The Church of God of Prophecy“Quest for Holiness: Recovering the Truth”

Bible Study Lesson #5:

“In the Pursuit of the Holy God:”

“ Walk in Holiness”

Oct. 2, 2013

The Benefits of Physical Walking are Important:

Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)

Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)

Lower your blood pressure Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes Manage your weight Improve your mood Stay strong and fit

Walk in Holiness

The Benefits of Spiritual Walking are Absolute Walking implies “moving forward…” Our Christian Walk conveys the following: …a constant moving forward, maturing, and growing in Christ! …a continued progressing in our Quest for Holiness. …a continued walk forward in holiness.

Walk in Holiness

Philippians 3:12-16: 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already

perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Walk in Holiness

We must walk with a “purpose,” and a “goal” in mind.

We must have a “plan” and an “end in mind.”

We must assess why we are to “walk in holiness” by asking ourselves the following questions:

What benefits are we to derive in our quest for holiness?

What is our “true” goal on this journey?

Walk in Holiness

We must live “intentionally.” In other words we must live and walk in holiness with the intention to achieve a desired outcome.

What is our “desired outcome?” To live a life of service to the Lord, walk humbly, live righteous and walk in holiness all of the days of our lives so that “HEAVEN” will be our final destination—the outcome of our lives here on earth!!!!

Walk in Holiness

Therefore to make our Christian Walk more intentional we must:

a. …draw closer to God. b. …know your Bible thoroughly

c. …know where we are going d. …fulfill His calling on your life to the

fullest e. …walk in holiness daily

Walk in Holiness

Hebrews 12:1-3:

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Walk in Holiness

Hebrews 12:2-3: 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and

finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Walk in Holiness

“Never Lose Sight”:

… “all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on. It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.

Walk in Holiness

“Never Lose Sight”: Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.

Walk in Holiness

“Never Lose Sight”: And now he’s there, in the place of honor,

right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Hebrews 12:1–3, The Message

Walk in Holiness

James 4: 6-10: But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he

saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Walk in Holiness

James 4: 6-10: 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let

your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Walk in Holiness

Verse 6 is our starting point because of its emphasis on: “Humility.” It gives specific commands on walking in holiness. These commands are framed by the call to

humility. True holiness cannot be found without

humility because, as we ALL know, PRIDE cometh before the fall.

Walk in Holiness

These are the Steps that will help us to Walk in Holiness

—Submit to God —Resist the devil —Come near to God —Wash your hands —Purify your hearts —Grieve, mourn, and wail —Change your laughter to mourning —Change your joy to gloom —Be Humble

Walk in Holiness

“Humility” Humility and a passion for praise are

characteristics which together indicate growth in grace…. The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and again. So too, Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into doxology. Look at his three descriptions of himself.

Walk in Holiness

“I am the least of the apostles.” —1 Corinthians 15:9

“I am the very least of all the saints.” —Ephesians 3:8

“I am the foremost of sinners.” —1 Timothy 1:15

Walk in Holiness

As the years pass, he goes lower; he SEEMLY goes downward! As his self-esteem sinks, so we think, his Rapture of Praise and Adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him RISES! This is the true nature of Humility and the evidence of GROWING IN THE LORD AS ONE WHO WALKS IN HOLINESS.

Walk in Holiness

Undoubtedly, learning to praise God at all times for all that is good is a mark that we are growing in grace….

Cultivate humility and a passion for praise if you want to grow in grace.

James Packer, Your Father Loves, Adult Lesson, p.

Walk in Holiness

The Weight of Sin It is said that a flippant young man once

remarked to a preacher in mocking fashion, “You say that unsaved people carry a great weight of sin. Frankly, I feel nothing. How heavy is sin? Ten pounds? Fifty pounds?

Eighty pounds? A hundred pounds?”

Walk in Holiness

The preacher thought for a moment, then replied, “If you laid a four-hundred-pound

weight on a corpse, would it feel the load?” The young man was quick to say, “Of course not;

it’s dead” Driving home his point, the preacher said, “The

person who doesn’t know Christ is equally dead. And though the load is great, he

feels none of it.” The Christian, unlike the average non-Christian, is

not indifferent.

Walk in Holiness

Romans 6:1–13.

Romans 6 makes it perfectly clear: we are not to continue in sin. We are to live in holiness,

sanctified through and through; cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Walking in new life means shedding the old life. The old life was dominated by sin and death. The new life should be dominated by purity and life.

Walk in Holiness

Romans 6:1–13. He may not expect you to be perfect, but

He does expect you to strive for perfection and to avoid sin! We can never stop fighting temptation, and we should win the battle more often than not if we are truly walking in new life.

Walk in Holiness

Romans 6:1–13. To walk in new life, we need help from our

fellow Christians. We need to trust them, believe in them, and support them. And we need to be able to be honest about our struggles. Holiness will never be achieved alone and in isolation.

Walk in Holiness

Holiness calls for the community of believers—the body of Christ—to come together, pray for one another, support one another, love one another, and confess to one another when we are struggling, without shame and fear.

Walk in Holiness

1 John 1:5–10: “Why are we so afraid of confession?” Sin thrives in darkness and there is no

better way to shine a light on sin than through open and honest confession. Confession leads us to cleansing. Perhaps a renewed understanding of the ongoing nature of holiness and sanctification should lead us to a call for ongoing, open confession. Perhaps confession is what we’ve been missing? What do you think?

Walk in Holiness

Finding our true Center in the Stream of Sanctification:

The key is always found when the pendulum finds its true center. We must live in balance and stop swaying to extremes. To find a perfect balance on a scale, tension must be equal on both sides. This is also true of holiness.

Walk in Holiness

Finding our true Center in the Stream of Sanctification

Does holiness concern itself with what we do? Absolutely! Does holiness concern itself with who we are? Absolutely!

Walk in Holiness

Saints of God, this is a watershed event in the history of the Church of God of Prophecy. We have traveled together as a Corporate Body of Believers from throughout the world on the Quest for Holiness!

Let us continue in the Center of the Sanctifying Stream as we Walk in Holiness and claim our final reward: Heaven our Eternal Home. Amen!

Walk in Holiness