In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of being found doing the right things when the Lord returns. The imminent return of Jesus is seen as a powerful motive for living a holy life. The speaker encourages believers to feed their new nature and not indulge in the desires of their old, corrupt nature. The sermon also addresses the need to make wise decisions regarding the use of money and to consider if certain actions are fitting behavior for a child of God. The speaker references 1 John 2:28 and highlights the importance of having confidence and not being ashamed before the Lord at his coming.

...for holiness that are set forth in the word of God, then some of the areas in our lives that should be affected, and then some of the principles from the scriptures that should guide us in our everyday life. There are many, many different motives for holiness, but before we get to them, I'd just like to say that when a person is truly born again, he receives an instinct for holiness. It isn't a question of gritting his teeth from then on and trying to be holy. There's a real instinct for holiness. I'm dealing with a young fellow out on the west coast just now. He's only been saved a short while. Before he was saved, he was on drugs. He was on liquor. He was with a motorcycle gang. He was a real tough. But God was working in his life, and one day he was going through a shopping mall with his sister and brother, and there was a girl there, a young girl witnessing for the Lord, and she came up to this group of three young people and she said, Have you heard the word of the Lord? And his brother and his brother and sister started to mock and jeer and laugh. But he said, No, what is it? Seriously. Shortly after that, he was on a college campus, and one of our fellows spoke to him about the Lord Jesus, and he was ripe fruit. He just fell right into the hands of the Lord. Well, when God saved him, he changed him. He was no longer an unclean animal. He became a clean animal overnight. And I don't think I've ever been in the presence of this fellow, just a young fellow in his early twenties. I don't think I've ever been in his presence where he hasn't spoken to me longingly and lovingly of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Now, that's a wonderful thing, isn't it? If you could take a young tuff like that out there tasting the world and see him saved by the grace of God and his life is absolutely transformed. I look at him and I can hardly believe it's the same guy. I often think of that dear girl in the shopping mall that day who said, Have you heard the word of the Lord? You know, I hope she hasn't got discouraged. She doesn't even know he saved. She might have thought she made a fool of herself out there that day because the other two young people laughed and scorned and jeered. But I think there's a word of exhortation there for all of us in our witness for the Lord Jesus. No word ever spoken for the Lord ever falls to the ground. That should be a real encouragement to us. We might think that we see nothing from our witness. It's there just the same, but you might meet it in heaven. I'm getting a little off the track, but I have a friend out there in California. He's an American Airlines pilot. And before he was saved, he lived back on Long Island, he and his wife. And a family next door used to talk to him about the Lord. And they had a very cold, hard exterior, this young couple I'm speaking about. And they just kind of shrugged it off. But one day, this pilot was deadheading in a plane. And he sat next to the president of Dallas Theological Seminary. It's wonderful how the Lord can arrange the seats in a plane, isn't it? And not long after that, he was flying. He was co-piloting with a pilot who spoke to him about the Lord. And by then, he was ready and he got saved. Now, that family back on Long Island probably thought that their witness never meant a thing, but it did. Those people never forgot it. And it was just one of the links in the chain of their salvation. But what I started off to say was that when God does save us, he changes us, doesn't he? I think one of the distressing things we see today is so much profession and so little change. Where is this instinct for holiness today that I'm speaking about? Well, in addition to the instinct, there are a lot of powerful motives in the Word of God why we should live holy lives. This is up to mention one right at the beginning of the meeting, because the Bible commands it. God says, Be ye holy, for I am holy. The holiness of God. God is holy. He's without any case of sin or defilement. And if we are his children, we should bear the family likeness, shouldn't we? A very powerful motive to me is the fact that our sins cause the death of the Savior. I don't know how I can ever forget that, but I do. When I sin, I forget it. Our sins cause the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I should not want to go on in that which caused him his suffering, shame, and death. The hymn writer says, The depths of all thy suffering, no heart can e'er conceive. The cup of wrath o'erflowing, for us thou didst receive. And O God forsaken, on the accursed tree, with joy and sour skin, Lord Jesus, whatever, should bear our sins. And now that I'm saved, that should exert a tremendous influence. My love to the Lord Jesus should be a motivation for holiness. I owe him all that I am. I owe him all that I have. And his, for time and eternity, should exert a purifying influence. He was out with another to sin. And George said, No, I can't do that. And the other kid said, Oh, your father told you not to do it. And he said, No, my father didn't tell me not to do it, but I know it wouldn't do it, isn't it? My father didn't tell me not to do it. It should be ever to do the thing. The daily we should pray that pleases your heart. It should make us want another motivation. Dishonor on the name of the people are reading up every day. They're watching for us. You've done this. You cause the enemy and they still dig up the name of David and one breath. They say a man after God's own heart and the other. I think powerful motive for holiness is that the life of holiness is the best to come to realize. Because sin seems so attractive in prospect. But it's so bitter in retro. When the temptation is there before me, it seems so appealing. The scorpion of holiness is the best life. The New Testament, the Bible is filled with commandments. It's filled with instructions in righteousness for the people of God. In fact, if you say anything to some people today, they say, Oh, that's legalism. This is one of the great dodges today. That isn't legalism. The New Testament is filled with commandments. And these commandments are designed for our good. Not God. Did you ever think of that? All the commandments of the Lord and the sacred scriptures are for us. Does it mean to the great God? Whether we obey or not. Still unrivaled in his majesty, glory and excellence. God has filled the scriptures with instructions for us. Commandments, if you will. And they're designed for our welfare. They're designed for our happiness. They're designed for what the Bible is. And I should just add that the commandments of the New Testament are unproductive and result in eternal reward. You know that the body, the church of Christ exerts a sanctifying influence on believers. And when I sin, I'm letting down those who have who have really trusted me, who have really looked to me. And I must not do that. And then finally, sin hinders our prayer life. Remember the son of that if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. There must be clear channels of communication with God and sin clogs. And so I cannot really expect a fruitful, effective prayer life if I'm going on in sin. Now, there are many other motivations for holiness, and we're going to be touching on some of them before the morning is over. Holiness has to do with almost every aspect of our lives. It has to do with our speech. The tongue is an offending member. It's really amazing, isn't it? Somebody said the tongue is in a wet place and is apt to flip. The word of God says, let no filthy communication proceed out of your mouth, but rather that which is good to the youth of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. And I think as I examine my heart, the biggest causes of offense are the things that we've said. Pray that God's before our lips. Offending. My friend George Verwer, he started to tell me something one day. He was speaking about another individual, and he started to tell me something about that individual, and it sounded really juicy at the beginning. And right in the middle of the sentence, he stopped. And he said, no, that wouldn't be edifying. I've been dying of curiosity ever since. In the middle of a sentence, and he never finished the sentence. I thought, boy, I want to be like him. It has to do with our temperance. I don't know many things that are more harmful to our testimony as Christians than short fuse in social context or whatever it may be. Be kind. Tenderhearted. Forgiving one another. Be angry and sin not. It's not safe in hands except the hands of God. One of the things that's required of an elder, isn't it? Must not be short of this area of his life. We live in a society that's really based upon, you know that. And you know the temptation in your own life to shade the truth. Somebody asks you something, you don't want to tell them. Holiness affects the clothes that we wear. You wouldn't think that, would you? People say today, God isn't interested in the outward. God is interested in what's inward. Well, that's true of the inward. And you turn to a passage like Isaiah chapter 3, where he exclaims of Judah. To me, because in many ways it was fulfilled during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. This is in the New Testament. It has to do with our clothes as well. Holiness has to do with our food and drink. You wouldn't think so, would you? But it does. Recently on the table, two big flasks. I didn't want it neither. Not because I think it's wrong to drink wine, but because I think it can be very stumbling to young believers. Drinking wine is quite accepted in a country that has never known moderation in drinking. It can be a great stumbling block to others. Paul said he wouldn't drink wine as long as he lived. If it caused a brother to stumble, that's the way I feel. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, when he reminds us that our body is on us when we remember that truth. Our parent relationship has to do with our business relationships. I hope to be talking about that before the week is over. Some of the ethical problems that people face in business today. To be different in business. To be known as those whose word is their bond and who will not cheat, who will not cut corners. Holiness has to do with our social relationships, our companionship. Has to do with our material passions. Has to do with our worship. Worship the Lord in a beauty. Paul speaks about the incongruity of sin in our lives. And pretending to worship him. When things haven't been made right with our brothers. He says, leave your gifts at the altar. Very, very practical. Spotlight. And we may be speaking more about that, too, in the days to come. Discipline and the things. Because the mind, and the Bible teaches, if you can control the fountain, you can control what all begins in the mind. And toward other, toward the unsaved. Our recreation and amusement. Our spare time. I guess we could say that holiness has to do with everything. That will guide us. I know that this will be elementary for some of you here. But I think it's basic. And I really believe every day decisions come up in life. Can I, as a Christian, engage in this act? Deal specifically with every activity. Carry our Bibles to meetings, would we? Maybe like trying to deal with everything. God does this. He tells us to put certain principles into our computer. Just feed these things into your computer. So let's go over some of these. The first is, is it distinctly forbidden in the word of God? The first test is, go to the Bible and say about the subject. For instance, 2 Corinthians 6.14 says, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. You could hardly be clearer than that, could you? Don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. In marriage. In business. In any other type of a yoke. God says, avoid it. That should settle a lot of areas in life for me. It doesn't mean that I separate myself from the world. Because I'm called to go to the world and testify against it that its deeds are evil. And to announce to the world that there's a way of deliverance from that shallow way of life. That there is eternal life in Christ Jesus. I don't separate myself. In the Greek it means exactly the same. Does the Bible have anything specifically to say? Is there any glory? 2 Corinthians 10.30. That's a very helpful thing. That really narrows the area of activity very well. Can you go to work tomorrow in glory? You can do that by being a conscientious worker. By not being a clock watcher. By being different from the others in the office. By producing and doing good work. Wash dishes to the glory of God. Yes, you can wash. ... services conducted here three times daily. Of Christianity and nobles. And nobles. Some of the menial tasks. The Lord Jesus speaking of his disciples in John 17.16 said, They are not of the world. Even as I have to have a good... In order to make himself happy without God. I think of it as a system that's in alienation to God. I think of a system where Satan is the ruler and all. I think of it as a system that has its own... My disciples are not of the world. They don't belong. So, when I face problems in life, I have to ask myself, Is this of the world that men glorify? That are abominations. Those are things that are in the world. And James says that the man who's a friend of the world is an enemy of God. An enemy of God. How would Jesus have done it? Peter tells us, 1 Peter 2.21, that he is our example. We should follow his steps. 1 Peter 2.21. Would the Lord Jesus have done it? ... 20th century. He does face the... And we should make the... ... to God when he did it. And he testified... ... came in here. You gave me no... ... civilities of life... ... and I came in... ... hasn't ceased. I'm doing it when the Lord returns. I think we quoted that verse last night. 1 John 2.28. ... that when he shall appear... ... we may... ... various times in my life... ... this is... ... in the imminent return of... ... he hears all I say. He's writing all the time. And he's coming again too. Number six. Which nature does it feed? It has two natures. An old... ... a new nature. I couldn't be happy until this planet... ... and I have a... ... nature too. ... corrupt nature. And in it there dwells no good thing. But I have the nature of Christ too. The nature that I feed... ... is the nature that dominates. Number seven. Can you feel free to do it... ... when you remember that your body... ... fitting behavior... ... the king... ... I was in the navy... ... and one night I went... ... a great deal. He knew just where I stood. ... and his wife out and... ... they put their heads in the guillotine... ... and executed them. And then... ... going to kill him too. And so they took him out with his... ... execute him. And then I... ... said don't kill him. You'll only send his soul to heaven. That's too good for royalty. They said turn him over to Meg... ... the old witch. Let her seduce him... ... into sin. Don't teach him to be a sinner. ... began to try to teach him... ... him to be profane. He would say... ... I will not say it. Turn to be a king. Dear friends, we are born of a king. High standards for us. And we have to ask ourselves... ... is it fitting behavior? Okay, number nine. If it involves the expenditure... ... a lot of things are good in life... ... a lot of things are better... ... and some things are the best of all. And we have to grade things... ... in our own mind. It's not something that... ... you can judge me... ... or I can judge you. See the dollar go... ... might go... ... to further the work of Christ. If it involves the expenditure of money... ... could the money be better spent? Jesus said... ... make friends... ... regaining the time... ... management. What effect... ... next, what effect... ... will your conduct have? 14 is the key passage... ... on this... ... on that basis. But he was a great smoker. One day he went out... ... tobacco... ... that his... ... smoking... ... was being used... ... as a justification... ... for others. ... have to be to... ... behavior. Number 12. Is it doubtful? Paul says... ... whatsoever is not of faith... ... is sin. I think it's a good thing. It's neither black... ... nor white. Does it have the appearance of evil? In 1 Thessalonians 5... ... and there are things that I might do... ... that are innocent enough in themselves... ... the appearance of evil. Somebody looking on... ... might misjudge... ... every weight... ... of the sin which doth beset us. I think a weight is anything that... ... slows you down... ... in the Christian life. No role in the... ... what they do. They... ... material things... ... can be a tremendous weight. They can anchor us... ... when the Lord wants us to be... ... moving. Watch out... ... for the weight. And one final thing... ... I'd just like to suggest to you... ... and that is this... ... how does it appear... ... in the eyes of Christ? I think it was F.W. Grant... ... that the... ... the only real test... ... for anything in the Christian life... ... is how it appears... ... in the eyes of the Lord Jesus. Now I think if we really... ... feed these principles... ... into our computer... ... next week... ... when we go back... ... to Minneapolis... ... or wherever it is... ... we're going to face problems... ... plenty of them. We need those... ... to obey them... ... greatest evangelist... ... the greatest of a... ... crooked and perverse... ... will give us... ... decisions... ... as they guide the camp... ... bearing his reproach... ... living for him... ... from day to day... ... we ask in his worthy... ... and precious name. Amen.