Holiness unto the Lord

The definition of the church is :
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9

Today, Pastor Paulraj talked about the holiness of His people in 3 stages:

Holiness is not an option but an obligation.

1.Positional holiness

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 1 Corinthians 1:30
Holiness is personified in Jesus Christ; one without spot or blemish, one who was sent to the earth in a human form to break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. And in this, He will bring the children of God into glory through His suffering, giving Him authority over all things.
24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Hebrews 12:24

And in order to be His children who will receive the crown of life we need to accept Jesus Christ into our lives so that we can worship the LORD who made everything, and whom everything was made for Him, in the beauty of holiness!(Psalms 96:9)

Usefulness, being emotional, successful, and talented and giftedness are not marks of holiness. Just like spiritual gifts and spirituality are not synonyms. God does not tolerate the wicked who do not walk in obedience to His commandments.

16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth, Psalms 50:16

2.Progressive Holiness

What is needed to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Remember that Jesus is born in a manger, a place infested with filth, and He wants to live in u, who is a wretched sinner.
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21

So, how do we achieve both positional and progressive holiness?

By His Sacred Blood
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

By His Scriptures
Sin will keep us away from the Scriptures and Scriptures will keep us away from sins.
17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
1 John 17:17
By the Spirit of God
We need to be filled (pervaded, dominated, intoxicated, led) by the Holy Spirit.
13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13

By Suffering (fellowship with Him in suffering)
:escape
:endure
:enjoy
10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:10
The Holy Spirit wants to be the president of our hearts not a resident. How many times have we blocked out HS for our own busyness and contentment?
12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Philippians 1:29

3. Perfecting Holiness

Not obtained but attained

2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
Be ready for the last moment by being ready every moment.

Im not sure about you, but I definitely am certain that I have chosen to walk in the beauty of His Holiness. And to be holy, one is separated from sins and set apart for God alone. When the word ‘holy” is glorified in this warped world as a negative term, we need to depend more on Him to uphold this divine holiness. As I examine my life, His Word keeps me conscious of being holy for Him. I regret the many times sin had surreptitiously crept into my life, especially when I was quick to wrath, like last week when I slammed my laptop in my frustrations. Sin blinds one from the concept of holiness and heads one for hell as a slave of the fear of dying. Holiness is not an instantaneous transformation, it is a progressive one that tests faithfulness. The ungodliness of Israel made the Lord angry for 40 years and therefore they were never allowed to enter His place of rest. Their disobedience caused them to rebel. If we do not desire to be holy, we are destined to perish like old clothing and not remain forever.

sharing:
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mathew 16:26

God does not make a bad deal. Man possesses a body, but he is a soul. A soul is of more value than the whole world, as Jesus said. The truth of this appears through the application of any of the common criteria for determining value:
COST: It cost the blood of Christ to redeem one soul.
PERMANENCE: A soul will exist until the worlds have passed away.
AFFECTION: God loved the soul enough to reclaim it.
UNIQUENESS: No two souls are identical.
for us, He sacrificed Jesus, one He called His Son, greater than the angels, that makes us more valuable in the sight of God.

the little things that made my heart cheer up - thanksgiving:
for the skirt James bought for me from chiangmai
for the bracelet Julie bought for me from Manila( but i lost it =( )
for the mystery gift david bought for me from the States
for the many good things Marcus had bought for me
for my observations that have been successful

.... absence makes the heart fonder, in it, speaks a wisdom seemingly telling me some people are just meant to be vulnerably and fondly missed.