 Okay. Welcome back. Where are we? Okay. There we are. Great. We concluded with chapter four, the last class on why personal holiness and perfecting holiness. Sorry, this chapter, this class, we look into this chapter five titled why personal holiness, why personal holiness. This chapter is a little interesting in terms of how we're going to address it is simply by asking some very familiar questions. And we look at some of the answers that's mentioned. Okay. And you would have come across to some of these questions, or you might have these questions. Okay, but let's look at it. So, and I'd probably even let you answer to this question. Okay. First question. Why should a believer live a holy life if he is already saved and has his sins and has his sins forgiven? That's the question number one. Why should a believer live a holy life if he is already, you know, if he's already saved and his sins are all forgiven, you know, and all his sins that he is about to commit in the future has also been forgiven. So what's the point? Why should he live a life of holiness? Anyone can answer. I think when we'll come to this forgiveness part, when I ask the Lord, forgive me, we are already having that repented mind. And when you're forgiven, we know the peace that comes from God. And why should we go back to that gain to that? Because we don't want there. That's right. I think this question is sorry. That's many times, but also, you know, in the recent decade and a half, at least in the last decade, in the last 10 years or so, there's been a huge emphasis on the grace of God and on his goodness, which is very important. Absolutely. Is he good 100%? There's no debate required at all. Is he gracious? Absolutely. Right. Excuse me. I'm so sorry. But then there's there are certain movements that's reason that's kind of manipulated, I would say his grace saying, Okay, you know what? You know, we've already been forgiven. God's grace is there. And so that's been used as a license to continue living in a life of sin. You understood. Okay. So that's been pretty evident across the world in certain teachings and all of that. God is good. No matter what you do, he's always good. And then there's this other extreme know if there's a good God, why is there evil in this world and all that, but that's very different. But for us to keep in mind, then Nina says, we are representing God on earth who is holiness personified. Yeah. Thank you, Nina. So why should a believer live a holy life if he's already saved and his sins are forgiven? So answer the states that sin affects our relationship with God. It affects our relationship with God. Now, the day again, I've said this so many times is the day at the minute, the second I give my life to Jesus, I am saved from the state of sin. Yes, that's the positional truth. I am saved. I was a sinner. I am justified. That means as a guilty person, imagine the court of law. Okay. So I'm sitting in a place where I look like the judge. So I'll be the judge and say, Anand is the one who's sitting and standing on the, you know, what is that, whatever that is, box. Okay. He's on the stand guilty as guilty as charged. Right. He's been charged for theft and murder and whatnot. And so what should be the sentence? The punishment should be, I mean, whatever the punishment doesn't matter, but he should be punished, right? Because he's guilty. He should be sent to prison for X number of years, whatever. But Nina comes into the picture and says, no, I am paying the price. I'm paying the price for his crimes. And so because of the price that you paid, you know, he's debt free now. Isn't it? That means he's been justified. Why am I saying all of this is because now from being in the position of as a guilty person, his position, legal position has been changed to innocent. Yeah. And so similarly, when we accept Jesus Christ as a Lord and Savior, a legal position in the spiritual realm, in the kingdom of God, we are changed from a sinner to a saint. Right. From a sinner to a saint, a person who believes, who is no longer a sinner. That is the positional truth. Are you with me? Right. So we are no longer in the state of sin, but we still continue to live in this body. Right. And so that means I still have the capacity to commit the acts of sin. Yeah. So after I give my life to Jesus, if I am pushed, I can commit murder. Right. I have the capacity to commit adultery. I have the capacity to commit sexual immorality. Right. Yes or no. So that's what it's talking about here, is that sin affects our relationship with God. Now your positional truth may not change. Right. Because you've given your life to God. We look into that in a little bit more deeper in just a minute. But what does relationship means? It's with God. It simply means it's your day to day walk with God. Day to day, walk with God. Now the distinct memory of me giving my life to Jesus, which I remember is the day that I got serious was I think November 11th of 2004 in a youth camp. November 11th, 2004 in a youth camp. There was a call clearly saying, okay, you've been living double standards life, lukewarm Christian. It's about time you get serious. So that night I gave my life to God explicitly inviting the Holy Spirit and giving my heart to God. That was 17. Now, and I believe that my legal standard position in God has changed from a sinner to a saint. Right. But that doesn't mean after that I have never committed acts of sin. I have. Are you with me? But during the phases when I was committing those acts of sin, it actually affected my relationship with God. My walk with Him. There were days where I would be like, okay, I don't want to lead worship. I don't want to go to church. I don't want to see anyone's face. I don't want to read the Bible. I don't want to feel, I don't feel like praying. Now we add the word feel to everything. No, I don't feel like reading the word. I don't feel like worshiping. I don't feel like going to church, etc, etc. What is happening is that your lifestyle of sin or if you're constantly living in the lifestyle of sin, it is going to affect your relationship with God and how you walk with Him and how He wants to walk with you. Understood. No. Look at one John chapter one verse six and seven. It says if we say that we have fellowship with Him. That means if we say that you have, you know, you're a Christian and you have invited Jesus into your heart and continue to walk in darkness. What is it saying? You're lying. We lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship or relationship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. Okay. And you know some of the most popular verses that follows that verse is verse nine. One John one nine is if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Okay. So one John, it's a beautiful letter. It's all about love. It's all about God's love for us and inviting us to live a life of holiness by talking about love because from first chapter it talks about, you know, it's like, hey, don't live double standards life or don't live a life of hypocrisy. It's saying live a life of love, walk in the light and be true. And if you confess yourself, if you commit sin, it's like, hey, don't worry. You know, we all go through that. We do some things that's what happens to all of us, isn't it? Yes or no? Hey, it happens to all of us and says just confess your sins. And if you do that, you're, he is faithful and just to forgive you. And then if you fast forward to one John chapter five, I talks about a brother in Christ who is constantly living in sin. It's, this, this epistle is only talking about this one thing, guys. Don't live in sin. Walk in love and be careful of habitual sin or continual sin. We're not going to go through the entire chapter or go through it when you can. But that's what this whole letter is all about is that if you continue to live in sin, habitual sin, and if you're not willing to change, it is going to affect your relationship with God. Are you with me? Okay. So sin, the first point to the question is sin affects our relationship with God. Therefore, we will do what we can to live a life of holiness. Second one, sin gives the enemy access. It says be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil. So what is it saying that if you continue to live in sin, if you don't confess, if you don't repent, repent is what? Having a change in mind, right? A complete shift, right? If that does not happen, you have given keys to the devil. You have opened the door. I say, please come in, take your seat, make yourself comfortable at home. Okay. So that's what, that's what the scriptures is inferring there is that sin gives the enemy access. Yeah. Then James chapter four was seven and eight. It says if our hands are not clean, if your heart's not pure, we cannot draw near to God. That's kind of a gist of what James is saying there. If your hands are not clean and your hearts are not pure, we cannot draw near to God. You know the sound that says who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord with those with clean hands and pure hearts? Why not clean hands and clean hearts? There's an, there's a distinction there and it's a very important one. So see, our hands are external, right? It can be, it's clean, but your thoughts needs to be purified. Your thoughts have to be pure, right? Let my words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be wholly unacceptable. A different translation has different things. We be pure and acceptable. And another translation says, let it be pleasing. Okay. So sin gives access to the enemy. And finally, sin cripples our effectiveness in ministry. 100% guys. We cannot live a life of hypocrisy and pretend and continue ministering, which is possible, 100% possible, right? Now I'm sitting here talking about the holiness. Do any of you know what I'm thinking about right now? Do any of you know what I did last night? Do any of you know what I watched last night? By the way, I was sleeping guys, okay, but I'm just saying, but you see, you, you see the point, right? I can be in front of you, pretend like I can pretend very well where I'm put on a mask and talk on the subject of holiness. Oh, he's talking about holiness. He must be another level. Yeah. But on the high, on the other side, I could be living a life of double standards, right? I could go home and remove my mask. Right. Sin, it, it, it will eventually catch up to you. Sin will eventually come out. It will be exposed in the light. Are you with me? Right. So it is very essential that we consecrate ourselves, that we, you know, we do our part in living this life of holiness. Okay. Let's move on. Second question, understanding righteousness and holiness. Understanding righteousness and holiness. So a question here states, a believer is already righteous in Christ. That means our legal status has changed in the spiritual realm. We cannot be made any more acceptable to God. Then why should a believer live holy if we are already righteousness of God? Actually, the answer to that question is, it's like all in the first point, right? But two simple truths. What we've already been speaking about so much is when we talk about righteousness, it has two folds to it. One is your right standing with God. Okay. Yes. Again, the day you accept Jesus into your heart, you know, he's your righteousness. He becomes your righteousness and you can stand before God blameless and holy and without blemish. That is the right standing before God, right? That's one fold. The second part of it is your holy living. Okay. Right standard is one thing and right living is the second, is the other part on the other side of the same coin of righteousness that we should say. Are you guys with me? Okay. So that's, that's the second question, which is kind of related to the first question and so is all the other questions. We look at, okay, so what are the rewards of personal holiness? What are the rewards you think is of the personal holiness? What comes to your mind first when you think about, okay, you know, I want to live a life of holiness. I'm going to strive this, but just according to you, what do you think are the rewards? Okay, greater intimacy with the Lord, now greater communion. Okay. That's the reward, right? Okay. What else? Yeah, probably. No, I was about to say the intimacy with the Lord. Probably, can you say that again, please? I was about to say about having greater intimacy with the Lord. Right. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that's what Prince also shared. So, yeah, I think we're all on the same page. The reward of personal holiness is, you know, one of the things in the previous question, it says, we cannot be made any more acceptable to God, right? In second question, it says, we cannot be made any more acceptable to God. Now, Bible says in Romans chapter five, it says, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, right? He died for us while I was yet a sinner. So, I didn't have to do anything. I didn't have to do anything for him to give his life for me and I can't do anything more for him to continue to love me. He's not going to love me any less or any more by me doing something, right? The cross is his ultimate, I love you for us. Yes or no? Okay. But we can live a certain way in our lives that would please him. Again, going back to the life of Moses, you know, he says, show me all ways that I may know you, that famous prayer that he makes in Exodus chapter 33, show me all ways that I may know you, right? And then we see that his prayer is answered in Psalm 103. Psalm 103 verse 7, it says, God showed his ways to Moses, sorry, God shows his acts or deeds to the people of Israel, but his ways to Moses, why is there a distinction? People of Israel did not have to do anything for God to show off, isn't it? But God yet did signs and wonders and everybody saw, you know, Manna falling from heaven, everything, water coming out of the rock. People of Israel didn't do anything. They just have to follow Moses and they just, and they were all complaining and murmuring along the way. But there is a certain way that Moses lived that pleased God. Yeah. Okay, how can a young man live his way is pure by living according, by living according to the Word of God, right? Time and time again. So I think this living life as commanded by Jesus is how we, you know, how we become, how we continue to walk in holiness. And that's a key reward is that intimacy with him increases. Okay, but let's look at the notes and see what it has to say there. Holiness, a key to being part of him, that's one of the rewards of personal holiness is, is we become part of him, or we are being part of him. In John chapter 13, where Jesus, you know, stoops down, takes a piece of cloth and a bucket of water and washes the feet of his disciples. Right? Sure, there's Jesus teaching about serving, all of that is happening there, but then let Peter, Peter being Peter, he says, Oh Lord, I'm not going to let you wash my feet. But what is Jesus's response to that? Peter is, Peter. So what is, what is it? What do you think Jesus is saying there? Is he referring only to the external action? No, isn't it? So it's like, Jesus is talking in layers over there. Yeah, he's saying, Okay, if you don't let me sanctify you, if you don't let me consecrate you, or if you don't let me wash you, you cannot be part of me. How many of us remember the first miracle Jesus did as much, at least as I recorded in John chapter two, wedding of Canna, water into wine. Okay. Now, do you know in which that water was stored? Stone jars. What was the stone jars? Because stone jars, which was filled with water was, is what the water that was used was for cleansing. Like, you know, in the temple, which was followed, right? The water in those stone jars was set aside or set apart specifically for cleansing of their hands and feet. It was not just ordinary water. I mean, it was water that was set apart. That water was later turned into, and what does wine represent? Blood of Jesus. Are you with me? Right? And so that's what Jesus is saying. Allow me to wash you. And now it may just be the water. But in that he's Jesus is speaking to all of us in the future. Allow me to wash you with my blood. Okay. Cool. So holiness is a key for us to being part of him. And then holiness key to possessing our possessions. Living a life of holiness leads us or helps us or empowers us to possess what God has promised. Okay. That's why God commanded the people of Israel is like, when you go into the land of, to the promised land, land flowing with milk and honey, that is the promise, isn't it? That is the position God promised. But what he says is, don't get into the ways of the Canaanite. Don't worship their gods. Don't follow their ways. Be set apart. In other words, he's saying, don't compromise with their lifestyle. Chase them all away. That was the commandment, guys, is chase them all away. Chase the enemy away. But that's exactly not what they did. They did not do that. They compromised. They let the enemy stay. You see how the book of Judges start. It's saying that, okay, you know, although they chased away a few of them, there were a few of those land who just let them be in that land. They thought, okay, what threat are they going to be? No, we have our own land. We've come here. They are not going to be of any harm. A few years later, it's the same enemy that they compromised and allowed them to stay, later oppressed them. It began with oppressing them for seven years, 14, 40 years during the time of Samson. So what you allow to stay in your life or you compromise, if you allow a certain sin to live with you and saying, it's okay. No problem will eventually rule over you and it will hinder you from possessing what God has for you. Numbers chapter 25, just going slightly off, but it's very important. Numbers chapter 25 is a turning point in the history of Israel. It says that the sons of Israel committed sexual immorality with the women of Moab. I think it's right. Moab, no? Because there's so manyites, like I wonder which tribe it is. Moab, right? Okay. Yeah, 25 one. So this chapter is crucial in the history of Israel. Okay. By the way, Book of Numbers in Hebrew, it simply means in the wilderness, bar mit bar, in the wilderness. How it became numbers, I don't know, but because everything, while everything is changing, there's a certain generation that is going to pass away. And then there's a new generation that's coming after this chapter. It's super important. That's why the next chapter is titled as the second census. Okay, very crucial. So it's also off by saying, while Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, the same bunch of people that they were not supposed to compromise with, that the God had commanded saying, do not be your. Don't you know that I have set yourself apart for myself? Now, see how it all started in verse two. Sexual immorality is like what happened, but how did it start? Who invited them to sacrifices to their gods? What is that? Worship. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshipping the Baal of Pior. Baal was a very disgusting God, really. He was a God of fertility. Now, we can talk in depth about it, but it's not about it right now. So Israel joined in worship, the Baal of Pior and the Lord's anger burned against them. Now, you can read the rest of the chapter, but the point is they compromised. It all began with worship. So it comes like, hey, come worship our gods, worship with us. Let's go and offer our sacrifices. And the next thing you know, it's like, hey, guys, what's happening here, right? It's a huge impact in the history of Israel. The entire chapter is scary. Not very scary, but you get the point, right? So holiness empowers us to possess what God has promised for us. Okay, and holiness is profitable in all things. The next point. Holiness is profitable in all things. 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 7 to 8, verse 8 it says, for bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things. Godliness is profitable for all things, right? So it's simply saying that if you live a life of holiness, set apart and devouted to God, in every aspect of your life, you are going to see the hand of God. In every area of your life, you are going to see the hand of God. In every, in all your ways, you will see the hand of God, right? For example, your wife, your mother, so many other things that I do not know of. And in all those ways, you will see his hand in favor because you are pursuing holiness. Are you with me? Right? It's something beautiful that is written about Joseph in Genesis. It says that for the sake of Joseph, God blessed Potiphar's house. Joseph was living a life of holiness, but everyone around him was being blessed. It's there in the Bible, guys. It says for the sake of Joseph, God blessed Potiphar's house. It's not amazing, like just choosing holiness, pursuing him with a zeal, like that your heart would burn with the fire of holiness for him. It would impact everything else around you, not just you. Yes? Okay. You know with Psalm 22 verse 3, it says, he inhabits the praises of his people, right? It doesn't just mean that he's going to inhabit your praise. He inhabits the praiser as well. It consumes you because in the new covenant we are the sacrifice. Yeah. Okay. Holiness is the key to being a vessel of honor. So Paul is making it very clear that holiness is key to being a vessel of honor, a vessel that God can use. Again, every vessel in the tabernacle was inscribed saying holy unto the Lord, which was used for his purpose in his temple. And right now, he's saying we are the vessel of honor. And by living a life of holiness and godliness and righteousness, we become that vessel. Okay. Let's move fast forward. Holiness is a key to walking in spiritual authority. Holiness is a key to walking in spiritual authority. See, initially, in the first point, in the first answer, what did we see that your sinful lifestyle will affect your relationship with? Relationship with God, isn't it? And then here it says, holiness is the key to walking in spiritual authority. And then James 470 is saying, therefore, submit to God, this is the devil and he will flee from you. So we made this point so many times that you can live a life of double standards, a life of hypocrisy. On the day of judgment, you can stand before God and Jesus and say that Lord, do you not know that in your name we did this, this, this, X, Y and Z. Jesus was classic response to this. I do not know you. That means that know is simply, it's not knowledge. It's like, I don't share that intimate relationship. I can't recognize you is what you're saying. I can't recognize you. I do not know you. Right. And it's amazing how that is directly connected with our spiritual authority. But have you lived a life of complete submission to God? And holiness is key to Christlikeness. I want to encourage you to just go through all those passages because there's so many. And due to time constraint, I'm swifting through those. But these are all extremely important points and scriptures that's given to each question. Holiness is key to Christlikeness. And finally, we come to this fifth point that says how important are externals? How important are externals? So how important are external style of clothes we wear, makeup, jewelry, etc. to being holy? Not being holy. So not important at all. Let's move on. Yeah. Holiness is not based on your cosmetics. We've established that, right? It's based on our communion with the Lord. Yeah, it's based on our communion with Him, our fellowship with Him. Great. We've established that. Is there anything else that you want to share before we just continue the last point? Because I want to move to the section that says destroyers of personal holiness, everything that we've addressed and spoken of. What are the things that will destroy personal holiness? Now we've established, we've looked at a few questions. Why is it important? We've come to a conclusion saying that it is important that we live a life of holiness because there's so many rewards to it. Key to satisfied life, yeah. But what are those things? But there are things that will destroy a life of personal holiness, isn't it? Yeah. And so that's what the section is all about. The first one on the list, hypocrisy. You know, in 2020, even the pandemic hit, we did a youth conference online and we called it on the road to demascous, demasking. Demascous is just a play of words. Yeah, demasking, we're just removing. So on the road to demascous or demascous, right? It was all about how Christians, forget people of the world, leave them aside. Okay. But how Christians have mastered the art of wearing a mask? We have mastered the art. Like nobody's business, you know, we professionals at wearing masks and taking it off, not just one mask, multiple masks. Right. Okay. For this occasion, I'm going to wear this mask. Okay. For that occasion, I'm going to wear that mask. And for whatever reason, right? Sometimes we may have not chosen our masks. There are situations and circumstances in life where a mask will have been forced upon you because what was done to you. Let's say, let's say a person abused you or something for whatever reason. And you have, and because of fear, you've chosen to wear a certain mask that would keep people away. You know what I'm saying? I mean, so that could have led to so many other things. And that could have led for you to even allowing God to do a new thing in you. You know what I'm saying? And all of that is possible where it could have led you to living a life of hypocrisy. It's simply that it's just wearing masks. And Matthew 23, 27, that's exactly kind of what Jesus is addressing there. It's like, okay, you fast and public, you pray and public loudly. But I know you. I know you. Right. Jesus doesn't bother proving himself to hypocrites. Everybody who questioned him before going up to the cross, Jesus after he rose again, did he go back to the pilot? Did he go back to the Pharisees and say, he's like, Hey, who's laughing now? Did he do that? He doesn't waste time with hypocrisy. Yeah, he just doesn't. That bothers him. We don't have to. As people of God, as Christians, Bible college students as leaders, one of the important things of being a leader is to be vulnerable. For example, if you don't know an answer to a certain question, say, I don't know. And you're making yourself vulnerable before those who are leading you. It's okay. But you know, the world has shown made this thing, okay, you need to know everything. If you don't know something, you're useless. You're not a good leader. You're not a great leader. But then something about vulnerability, like don't wear a mask. This is who I am. As in, you know, it's okay. Right. So be aware of life of, you know, double standards and worldliness. James chapter four was four and five adulterers and adulteresses. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God? Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously, there is a place in holiness where to continue growing in that process, you have to come to a place of hating sin. You have to have the divine hate, divine hatred towards sin, right? Divine hatred towards sin. Now, please, you have to keep in mind that here it's talking about the ways of the world. We are still called to go and to minister and teach and, you know, preach the gospel to the people. We can't use this verse and say, okay, I'm just going to be here. I'm not going to go into the world full of sinners, demons, all that. It's simply saying, don't be conformed, but be transformed. Romans chapter 12. Okay. Don't compromise, guys. Simple. All these points just leading to one thing. Don't compromise. Don't compromise. Samson compromised. His calling, his holy calling. He was a Nazarite for life. What was Samson's weakness? His eyes. It says when Samson saw a certain woman and he went down to Thimna. First, it starts off by saying Samson went down from to Thimna. That means went down. If you see the map, it's backfiring. Okay. So he was, he went to a place where he was not supposed to go because that land did not belong to these people. And then he says he saw and it pleased him. What was the first thing that the enemy took off when they caught him? Okay. Next point. Okay. I want to come down to the section where it says three areas that compromise holiness and then five lifestyle practices to perfecting holiness. Three areas of vulnerability is the lust of flesh and then the lust of eyes and the pride of life. Lust of flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. Those are all areas that can compromise your life of holiness. But one of the things that can help you grow and living and practice a life of holiness is living with reverence. That means living with the fear of God, you know, and living with vigilance. That means being alert, vigilant that scripture says, don't be sober. 1 Peter chapter five was eight and nine says, don't be sober, but be vigilant because the enemy is like a roaring lion ready to pounce on you. So what is that word there is, you know, be sober and vigilant. That means in other words, don't be drunk. Don't be, don't be under the influence of something else. Okay. But be vigilant. So be aware. So living a life of reverence, living a life of vigilance, living with boundaries, living with transparency, with spouse, with ministry team. That means vulnerability and living with humility, being accountable to the people we serve. All of these five things is going to help you to live a life of holiness. No question. So it's like three areas that compromise wholeness instead of that lust or flesh. So like in bracket that sexuality, food and sleep. So could you please explain like how sleep is affecting the wholeness? Like compromising the wholeness. When you say the lust of the flesh, most of the time we think we associate the word lust with only sex. When you think of the spirit of lust, 90% of the time we only think of as sexual immorality. But it is the lust of the flesh. What are all the things that your flesh is capable of doing? Not just committing sexual immorality, but gluttony is a sin in the Bible. What is gluttony? Overeating, obese. It's like just eating without control and what not or treating food as worship and treating food as God. You just have no control over it. And then sleep, I mean the way I see it is kind of, sleep is important, rest is important, absolutely. But everything that is not done in good balance. For example, it's, if you go through the book of Proverbs, it says that is associated with laziness. And laziness is treated like a disease, right? It's what, couch potato, Netflix and chill. And you see what I'm saying, right? It's like not being productive, not being efficient is a compromise, as they used to say, idle mind is a devil's workshop. You know, so yeah. All right, so that is chapter five concluding, my personal holiness and the importance of it. All right, we'll pause here. We'll meet again next week and continue from where we left. But thank you all for joining. God bless you.