Called to Holiness: Embracing God's Transformative Purity

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For this is the will of God, your sanctification, your holiness, and then he applies it to sexuality, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to take his own vessel, each man take his own wife, in holiness and honor, not in the passion of desire like the Gentiles who do not know God. [00:20:43]

Because the Lord is an avenger in adultery and fornication and sexual immorality, the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. And now he gives an added argument, right, for because, for God has not called us in impurity, but in holiness. [00:45:55]

We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we argued that's not an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. This is an effectual work of God, summoning us out of darkness, out of this world into his own kingdom and glory. [00:54:59]

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you. So he's all about holiness, which now includes sexual purity. May he sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus. And then he undergirds that exhortation, may it happen, with this: He who calls you is faithful. [01:03:12]

This is not a simple, well, you're invited, I sure hope you make it. That's not the reasoning, is it? You can see that it's not. He says, may God sanctify you, and then he says, he's called you, therefore he's faithful, therefore he'll do it, he's going to do this. This is not up for grabs. [01:09:44]

We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. So if you're called, there's no question this is going to happen, which includes this. He's going to do it, he's going to be faithful to his call to make you holy, and so all things are going to work for your good if you're called. [01:20:08]

Those whom he predestined he called, and those who he called he justified, and those we justified he glorified. In other words, the salvation that starts in predestination and ends in glorification is absolutely sure. There are no dropouts here. Everyone he predestines he calls, everyone he calls he justifies, everyone he justifies he glorifies. [01:26:00]

It is what God did in the mouth of Jesus when he said, Lazarus, I call you, come out, and life came into the dead. That's the way we are called. And so this is a good parallel here in First Peter 2:9, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession. [01:38:40]

That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That's a parallel to God has not called us for impurity, that's darkness, but in holiness, that's light. This call right here is the same as the call right here in First Peter. He has called us out of darkness into light. [01:43:44]

Take your wife in all honor, honor her, honor God, take her in all holiness, guard your brother's wife, know God, operate in a sexuality that is rooted in knowing God, rooted in holiness, rooted in honor, because you've been brought from death to life, you've been brought from darkness to light, you've been brought from impurity to holiness. [01:51:36]

Be who you are. God has called you into his kingdom and glory, so live there. That's the argument. It is full of divine activity and divine promise. Now the question is, in view of that kind of argument, how does this work? Therefore, whoever disregards this life of sexual holiness disregards not man, but God. [01:55:52]

Who gives us his Spirit, the Holy One. How does that work? Next time. [02:02:16]

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