Title: God's Unlimited Resources for the Believer's Holiness Meta: Believer, pray to the Lord, "Give me grace to walk in no known sin today." How can we pray that with confidence? Because God's unlimited resources are available for the believer's holiness and conformity to Jesus Christ. He has chosen us to be holy and blameless before Him, and thus we can trust Him for the supply. Tags: holiness,Genesis 17:1,perfection,righteousness 1 00:00:00,290 --> 00:00:01,869 Look, 2 00:00:01,869 --> 00:00:05,580 this defeated mindset 3 00:00:05,580 --> 00:00:07,980 is something you need to throw right out the window. 4 00:00:07,980 --> 00:00:09,580 When God says, 5 00:00:09,580 --> 00:00:14,500 "Abraham walk before me and be perfect." (Genesis 17:1) 6 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:16,870 We always want to back away. 7 00:00:16,870 --> 00:00:18,900 We always want to back down. 8 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:20,830 We always want to step away. 9 00:00:20,830 --> 00:00:22,380 We always want to think about, 10 00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:24,300 "but we're not perfect." 11 00:00:24,300 --> 00:00:26,470 Listen, that's not what God is saying. 12 00:00:26,470 --> 00:00:28,320 God is not giving you exceptions. 13 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,430 God is not giving you excuses. 14 00:00:30,430 --> 00:00:34,800 God calls you to put on the new man. 15 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:36,550 Righteous, 16 00:00:36,550 --> 00:00:38,320 holy, 17 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,710 the image of God, 18 00:00:40,710 --> 00:00:42,260 imitate Him, 19 00:00:42,260 --> 00:00:44,420 follow Christ, 20 00:00:44,420 --> 00:00:46,030 love one another, 21 00:00:46,030 --> 00:00:47,590 put away sin, 22 00:00:47,590 --> 00:00:50,940 put away that which slows you down. 23 00:00:50,940 --> 00:00:53,780 Put it away! 24 00:00:53,780 --> 00:00:56,010 Put away the encumbrances. 25 00:00:56,010 --> 00:00:57,650 Be done with them! 26 00:00:57,650 --> 00:00:59,920 Pursue righteousness. 27 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,180 Look there's nothing in Scripture that's giving you exceptions. 28 00:01:03,180 --> 00:01:06,100 John saying I write to you that you sin not. 29 00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:08,110 You think he was dead serious about that? 30 00:01:08,110 --> 00:01:09,570 Isn't he going over the top. 31 00:01:09,570 --> 00:01:12,350 Isn't that a little incredible, John? 32 00:01:12,350 --> 00:01:15,420 "No, I write to you that you sin not." (1 John 2:1) 33 00:01:15,420 --> 00:01:16,200 Brethren, 34 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,350 when God says to Abraham. 35 00:01:18,350 --> 00:01:20,490 "walk before me and be perfect" 36 00:01:20,490 --> 00:01:21,810 you think he's saying, 37 00:01:21,810 --> 00:01:23,830 "but I know you really can't be 38 00:01:23,830 --> 00:01:26,390 and so yes all these exceptions are legitimate, 39 00:01:26,390 --> 00:01:27,530 and they're acceptable." 40 00:01:27,530 --> 00:01:29,229 That's not what He's saying. 41 00:01:29,229 --> 00:01:33,380 Brethren what you need to get in your heads is that pursuing perfection 42 00:01:33,380 --> 00:01:35,500 is what we ought to be doing. 43 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:37,420 I'm afraid we have too many people... 44 00:01:37,420 --> 00:01:39,810 we have too many people that that are just satisfied. 45 00:01:39,810 --> 00:01:41,990 You're just chalking it up to, 46 00:01:41,990 --> 00:01:43,200 "Well, Christians can never be perfect 47 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,280 and so I'm not going to be perfect." 48 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,200 That is wretched reasoning. 49 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,150 How you ought to reason is 50 00:01:52,150 --> 00:01:57,750 because He has chosen me to be holy and blameless before Him, 51 00:01:57,750 --> 00:01:58,850 because He's chosen me, 52 00:01:58,850 --> 00:02:00,590 I can know this: 53 00:02:00,590 --> 00:02:04,370 He is going to put forth every single resource of His 54 00:02:04,370 --> 00:02:05,820 to bring that to pass, 55 00:02:05,820 --> 00:02:08,508 that is necessary for me to get there. 56 00:02:08,508 --> 00:02:09,878 Be sure of it. 57 00:02:09,878 --> 00:02:10,878 Be sure of it! 58 00:02:10,878 --> 00:02:12,980 He's not going to spare anything 59 00:02:12,980 --> 00:02:14,169 in His resources 60 00:02:14,169 --> 00:02:15,169 that is necessary 61 00:02:15,169 --> 00:02:17,730 to get you to where you're perfect. 62 00:02:18,730 --> 00:02:22,549 Brethren, I know I'm saying that like that's almost a warning or a threat 63 00:02:22,549 --> 00:02:23,879 but that's good news. 64 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:26,799 Don't you recognize that. 65 00:02:26,799 --> 00:02:28,159 I can take hope in that! 66 00:02:28,159 --> 00:02:29,769 That's incentive! 67 00:02:29,769 --> 00:02:31,489 I can say, 68 00:02:31,489 --> 00:02:34,659 "Lord give me grace to walk perfect today." 69 00:02:34,659 --> 00:02:37,900 "Give me grace to walk in no known sin." 70 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:40,430 I am going to strive after that, why? 71 00:02:40,430 --> 00:02:45,439 Because God is at work in me to produce that very thing. 72 00:02:45,439 --> 00:02:46,900 Look what do you need? 73 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,720 What do you need for that to happen? 74 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:54,230 He's going to put at our disposal 75 00:02:54,230 --> 00:02:57,079 the necessary resources to bring it to pass. 76 00:02:57,079 --> 00:02:58,909 What do you need? 77 00:02:58,909 --> 00:03:00,760 See, He says He's not going to withhold any good thing. 78 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:01,900 Doesn't He say that? 79 00:03:01,900 --> 00:03:04,349 "All things are going to work together for your good." 80 00:03:04,349 --> 00:03:05,829 So what do we need? 81 00:03:05,829 --> 00:03:06,829 I'll tell you, 82 00:03:06,829 --> 00:03:07,919 typically what we need, 83 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,439 we need more difficulty not more ease. 84 00:03:10,439 --> 00:03:13,040 We need more hardness not more softness. 85 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,420 That's why scripture says rejoice in your sufferings. 86 00:03:15,420 --> 00:03:16,549 Rejoice in your trials. 87 00:03:16,549 --> 00:03:17,549 Why? 88 00:03:17,549 --> 00:03:20,439 Because that really does produce righteousness. 89 00:03:20,439 --> 00:03:21,769 Do you need the rod? 90 00:03:21,769 --> 00:03:22,769 You'll have it. 91 00:03:22,769 --> 00:03:23,769 That produces righteousness. 92 00:03:23,769 --> 00:03:25,400 You see that they're in Hebrews 12. 93 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:26,900 What else do you need? 94 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:28,919 A swift rebuke from one of the brethren. 95 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,239 Do you need more of the Spirit of God? 96 00:03:31,239 --> 00:03:33,689 You'll have it. 97 00:03:33,689 --> 00:03:36,120 Do you need your eyes open to something in the Word of God? 98 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:37,610 You'll have it. 99 00:03:37,610 --> 00:03:39,870 Maybe you even need the church's discipline. 100 00:03:39,870 --> 00:03:41,730 If that's what you need, 101 00:03:41,730 --> 00:03:42,730 you'll have it. 102 00:03:42,730 --> 00:03:45,639 You see He is determined, 103 00:03:45,639 --> 00:03:46,849 whether it takes the rod, 104 00:03:46,849 --> 00:03:48,260 whether it takes church discipline, 105 00:03:48,260 --> 00:03:51,099 whether He needs to send a brother, 106 00:03:51,099 --> 00:03:54,290 whether He needs to send the right word to you in a certain sermon. 107 00:03:54,290 --> 00:03:57,000 But all these things are at your disposal. 108 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,099 Do you need your conscience to smite you? 109 00:03:59,099 --> 00:04:00,390 Do you need a thorn in the flesh? 110 00:04:00,390 --> 00:04:02,400 You know that's what Paul needed at certain times. 111 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,390 A thorn in the flesh. 112 00:04:04,390 --> 00:04:08,120 "And Paul I'm not going to take it away, 113 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:13,200 because that's bringing you to the place that I want you to be." 114 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:14,370 I can look at these things 115 00:04:14,370 --> 00:04:15,370 and I can say: 116 00:04:15,370 --> 00:04:16,630 You know this this may be uphill 117 00:04:16,630 --> 00:04:21,290 this may be difficult but his resources are there for you. 118 00:04:21,290 --> 00:04:26,530 If you're chosen to stand before him, 119 00:04:26,530 --> 00:04:28,880 you're chosen for holiness. 120 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,230 Now look, 121 00:04:32,230 --> 00:04:34,850 we can just do away with it. 122 00:04:34,850 --> 00:04:43,060 Unholy Christianity does not exist. 123 00:04:43,060 --> 00:04:47,860 "O wretched man that I am." (Romans 7) 124 00:04:49,180 --> 00:04:50,550 Whatever your take is on that verse 125 00:04:50,550 --> 00:04:57,380 you better not come to the conclusion that unholy Christianity is OK. 126 00:04:57,380 --> 00:04:59,720 It's not. 127 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:04,200 Without holiness you will not see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14) 128 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:05,940 If you've been chosen to stand before him, 129 00:05:05,940 --> 00:05:08,630 you've been chosen to be holy and blameless before Him. 130 00:05:08,630 --> 00:05:12,630 Blameless, that means without blemish. 131 00:05:12,630 --> 00:05:14,380 Not a spot, 132 00:05:14,380 --> 00:05:17,040 not a wrinkle, 133 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,880 that's what you've been chosen for.