Romans 6:19b As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23a If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel,

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

MEMORY VERSE: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. —Hebrews 12:14

CENTRAL THOUGHT: To please God and be acceptable to Him in that great judgment day to come, we must give up all sin, worldliness, and fleshly lusts, and follow after and possess the true holiness that is acceptable to Him.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Romans 6:19, “your members”: The principle parts of your body that you use in expressing what is in your heart: hands, feet, eyes, ears, and tongue. “righteousness”: That which is good and acceptable to God. “holiness”: Purity and sincere respect and reverence to God.

Ephesians 1:3, “spiritual blessings in heavenly places”: Blessings of eternal value and benefit for the souls of men.

Verse 4, “without blame”: No fault or failure. Colossians 1:21, “alienated:” foreign and not subject.

1 Peter 1:13, “gird up the loins of your mind”: Bring all of your thoughts, attitudes in strict control. “sober”: Very discreet and wise. “at the revelation”: At the coming and appearing of Christ at the last day.

Verse 14, “former lusts”: The desires that you had before you were saved.

Verse 15, “conversation”: Words and actions. “sojourning here: Your present earthly time.

LESSON BACKGROUND

When we ponder and think about the greatness and goodness of God that has been shown in His creation and the history of His great and marvelous working through the ages, our hearts are filled with admiration and wonder. Our lesson brings out how we need to bless and honor Him because of His blessings so rich and wonderful to us.

Now this praise and worship that we need to render to Him is not all of the debt that we owe. He is, as our text in 1 Peter 1:16 declares, holy. In the honor that we owe to Him, we need to be holy. We need to reverence His Word and give Him honor, faithful obedience, and praise for all He has made available to us. He is bringing within our reach the promise and assurance of eternal life.

This earthly life will soon be over. Daily, death comes and life goes. We not only want to love and honor Him for His blessings and goodness, but in an even greater manner, we need Him and all of His wondrous help. As Paul declared to the people in Athens, Greece, as recorded in Acts 17:28, in Him we live, and move, and have our being. “Be ye holy, for I am holy”.

Be holy and without blame before Him in love. Obey His commands; live up to the standard of His Holy Word! Yes, we owe it to our holy Creator to live a holy and righteous life. May the Lord help us all to faithfully be as He would be pleased for us to be.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS:

1. What are our members that we need to yield as servants to holiness?

2. How should we feel in our hearts toward His holy Law?

3. What profit will we have and enjoy for living a holy life for Him?

4. What kind of society and world do we daily have all around us?

5. What kind of light can we shine before people that we daily meet?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

Here is a song that has blessed and inspired my heart through the years:

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word;

Make friends of God’s children; help those who are weak; Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide. And run not before Him whatever betide;

In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord, And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy; be calm in thy soul; Each thought and each motive beneath His control;

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love, Thou soon shall be fitted for service above.

—W. D. Longstaff

REFLECTIONS

Holiness: It is true. When Isaiah saw the holiness of the Lord, he came face to face with his uncleanness and said, “Woe is me.” When Manoah looked upon the angel of the Lord ascending in the flame of the altar, he told his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” When Simon Peter came in contact with the Master, he said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” When we come face to face with the Lord, without salvation, we too will see our uncleanness. Our ungodliness.

I used to assume sunglasses were only worn to protect one’s eyes from bright sunlight; I assumed wrongly. Many times they are worn to “protect” a person against having to expose the thoughts and feelings their eyes might convey, also giving them “liberty” to look where they want without “being seen.” The thing is, we cannot put on our sunglasses in order to avoid looking into the eyes of a Holy God or to protect ourselves from Him seeing into our eyes. Our hearts.

A holy life and looking into God’s eyes does not have to be frightening. Yes, I am human. Yes, I sometimes falter or might fail of the grace of God. But God loves me and will give me grace to live in a manner pleasing to Him. Although I have to take up my cross daily in order to live a holy life, that same holy life will shield and protect me from the disappointment, heartache, and sadness sin brings. On that final day, when every eye shall see him and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him, a holy life will be my salvation and allow me to long to see His face. Oh blessed day!

—Sis. Julie Elwell