Saturday October 25, 2014

Read Philippians 3:12-14

There are many people sitting in our pews across the land who have come to the conclusion that they are perfected in Christ and no longer struggle with sin and temptation. Even worse, there are entire schools of theology teaching their devotees that they can be sinless in this lifetime.

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul never claims to be sinless or perfect. In fact, as we saw yesterday he shares his humanness and brokenness with us. In Philippians 3:12-14 Paul is again talking about the power of the resurrection and righteousness of Christ. In vs12 he undeniably states that he has not already achieved perfection. But nonetheless he strives and pushes on towards that goal. He strives to become all that Christ has called him to be. Paul’s heart towards himself is that he yearns to become everything that Christ wants him to become. Paul’s passion is to be what he has been declared to be by God in Christ. This has to include holiness and righteousness because, as Ephesians 1:4 reminds us, He chose us in Christ Jesus to be holy and blameless in His sight.

 But if we are always striving for holiness but never reaching it, then why bother with it? Such questions have to be asked. If we were to graph our life and our progress in holiness the graph should rise consistently, though there may be troughs along the way. When we are with Christ in glory the graph will have reached its peak and perfection will have been attained. It’s a bit like waiting for that awesome birthday present we’ve always wanted. We know the day is coming and the certainty of its coming keeps us expectant and watchful. So too with holiness. The certainty of the resurrection keeps us expectant and watchful. 

When a person is granted faith in Jesus Christ they are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit means that He will work holiness in us and through us. There are no other alternatives. God the Holy Spirit will not dwell dormant in a person and allow sin to thrive. The fact that God the Spirit is called the “Holy” Spirit indicates His role within us - to conform us into the image of Christ which is equivalent to being made more and more holy.

Holiness is such a serious issue in the Bible that if there is no concern for holiness in a person, no striving or chasing after holiness then we have to, at the very least, question that person’s salvation.  If there is no growth in holiness  we have to question whether that person has really been saved by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. People come to Christ for a variety of reasons. Some come to feel good about themselves. Others come to appease their guilt. Some come for physical, mental  or emotional healing. There are many reasons why people seek Christ. But in all of these it’s possible to treat Jesus as a Genie at our disposal or a heavenly vending machine that dispenses what we need when we need it. Only when we bow down and confess Him as our Lord do we find the powerful work of the Holy Spirit active in our lives.

Prayer:

Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.

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Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

Pray that your church service this week would be a powerful testimony to the love of Christ, the holiness of Christ and splendour of our God. Pray that many would come to know Christ as Lord and Saviour this week.

Walk Moment:

 Striving for holiness becomes easier as we focus on our relationship with God. Build the latter and the former will grow and thrive.

 Discussion Questions

1.  Why should a believer strive for holiness?

2. Outwardly, a person seeking to earn their own salvation looks the same as a person who has the Spirit pushing them towards holiness. How can we tell the difference?

3. A brother comes to you and confides that he’s sick of striving for holiness. How do you counsel him?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: In a race all the runners run as fast as they can so that they get the prize for coming first. Our Christian lives are much the same.  But unlike normal runners, we are racing for a prize that is eternal.

Discuss the tough stages of your Christian journey and how the Lord has helped you overcome.

Read  1 Corinthians 9:24-25

What does Paul, the writer, do in these verses?

Why does he do this?

What is God asking us to be doing?

Pray together that God would give you a heart that strives to run the race with obedience and holiness.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: In a race all the runners run as fast as they can so that they get the prize for coming first. Our Christian lives are much the same.  But unlike normal runners, we are racing for a prize that is eternal.

Discuss the tough stages of your Christian journey and how the Lord has helped you overcome.

Read  1 Corinthians 9:24-25

What does Paul, the writer, do in these verses?

Why does he do this?

What is God asking us to be doing?

Pray together that God would give you a heart that strives to run the race with obedience and holiness.