LifeWay Community Church

Introduction: God’s goal for us is to become like Jesus. If you are a believer, He has already given you Christ’s righteousness, and now He wants to conform you into Christ’s image. “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29 NIV) The Lord also wants us to be blameless and holy. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified… .” (1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV) In this lesson we will learn:

§ The meaning of holiness (sanctification).

§ How you can become holy or live holy (practical steps to living holy).

I. What is holiness?

A. Holiness literally means “to be set apart for God.” (John 17:17-19)

• It is the same word as sanctification.

B. A definition of holiness is “the continuing work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and more like Christ.”

• God’s intention is for believers to live free from the bondage of sin. Why? Sin prevents us from living the abundant life that God has designed for us. (1 Peter 1:14-16)

C. Holiness has two stages.

1. It begins when we are born again. “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)

a) We are called “saints.” “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-2 NKJ)

b) We have been set free from sin!

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:18 NIV)

2. Throughout life, you are to continue to be transformed into Christ’s likeness by the sanctification process.

a) It begins at the “new birth” but is also a process throughout our lives.

b) We are being changed from one degree to another.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).

D. The key to your sanctification is knowing who you are in Christ.

1. Holiness is not a negative process, but a positive one.

a) Some think of it as a list of “don’ts.”

b) Scripture views it as a way of sharing Jesus’ life.

2. Jesus is God’s “working model” for your life as a believer.

a) We are inseparably linked with Jesus.

1) “Just as the living Father sent Me and l live because of the Father; so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57 NIV)

2) Just as a baby’s umbilical cord connects it with its mother, we are connected with Jesus and share His life.

b) If we abide in Jesus, we “ought to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:6 NAS)

II. How do you become sanctified or live holy?

A. Believe that God is good, created you with purpose, wants a relationship with you, and has given you His Word. (Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-8)

B. Know who you are and where true life is to be found.

1. We are aliens in this world.

“I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” (John 17:14 NIV)

2. The values of the world are not my values.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:11-12 NIV)

C. Be convinced that God’s expectation for his children is that they do not sin.

1. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1 NIV).

2. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIV)

D. Repent and confess any sin in your life, and drink in God’s forgiveness.

1. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

2. We grieve the Spirit when we sin, but when we come “clean” with God, He rejoices over us. (Luke 15:24)

3. We must maintain a clear conscience.

E. Renew your mind.

1. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV)

2. The mind is the part of the body that needs the most discipline.

3. We take every “thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

F. Continually admit that you are dependent on the Holy Spirit to help you live a life like Jesus.

1. Developing an ongoing friendship with God does this.

G. Place yourself in situations where holiness can grow.

1. Drink in God’s Word.

2. Maintain regular prayer times.

3. Get busy with the tasks God wants you to do.

4. Physically remove yourself from places of temptation.

5. Refuse to entertain thoughts that could lead to sin. Choose instead to think “Philippians” thoughts:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

For years, the world’s largest circulated magazine, Reader’s Digest, has offered its valuable feature, “IT PAYS TO ENRICH YOUR WORD POWER.” The column has stood the test of time because everyone always has room to expand their vocabulary. The editors once quoted H.D. Hoover, director of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, as saying, “A well-developed vocabulary is at the heart of all learning and at the heart of every test.” It is true in the natural, and it is true in the supernatural.

When it comes to our faith, it is not the size of our vocabulary, but the source of our vocabulary that is important. Think about the common expression, “words fail me.” In the natural, this happens when the speaker has a thought to convey, but just cannot seem to find the right way to communicate it fully to his audience. In the supernatural, our words fail us when they do not reflect the thoughts of God on any given subject.

The words we speak are like the rudder of a ship and will determine the direction our lives take. When we learn to agree in our hearts with God and say what He says about our situations, we will pass the tests of life with flying colors!

Power to Change Situations

When people are in situations where breakthrough is needed, they often hope for a miracle. Really, what they are looking for is a quick fix to a problem they are stuck in as a result of their words. Fortunately, if they turn their hearts in the right direction and align their words with what God says, a miracle can begin in their mouths.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:12, “the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.” The Word has the ability to change situations. In fact, that is exactly what happened when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. If you remember, Lazarus had been dead four days by the time Jesus came to the place where his body lay. After the stone had been rolled away, Jesus acknowledged the fact that His Father always heard Him, and then cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” John 11:44 records the result that “he who had died came out!” It was the power of God’s Word that changed the situation.

Your church, your pastor, your doctor, or your friends cannot change you. You can even pray for hours, but if you are only telling God the details of your problem, change will not come. When you pray, agree with what God says and pray the solution instead of the problem. Just as it was the Word of God that brought Lazarus out of the grave, it is the Word that will affect your situation. God’s Word is more powerful than any problem or bondage, and it becomes powerful in your life when it is spoken.

You Get What You Say

Spiritually speaking, words are always powerful. Proverbs 18:20-21 says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In James 3:5, it says our words act like dry wood to a fire when he wrote, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” You need to understand and harness the power of what you say.

When you speak negatively, you are helping the devil strike the match to bring about destruction in your life. Sometimes people even die as a result of their words. They say things like, “Everybody in my family dies of cancer. My grandfather died of cancer, my uncle died of cancer, and my brother died of cancer. I’ll probably get cancer and die just like they did.” However, when you speak positively, agreeing with what the Word of God says, you are lighting the fuse of God’s dynamite power to bring about victory in your situation. Now, faced with the same family medical history, you can proclaim, “He Himself took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses,” and “by His stripes I’m healed!” The choice is yours.

What you say opens or closes the door to God’s promises being fulfilled in your life. Jesus said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘be removed and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:22-23) He literally said, if you believe in your heart, and don’t doubt, and you keep your confession right, you will have it. Think about this: God says in Isaiah 57:19, that when you speak something, He creates the fruit of your lips. Imagine that! God literally makes what you say happen!

Abraham’s Example

Abraham is one of my favorite examples of God’s faithfulness, but the thing I want you to notice is that God’s promise didn’t “just happen” in his life. As you may recall, Abraham and Sarah tried diligently for seventy years to have a child – with no effect. God had promised him he would be the father of many nations, but all the physical evidence was stacked against him. Only a miracle could bring God’s promise to pass.

The miracle didn’t come until Abraham began speaking forth what God promised. He openly declared that God was going to make him the father of many nations, and he stood firm as is written in Romans 4:20, “Abraham did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief.” He agreed with what God had spoken in spite of all the circumstances that seemed against him. Then, despite the impossibility of the situation, God “called those things which were not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17) Isaac was born, and Abraham received his miracle!

Receiving Your Miracle

Here is how miracles happen:
1. You receive a promise from God.

2. A situation arises saying what God has promised can’t come to pass. (The devil is trying to steal the Word.)

3. You choose to believe God’s promise.

4. You stand on His promise and confess His promise.

5. God brings the promise into manifestation in spite of everything that was opposed to it.

God has a promise for everything you will ever need. The devil has a plan to try to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) – he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you from receiving God’s promise. If you do nothing, the devil will get his way. But if you choose to believe God and stand on His promise, saying what He says, God will bring it to pass and you’ll experience abundant life.

Suppose your checkbook says, “You’re broke!” and your financial advisor tells you that you’re going to have to file bankruptcy. Yet, you know God says He will provide for all your needs. Who are you going to agree with? What are you going to say? What if the doctor tells you there is no cure for what you have, yet you know the Bible says God will heal all your diseases? Who will you believe, and what words will come out of your mouth?

The next time you are faced with adverse circumstances, remember God is faithful, He loves you, and He is watching over His Word to perform it. Open up your Bible and find the promise God has in place to cover your need. Believe it and begin speaking it. Don’t let your words fail you – the miracle you need is in your mouth!