The last time that we were together, we discussed the instruction from God in:
1 Pet. 1:13-16 – Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought (future tense) to you (when do we receive this grace?) at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’
Does God want us to be holy? Yes.
Do religious practices make us holy? No.
We looked at what Jesus had to say about the Pharisee and the tax collector in:
Luke 18:10-14 – Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (Why were they there? To pray). The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
And because of this teaching by Jesus we came to the conclusion that religious practices do not MAKE one holy.
We looked at their heart attitudes –
The Pharisee, who is supposed to be there praying, is there admiring his self-righteous life in the Lord’s Presence. He stood there boldly declaring his own righteousness and achievements before God and then from the standpoint of his own righteousness, he judged the other man.
The bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10).
Did the Pharisee have a holy fear of God? Was he reverent before a holy God? No!
What about the tax collector?
The tax collector could not even lift his eyes to heaven. He was filled with sorrow. His entire demeanour spoke loudly about his reverence for this holy God. Humility is a natural outflow for someone who truly reveres God.
It is a matter of what is in the heart. Humility is the posture of true worship.
Again we ask – what then, is holy and how do we become more holy?
Strongs: Holy – ‘hagios’ – sacred, physically pure, morally blameless, consecrated (set apart unto).
Oxford languages: Dedicated or consecrated to God for a religious purpose.
Humility is the substructure for all transformation. It is on this substructure, this foundation of humility that an obedient life is built. Humility is the posture of true worship AND the resulting obedient life is the way that we worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Humility is recognizing our sin and like the tax collector, crying out to God for mercy. Why mercy? Forgiveness? Yes. But also, recognizing our need – Father, create in me a new heart. Father, help me. I want to honour You with my life. I want to please You with my life.
It is a dying to self. Not my will but Your will Father.
And it is because of this heart attitude, that holiness is birthed in you and I. So therefore, all holiness begins with humility and a dying to self.
That desire to die to self, is a work that God has birthed in us. It is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s grace filled ministry in your life. And it is the result of Love. The One who is Love IS working in us, by the Holy Spirit.
Love created us. Love redeemed us from death. Love reconciled us to the Father. Love is restoring us. Love provides the GRACE that is transforming us from glory to glory.
We love Him because He first loved us.
It is ALL the work of LOVE and we know that God IS LOVE.
Heb. 12:28-29 – Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which (the grace) we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
How do we serve God acceptably? What is His definition of acceptable service unto Him? That whatever we do, we do it with reverence and godly fear.
And the only way we can do that – is by the grace that God provides.
James 4:6 – But He (God) gives more grace. Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, (the Pharisee so pleased with his own self-righteousness before God) but gives grace to the humble (the tax collector beating his breast in godly sorrow).’
Heb. 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need.
The catalyst for all change in our lives is the grace that He (the Word) provides and it happens as we come to the throne of grace, acknowledging our weakness and our need for help to obey the Word. To obey the wonderful sacred Word – Jesus, the King of kings.
The Throne of grace. Not the Throne of judgment. Not the Great White Throne judgment.
No. We live in the dispensation of grace. This is the time that we can receive His grace. We can come to His throne now, to obtain mercy and grace, in our time of need. Now.
There will come a time, at the end of days, where there will no longer be grace and mercy.
But now, right now, we live in the dispensation of grace.
God commands us to be holy as He is holy. But then helps us WHEN we come to the Throne of grace in our time of need.
Who is sitting upon the Throne of grace? LOVE. And it is LOVE who extends grace to the humble one.
LOVE resists the proud. In other words, LOVE DOES NOT SUPPLY GRACE to the proud, in their time of need.
You can confess the Word until you are blue in the face – you will find NO grace in your time of need.
God will wait until you are humble or He will humble you.
Matt. 23:12 – And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself, will be exalted.
2 Chron. 16:9 The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.
I want the strong support. How about you?