Core Values: A Life of Holiness
Even though some things around us are changing, we are still the same church.
“We are here to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus. Join us as we…experience God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference.”
Core Value #1: We desire to be a church where people prioritize and pursue the presence of God.
Psalm 27:8 (NIV) - My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Core Value #2: We desire to be a church where people prioritize and pursue a life of holiness.
1 Peter 1:14-15 (NIV) - As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do
Slide
Holy - ”Sacred, Pure, Set Apart"
Holy:
“Exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness…”
"Devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity…”
“Having a divine quality… venerated as or as if sacred”
When we become children of God, our lives should be different than they were before
Sacred - "Dedicated to a Holy purpose"
Pure - "Not mixed or blended with any other substance or material"
Set Apart - "Reserved for a Special purpose"
Consecrate - "Intentionally set something apart to be dedicated to a Holy purpose"
Sin in our lives separates us from God
Psalm 24:3-6 (ESV) - Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Matthew 5:8 (ESV) - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 23:25-28 (NLT) - What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. 27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Mark 7:21-23 (NLT) - For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT) - When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 12:14 (NKJV) - Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord
When we walk WITH Him, we will walk LIKE Him
Walking with God will cost us everything... but it’s not an expense—it’s an investment
Spiritual maturity is being ok with knowing that if He’s asked us to change or let go of something, it’s for our good
What if we lived our lives remembering that God IS always with us… how would our choices, big or small, be affected?
“God, as I walk WITH You, may I walk LIKE You.”