You Shall Be Holy

Posted on by Terry L Brown

Are you holy? What does it mean to be holy? How does one become holy?

The Apostle Peter, speaking to Christians, commands…

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV).

Holiness isn’t just to be the possession of pastors or preachers or seminary professors. Everyone who names the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior is to be holy. If you are a Christian you are commanded to be holy. But, again what does that mean? And how does one become holy?

Well, there’s a story in the Old Testament that I want focus on that teaches us what holiness is and in stark terms how seriously God takes holiness and the consequences of being unholy.

The story takes place in the book of Joshua, specifically in chapters 3 through 7. It tells the story of Joshua leading the Israelites into Canaan to take possession of it in fulfillment of God’s promise to them to have it as their home.

Their first combat mission was to take the city of Jericho. And they overwhelmingly succeeded in doing so having followed God’s unorthodox battle plan with apparently no loss of Israelite life.

Things were looking good for the Israelites. So, they engaged the enemy again, going up against the little town of Ai. After Jericho, Ai should have been easily taken. But they didn’t consult God first. And the results of the battle were a disaster. The Israelites fled from before the men of Ai and ended up killing some of the Israelite solders.

Joshua couldn’t understand why they had been defeated, badly. He fell on his face before God (something he should have done before going to battle against Ai). Eventually God told him…

“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you” (Joshua 7:11-12 ESV).

Having entered the land of Canaan the Israelites consecrated themselves unto the Lord. They were committing themselves to be holy as He is holy. But the foundation of holiness is obedience and someone in the camp of Israel had disobeyed God’s commandments. Israel was no longer holy. As a consequence she could no longer stand before her enemies.

The situation Joshua found himself in was precarious and very dangerous. They were in enemy territory. And those enemies would soon learn of Israelite’s defeat at Ai. That would embolden them to consolidate their forces and wipe out the Israelites. Therefore, it was imperative that the holiness that Israel had been clothed with when they consecrated themselves upon entering Canaan be regained.

They did and went on to take Ai.

What’s this got to do with us as Christians? We are at war with the powers of darkness, Satan and his demonic warriors. It is only when we are clothed with holiness that we are able to defeat these powers. The story in Joshua teaches us what it means to be holy, what happens when that holiness is compromised, and how to regain that holiness. Though this story happened thousands of years ago by reading and studying it we as Christians can gain insight into how to fulfill the command…

“You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16 ESV).

Now, if you have ever tried to be holy by gritting your teeth, having believed your willpower is sufficient to enable you to become holy you have undoubtedly been frustrated and thrown up your hands in despair. Well, let me try to encourage you. I’ll throw a teaser out there for you to ponder (the answer to which is revealed when you listen to the sermon) revealing how you can be holy.

God isn’t just giving us a command to be holy; He’s giving us something else too. What? Listen to the sermon and find out.

“Remember, God isn’t asking you if you’re able to be holy; He’s asking you if you’re willing to be made holy.”

What’s a Christian to Do

Posted on by Terry L Brown

What’s a Christian to do?

For decades I have voted for imperfect people. For decades I have voted for people who don’t agree with everything I believe. And for decades there has been one thing that has been a deal-breaker for me when it came to deciding who to vote for or who not to vote for – abortion.

For me if a candidate was able to fix all of societies many ills and yet was pro-abortion, I would not vote for him. Every other issue pales in comparison to the importance of this one. For one to believe that the killing of unborn human beings is anyone’s right reveals, at the very least, a lack of understanding of the humanity of the unborn, and at the worst, a complete understanding of the humanity of the unborn and choses to murder them anyway. Such people live on the level of serial killers, murdering the innocent for any reason or no reason at all.

This year we have two very imperfect people running for President of the United States. One, Hillary Clinton, is unashamedly pro-abortion. She is Planned Parenthood’s most powerful and beloved champion.

You remember Planned Parenthood don’t’ you? It’s the company that kills babies and butchers their bodies to harvest their organs to sell to equally diabolical companies. Planned Parenthood and Clinton are best buds.

Clinton is so depraved that she believes it’s a woman’s right to have an unborn baby that has reached nine months of age in the womb to be pulled from the womb feet first until the neck and the back of the head is exposed allowing the executioner to stab the baby in the base of his head with a pair of scissors to create a hole big enough to insert a vacuum into the baby’s head to suck his brains out and then crush the baby’s skull. That’s partial birth abortion. It is the most horrific sin America is guilty of and Clinton enthusiastically supports and empowers those who practice this sin. For all her crimes, and they are many, nothing reveals the extreme evil that has taken possession of her heart than this.

The other imperfect presidential candidate is Donald Trump, a man who is brash, egotistical, brutish, a cad, and immoral in more ways than one – something he has in common with most politicians in varying degrees as well as with at least a few of our fellow Americans. But in spite of his many deficiencies he is also pro-life. At least he says he is pro-life. I realize that in the past he has expressed pro-abortion views and it has been suggested that he is now just presenting himself has pro-life to get Christians to vote for him. Is that possible?

Yes. It’s also possible he has actually embraced a pro-life belief. He has stated unequivocally that he is pro-life and he tore into Clinton in one of the debates for being pro-abortion, specifically pointing out her belief that partial birth abortion (see above for details concerning this type of infanticide) is acceptable and an option women should be allowed to choose. He also reiterated his promise to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. Could he be lying? Yes. But I have no doubt Clinton is speaking the truth when she says she is proud to stand with Planned Parenthood – a company that murders on average 900 to a 1000 babies every day. And I have no doubt she is speaking the truth when she says she will appoint pro-abortion judges to the Supreme Court. That would ensure the holocaust perpetrated against the unborn would continue unabated for decades to come. That is unacceptable.

So, it comes down to this. Trump or Clinton will be the next President of the United States.

I absolutely will not under any circumstances vote for Clinton. To do so would be to make me an accessory to murder causing my soul and spirit to be stained with the innocent blood of butchered babies. How could I stand before my Lord with such a stain? Answer: I could not. Nor can anyone else. So, make no mistake, to vote for Clinton, knowing she is radically pro-abortion, is a sin. You may not like to hear that, but it’s the truth.

I will vote for Trump, not because he’s a saint, for he is not. (Of course neither is anyone else that I have ever voted for). And any attempt to justify his sins because they aren’t as grievous as Clinton’s is wrong. We are not to declare the guilty innocent. But is voting for someone who is guilty of being a sinner (and we all sin and fall short of the glory of God from time to time, even those who have been forgiven through having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) a declaration of innocence? No. If it were every time we casted a vote for anyone we would be declaring the guilty innocent because every one of us is guilty to one degree or another.

I will vote for Trump, not because he’s innocent, but because I believe he will protect the innocent – unborn babies.

Does voting for Trump imply I don’t trust God? Not at all. I trust God to protect me when I drive to and from work, but I still buckle my seatbelt. I trust God to protect me when I cross an intersection, but I still look both ways – even if it’s a one-way street! Trust in God isn’t revealed by refusing to use reason and discernment when making decisions, believing I have no responsibility for what happens to me – or others. Trust in God is the result of walking hand-in-hand with Him and wisdom gained from having built a relationship with Him through prayer and obedience.

Do I trust God? Yes. And I will vote for Donald Trump, not because of who he is, but in spite of who he is; and if doing so saves even one baby from the deadly clutches of Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood I know I will one day be able to stand before my Lord and hear Him say…

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).

How Great the Darkness

Posted on by Terry L Brown

Think America has sunk as morally low as she can go with the legalization of sodomite marriage? Think again. It is one thing for secular society to embrace spiritual darkness and spread it through the laws of the land. It is something entirely different for churches to embrace spiritual darkness and spread it through the pulpits. How great is that darkness for it is a darkness that claims spiritual authority not just manmade authority. It is the darkness of Hell where unseen demonic beings whisper into the ears of fallen man the lies he craves to believe because these lies tell him he is god. Once that lie is believed man is ready to be consumed by Satan and his demonic horde. The Bible doesn’t say for no purpose…

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Think of it this way. Lies are like a demonic meat tenderizer for your soul. The more lies you believe the more palatable to Satan and his minions you become. And his most accomplished “chefs” are false teachers, preachers, and prophets for they live in deep darkness. And I’m going to introduce you to one of these demonic “chefs” and some of those whom he is feeding his lies. It helps explain why we are witnessing the most divisive election in America’s history.