In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of living a holy life as a demonstration of the power of the gospel. He shares a personal testimony of a man who was once a hot-tempered weightlifter but was completely transformed after believing in Jesus. The preacher highlights that simply telling people about the Lord's saving power is not enough; our lives must be a model of holiness for others to see the change. He also mentions the story of Elijah, who lost courage and faith when faced with opposition, emphasizing the need to react in a positive and faithful manner during times of suffering. Overall, the sermon emphasizes the transformative power of the gospel and the importance of living a holy life to lead others to Christ.

But He, for our profit, that we might be partakers of His Holiness. Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised by it. May the Lord bless the reading of this scriptural portion. These days we were concerned sometimes about the holiness of God and the importance of holy living. Various aspects we have considered on this subject. I thought I will share a few more things related with the subject of holiness. When God saved us, He has just not saved us as sinners and made us saints so that we will reach heaven. That is not the only purpose of His coming on the world. He is coming on the world that He not only should save us, but He is expecting that we should live a holy life on this earth. Otherwise He would have just as soon as we believe would have taken us into heaven. That is finished everything. That is not what His Lord is expecting from our life. Lord expects that we should live a life that is pleasing to Him. A life of holiness that we should manifest in this world. The holiness is a process. It is not an end in itself. It will be accomplished only when we reach the other shore. In this world as we live, the process will continue. The Lord is operating in many ways to accomplish that process. Jesus Christ came into this world not just to save us, but to make us live a holy life. We will read one verse in that connection. 1 Peter 2 verse 24 very clearly says about that. 1 Peter 2 verse 24 The purpose of the Lord's coming is mentioned. It is written like this. Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree. That we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. Here the purpose of the Lord's death on the cross is very clearly mentioned. Jesus Christ came into this world not only just to save us, but He is expecting that the saved ones should live a life that is righteous life. That is mentioned. That is we being dead to sins. That means we should have nothing to do with the sin. In relation with the sin we are dead. And not only that we should live unto righteousness or we should live a holy life. So this is the ultimate purpose of our salvation. But this process the Lord is exercising in our life in various means. One of the way which He brings holiness in our life is described in the Hebrews chapter 12. If you look into the Hebrews chapter 12. There are so many things are mentioned about the Christian life. And how Lord is molding us into His likeness. Chapter 12 of Hebrews verse 5 to 11 if you carefully read. It is referring about the discipline in the house of God or discipline in the life of a believer. How God disciplines us. Now it is always a question in our mind. Why the suffering comes in my life? I don't think anybody is here seated that we can say that no I don't have any suffering. No. Everyone of us has one or the other way we have sufferings. The human nature or the human life is like that. But the question is not that. Why the righteous suffer? I am just living alright. Why God is sending all this trouble to me? Why this problem to me? That is the question arises in our heart. The Hebrew writer in this passage giving an explanation why a righteous man suffers. Why the child of God suffers? Why the redeemed people are suffering? This is what he is explaining here. There are two three reasons he is explaining. But one of that reason he is saying that we should be the partakers of his holiness. There are many reasons are there. In verse 10 he says that we will read it again that verse. For they were only for few days chastened us after their own pleasure. But he for our profit that we might be the partakers of holiness. Lord is sending sufferings, chastenings, punishments in our life. The reason for that he is not loving, he is not the expression of love. It is actually the expression of his love. And he is expressing his love by punishing us. And that punishment it should ultimately bring holiness in our life. Of course I punish my children. Not that I hate them. The main reason I love them. So that is what the Hebrew writer says. A father he is comparing the punishment of a father to the children. The father is punishing the children because the father loves the child. He deserves the child should be living a good life. He should be alright. He should be a good person. So he is expecting a better thing in his life. That is why a father is punishing. So same principle he is saying. But not only that is the expression of love. Second thing he is saying here that they should be the partakers of his holiness. But the question in our mind, how we respond to these sufferings? When the problem comes, when the difficulties come, how we respond? There are various reactions we have. Now the Hebrew writer says that you should not negatively respond to that. Now two things he is mentioning in verse 5. Just let us look at that. Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12 verse 5. He says that my son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord. One of the way we react to the chastening is that we despise it. We take it lightly. Some children are like, you beat any time. Whatever you beat, they just, okay my daddy is beating, my daddy cannot understand. That's all. They take it very lightly. They despise the chastening. They never think what my daddy is expecting from me. They never consider that daddy is expecting that I should improve. They will walk in the same way, whatever you do. That is the meaning of it. Should not despise. We have a classical example of despising the divine chastening in the Bible. That is Lot and his family. We read that when they are Sodom and Gomorrah, he had a lot of problem. But whatever problem came, really in his heart he was grieved, but he tolerated. Just okay, this is alright. He never expected to come out of that place. He never thought to run away from that place. He despised the chastening of the Lord there. Many times we also react in such a manner. When God gives us warnings, signs and sufferings, we have to think, Lord, why this is happening in my life? Whether you have a purpose in my life? Whether you are expecting that I should improve in my spiritual life? We should examine, that is very important. We should kneel down and pray to the Lord. We should understand God, why it is so. So we should not despise the sufferings that come in our life. The second way we react is, again it is mentioned, Nor faint when thou art rebuked by him. When the Lord rebukes, should not get fainted. This is also another way of reacting. That is what happened to Elijah, isn't it? The mighty man. The man who did a great thing for the Lord. But one lady just uttered some words. Tomorrow I will show you. Immediately what happened? All the courage vanished. He went under the jinniputim, started lying down and said, Lord, it is enough. It is enough, Lord. Because I am not better than my father. It is enough, I am finished. He wants to finish all of his life. He got fainted out of that. See, when the suffering came, sometimes we are getting fainted. Disappointing. No Bible reading, no reacting, no interaction with others. All the things are stopped. These two reactions are not good. Many times we react in this manner. Either we neglect it, take it lightly, or we get fainted. Now what is expected God in our life is that, that is what we read in verse 11. That we should exercise by it. We see now verse 11 we will read. Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised by it. The sufferings that comes in our life is taken as a spiritual exercise. God, I don't know why you are sending all this trouble to me. But we understand that you are my father. You send all these problems. I know that you are expecting a better life in me. You are expecting that I should improve my quality of spiritual life. I should improve my relationship with you. I should improve my relationship with others. That is what God is expecting. We should exercise about it. And when we exercise about that sufferings, definitely what the Lord will bring, that will be the holiness that is expected in us. And if we do that, really our spiritual life will improve. No doubt about it. It is not that easy thing. It is easy to preach. I know that. But when the difficulties comes, sometimes we are reacting in a very different way. But we should understand our God is good. And He is good all the time. But Satan always asking a question. Do you think that your God is so good? If He is so good, why He is sending all this trouble? Always this question comes in our mind. Satan always says, why this trouble for you? You are going for Sunday, you are reading the Bible, you are praying, everything you are doing. Why this trouble in your life? This is the way the Satan always ask. So, God is sending the trouble so that we should improve more and more. You take the example of job. Job is the best example. He had any problem? No. The God certified. He got a certificate. He is a perfect and upright man. He keeps away from all the evil. Then why God send so much trouble to the job? Ten of His children died all of a sudden one day. It is shocking, isn't it? All what He had, He lost everything. Why God send that? Sometimes we wonder, we cannot understand. Only the eternity will reveal. Why the suffering comes sometimes? Sometimes this side we won't be able to understand. Let me tell you. But God has a purpose behind it. You have to understand. Our God is always good. See in Psalm 145, in the memory of goodness of God, good works. He did everything good. And our God is good. And we should understand. So, we should be, see like job. He never uttered anything against God. And that should be our attitude towards the sufferings. And definitely, Lord will bless us. And He is expecting, as I told you, that we should manifest His holiness. That is one of the most important purpose for suffering. So, when we are undergoing sufferings, I know that all those who are seated here, one of the problems, sometimes we won't be able to reveal others. We won't be able to share others. But we have our own sufferings. But commit to the Lord. Lord, I know that you are giving all this trouble, all problem in my life, so that I'll be purified. As always used to say about the gold, isn't it? The goldsmith will pass it to the fire. Not one time, two times, he'll go on passing through the fire. Why? The goldsmith may say, I'm so good, why are you allowing me to pass through the fire, isn't it? Yes, He allows us to pass through the fire. Till when? You know, I always heard about the sonawala. The sonawala, always he puts the gold in fire. But at that time, when the gold is in fire, that we have to understand. He will never look here and there. I heard about a story about a believer. He is a goldsmith. He always keeps sometimes gold. He wants to make his ornaments and all. He keeps the gold inside the fire. Sometimes believers visit his shop. But when the gold is in the fire, whoever comes, he will not look at them. He will always keep his eyes upon that gold. The believers know that, so they will also stand silently there. And he will go on changing the gold inside the fire. They will patiently wait. He will never look here and there. His eyes are always upon the gold. Then the question arises, when he will take it out from the fire? Till his face reflects on that gold. When his face reflects in that gold, he understands the gold became so pure. Yes, that is what God is expecting. We should manifest His holiness in our life. And we are manifesting His image in our life. At that time, He will take us out of the fire. He wants to purify us. The holiness should be manifested in our life. That is one of the purposes for allowing us to pass through the fire. So, let us think about that. Why Lord is allowing us to pass through that? Then we should appreciate His goodness in our life. Now, there are various reasons for allowing, that God is expecting that we should live a holy life. There are various reasons. One of another reason is that, we should live a holy life. So that others will understand the power of the blood of Lord Jesus Christ. Or we are saved. And how we say that we are saved, and Lord Jesus Christ is able to save us. Actually, when they look in our life, they should understand that this man is something different. He has changed. Then we can able to tell them what made the change in our life. So, the holy life is the demonstration of the power of the gospel. Yesterday, I met a man. He said that I am an international weightlifter. I was an international weightlifter. But I was a hot-tempered man. I cannot speak to anyone without giving a beating. That is the way he used to talk with others. He was a very healthy man. But he said 10 years before, Lord has tested my heart. And now I am completely transformed. Nobody can believe the same person or not. And he testified to me. He said that it is all because I believed in Lord Jesus. It is not by my work. I am a completely transformed man. Now people are wondering how these changes have occurred. And they are looking at me. The changes occurred because I believed in Lord Jesus Christ. It is a demonstration of the power of the gospel. If we live like others, what is the difference? You say about Lord Jesus Christ. What is the difference between you and the others? Whenever I go to my college, I used to see a person seated there in the church across my region. He is carrying a lot of rusted wheels of the bicycle. The broken wheels are there. And the wheels are fully rusted. Completely rusted. And he is sitting there with some solution. And one or two wheels he has polished it. They were so shiny. Why he is keeping like that? Because he wants to sell his solution. If you say that the solution is good, it will remove the rust and rust. Nobody will look at him. Nobody will buy that. But he is keeping the rusted one which is cleaned by his solution. And if you ask, I want some solution. What he will say? He will ask whether the solution is good. Yes, it is very good. He will take little solution and take the rusted one. And he will press it and show it. How it is shining. How the rust is removed. Just by showing, telling that this solution is good, this solution is good. Nobody will buy that. So, by telling the people that Lord saves and makes you holy and holy and holy, nobody will believe. You are an example. You should be a model. If your life has changed, people will come to the... That is very important. The people will come to the Lord when we are changed. So, our holiness is a thing that is manifesting the power of the gospel. So, we need to live a holy life. That is very important. Now, another reason for living a holy life, we see that 1 Peter 3 verse 1. For the sake of others, we need to live a holy life. Peter says about the family life here. He says the wife, you should submit yourselves to the husbands and live a life that is in a model or a worthy life. The reason he says in verse 1. 1 Peter 3 verse 1. In the same manner, your wives be subject to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the behavior of the wives. Peter says wives should behave properly at home. Your conduct should be right. Why? Whatever the husband says should be submissive. Why? The reason says that when he looks at your behavior, when he looks at your attitude, your walk, your talk and everything, he will understand my wife, when I married, she was not like this. They were, of course, both of them were unbelievers. One day they went for a gospel campaign. This is the story behind it. Both were unbelievers, one day they went for a gospel campaign. She understood the gospel. She understood the power of Lord Jesus Christ in saving a sinner. She accepted him. And she made a share to the husband. I accept the Lord as my savior, I believe it. But he cannot believe it. But the day from which she accepted the Lord, her behavior is changed. Yes, very good. Her behavior is changed. So he was observing that behavior. Her lifestyle is changed. That means he understood that there is something behind this. That means the gospel can change a person. So our behavior is very essential. For the salvation of others, we should live a holy life. If you want to save your colleague, if you want to save your neighbor, if you want to save your friend who is in the college, in the school, how you ought to behave? You should behave in a righteous manner. Live a life of holiness. So for the sake of others, we have to live a holy life. Now finally, one more thing I want to tell you. If you live a holy life, what will happen? It will be uncomfortable for us. Really, it is good for us. The best thing is that we should live a holy life. We will be very comfortable, really speaking. As somebody said, if you tell a lie, to correct it, you have to tell ten lies, you have to say, isn't it? If you always say the truth, you need not bother about anything. Otherwise, you have to think what you said at that time. Then you have to correct it. Your mind is always getting troubled. Always say the truth, you will not have any problem. Let us turn to Psalm 45. Psalm 45 speaks about Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 45, verse 7. Thou who lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness, speaks about Lord Jesus Christ here. Therefore, God thy God hath anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy fellows. Some people think that Jesus Christ was very sad. He never laughed, he never enjoyed, anything like that. I always believe that. Of course, there is no verse that says that Jesus laughed. We read that Jesus wept, that is true. But I do believe Jesus was the happiest man ever lived on the surface of the earth. This verse says like that. Look at that verse. He says here very clearly that the God hath anointed thee with oil of gladness. He was glad, he was rejoicing. He was enjoying, he is not enjoying the life. He enjoyed the life. He was the happiest man ever lived on the earth. Why? The reason is given above. What is the reason? Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness. If you hate wickedness, if you love the righteousness, what will be happening? You can live a happy life. A holy man will be a happy man. So, if you want to live a happy life on this earth, what we have to do? We should live a holy. So, we should understand how important is to live a holy life. Holiness is very essential in our life. So, of course, we may not attain the absolute perfection in this world, but definitely Lord will operate in our life provided we commit ourselves to him. Sometimes we think how we can be holy. I think it is just to submit ourselves to the Lord, that's all. Allow the Lord to operate in our life. There are a lot of misunderstandings about the holy living. Some people think that holiness is something which we have to do outside, you know. Come Sunday morning with a white dress, then you will be holy. In the earlier days, you know, in the Sundays, all the church, we say, everybody in the church, in my childhood, I still remember, on Sunday morning everybody will wear white cloth. White cloth is good. I don't think that dark cloth is nice. But white gives some impression, mental, this one. But that will never make you holy. External things are not. That is the Pharisees, they thought like that. Pharisees thought that whatever we do externally becomes holy. That doesn't mean that you should not leave an external aspect. You have to consider external. Let us turn to the verse which is very clear to that. Matthew chapter 23. There we see the Lord is speaking to the Pharisees about the external holiness. And what he says about that? Matthew 23, verse 25. Verse 26. First, that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. He is not saying that outside is not needed. Don't misunderstand me. Outside is needed, but the first what you have to do, you have to clean inside. Without cleaning inside, outside sure has no meaning at all. So, outside and inside equally we have to consider. Let us read the next verse. What the Lord says to Pharisees. Verse 27. O unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. That is a sad thing. Inside all the dirty things, and outside showing whitewashed things. No, that is not right. Whitewash is good, there is no doubt. But inside also should be clean. Both outside and inside should be clean. But the Pharisees was considering only outside. So, the only is not an external thing, it is an internal. Holiness is an internal process. It starts from inside. That we have to realize first. Now, another thing as I told you, of course there is a Lord who is doing it. We cannot make holy like that. But only from our part we should be submissive to that. I always think about the barber shop, you know, the gents, the men can understand. If you go to the barber shop, and you sit before the barber shop, he will cut the hair. But suppose you go on turning your head like this, what will happen? Definitely he will say, get out of this place. Whatever he says, we have to be obedient. You cannot move your head as you like it. No, no, it is my head, I can... No, not like that. You have to be submissive to him. If you are not submissive, that is not possible. So, the most important thing is that, God is operating in our life. That is true. But what we have to do, God allows the Lord to operate in our life. Lord Jesus Christ very clearly said in John's Gospel, chapter 15, He can do nothing without me. Without Him, we cannot do anything. If you want to bear fruit for Him, if you want to live a holy life for Him, He has to operate in our life. But for that, our cooperation is very important. We should cooperate with God. God, sometimes He allows painful things to happen. Very painful. But allow Him to operate. Oh God, I know that. It is very painful for me. I cannot bear it, oh Lord. It is very difficult for me. But I know that you are doing it for my good. That is very important. God is good all the time. All the time, He is good. So, He is operating in our life for our good. So, let us commit our life to Him. Definitely, Lord will help us. I heard about a statement of St. Augustine. The statement is like this. Without God, I cannot. But without me, God will not. Without God, I cannot live a holy life. But God will not do it without me. If I go on doing something else, God will not do it. My cooperation, my submission is essential. Holiness comes from God. It is God who operates it. But we should commit ourselves to Him. We see, John's Gospel chapter 15 is very beautiful. It says about the bearing fruit in our life. And there we see the farmer comes with a knife. Oh, knife. Very difficult, isn't it? Why he is coming? To prune the branch. Which branch? The branch which bears. That is a sad thing, isn't it? Already bearing the fruit. But the branch which bears, he is pruning. Sometimes we will be very much useful for the Lord. But God desires that we should be much more useful for Him. So, sometimes He prunes the branch. It is painful. But He is doing that for our better, for our improvement, for our process of holiness. So, the Lord used to allow us to pass through various experiences in our life. The ultimate objective in the Lord's mind is that we should live a holy life. So, may God help us to think about it and help us to surrender our life to Him as individuals, as a family and as an assembly so that Lord will bring forth many fruits in the coming days. May God bless this words to our heart.