Holiness Is the Requirement for God to Work in Your Life and Through You

I want to continue with this series, which is part of a series on holiness, because I feel that the Lord has called us to meditate on this, to reinforce those foundations, and to make them very solid in our lives and in our minds as a church. I feel that this is a call from God in this year that we have called a year of definition.

You will remember that message God gave me to share with you on New Year’s Eve: to define ourselves as a church, to define ourselves as individuals, to define ourselves in God’s calling for our lives, and also to define what we believe and what we are. And we have been talking about different things that distinguish our church—elements of our faith and our theology.

And within that, you have heard our particular understanding of holiness: the call to holiness. And we have said that our church has a certain approach to holiness. First, we believe that holiness is not merely separating ourselves from things; it is not merely removing things from ourselves, but also preparing ourselves for something, setting ourselves apart to serve the Lord. Holiness is, as we will see in just a moment, a vehicle for something God wants to do in our lives and through us.

Second, we were saying that holiness is not merely a passive matter of removing, let us say, the crudest sins, but also involves going deep into the sanctification of our emotions, attitudes, words, human relationships, the way we treat people, our feelings, and our memories. It is a very broad process.

And last Sunday we saw this in a graphic way by taking a text from the Bible, Colossians 3, and seeing how the Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, calls us to follow a path of increasing sanctification. And we saw at least four stages in the perfection of the self.

In the first stage, as you will remember—I will not dwell on it too long—the Apostle speaks precisely about what we normally think of when we think about holiness: the grosser sins of human conduct. Fornication, impurity, disordered passions, evil desires, and greed. And we were saying that many Christians remain only there; that is all we focus on. But that is simply the first level.

The Apostle Paul then says, but now, after having worked on that somewhat—because we will always be working and striving:

“…But now you must also put away all these things: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy; do not lie to one another…”

The idea is that once God has dealt with you in those more obvious and graphic areas of sin, God then expects you to begin submitting your inner being to the Lord’s dealings as well. Those things that we so often minimize in life are the source of so many problems in human life.

What divides most families, friendships, and marriages? It is not that one friend suddenly punches the other friend, gives him a black eye, and then they part ways. No, many times that friend was not sincere, said something at the wrong time, or did not forgive his friend when he offended him. That is what caused the division. It is not necessarily the worst things. It is not that he stole his wallet and took it home, or that he went to his house to eat and took a plate with him.

What so often divides churches? It is not the grossest, most obvious sin; it is gossip, a lack of loyalty, an ego that has not been dealt with by God, lying, and harshness toward one another. What likewise divides marriages?

So it is very important for us to understand that dimension of sanctification. But Paul says, do not think that sanctification consists only of giving things up and taking things off; it also means putting on new things. Then he says:

“…Clothe yourselves, as God’s chosen ones—third—holy and beloved, with tender mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, if anyone has something against another…”

Do you see? Once you have taken off all those ugly things, he says, now clothe yourself with good things as well. Do not merely tear down; build up as well. God is calling you. How do you measure up in those areas of goodness, kindness, love, patience, tolerance, forgiving the person who offends you, saying good things about others, positive thoughts, and blessing others by treating them well? How are you doing in that dimension?

I have to measure myself against that every day. And then there is the fourth level. He says that after you are dealing with all these things:

“…And above all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond…”

That, as I was saying, is the crowning jewel of the crown: love. Love sums everything up. So, brothers and sisters, what I want is for us to understand that. Sanctification is the surrender of our entire being to a process.

What I want is to continue tightening those screws because God is speaking to the church. I believe that these beautiful times of worship we are experiencing are because God is pleased with what we are doing. Things are happening among this people that make God happy. And when that is the case, God’s blessing comes, and God is calling this church to surrender and consecrate itself more fully. And when I say this church, I mean you and me. Put your name there.

God wants you to surrender yourself completely to Him. It is a call to holiness. What I want to do is make a couple of rounds through the territory of holiness, reinforce some things I have already said, and look at them in another way. We may continue for one or two more sermons, and then we will let it rest for a while and return to this subject at another time—but you will continue working on this subject.

I can tell you with complete certainty that God is speaking to His people. And listen, what a privilege it is to know that, as a church, we are in God’s will. Receive this word.

Brothers and sisters, we are a people of priests; that is why we must be holy. Priests were consecrated to the Lord. We are a people of priests, set apart to serve and glorify God. That is why holiness is so important to us.

If we were merely one more group of people, that would be different. But no—our identity leads us toward holiness. Your identity leads you toward holiness. Look at what 1 Peter 2:9–11 says. We have read it before.

“…But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…”

Notice the word royal—not in the sense of real as opposed to false. No, royal means noble, as in belonging to a king, to royalty. Yours is not just any kind of priesthood; you are a priesthood that belongs to royalty. Now, that is not so you can look down from your lofty position at the people outside. No—on the contrary, you are to act with humility and meekness. You do not deserve it, and I do not deserve it. The blood of Christ purchased that privilege for us. But we are priests, men and women, who belong to a noble, royal order. Brothers and sisters, we are princes and princesses.

We are a holy nation, set apart. Hagios means precisely that: set apart from and for. We are a purchased people because He bought us with precious blood. The Gospel is not free; the Gospel cost a life—the life of the Son of God. We were purchased so that we might proclaim the virtues of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

So we are a people of priestly kings, princes, and princesses, and every priest and every king was consecrated to his function. The prophet would come and anoint him with oil, and that anointing meant: You are set apart; you are sealed for a destiny, for a function, and you are now a vessel for a purpose God has for your life.

Oh, if only we saw ourselves that way. The problem is that we are not aware of what we are in Christ or of the position we occupy. We come to church, and one day we punch the clock, come forward, raise our hand, and everything seems to continue as before—business as usual. But I think we sometimes fail to teach the people this: Look, when you come forward or receive Christ in a small group—or perhaps one day, all alone in your home, you threw yourself on the floor and said, “Lord, I need You”—that sealed you with a new identity. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Most of us are not conscious of that. What are you in Christ? That means you are sealed. If God would help us—beginning with me—to understand that! My identity imposes holiness and a certain way of behaving upon me. A king cannot go around in the street playing marbles on the sidewalk with the little boys. No, a king walks and has to behave like one.

When have you ever seen Queen Elizabeth show up at a bar in London to drink beer with her girlfriends? Never. She keeps herself well removed from that. You see her over there, waving like a little doll in a car. They even teach her to do that in a way very different from everyone else. If I do it, you laugh; but when she does it, no. Everyone says, “Yes, the Queen.” Because her position imposes a certain way of behaving upon her in life.

The French say, “Noblesse oblige,” which means that nobility imposes obligations. You know, kings and princesses could not even marry whomever they wanted. They had to marry a prince who was sometimes horribly ugly, but he had money, a nation, and land, and the kings wanted to unite one nation to another through marriage. So the princesses and princes were mere pawns, movable pieces serving the interests of nations. Thus, when two nations wanted to make peace or unite their armies or territories, they used their children: they married them off. And the poor princess might have been in love with the handsome fellow who cleaned the floor, but she had to marry this runt because he was the prince of the other nation. And the poor woman, as a princess, had to do that because it was her duty.

People think only about the privileges of princes and princesses, but they must deny themselves many things. And that is how it is with you: you are a priest, whether a man or a woman. So your nobility obligates you to behave in a certain way. And I believe we always have to ask ourselves: What am I? Who am I? Who am I, really? Brothers and sisters, I have to say that to myself continually. It helps me remain within my proper position when the flesh, or whatever else, is pulling us in another direction. You have to ask yourself: Who am I? What is my identity? We are a people of priests, and that is why we must be holy before the Lord.

Another thing about holiness: holiness is a requirement for serving God. If you want to serve the Lord, you must sanctify yourself; you must get involved in this matter of holiness. Why? Consider the utensils of the temple—the vessels, the lampstands, the tables, the temple chambers, and the curtains. When everything was first put into the service of the temple, it was set apart; it was holy before the Lord, fearfully holy.

If the high priest wanted to throw a party, he could not just come along and say, “Okay, let’s do it in the temple because it is very beautiful and nicely decorated. So today we will give the temple the day off and use it for a party.” No. It was holy, set apart.

The priests also sanctified themselves. The same applies to you: if you want to serve the Lord, you must walk in a certain way. That is the sobering thing. That is why the Apostle Paul says, “Not many of you should become teachers, knowing that you will receive a stricter judgment.”

There are many people out there who want to be pastors—too many people, I would say. But that is because they think only about the privileges of the pastorate. “Oh, people listen to you; you can wear a tie; you do not have to go to the factory anymore; now people tithe, and you make a living…” That is all people think about, but they do not think about the great, fearsome responsibility and danger involved in walking in ministry.

And the same applies to you. If you lead a small group, if you are in the worship ministry, if you are among the ushers, or if you publicly represent your church and the Kingdom of God in any way, listen to me: tremble and fear before the Lord. I am not saying you should become neurotic, either, but do understand what it entails—that you represent the Lord, and in order to serve effectively, you must live in a certain way, because you want the Lord’s grace to flow through you.

So holiness has always been a requirement. Kings had to be sanctified, prophets had to be sanctified, priests had to be sanctified, utensils had to be sanctified, and the temple itself—the very temple Solomon built—was consecrated on a certain day. It says that God’s presence came and entered like a cloud, and the priests had to throw themselves to the floor; everyone fell down there. The Lord’s presence was so dense and so powerful that no one could remain standing, and that was like the consecration of the sanctuary.

Later, when the Jews became corrupt and began using the temple in improper ways, and sin spread even through the Israelite priesthood itself, the Bible says that the Lord’s presence departed from the sanctuary because it was no longer a holy place; it was no longer a place set apart for God.

The Jews continued doing their things, but God’s presence was no longer there. Then came the exile and everything else—the Babylonian invasion and all the destruction of Israel and Judah.

And many times that is how we are living a double life and we keep doing things as though nothing were happening. But look, the presence of the Lord has already left; it has withdrawn; you have grieved the Holy Spirit. And we have to seek that presence of God in our lives again. And that is why it is important, because holiness is a requirement for serving the Lord. If you serve the Lord, if you want to serve in some way, sanctify yourself; let us sanctify ourselves.

Another thing about holiness. Holiness is the prerequisite for blessings. Service is one thing; blessing is another. Because not everything in the Kingdom of God is work alone. There is also a time to celebrate the Sabbath and the day of rest, to enjoy time with the family, to eat roast chicken on Saturday night and the night before the Sabbath, as the Jews do.

For the Jew, the Sabbath is the most sacred and beautiful thing. But the Pharisees turned the Sabbath into something rigid, pharisaical, religious; but no, the Sabbath is supposed to be the Lord’s day, it is supposed to be a day of happiness, joy, and celebration. The Jews were supposed to dress in their best clothes; on Friday night there was a meal, and the homemaker prepared the best food. No business is supposed to be discussed during the twenty-four hours of the Sabbath. Nothing that brings work with it or reminds you of the factory or what you left behind. Everything has to be joy, celebration, play, enjoyment, fun, going to the synagogue, and worshiping the Lord.

Listen, if we understood it this way, even the Sabbath, the day of rest, has to be consecrated to the Lord, because God likes His people to celebrate. God tells you, “You had better celebrate, or I am going to knock you over the head.” Listen, that is a commandment: we must rejoice.

So not everything is work; there is blessing too. But how are you going to receive the blessing? Through holiness. Holiness is the ideal vessel for blessing in the believer’s life. Romans 121:1 and 2 says:

“…Let us offer our bodies as a living sacrifice,” it says at the end, “so that you may prove what the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God is…”

In other words, so that you may experience and confirm and see that it is real, and so that you may understand what blessing God has for your lives. How are you going to confirm what God has for you? You have to live in holiness.

Many people say, “But I do not feel the joy of the Lord. God promised me so many things, and I am not experiencing them.” It is possible that one of the reasons is that your life is not prepared to receive the blessings. There are things that get in the way. From His throne God says, “Blessing for you,” but then along the way the blessing is lost because it bounces off your life, which is not properly prepared.

You prove the good will of God when you sanctify yourself and surrender your life to the Lord. What does John 15:10 say?

“If you keep My commandments—holiness—you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…”

Look also at what verse 7 says:

“…If you abide in Me, and My word—My commandments and principles—abides in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you…”

Either the Lord was euphoric at that moment and went too far, or that is what He meant. If you abide in Christ and Christ in you—His truth, His word, His principles, His precepts are in you and you are in Him—look, ask with your own mouth. Why? Because your mind will be aligned with what God wants. You are going to ask the Lord for things that are for your blessing. There, ask, because God has for you whatever you want. Holiness is the requirement for God’s blessings.

That is how you can prove it. Why does Christ say, again, “Take My yoke upon you, because My yoke is easy and My burden is light”? And He says, “And you will find rest for your souls.” How paradoxical. The way to find rest is by carrying the yoke. What is the yoke? The commandments, the principles, the precepts, the boundaries God sets up, the fence around the abyss.

If you want to experience the Lord’s blessings, sanctify your life; purify it more each day. Another thing: holiness is the platform for the manifestation of God’s power in His servants. Here the emphasis is on the power of God and holiness. There is a connection between God’s power and holiness.

Returning to John, which, by the way, is a beautiful chapter about the consecrated life and communion with Christ—read it later and meditate on it—John 15:16 says:

“…You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you…”

Again, that same idea of God’s blessing and provision. What does Joshua 3 say? What did the Lord tell Joshua when He was preparing him to serve God? Joshua 3:5 says:

“…And Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you…’”

I believe God is saying something similar to this church, and to my own life as well: sanctify yourselves, because I intend to do wonders through you. Brothers and sisters, that follows me wherever I go. This weekend I was in Maine speaking to a number of Americans up there in northern Maine. It was a conference, and I was sitting there, and during a time of prayer and worship I went off to a corner and sat on the floor, minding my own business, as they say. And an American who does not know me comes over and says, “God is going to unleash His power in your life in a way you cannot even imagine.”

Brothers and sisters, that word has followed me for many years. I know that one day God will fulfill His purposes. I do not believe it is my imagination, because I have said to Him, “Lord, take this away from me, because, as with Abraham, You have been telling me this for so many years already.” I say, “Well, when is it going to be fulfilled?” But I am waiting. I am a man who waits: I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined toward me and heard my cry.

But I believe God says the same thing to this church. Things have to happen in God’s time, by the way. I am not planning to pull out a business card saying “Prophet” or “Apostle.” “Apostle Roberto Miranda”—well, that is up to Him. I am here quietly; I go about my business, I tend the Lord’s store, and He will know when to do things, because when they are done in God’s time, that is wonderful—not in man’s time. There is no need to manufacture the anointing. The anointing has to be real. What God wants in the twenty-first century is a real anointing, one that breaks down walls and makes cities explode. That is what God wants. The other kind is often easy to manufacture. But that is another matter.

What God says to this church is this: “Lion of Judah Church, I want to do wonders through you.” God said that to Joshua when they were ready at last to enter the Promised Land after forty years in the wilderness. Now it was the moment of truth: they were going to face giants; they were going to face Jericho itself. And God told him, “Circumcise all the males for Me, all the men.” Circumcision was a sign of belonging to God. It was a painful, graphic seal that said, “In the very essence of your manhood, there I am going to place a mark showing that you belong to Me.” It is like branding a cow with a hot iron. That is what God decided. Just look at what God is like!

The poor sisters were spared that, but I believe that in your heart God tells you, “Sister, be circumcised too.” But He told them, “Circumcise yourselves.” Today circumcision is not performed by human hands; today it is in the heart and in the mind—and, by the way, in the spirit.

Are you circumcised? But God told him, “Circumcise them first before I can use them. Sanctify them for Me first.” Because holiness is the prerequisite; it is the antechamber of power. If you want the power of God to flow through your life authentically, you have to sanctify yourself. There is a price to pay. So holiness is the platform upon which the power of God rests and lands in the life of a man or a woman.

Another thing about holiness is that it protects us from the enemy’s attacks and accusations. Place the emphasis here on protection: it protects us. Because it is a form of spiritual warfare. Many people go around rebuking the devil, trampling on the devil, and declaring confusion over the devil, while the devil sits there calmly with a toothpick in his mouth, doing the same thing he always does. Why? Because they are not living in holiness. That is how it is, brothers and sisters.

There are so many people doing this that there should not be enough devil left for all the evangelicals who have destroyed the devil and have already killed him, trampled on him, buried him, and cast him out. There should be no devil left, if it were up to us evangelicals who declare destruction over Satan. And he is as alive and kicking as he was on the earth five thousand years ago.

But that is the idea: you also have to watch your back. The devil—diabolos—means “accuser”; the devil is the prosecutor who accuses you. That is his function. And the Lord wants to protect us, but if there is impurity in your life, if there is sin in your life—in our lives—that gives him permission to wreak havoc in your life.

I was telling the brothers and sisters that wherever there is sin in our personality, our mind, or our life, it is as though the devil goes around probing inside us to see where he can find a point of connection with what he is, with his nature. I say that the devil has something like a little wire, and at the end it has a completely bare metal tip, and he goes around probing inside you to see where he can find fornication, impurity, lying, resentment, vengeance, depression, sadness, doubt, fear, or blasphemy. And when he says, “Ah, I found something here,” there it is. And he does this and fastens onto that point in your personality, and through it he channels his energy and destroys your life; he wreaks havoc.

Because the Word says that when any of you sins, do not say that it was God who tempted you, because God tempts no one; rather, you are tempted when you are tempted by your own lust.

What does the devil use as his landing platform? The sin that is in you and in me—the part that resembles him. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ once said, “Let us leave here, because the devil is coming, and I have nothing to do with him.” The Lord had nothing to do with Satan, nor Satan with Him. Satan could not find anything in Jesus that resembled him.

Now, in many of us, forget it: he could be blind and he would find something right away. Truly, one of the ways to protect ourselves—because many times we are in practical situations, relationships, and spaces where God, because of His holiness and His respect for His own law, cannot protect us as He wants to—and afterward we blame the Lord.

We were out there drunk, driving the car at eighty miles per hour; we crashed into a pillar, and afterward we blame the Lord when we are in the hospital with our leg in a cast. That is what often happens.

We have to live in a certain way so that God can protect us and guard us from the enemy’s attacks. Holiness is the best way to engage in spiritual warfare. It is economical. You do not have to go around rebuking or fighting the devil or anything else; you simply live a clean, pure life. Holiness is the greatest protection, the best form of spiritual warfare.

Now, for the next few moments, I want to dwell on this aspect. It is based on that passage from Romans 7:14–25, where Paul opens his heart before us. It is one of the most intimate passages in all of Scripture, where this great man of God allows us to see his soul, allows us to see his inner life, the personal struggle he has.

You know that many times we pastors go around presenting people with an image of being untouchable, invincible. And people say, “Wow, what a tremendous man of God. If only I could do something like that someday.” No, the pastor is a man like any other, with the same nervous system and the same struggle. We are involved in the fight, in the battle, and we know the responsibility we have, but there is a struggle. That deacon who looks like a chaste man is struggling inside, if he is honest. That woman of God who looks as though she already has everything sorted out and is going to heaven with her shoes and earrings and all has struggles, if she is honest.

And Paul gave us an example of honesty, because holiness is a process, not a state. Look at what Paul says here in Romans 7:14:

“…For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal…”

This is the man who wrote two-thirds of the Gospel, the man who had such a great vision of Christ that he was not even permitted to share it, the man whom Christ Himself called personally, knocking him off his horse, the man for whom He sent someone to pray so that he might receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the man God chose to blaze a trail for the Gospel in the Greco-Roman Empire. That man is saying:

“…I am carnal, sold under sin, for I do not understand what I do; for I do not do what I want, but what I hate, that I do…”

Some evangelicals—I still hear them around the church—do not like people to say, “Well, I am a sinner.” And I understand. I do not like to say, “I am a sinner,” but in one sense it is honest to say it. You can say, “I am inclined toward sin.” Human nature is like that. The world, the universe, is inclined toward sin. There are traps that lead us into it. But here it says:

“…I am carnal, sold under sin…”

Many super-spiritual people would say, Brother Paul, never say that. You’re making a negative confession. This is Paul saying, I am carnal, sold under sin. Now, understand what he is saying: it is not that he is a slave to sin. He is being very dramatic there, because later, in Chapter 8, we find a chapter of incredible blessing and assurance. Paul does not remain there.

This is what I say: confession of sin must always be accompanied by a declaration of freedom in Christ Jesus. In Chapter 8 you will see that he is like another man, but here he says, look, there is a dark dimension of me, a sinister dimension of me, “because I do not understand what I do. I do not do what I want, but what I hate, that I do.”

How many times can you say that, brother? After that little word slipped out—oops—you bit your tongue: But didn’t I say I wasn’t going to say it again? There it is. You promised you were not going to yell at the children anymore, but then a little boy came along and spilled juice on your favorite chair, and out came the old—not so old—man or woman. And once again: I said I was going to treat my son well and bless him instead of criticizing him. That is how it is. I do not do what I want.

“…And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good…”

In other words, if I am like this, it is good for there to be laws in the world. The modern world wants all laws to be abolished. Hey, whatever you want, amen. If you woke up today wanting to be a woman, glory to God. If you feel feminine, then put on feminine clothing, a delicate robe, let your gestures loose, and do whatever you want.

If tomorrow you feel like a male goat who wants to devour girls raw, well, amen, today you have testosterone coming out of your ears. And people want… and they criticize us because we respect God’s law. Brothers and sisters, humanity’s only defense is the law of God.

What has living in a world without boundaries brought us? Destruction. What would happen if the great highways had no walls, protective barriers, or fences around them—on those roads in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, alongside those ravines? What would happen if there were nothing in those mountains to protect us from ourselves? The best place, the safest place for a man or a woman, is within the boundaries God has established.

And Paul says, then I agree that the law is good: “…and if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good, so that it is no longer I who do it, but sin dwelling in me…”

It is as though there were a presence, an enemy army, inside me and inside you, brother. That is how Paul sees it, because he cannot explain himself. He wants to do it, but something drags him away. How many can say, I identify with you, Paul? Thank you for writing that there. Because holiness is a process. We evangelicals impoverish what holiness is by trying to turn it into something simplistic and easy: you already came forward, you already put on loose-fitting clothes and a long dress—all of that is good, amen—but now you are holy. A lie. That is where the whole thing began; forget it.

What is more, the devil is going to hit you harder precisely because of that. It is a continual struggle. And I know that in me—that is, in my flesh, in this biology of mine—nothing good dwells, because the desire to do good is in me, but not the ability to do it. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, that I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin dwelling in me.

Read that passage; it is incredible psychology. Paul was speaking with a psychiatrist and simply transcribed their conversation. That is the struggle for holiness, brothers and sisters. No one said it was easy or simple.

That is why I tell you that in this church there will be two things: the preaching of the Word of God—clear, precise, no matter where it cuts—but there will also be mercy and an understanding that this is a struggle and a long-term process. Both will be present: grace and holiness, the two joined together.

People go to one side or the other. Here we are going to try to stay in the middle of the road. There will be a clear declaration of what God expects and demands, and there will also be mercy and an understanding that this is a struggle, a battle, and a long-term, lifelong process. Both things.

So do not be scandalized or frightened because you hear a message like this, and then go home saying, no, man, I quit, because I am not going to be able to do this. No. You have companions; you are among others who are struggling too, and we tell you, come, join this group of people who are on a pilgrimage. Come, together we will support one another. When you fall, I will lift you up; if I fall, you lift me up. You watch my back, pray for me, and we encourage one another along the path of faith. When you go to those discipleship meetings in the cold of December or January and take refuge there for an hour, talking with your brothers and sisters, discussing Scripture, and strengthening one another in life’s good resolutions, that is the Christian life.

If you failed, you confess, ask forgiveness, renew your resolve to pursue holiness, and keep moving forward. There will always be holiness and mercy. That is why the Bible gives us these precedents here, because it is not easy. We will always be moving toward holiness.

In Colossians it said that: after doing this, move on to this, and after that put this on, and after that, finally put on the accessories, sisters. It is a process, and that process lasts a lifetime.

Paul himself reminds us of that in Philippians Chapter 3, verses 13 through 15. Are you receiving this, brother? How many have fallen asleep? If you have fallen asleep, you will not hear what I am saying, but do something—move around so I can see that you are alive. In Philippians 3:12, Paul says:

“…Not that I have already attained it or have already become perfect”—look at what the Apostle Paul says. I, Paul, say: I have not yet attained what I am preaching; I have not attained the perfection of Christ. I am not yet perfect, I am not complete, I am still lacking, and you will have to say that until the day you die. I am not perfect, I am not complete, I am still lacking—but do not say it in agony; say it, rather, as a new beginning.

Now, what does Paul say? “…but I press on…” I was telling the brothers and sisters: get a poster and write “I press on” in very large letters, and put it on the refrigerator—on the refrigerator door—this week: I press on. I say that the Christian life is like an arrow pressing on toward its target; that arrow is always traveling through space. Your life is like that. Your walk of faith is like that. You are an arrow. You have not found your resting place; the Lord renews you in flight, but you keep going—that arrow keeps going, going, going forward, getting better, I hope, every day. You press on in the struggle, in the battle.

“…I press on to see whether I may lay hold of, grasp, that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me…”

Christ takes hold of you; take hold of Christ too. One of you Pentecostals, make up a little chorus for me: Christ takes hold of you, and you take hold of Christ—something like that. He takes hold of you; you take hold of Him. Sisters, do not put anything else in there: it is Christ whom we must take hold of, and it is Christ who must take hold of us as well.

The Apostle James says, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. There is a mutuality. He says, I press on to see whether I may take hold of the One who took hold of me through the cross. Brothers and sisters, in case there is any confusion, he says: brothers and sisters, once again, I myself, Paul—with everything God has given me, with all the ways He has blessed me, and despite how much I preach—I myself do not claim to have attained it already.

Now, one thing I do, he says: certainly forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If you read Paul’s letters, you will see that one thing haunted him: the memory of when he persecuted the church, when he was present as poor Stephen was being stoned and they gave their clothes to Saul so that they could aim better and throw the stones harder at that servant of God who was dying there under a hail of stones. And Saul, in his Pharisaical confusion, gathered these people’s clothes so they could do a better job of killing Stephen. And that haunted him.

Paul said he was the least of the Apostles because he had persecuted the people of God. But notice what he says; I believe that is what was on his mind. He says, but forgetting what lies behind, I certainly reach forward to what lies ahead.

Paul could have allowed that image from his past to freeze him and prevent him from continuing to serve the Lord, but he said, no, you know what? I throw that in the trash; I forget about it. Now I am moving forward. If you failed, today is a new day: straighten your clothes, clean yourself up, confess, make a vow of faithfulness, and keep moving forward. Do not let the devil keep accusing you of the same sins over and over again.

What has happened in your life? What great sin have you committed? Put its name there. The devil wants you to keep stomping around in that puddle for the rest of your life and not serve God; he wants you to feel accused and fragile. God says, look, keep moving forward. I am with you; you must keep moving forward. I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It is a process that lasts a lifetime, and there will be times when we fail the Lord, but we have to get back on our feet and keep moving forward. Holiness involves struggle, inner conflict, and a deliberate decision—what we saw in Romans 7:21 through 23.

If you do not make a decision at some point, you are going to have problems. There has to be a moment of crisis in your life when you determine that today is the day I finally settle this matter once and for all. Many people come to church and keep putting it off. They are like those boyfriends who never commit to their girlfriends: they visit them, go out to eat, do all kinds of things, and the poor girl says, well, but when are you going to put a ring on my finger? When are we going to get married? Time is passing; the biological clock is ticking. I do not know whether I am speaking to someone; I am prophesying. But many people are like that in the Gospel: they are in the Gospel, but that moment of crisis when they finally consecrate themselves has not yet arrived.

The truth is that they are still waiting to see whether someone better comes along. There are so many men and women like that. They are there in case something else does not work out, but if they see a better option, they leave this one and choose the better one. And many people are like that in the Gospel. They are in the Gospel, but psychologically, subconsciously, there has not been a moment when they say, you know what? I burn the ships; there is no turning back now. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. I now know what my goals are, what my formula for living is, and now I am moving forward. And I consecrate myself; I surrender myself. The deal is closed. I am no longer for sale.

Many men come to church and are still playing the little game; women too. I know what I am talking about, brothers and sisters, because these are things that I myself wrestle with and have wrestled with, and I am a psychologist because I know myself; I study myself. And I know that until that moment arrives when you burn the ships and die to yourself, the devil knows it and Christ knows it too, and you know it subconsciously, because the games of the human mind are the most horrible thing. It is a bottomless abyss.

There has to be a moment when you decide, that is it: I consecrate myself; I am going to live this life authentically. There has to be a decision on your part. And you know what? Many times we put that off because we think we are going to become ugly, boring people. It is exactly the opposite. That is when God is going to set you free to be the beautiful, wonderful person you can be. Sin is what prevents you from being yourself. The devil tells you, if you let go of that, you are going to become something ugly and unpleasant. And Christ tells you, no, I want to give you life, and life abundantly, so that you may laugh, so that you may rejoice, so that you may be beautiful, so that they will invite you to the party because you will be the life of the party, because of how delightful, conversational, and carefree you will be in your life.

But first it involves struggle. A decision must be made. Nor is it the product of our effort. Look at everything I am saying: there is a decision; you have to struggle; you have to battle—but do not turn it into a matter of works. You will never be able to become holy by yourself; you will depend on the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within you will give you strength: the Word of God dwelling within you, the principles of the Kingdom of God on which you will meditate, the noble conversations you will have, the good books you will read, the holy and beautiful music you will listen to, the constructive things in which you will participate—those things will strengthen you on the path toward holiness.

It is the Spirit of God who will take greater and greater possession of you and live His life through you. You are not producing holiness, because otherwise it becomes works, and works then lead to pride. And in Christ, works are nullified so that no one may boast. No, it is God in you, the Word in you, the life of Christ in you. To the extent that you yield yourself to the Lord and offer yourself as a living, holy, pleasing sacrifice, the Lord completes His work in your life. You are not the one who has to do it; it is Christ in you.

Abide in Me, and I in you, and you will bear much fruit. Just as the branch cannot abide unless it is attached to the tree, so you can do nothing without Me, says the Lord, because apart from Me you can do nothing. It is by clinging to Christ, by plugging yourself into Christ, that Christ’s energy will flow through you and enable you to become what Christ wants you to be.

Write that down and take it home with you, and then unpack it. Holiness requires a sincere and active acknowledgment of our sinful condition. Holiness begins when we surrender our lives to the Lord and know: I am a sinner, Father, and I need Your grace.

What does the psalmist say? For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. If you conceal your sin, if you disguise it, if you deny that it exists, God cannot heal you. It all begins when you confess to the Lord: I am struggling, and I need Your grace, Lord. You have to acknowledge it first.

Holiness must be pursued in peace and dependence on the Lord. Not with anxiety and a sense of guilt. Not with rigidity, because that turns into Pharisaism. No, it is done in peace. You relax, and when you relax, the Lord’s grace can flow more freely through you.

Our justification has already taken place through Jesus. We are already pleasing to the Lord. What I am saying is that the fruits of righteousness, the good works, are not so that God will bless us and save us; it is because God has blessed us and saved us that we conduct ourselves in holiness. Holiness is not meant to save you; it is because you are saved. It is a fruit of righteousness.

Finally, brothers and sisters, based on that passage, I beseech you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. I remind you that holiness does not have to do only with sexuality, with what is obviously immoral or moral, but also with ethics, human relationships, character, the use of our resources and possessions, and the total perfection of the self. It is the complete surrender of one’s being for the exclusive use and glory of God. Rest in the Lord now.

Take a moment. Receive everything you have experienced and take it deep into your heart and mind. God is calling you. Lion of Judah, God is calling us. Young people up there, wherever you may be listening, young adults, I know your hormones are raging, but God is calling you to a holiness befitting the house of the Lord. Men and women of God, let us gird up our loins to fight the good fight and press on toward the mark. Let us cleanse ourselves, let us purify ourselves, let us put on the uniform of holiness, which is a beautiful uniform. It is not a false uniform; it is a genuine uniform.

Men and women who have paid the price can wear it with honor. God is calling you—I am prophesying to you now—God is calling you, calling me, calling us to a holy life, pleasing to God.

Receive this word. Let us stand. Take something from here and seal it in your heart and spirit. Remember what I am telling you: part of holiness is giving Saturday, the day of rest, to the Lord. If we want God to move, we are going to have to make adjustments, because the Word of God must be preached. That is how we will be washed and built up, informed and educated and trained. It is everything; it is the whole enchilada, from A to Z.

When you leave here, continue dedicating this day to the Lord and your life to the Lord—your entire being. And tomorrow, when you begin work, dedicate your work to the Lord. Consecrate it to the Lord. Your car—consecrate it to the Lord. Your radio, your compact disc player or whatever it may be, your iPad, your computer—sanctify them. Your home, your family, your marriage, your mind, your emotions, your memories, your will, your intellect—consecrate them to the Lord.

Your profession—consecrate it to the Lord. The way you dress—consecrate it to the Lord. Your sexuality—consecrate it to the Lord. Your appetites—consecrate them to the Lord. The way you have fun, your sense of humor—consecrate them to the Lord. Your friendships—consecrate them to the Lord. Everything, everything—surrender it to the Lord. Put everything on the altar of sacrifice, the Lord tells you.

Not only now and here. No, when you leave, take the plate of holiness with you. Take this food God has given you. Son, I want to use you. Son, I want to bless you. Daughter, I want you to be My priestess. Young person, I want to make you a great evangelist, a teacher of My Word. Man, I want to appoint you as a trainer of leaders. I want to use you to advance My kingdom. Circumcise your heart, your mind, your body, your being. Purify yourself. Ask the Lord for that.