word holy
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 appeared in the entire Bible
00:23:04 --> 00:23:07 is in Exodus chapter 3,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 when God appeared to Moses
00:23:09 --> 00:23:13 in flames of fire from within a bush.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 Strangely, the bush was on fire,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 but it did not burn up.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 And Moses wanted to go over to check it out,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 and at which it said,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 when the Lord saw that
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 he had gone over to look,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 God called to him from within the bush.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 Moses, Moses,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 and Moses said,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 here I am.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 Do not come any closer.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 Take off your sandal,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 for the place where you are standing
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 is holy ground.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:43 A fire often draws us towards it,
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 but equally,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 we also instinctively keep our distance from it,
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 because we know that
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 if we get too close,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 it will harm us.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 In Exodus,
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 throughout and throughout the Bible,
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 fire points to God's holiness,
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 and how such holiness
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 endangers sinful people,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 and excludes them from God.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 Back in Hong Kong,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 I have an uncle
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 that is a goldsmith,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 and he often invites me
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 to his workshop
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 to see how he refined
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 his gold by the fire.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 And the amber of that modern gold
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 was so attractive,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 and I really want to touch him.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 But every time,
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 my uncle says,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:25 as I want to move my hand a little bit,
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 it's a strong warning to say,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 hey, this is not for you to touch.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:33 Moses is whom God will give the law
00:24:33 --> 00:24:36 and whom God used to lead his people back to him.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 And during his first encounter with God,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:42 he saw something that attracted him,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 and he did not know
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 that he was approaching the holy God
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and he was in danger.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 So God told him
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 not to get any closer
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 and take off his standouts,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 for the place he's standing
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 is the holy ground.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 Why is it a holy ground?
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 Because God was there.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 God came there
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 and occupied that ground.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 Where God is,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 there is holiness.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 The presence of God makes holy.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 God did not reject Moses
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 or kill himself away,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 but he set a way for Moses
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 to stand in the holy ground.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 And the condition for that to happen
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 is very simple and accessible.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 Remove your sandals.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 The removal of sandals
00:25:23 --> 00:25:26 is a lesson in simple obedience
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 because obedience
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 is a condition of being
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 in the presence of the holy God.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 Through Moses,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 the law will be revealed.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:37 When the law is given,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 sin will be manifest
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 and humans will feel
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 their distance from God.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 The intention of the law
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 and command is that
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 the human,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 in learning to know
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 himself or herself,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:52 or his or her sinfulness,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 may learn to know
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 and long for God
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 to make them holy.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 God's holiness
00:25:58 --> 00:26:02 is presented in a flaming bush.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 It draws near,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 but at the same time
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 instill a sense of fear
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 within us.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 Having a proper fear
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 towards God
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 and respect his holiness
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 is what God asks of us.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 The English Bible
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 uses words like
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 holy, holiness,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 keeping holy,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 saints, sanctify,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 sanctification
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 to translate the same word
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 in the original language.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:28 when God or Christ
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 is called the holy one,
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 the Hebrews,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and the Greek word
00:26:32 --> 00:26:35 is precisely the same use
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 when a believer
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 is called a saint.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 He or she, too,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 is the holy one.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 Peter explained
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 the reason a believer
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 is holy
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48 in verse 18 to 20
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 that was read out.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 It is not
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 with perishable things
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 such as silver or gold
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 that you were redeemed
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 from the empty way of life,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 but with the precious blood
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 of Christ,
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 chosen before
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 the creation of the world,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 we feel in this last day
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 for your sake.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 Through him
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 you believe in God,
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 who raised him from the dead
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 and glorified him,
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 and so your faith
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 and hope are in God.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 People of God
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 long to be made holy,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 Christian long to be
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 sanctified in Christ.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 The full meaning
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 of being a saint,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 being sanctified,
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 the priceless blessing
00:27:27 --> 00:27:30 we long to fully possess,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 all originated
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 in the awe-inspiring act of God
00:27:34 --> 00:27:37 through what he has achieved
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 in Christ.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 God's holiness
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 is revealed
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 in his interaction with us.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 He made holy
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 by his presence.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 God revealed himself
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 to Moses
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 in flame of fire
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 from within a bush.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 The fire signified
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 purifying work,
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 but the bush,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 the tree,
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 did not burn up,
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59 for an everlasting tree
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 has been prepared
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 to show how wonderful
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 God's plan and purpose
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 for his people
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 would be carried forward
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 and brought to completion
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 in Jesus.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 Apostle Paul,
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 which is another main leader
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 of the early church,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 often addressed the believers
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 at the beginning of his letter
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 by calling them
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18 the holy people of God.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 To the Romans,
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 he said,
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 to all in Rome
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 who are loved by God
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 and called to be
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 his holy people.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 He referred to the believer
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 in Philippi
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 as God's holy people
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 in Christ Jesus.
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 And to the believer
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 in Corinth,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 he said,
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 to the church of God
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 in Corinth,
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 to those sanctified
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 in Christ Jesus
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 and called to be
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 his holy people.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:43 Paul wrote his letter
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 not just to the different
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 churches of his time.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 His letter is written
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 for us
00:28:48 --> 00:28:52 who come to be in Christ
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 through his writing today.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 We have the same title
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58 as the early believer.
00:28:58 --> 00:29:00 We are God's holy people.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 These titles,
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 God's holy people
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 in Christ Jesus,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 holy people in Christ,
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 sanctified in Christ Jesus,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:11 signify your holiness.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Your holiness
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 is guaranteed by Christ.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 Christ makes God's holiness
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 accessible
00:29:18 --> 00:29:20 by living it out
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 through human actions
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 and relations.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 He tears down the barrier
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 that separates us
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 from God
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 and his holiness.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 He brings God's holiness
00:29:30 --> 00:29:33 lead by uniting us
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 with himself.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 To be holy in Christ
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 means our holiness
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 is a gift from God.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 We serve for us,
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 impart to us,
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 and actively working
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 powerfully within us
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 simply because
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 we are in him.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 In Christ,
00:29:51 --> 00:29:53 you see what God's holiness is,
00:29:54 --> 00:29:56 what your holiness is.
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 In Christ,
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 both are one
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 and both are yours.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 You can say to yourself,
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 in Christ,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 I am holy.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 Holding on
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 and growing in him,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 I can be holy
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 in all manners of living
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 as God is holy.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 In Christ,
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 in whom all the wisdom
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 and love of God
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 are unfailed,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 the Father giving his Son
00:30:19 --> 00:30:21 to be one with you,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 the Son dies on the cross
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 to make you one with him.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 The Holy Spirit
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 of the Father
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 drawing in you
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 to establish
00:30:29 --> 00:30:31 and maintain that union,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 a union as tight
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 as the one enjoyed
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 by the Trinity
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 among the Father,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 Son,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 and the Holy Spirit.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 In Christ,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 it's a summary
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 of what redemption
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 has done
00:30:43 --> 00:30:46 and of the inconceivable
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 blessed life
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 in which the child of God
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 is permitted to dwell.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 In Christ,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 it's the one lifelong lesson
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 we have to study on earth.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 In Christ,
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 it's God's ultimate answer
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 to all your needs
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 and prayers.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 And in Christ,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 it's a guarantee
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 and a foretaste
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 of the eternal glory
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 that awaits
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 every believer.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:12 look again
00:31:12 --> 00:31:14 at what Paul urges.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:18 Just as he who calls you
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 is holy,
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 be holy in all you do.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 For it is written,
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 be holy because I am holy.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 I don't know about you,
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 but every time
00:31:26 --> 00:31:28 I hear the command,
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 be holy as I am holy,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 it feels like
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 there's a vast,
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 unbridged gap
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35 between God's holiness
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 and my own.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 And every time
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 I have to remind myself
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 and use that big word
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 but,
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 B-U-T.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 But in Christ,
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 that gap is breached.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 Christ's fullness
00:31:49 --> 00:31:51 completely fills the gap
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 and gives me access to God
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 and His holiness
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 becomes mine.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 Christ's holiness
00:31:57 --> 00:31:59 is your holiness.
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 In Christ,
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 God and humanity met.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 In Christ,
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 God's holiness
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 reaches us.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 claim us as His own
00:32:07 --> 00:32:10 and take on human form
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 and can truly become yours.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 If there are
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 any anxious pleads
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 and a deep longing
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 for kindness
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 thirst within you,
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 you know you are a believer
00:32:21 --> 00:32:23 who trusts in Jesus
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 but still don't know
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 how to be holy.
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 He is God's answer.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 You are holy
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 in Christ Jesus.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 It is by an act
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 of divine power
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 that you are in Christ
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 and are kept in Him.
00:32:35 --> 00:32:37 It is this I want us
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 to realize and hold firm to.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 Your holiness
00:32:40 --> 00:32:42 is not yours
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 but Christ's.
00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 remember the divineness
00:32:45 --> 00:32:47 of your position
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 in Jesus.
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 Jesus Christ
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 is a living person,
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 a loving Savior,
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 how He delights
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 in taking full possession
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 of you
00:32:56 --> 00:32:58 and doing all the work
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 within you.
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 Holding on to
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 this truth,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 as we go on,
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 you have a rightful claim
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 on Christ,
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 on His love
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 and power
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 to make you holy.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:11 as His redeemed one,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 right now,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 no matter who you are
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 or where you are,
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 you are in Him,
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 His holy presence
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 and love surrounds you.
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 You are in Him
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 and cause in that tender love
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 that constantly wraps you
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 in His holy presence
00:33:26 --> 00:33:28 and your holiness
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 light
00:33:29 --> 00:33:32 in the acceptance
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 and fully understanding
00:33:33 --> 00:33:35 of their presence.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:38 Peter starts off
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 his letter
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 by addressing
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 all his readers
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 and all the believers
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 together as though
00:33:42 --> 00:33:44 who have been chosen
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 according to the full knowledge
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 of God the Father
00:33:47 --> 00:33:49 through the sanctifying work
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 of the Spirit
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 to be obedient
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 to Jesus Christ
00:33:52 --> 00:33:55 and continue to urge them
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 now that you have
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 purified yourself
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 by obeying the truth
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 so that you have
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 sincere love
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 for each other,
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 love one another
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 deeply
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 from the heart
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 from you have been
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 born again
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 not of perishable seed
00:34:08 --> 00:34:10 but of imperishable
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 through the living
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 and enduring
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 word of God.
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 Jesus also teaches
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 the same thing
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 in John 8,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 31-32
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 that obedience
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 will lead to
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 ascertaining
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 the truth
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 which is the intent
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 outcome
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 of the sanctifying
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 work of the Holy Spirit.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 To those
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 who have believed
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 in Him,
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 Jesus said,
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 if you hold
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 to my teaching,
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 you are really
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 my disciples
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 and you will know
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 the truth
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 and the truth
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 will set you free.
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 God gave His people
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 the law
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 through Moses.
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 The law given
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 helped us to realize
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 and understand
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 our sins
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 and how far
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 short we are
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 from God.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 God used
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 what is written
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 to increase
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 in His children
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 the conviction
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 that we must
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 be holy.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 and praise
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 to the God
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 and Father
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 of Lord Jesus Christ
00:35:00 --> 00:35:02 who has blessed
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 us in the heavenly realm
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 with every
00:35:04 --> 00:35:06 spiritual blessing
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 in Christ
00:35:06 --> 00:35:08 for He chose
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 us in Him
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 before the creation
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 of the world
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 to be holy
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 and blameless
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 in His sight.
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 God's ultimate
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 purpose and aim
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 for each person
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 when He set aside
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 the seventh day
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 to rest
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 and make holy
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 is for us
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 to partake
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 in His holiness.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 His word
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 gives us
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 the knowledge
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 of how we are
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 to be holy
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 and the joy
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 that we might
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 be holy
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 and the faith
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 that we can be holy
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 all come from
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 living words
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 that were inspired
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 by God's Spirit
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 as we study it together.
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 Peter points out
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 in the end
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 of the first chapter
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 of his second letter
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 he says
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 above all
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 you must understand
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 that no prophecy
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 of Scripture
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 came about
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 by the prophet's
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 own interpretation
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 of things.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 for prophecy
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 never had its origin
00:35:56 --> 00:35:58 in human's will
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 but prophets
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 though humans
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 spoke from God
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 as they were carried
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 along by the Holy Spirit.
00:36:04 --> 00:36:06 The Holy Spirit
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 is a key
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 to our holiness.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 He does the
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 sanctifying work
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 by first inspiring
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 the prophet
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 to write down
00:36:14 --> 00:36:14 God's Word
00:36:14 --> 00:36:16 and ever since
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 the creation
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 continue to remind
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 the believers
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 again and again
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 of the truth.
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 God choose you
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 as first fruit
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 to be saved
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 through the sanctifying
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 work of the Spirit
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 and through
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 believing in the truth.
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 You might find that
00:36:32 --> 00:36:34 the more you meditate
00:36:34 --> 00:36:36 and study on God's Word
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 especially when you do it
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 with others together
00:36:38 --> 00:36:40 the less you grasp
00:36:40 --> 00:36:42 this infinite holiness
00:36:42 --> 00:36:44 and that the more
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 you momentarily
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 catch hold of it
00:36:46 --> 00:36:48 the more you despair
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 of the holiness
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 is so divine.
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 Remember that
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 this bricking
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 and despair
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 are exactly
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 what the Word of God
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 was meant to accomplish.
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 That is the sanctifying
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 work of the Spirit.
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 God gave
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 His Holy Spirit
00:37:03 --> 00:37:05 to enable us
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 to live a holy life.
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 We need to understand
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 the more you try
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 to become holy
00:37:10 --> 00:37:12 by your own effort
00:37:12 --> 00:37:14 the further away
00:37:14 --> 00:37:14 you are from
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 achieving holiness.
00:37:15 --> 00:37:18 learn to stop
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 relying on
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 your own wisdom
00:37:20 --> 00:37:22 just as we must
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 stop relying
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 on our own goodness
00:37:24 --> 00:37:26 as Stephen mentioned
00:37:26 --> 00:37:26 it's nothing
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 but our own goodness
00:37:27 --> 00:37:29 to be in front of God.
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 Allow the Spirit
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 of God
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 to work on us
00:37:32 --> 00:37:34 through God's Word.
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 Remember
00:37:35 --> 00:37:37 the one who calls you
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 is faithful
00:37:37 --> 00:37:39 and He will do it.
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 God's holiness
00:37:40 --> 00:37:42 is revealed
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 in His willingness
00:37:43 --> 00:37:45 and His work
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 in making us holy.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 In the death
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 and resurrection
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 of Christ
00:37:50 --> 00:37:52 and the continued
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 sanctifying work
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 of the Spirit
00:37:54 --> 00:37:56 your holiness
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 and our holiness
00:37:57 --> 00:37:59 do not only mean
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 for us to enjoy
00:38:00 --> 00:38:02 but God's holiness
00:38:02 --> 00:38:04 also is for sharing.
00:38:06 --> 00:38:07 When we gather together
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 and approach Him
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 with a humble
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 empty spirit
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 letting God
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 showing us
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 that the holiness
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 He demands
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 is utterly
00:38:14 --> 00:38:16 beyond human knowledge
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 on human power
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 to the soul
00:38:18 --> 00:38:20 that sees trusting
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 in ourself
00:38:21 --> 00:38:23 and has no confidence
00:38:23 --> 00:38:25 in His own human strength
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 He will reveal
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 and actually give
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 the holiness
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 He calls to.
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 Everyone
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 can share
00:38:32 --> 00:38:34 in God's holiness.
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 God's intention
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 when He creates
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 the world
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 is for a human
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 to be partaker
00:38:38 --> 00:38:40 of His rest
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 and holiness.
00:38:40 --> 00:38:43 when was the last time
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 you shared with others
00:38:44 --> 00:38:46 how great God is?
00:38:47 --> 00:38:48 When was the last time
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 you talked to others
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 about God's glory
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 in your life?
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 When your mind
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 and body
00:38:54 --> 00:38:56 is preoccupied
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 and concerned
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 with telling others
00:38:57 --> 00:38:59 about how awesome
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 our God is
00:38:59 --> 00:39:01 you have no time
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 to sin or confirm
00:39:02 --> 00:39:04 to the evil desire
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 of this world.
00:39:05 --> 00:39:07 So may God Himself
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 the God of peace
00:39:08 --> 00:39:10 satisfy you
00:39:10 --> 00:39:10 through and through.
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 May your whole spirit
00:39:12 --> 00:39:14 soul and body
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 be kept blameless
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 at the coming
00:39:16 --> 00:39:17 of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 The one who calls you
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 is faithful
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 and He will do it.
00:39:21 --> 00:39:23 As obedient children
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 do not conform
00:39:24 --> 00:39:25 to the evil desire
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 you have
00:39:26 --> 00:39:26 when you live
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 in ignorance
00:39:27 --> 00:39:29 but just as He
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 who calls you
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 is holy
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 so be holy
00:39:31 --> 00:39:33 in all you do
00:39:33 --> 00:39:34 for it is written
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 be holy
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 because I am holy.
00:39:36 --> 00:39:43 may may may
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00:39:43 --> 00:40:13 Thank you.