Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

The Real Holiness

Hallelujah. Let's turn over to 1 Peter and take a quick look at the subject of what true holiness is. You know, we've talked about the holiness of God and some people seem to think that it just speaks of character, purity, and a lack of defilement in that particular area, holy. Others, we understand the term holy means to be separate. When the Scripture speaks of God being holy it talks about the fact that there isn't any other being like Him. He's in a category all to Himself. When we talk about our holiness, that we're to be holy for the Lord is holy, because there is no other being like Him, and we are associated with Him. We have been reconciled to Him. We're sons of God, heirs and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. We're the epistles of God that are read of men. We're His ambassadors that are sent forth to represent Him. We still are not at that level that He is, as beings to which there is no other like us in our category. I guess some of us would qualify for that, that we are pretty unique, but God is distinct and our holiness then is one of consecration.

That's what we want to talk about tonight, the consecration of our lives. When we talk about consecration, we're talking about something that's set apart to be used only for one purpose and that's service to God. Now that's interesting because we would think that we have to be full time five-fold ministry gift ministers, if that was going to be the case, but that's not true. We want to see how in our lives if we're walking in the spirit and we're walking properly that we can involve ourselves in the secular. When you and I are involved in the secular, we can make it something that is consecrated to God. Our very involvement, the indwelling presence of God in us, the mission that we're on and what we're about, consecrates the activity. We should be consecrating what we're doing in the world, not being vexed by it. It all has to do with the awareness of what our task is, whether we're properly representing God. You can go into the world and be light. Or, you can go into the world and be vexed. You can go into the world and be salt and change lives and bring about purity and preservation and all of those things that salt does. Or you can have lost your saltiness, your savor. Then the Scripture says you're worth what? You're worth only being trodden under foot, the Scripture says.

So, we want to take a look then at what our lives are really about and our involvement--and to put it in a nutshell--what are the motive and the force behind what we're doing. I'm not just talking about kingdom things. I'm talking about everything in our lives, the secular, the mundane, your daily job. What are the motive and the force, the ability, behind what we are doing, because without Him we can do nothing? So let's look over at 1 Peter for just a second and see what the Spirit of God says to us. 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 13. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind...." The loins, of course, speak of the source of life and power when we see it referred to in Scriptures. The mind then, we're looking at the seat of where our reasoning comes from. Why are you thinking what you're thinking? What's behind this thought process, the ideology, the philosophies that we're walking in? Gird up that mind. Protect it with the helmet of salvation. Or, as the Scripture says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Or, as the Scripture says, that we're to think upon these things, whatsoever things are true and holy and just and pure and all of the different things that Philippians makes reference to. Gird up the loins of your mind, because as a man thinketh--what does the Scripture say--so is he. So as we start to look at our own personal holiness, let's check out our minds. Some of us will have a little less investigation than others, but let's look at our minds. You know, we've all heard it said, "Man, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." And you say, "You don't have enough to spare, man. You'd better hold on to all you have. Don't be giving it to everybody." As we look at our minds and we begin to ask, what is it that governs my thought processes? How do I see God? How do I see myself? How do I perceive those that are around me, their worth?

When we talk about representing Him as His ambassadors--and I don't want to get to far off course here--that becomes a very great measuring stick as to whether or not you're moving in the heart and mind of God, by how you perceive the worth of others. Is everybody an aggravation to you? Are they not worth your time? They're not worth me giving up this time on this project. They're not worth what it might cost me in going ahead in the business to spend time trying to help them through the adversities that they're in and lift up hands that are hanging down. Somebody of less worth than me can spend time with them. They do need help, but somebody that's not as valuable as I am. When you begin to see yourself as holy and consecrated and set apart for God, those aren't your calls as to who you're going to spend time with and where you're going to be and the submission to His lordship. The holy vessel does not say to the potter, "Why hast thou made me thus?" So, it's very important for us to understand, as we've been created and molded and consecrated and sent forth with the anointing of God in our lives, that we're totally to be about His business. How easily distracted have you been? What's caught your eye that's taken you off the course? What weights and sins that so easily beset us have just kind of slowed the progress down?

So we begin to examine ourselves and Peter says, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind." Girding up the loins, as we understand the typology here, had to do with getting ready either to do warfare or to run. It's hard to run in a skirt, right? They would gird up their loins and take those robes and they would pull that thing through, and get 'er up here, and turn them into some culottes and they're ready to rip. He said I want you to do that with your mind. Take away all the distractions and take away everything that would hinder you from being quick to hear what the Spirit is saying. The inability, with all of the secular clutter, to hear the voice of God that says, "This is the way, walk in it. Gird up the loins of your mind, prepare it for battle; prepare for the hastening to the coming of the Lord Jesus."

So as Peter is speaking to us here, he says, with that then there will become.... Look at the next phrase, what is it? A sobriety. "Be sober." We talked Wednesday night about soberness, didn't we? In fact, we were actually talking about different aspects of holiness on Wednesday night. We talked about the holiness of the vacuum cleaner. How many of you saw that we were trying to make a point that the cord should not be "holey," the whole item should be holy and how we begin to take and "make common" things around us that are consecrated. Now you can become exaggerated in that and be involved in an iconoclastic perspective. Icons like images and we put worth intrinsic value on that pillar right there. We say that pillar has been consecrated and so now we come by and we touch it when we go by for good luck. We kiss it. We bow down and we worship. It's now become a visible representative. The iconoclastic, the images within the Catholic Church, the statues, the pictures and all of those things, the icons that have an intrinsic worth and they're holy, we're not talking about that. We're talking about the value that's placed upon it because it's used for God, not because it is a god. Not because that pillar in and of itself, before it left Lowe's, was one that was set off in the corner and there was a glow that came off it and it was a holy pillar. What made it holy was we put it up in this sanctuary, we worship here, and we recognize this as the house of God. That's what made it holy. So we begin to understand that aspect. Therefore the vacuum cleaner is holy and we need to treat it that way. We talked a little bit about that Wednesday night, the auditorium, the chairs, whatever.

Now, are there certain items, then, that are recognized as more set apart than others? The answer to that is yes there really is. We even talked about it in the back room. Steve was asking me. We were getting ready to do that one program, the communion table was here and we were going to put the television on it as a stand because it was a nicer table and this and that. He said he just didn't feel quite right about doing that. I don't know if that was the right perception or the wrong perception. We don't want to get caught up into legalism and tradition. I shared with him along these lines. I said we don't want to get caught up into these things. But, we also have to recognize that there are different degrees of consecrating the areas and articles of worship. You see it very clearly in the old covenant as you read, don't you? Do you remember that there were different levels and groups and responsibilities as the tabernacle would be disassembled and those that were able to move in one area could not move past the badger skins and the poles and the silver sockets? That was the limitation. Those were consecrated to God and the Levites that were to carry that and transport that were limited to that. Those priests that were able to move in and deal with the items within the holy place and touch the altar and the laver and the table of shewbread and those different things was another level of consecration of articles of worship. They were all articles of worship but there was another level. This communion table, the one by faith that you are looking at here, that communion table is consecrated at a different level than the basketballs in the gym. But how many of you realize, and some of them literally, that those are holy basketballs. So holiness just means, God's. It's set apart for God. Those basketballs are not to be lent out to the dudes that are up here playing basketball on Sunday morning on Countryside basketball court. Those basketballs are not the same as the ones those guys are using up there. They were purchased with God's money. They've been used for the glory of God. We use them for one purpose: to build character in our young people, to bring community and fellowship to the church where we can all grow and be edified as we're participating in different activities. They're there for a different purpose.

Do we have that sobriety? This word "be sober," are we serious about that? Do we really believe that these grounds, these 31 acres here belong to God? Do you see why we don't want drug deals going on back here in the woods? And make-out sessions taking place up here like we found different young people and had to run them off and different areas. That's contrary to sound doctrine. So we look and say this is holy. This is separate. This is God's. Now as we do that and we look at physical expression of that then we have to understand also that we are the temples of God. The Scripture goes on, as you look in the second chapter, look what it says over there. It says that we are "...lively stones, [verse 5] are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, [and our purpose is] to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." So every one of us in here tonight are living stones in the temple of God. God doesn't live in buildings that are made by men's hands. But He does live within a spiritual tabernacle. Those of us that are believers here in America, those in India, those in Africa, God indwells the holy temple of the church. Now if we are that holy living stone, then the question becomes this. When I go out into the world, am I being affected by the world or am I affecting the world? I've been consecrated and set apart for the purpose of bringing light to a world that's in darkness. Bringing love to a world that's bound in hate and fear. Bringing the assurance of the gospel that says, "Hey, you don't have to work out righteousness. You don't have to be better to be accepted of God. God loves you like you are, man. He accepts you if you'll accept Jesus and then He will make you what He wants you to be." But you can't earn it. You'll never be righteous enough. You'll never act good enough. It's by grace and faith. It's a free gift. It's not of works lest any man should boast. Yet at the same time we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Men are to see our good works so that they might glorify our Father, which is in heaven. Oh, there's works involved, but it's God working through us to will and to do His good pleasure. How holy are we?

So you see holiness isn't a thing of just, as we've talked before, the old holiness perception. "We don't smoke. We don't chew. And we don't run with girls that do," and all of the different things. I was talking to a guy Saturday. We were up sharing some things. He was one of the "chewers." We were standing there in the staging lanes and he was all (slobbery, spit sounds), stuff rolling down there. You know, if I was going to do it, I think that I would do that though, because it gives you more power. You've got more power than smokers. You can look at smokers and say, "I see you smoke. I chew. You don't blow your smoke on me, I won't spit on you." So there is power. We're not talking about that. We're not talking about just a standardized observable behavioral holiness. We're talking about a "heart holiness," an attitude of why I'm doing what I'm doing. You see we can do the right things for the wrong purposes and have the wrong motives. We can do our righteousness like the Pharisees, to be seen of men. We can stand and have long prayers on the corner so that everybody will think we're outstanding Christians. But out of the abundance of the heart proceeds murders and envy and strife and adulteries. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and He said, "You're whited sepulchers. You're clean on the outside and you're full of dead men's bones." So how holy are we?

We can understand that by--back to verse 13 of chapter 1--our sobriety. How serious am I? Do I understand, "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to represent Me in a hostile world. A world that is full of hatred and bitterness and strife and envy and murders and reveling. I send you as little lambs among wolves." Are you serious about the mission that you're on? Or are we really on our own agenda? We're trying to get ahead like the Jones, and move up like the Jeffersons, and what ever else is going on in our lives. Distracted by all the attractions that the world is dangling. Or are we sober enough to be able to be in the world, but not of it? That soberness or that seriousness, that discipline of our emotions and our lusts is what he's speaking toward here. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end [favorably expect the end of this holiness. Not only the Christlikeness that we're going to experience on a daily basis, but the end of our salvation, that we'll be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. When we see Him, the Scripture says, we're going to be like Him, praise God! That's what we're working for. And so as we're serious and we're hoping to the end of all of this involvement for the kingdom,] for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Holiness is an expression of our expectation of the imminent, the immediate, the ever-present return of Jesus. Are you living that way tonight, really? I mean we can always ask ourselves that question. And we all at times are not being--we'd be dishonest to say that every moment our minds are occupied with that discernable expectation of His return. We can't function like that as human beings. If your mind is totally occupied, consciously at all times, with the understanding that Jesus can come at any moment, you're going to run into somebody at the stoplight. As humans, we're not wired that way. But internally we can be expecting His return. As we're praying in the Spirit, we're able to consciously function and be aware of the things that are around us in the tangible, visible realm and yet we're worshiping. We pray, the Scripture says, without ceasing. Are you filling your heart with sufficient revelation of the Word of God, of the imminent return of the Lord, that your Spirit man is sustained enough to where that is going on at all times and does, even though not consciously, direct your thought processes and your actions. That's holiness. That's the sobriety. That's the hope, the favorable expectation of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

Look at verse 14. "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance..." before we were saved. Every unsaved person is insane. Quite a statement. Let's just look at it simply for just a moment, okay? The simplicity of the gospel. Unsaved guy. Party hearty. Your life is as a vapor, here today gone tomorrow. Let's make that literal. Party. Just hit the lotto. Tons of money. Celebration. Dead in 24 hours. Eternity separated from God. In eternal torment. In a devil's hell where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Where the worm dieth not. You could have made a decision to have eternal peace and harmony and relationship with Father God and to ever be in the presence of God in worship, in service, in communion. Hell. Heaven. "I choose Hell." You're insane. Okay? I rest my case. If it's real, anybody that would choose Hell over Heaven is, what? They're insane! That's insanity! But what does the Scripture call that insanity? "[Your] former lusts of ignorance." Because the natural mind cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him. People that are unsaved and have their own concept of truth don't believe that; it's a fairy tale. And so in their minds they're making intelligent, rational decisions that say, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die."

I want to tell you something, beloved, I've heard Christians say if there was no Heaven, if there was really no God at all, I would still choose this life. Now you're stupid. If all you did was live like an animal and die like a dog, then act like a dog. Big dog! But we have a Creator that we worship and we don't worship the creature. And we recognize that we're not our own but we've been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. And because of His holiness and His worth--you know, Richard was teaching on worship this morning--another rendering of worship is "worth ship." The reason we worship is because of His worth, who He is, and we express His majesty. We acknowledge His worth being greater that our own and we're able to recognize His holiness and declare His majesty. It makes us distinct in recognizing that we are the creation, but we're not animals. We're sons of God and heirs and joint heirs and therefore we don't live like animals. And we don't eat, drink and be merry and die like a dog. Because you die like a rebellious son who chose to hate his Father and embrace the rebel of creation, Lucifer, and to serve him and because of it to reap the consequences of eternal justice.

"[Be] as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance." The world's system, that's all that's saying. Don't think like you used to think. Don't act like you used to act. Don't plan like you used to plan, but say if the Lord be willing we'll go here or there and do such a thing. It's no longer up to you. It's not, "I'm going to go do this. I'm going to be a millionaire by the time I'm 12" and all of these different things. "But, if the Lord wills, we'll go and do thus." That's what the Scripture teaches us. But if you begin to fashion your life after your former lusts, if you really think that you're your own and you're taking credit for what you're doing, and you're trusting in your own strength and your own abilities, then of course, you're going to be a reproach to your Father. For don't you realize, verse 15, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation...." That word "conversation" just means your living, your daily life process. Now again, that holiness doesn't have anything to do with the traditional old line Pentecostal holiness of how you have to dress and no make-up for the ladies, hair in a bun, white powder on your face and long black sleeves to your toes and finger tips and, therefore, that's holy. Cracks me up, as we've traveled the world, and you see it here, it's even more glaring here in the states. It cracks me up, a lot of these people from the Middle Eastern and Asia Minor nations, to where there's the double standard. The women have all this stuff piled on them and you see maybe one eye peeking out and the husband's walking around with Nikes on. I'm thinking, what's with this? If that's holy, then what are you doing in Bermuda shorts, dude. Only women are supposed to be holy? That's not what the Scripture says. Christianity teaches a different holiness, doesn't it? It's a heart holiness. Christianity teaches modesty, sobriety, and discipline of our lives. But not some kind of an outward holiness, of "Oh, how holy they are!" Pull all that stuff off and look at the ugliness of their hearts. Find out whether or not like Christians, those that have all clothes piled on them, are of a meek and quiet spirit. What we're talking about here is serving a God who is holy, who requires us to be holy in all manner of our living.

Now holiness, not in our morality alone, but in our consecration, because He is holy. You're not your own. What you're involved in, the Scripture says, should be the kingdom of God's priorities and not our own. "It's no longer I that live," the apostle said, "but Christ that liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Is that your testimony tonight? It's no longer I that live, but Christ. You know, we've quoted that Scripture so many times it can roll off our tongues and we don't even think about what we're saying. It is no longer I that live, "but Christ that liveth in me. And the life that I now live... I live by the faith of the Son of God." Not faith in the Son of God, the faith of the Son of God, His lordship in me, His faith enabling me now to obey. As obedient children, no longer caught up in the former insanity and conversation of life that I used to be involved in. I don't think I'm the big shot that I used to think I was. You begin to experience that true spirit of holiness that says, "Without Him I can do nothing." The true spirit of holiness that says, "I don't know how to go out or to come in." The true spirit of holiness that humbles itself and will not accept any other form of exaltation but God. I will humble myself and I will not allow myself or man to exalt me, only God. It's a constant decision of dying daily. I'm crucified daily. Willfully choosing to represent Him and not myself, to realize that I'm no longer my own. This vessel is holy. It's consecrated. I can't do with it what I would want to do. Once we come to that place, beloved, then you can't attach it to a harlot, as the apostle says. You can't abuse it with all of the latest fads, or with neglect or what ever else the world is telling us is the thing of the day. My body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.

I had a man, as I was sharing the Lord with a guy at the track yesterday. He came back later. He said, "A friend of mine makes these really neat pins and I'd like to show you what they are." He came back and he had this little brochure and it had a big "V" for victory and behind it, it had what they had victory over. One of them was victory over the bottle. Another was the big "V" and it was victory over cigarettes. One of them was a camera--victory over pornography. One of them was victory over.... I can't remember what they all were. Most of the taboos that we would emphasis as major sin. He said they had a new one that had intertwined wedding rings. I thought, "Well, victory over marriage." He goes no, "It's a good marriage." I said, "Okay. Just wanted to keep the theme going here." The point that I'm making is this. That we're not looking for victory over those things. We're looking for victory over self-will and self-worth that we might be consecrated and realize that the moment I only yield myself as an instrument to God's service. Romans 6, "[We] yield our members as instrument to righteousness"--that all of those other areas that we focus on trying to get victory over won't have any appeal to us in the first place. "[Because] I have meat to eat that ye know not of," Jesus said, "to do the will of my Father." Now that doesn't mean that we're going to come to the place where the sin that's in our members doesn't rise up and want to be fed and say, "Why don't we do this today?" We want to run down and overeat. We want to satisfy some other lust in our lives. We want to lie in the bed for 24 hours or whatever your flesh is prone to do, or all of the above. What does it say? That's a disobedient child. As obedient children, we no longer fashion ourselves after our former living. It's an abomination to us. The things we used to love, we now hate, the Scripture says. Why? Because it is written, "Be ye holy, for I am holy."

You read on and the Scripture goes on to say in verse 18, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [living]..." They didn't redeem you. There are no idols. There were no natural treasures that were put up to provide for your ransom from sin and from Satan's power. "But with the precious [verse 19] blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times [just] for you, Who by him [Christ, you now are able to] believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing [then, verse 22, that] ye have purified your souls [through obedience]." What's the way Scripture say that your mind can be girded up, that you can purify your souls? It's not by study. It's not by counsel. It's not by other people encouraging you. Your soul gets purified every time you obey. Every time you deny the flesh and choose righteousness your mind is purified. You become more Scripturally, spiritually rational. The more I obey, the more I want to obey. The clearer I can see. The freer I am from the body and the appetite of sin that's in my members. So we're purified by our obeying of the truth, the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit unto unfeigned love. And now I begin to live for others and serve others. I'm more concerned with others' edification and not myself. I'm not preoccupied with self. I now realize that as a holy individual, a living stone, I've been placed in here, not for my worth, not for what I get out of it, but as a vessel so that I can contribute to others. I've become now an instrument to edify others, to encourage others, to be an example of the believer.

A lot of talk in the world today about role models, people saying, "I don't want to be a role model. I just want to be famous and have lots of money. I don't want to be responsible for my own actions." The exact opposite of what the church is. As the apostle says, "Be followers of me. Follow me as I follow Christ." Be followers of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises of God. Every one of us, beloved, ought to... (cell phone ringing) [Let's all look. Oh, it's a visitor. That's okay. I don't mean to embarrass you. I was just making sure it wasn't somebody that knew better.] Because we're looking for obedient children, the Scripture says. So as we understand the purifying of our souls and the fact that we begin to love one another, we're here to where we should want to be a role model. To where we can turn to one another and say, "If you follow me, you're going to make it to Heaven!" What a responsibility! "I don't want that responsibility!" That's what God's called you to do. And then He gives us the grace and the strength to do it. Does that mean we're going to be perfect and never fail? Of course not! But we're able then to do what? We're able to comfort with the same comfort wherewith we've been comforted. You say, "I know what you're going through, man! Yeah, I fight the same battles. I have the same problems with pride and jealously and selfishness and slothfulness..." and whatever it might be that you're battling in your life. We're all the same. Nobody here is free from the temptations and the "humanness" that we have from our father Adam. So here we are, all battling the same warfare, warring against all this ugliness in our flesh. We need each other. The Scripture says, "What do we do? We lift up the hands that are hanging down. We comfort the feeble minded."

So he says, "Dearly beloved, [chapter 2 verse 11] I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." So what is he doing? He's calling us to encourage one another. "Hey, you know what we need to do? We need to practice abstinence." During the sexual revolution, you know, that's the whole thing today. We're getting ready to head over to Africa. I was just listening to a couple of the leaders in Africa that were talking. They were here in the States, and they were being interviewed. The big push in Africa is very similar to here in the states: they're really pushing condoms. That's the big thing. What they don't tell you is that they don't work. Even the size of some of the viruses and disease are such that they'll actually go through the pores in a condom. They haven't released that information because they don't want to frighten the public. But it's a scientific fact. If you like, you can research it yourself and find out. So in our schools, rather than teaching discipline and abstinence, we try to cover up. We try to make a provision for the flesh. Go ahead and sin but make it "safe" sin--no, safe sex, that's what it's called, right? Make it "safe" sin. There is no safe sin! Abstinence. Look, abstain from the fleshly lusts which are warring against the soul saying, "Everybody else is doing it. You have a right. It's a natural desire. It's a natural appetite." Yeah, but we're no longer natural. We're spiritual. It doesn't mean I don't have the same desires. It means that I now have the ability to say no to my desires. I'd sure like to be able to say that I'm successful 100 percent of the time, but I'm not. The times that I give place to the devil in my life, the times that I give place to the lusts of my own flesh, are usually the times that I'm weary. I haven't refreshed myself like I needed to. I've been more involved in my self-interests than dying and serving others. You know I have a little bit of a right to some time of my own. Don't always want to have to be out serving everybody else. And you turn that thing inwardly and you end up sinning in one form or another. Abstain from fleshly lusts. We all have the same appetites. Abstain! Now that doesn't mean just suck it up. "I'm going to resist this thing." The abstinence is an understanding of our worth because we've been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. I'm holy. I'm not to be used for the world.

Nothing's sadder than to see--and we'll end with this for tonight--Christians, whether it's young people or adults, it doesn't make any difference, Christians being offered up and used by the world. Young girls being seduced, young men are being seduced by the business world of what you can gain and the success and the power and the self -worth. Vessels that were consecrated and bought with the blood of Jesus now being used by the other people in the world for their own gratification, the world system wanting to buy you out. "Man, I'll buy you for this. I'll give you benefits. We'll give you a bonus. We'll give you this." And all they're doing is trying to buy and degrade a consecrated vessel if it's going to cost you your service in the kingdom, your ability to be a father at home, to be a brother or sister to the community. You're not your own. You've been bought with a price. Be holy. Our God is holy.

Father, we thank You for the Word and we just ask that You would give us eyes to see and an ability to understand the warfare that's going on around us today, the battle for our souls. The same appetites are in us that's in every nonbeliever, every non-Christian. Our bodies are no different than theirs. The desire for all of the gratifications they have, we have. Fame. Success. Self-will. Ease. Gratification. We're no different, until we bow our hearts and understand the ransom that was paid by the death of Jesus and the blood that was shed to buy us out of Satan's power. We've been ransomed. Satan sent out a ransom note and Jesus paid it. We've been brought back into the presence of a loving, holy God who says, "Now, I don't want you sinning any more. I've got a mission for you. I want you to go and represent my love to a lost world. They're hurting. They think they have to make themselves better and they can't. I've paid the price for them. What you've received freely, go share it with somebody else. And they'll know the truth. And the truth will make them free." And those that the Son sets free are free indeed. We thank you for that, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. As Gary plays for us, let's take a moment and just worship the Lord and thank Him for His love for us. What a responsibility, what a mission we're on! Mission Possible! The assignment, should you choose to take it, is to go as little lambs into a generation of wolves; but I'll be with you and I'll protect you. The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Just as the vessels of the temple could be used for nothing else. You couldn't take them home. The Priest couldn't take them home and eat soup with them. We're consecrated vessels to represent the love of God, to go tell folks, "Look man, I know where you're at. I was there. But you don't have to stay under the power of sin and Satan's lordship. You don't have to believe those lies anymore. God loves you. Jesus died for us. He was sinless. God is satisfied. You can come home." And if, while sinners, the door was that open, how much more now that we're sons of God? If you've gotten caught up out there, then 1 John says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You don't have to earn your way back. There are no dues to be paid. You're not going to have to spend any more time on the outside and pay the penance. Come home tonight freely and receive the love that your Father has for you. Then go out and represent Him accurately and with a new zeal. Let those that boast, boast in Him.

We do thank You for it, Father. Let's sing this together and just worship the Lord tonight. He is worthy of all of our praise. Thank You, Jesus. "Holy One, Most Holy One." Hallelujah! Just spend a moment and worship Him and thank Him for what He's doing in your life. We're so thankful, Father, for all of Your love. Holy One, there's none like You. You're absolutely distinct, separate and You've set us apart, Lord, to represent You. Help us to be ambassadors, that men would see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. That's our heart's desire, Father, and we'll give You all the praise, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Be holy!" Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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