Do our everyday choices even matter? The things we do, say, or prioritize can feel like they don’t have a purpose in the bigger picture. But they do. They matter to God, and they have the ability to make a lasting impact on everyone around us. In this video, Pastor Sean Sears shares how each of us are made for a specific purpose, and how we can change the look of a neighborhood, a business, a basketball team, or a family when we focus on God’s purpose for our lives.
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MESSAGE NOTES
The things we do really matter, not just to God but everyone around us. Your life has the capability to change people. One or two Christians who are locked into following Jesus can change the look of a neighborhood, a business, a basketball team, or a family.
[1 Peter 1:13-14]
“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.”
[Ephesians 1:4-7]
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
[2 Corinthians 6:17-18]
“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
The word that describes the act of separating ourselves from our past, from our addictions, from sinful habits, in order to please and honor God is…Holiness.
- Holiness is simply being forgiven and clean
Peter then tells us three things about living this way…
- WE ARE TO BE HOLY BECAUSE GOD IS HOLY
[1 Peter 1:15-16]
“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.””
[Leviticus 11:44-45]
“For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground. For I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.”
[Proverbs 26:11]
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”
2. HOLINESS DOESN’T COME NATURALLY TO US
[1 Peter 2:1-3]
“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
[1 Peter 2:4-5]
“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.”
[Romans 12:1]
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
3. HOLINESS DRAWS OUR FRIENDS TOWARD GOD
[1 Peter 2:11-12]
“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”
[Matthew 5:16]
“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
“Nothing is so compelling as a genuine Christian and nothing is more repulsive than a fake one.”
[1 Peter 2:9]
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
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Application Questions
- What stood out to you from this message and why?
- What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
- What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
- How will this message change how you act at home, work and in your relationships?