Well, hopefully you had some good things you were able to share with one another.
Let me just say the reason I got you to do that is because there are so many good things that we can share amongst each other and with each other.
But as we've just sung, there is something good that ought to be on the tip of our lips all the time, and that is the goodness of Jesus Christ.
And that's what we've been discovering more and more in a deeper way here at St. Paul's in this series that have been joining in in the last number of weeks of In Christ.
As we've just sung, his mercy is more, his goodness is more.
And there's something that we are deeply committed to as a church of discovering that more and more.
And if there's something that you don't know at this point, we would delight for you to know in that.
We really would want you to know that.
His goodness, I think, is reflected really well in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
From now on, regard no one from a worldly point of view, though once we regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
The old is gone, the new is here.
And all of this, the whole lot of it, is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him, that's Christ, we might become the righteousness of God.
That we might become right before God.
So that's the heartbeat of St. Paul's, that we have not just the goodness of Christ, that we are in Christ, and it's entirely his work and not ours,
but that he's also given us this ministry, this serving the world with this message of hope in Christ.
In the next week, we have, if you've seen the Seasons magazine on page 18, we have one way that we can display that to the number of people who come to St. Paul's in the course of any given week.
But this coming Friday, we have our open house morning tea, where we just get an opportunity just to connect with members of our community.
So I would invite you to be part of that.
It's here, start kicking off at 9.30.
Come and connect with some of the people from our wider community who are already here on that day.
And we've got at least two groups here on that day.
But we're inviting anyone from the community to come along.
So come along, be part of that, and just connect over morning tea and chat with members of our community.
At the heart of the Christian life is the gospel.
It's what we call the gospel.
It's the good news of Jesus Christ.
I've just read it out to us from 2 Corinthians 5.
There is absolutely nothing, nothing that any of us do.
Not a single human being can do, deserve to have a right standing with God.
It's a gift that he gives us completely freely in Jesus Christ.
And as we've seen in the past weeks, that means that the Christian is fully accepted by God, loved dearly as he loves his own son, Jesus.
It means that everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to the Christians.
And it's solely, completely based on the obedience and the work of Jesus from the beginning to the very end.
We don't contribute a single thing to it at all.
Even if you've been a Christian for five, six, seven, eight decades.
You don't contribute a single thing to it.
And the danger is that we can see, well, if that's the case, then it's a great deal.
What a great deal.
You know, God's in the business of forgiving sin and I'm in the business of committing it.
I mean, great deal.
How then do I live?
The Christian is in Christ to be like Christ.
And that's what we're exploring today as John brings God's word to us.
But what the Bible tells us is that the gospel displays our sins so clearly to the world.
And therefore, we ought not hide our sin from God, our heavenly father, but to confess it with a repentant and obedient heart.
So we're going to do that now.
And we don't confess our sin hoping to be accepted by God.
We confess our sin because we already are in Jesus.
It's the gift.
Confession is the gift of the Christian.
So let's pray together.
Heavenly father, we praise you for adopting us as your children and make us heirs of eternal life.
In your mercy, you have washed us from our sins and made us clean in your sight.
Yet we still fail to love you and serve you as we should.
Forgive us our sins and renew us by your grace that we may continue to grow as members of Christ in whom alone is our salvation.
Amen.
Psalm 103 declares God's mercy and comfort for the penitent.
It says,
Let's continue to pray.
Gracious God and loving heavenly father, you are eternal, but we are finite.
You are supremely powerful and we are powerless.
You predestine the days, but we don't even know what's going to happen moment by moment.
You are the one who is faithful, but we lack faith.
Not a word of yours falls to the ground, but we struggle to fulfill any of our promises.
You are perfect, but we are marked by sin and failure.
Where our love is fickle, yours is a covenant love that is consistent and true.
We are grateful that you have made it possible for us to know you and to relate to you.
We are so grateful for your infinite love in redeeming this broken and sinful world by the Lord Jesus.
Give us a strong sense of all of your mercies this day and the hope of future glory so that we might joyfully live,
loving you and all of your commands.
Give us teachable hearts that are earnest and intense and passionate about what matters most to you.
Give us the patience to labor hard and deep into your word,
to meditate on it and encounter more of your majesty and your mercy.
We are so weak and easily distracted.
And so we need your enabling each day to stay focused and committed to valuing your word.
And so we commit to you, our preachers and our community group leaders,
our next-gen leaders,
that they may lead us from your word and pass on to us a biblically informed love for you.
May they be committed to the authority of your word.
Shape the culture of this church by your word,
that we might love you and love what you command.
And so please guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit in such a way
that all of us who call themselves Christians may be led in the way of truth
and hold the faith in unity of spirit and the bond of peace
and in righteousness of life as we seek for your name to be honoured here in Chatswood and beyond.
We thank you that you have brought so many people from different backgrounds together into this city.
And so help us as a church of forgiven sinners existing in such a diverse community
to display your grace, your goodness, your beauty, your forgiveness, your mercy to this city.
Empower us as a church to live out our calling and our unity in you
by working hard to break down the walls of misunderstanding that so easily divide,
increasing us a genuine humility and a love for all people.
So we would ask as far as the gospel does that you would humble us,
rid us of the pride that would elevate one group over another.
Give us the grace to listen to each other and even here where we have wronged and done damage.
May we be quick to repent and to seek restoration and healing.
And Father, we pray that we would be ambassadors in this world
that desperately needs to know the hope of Jesus.
Almighty God, you are our sovereign Lord and King.
And you're the one who blesses all who seek refuge in you.
And so we pray for our world in all its devastation and destruction.
We pray especially for Nepal and Tibet as they recover from the flash flooding
and also with the risk of further to come.
You are the God of compassion.
And so please provide for those who have lost everything.
As the floodwaters recede, protect people from illness,
provide them with resources to rebuild homes and livelihoods.
Our hearts ache for the families who have received the news of lost loved ones
and for those who are waiting for the news.
And for those who are waiting for news with a deep uncertainty of moment by moment
as to whether their loved ones are alive or not.
So many people, nations even, deeply impacted.
And so would you comfort those who mourn for the lost ones
and those living with the anguish of uncertainty.
We'd ask that you would grant strength, endurance and skill to emergency workers and search teams.
Keep them safe, we pray.
May they reach many who are still alive.
Direct them in that way, we pray now, Lord.
As the whole creation groans with the effects of sin,
we are thankful for our mission partners, INF and Anglican Aid,
who are on the ground and ready to provide help and relief to those impacted by this disaster.
And so please give them wisdom as they determine where resources should be directed.
And despite this devastation, please strengthen your people in trust and faithfulness.
We pray too for the five Nepali students that we are,
this church is funding in their training right now.
We ask that you would strengthen them in this moment of devastation,
feeling all the impact on it.
Strengthen them not just to be able to focus on their studies and complete their studies,
but this would shape them for a life of service.
Service of you in a country that faces so much hardship,
devastation from natural disasters,
persecution from groups,
and even the lack of support of a government.
As they show others your love,
give them opportunity to speak about the hope that they have in Jesus Christ,
not just for now in this life that you are the one who walks with them,
but you are the God who gives them life forever.
Through this we ask that you would bring many people in Nepal and Tibet into relationship with you.
Help them to know that you are God,
their ever-present help in trouble,
and that nothing in all creation can separate us from your love.
Lord Jesus, may you come soon
and restore all things.
And we pray all this in your name and for your glory.
Amen.
We're going to open our Bibles.
1 Peter chapter 1.
Mel's going to come and read.
And as we read this and as John preaches,
may our attention be to God's word that we might hear it
and we might inwardly digest it and mark it
because as Jesus himself said,
none of us live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
And so may it be life for us this morning.
Amen.
Verses 13 to 25.
Is this working?
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,
set your hope on the grace to be brought to you
when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
As obedient children,
do not conform to the evil desires you had
when you lived in ignorance,
but just as he who called you is holy,
so be holy in all you do.
For it is written,
be holy because I am holy.
Since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially,
live out your time as foreigners here,
reverent fear.
For you know that was not with perishable things,
such as silver or gold,
that you were redeemed from the empty way of life,
handed down to you from your ancestors,
but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world,
but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God,
who raised him from the dead and glorified him.
And so your faith and hope are in God.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth,
so that you have sincere love for each other,
love one another deeply from the heart.
For you have been born again,
not of perishable sin,
but of imperishable seed,
through the living and enduring work of God.
For all people are like grass,
and their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers,
the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Thank you, Mel.
If you have not met me,
I'm John.
I'm a long-term regular member here at this church.
I became a Christian in Hong Kong in the early 80s,
and came to Australia in 87,
and started coming to this church around 2001, 2002.
And I really love being together with you,
serving among you,
and being led by our staff team,
Steve, Ash, and Nick,
as well as Jess and Craig.
I thank God for everyone of you,
for you are my spiritual family.
You have chosen to be part of this particular family,
to do life together as the body of Christ.
That is so amazing and wonderful.
And living as a Christian is doing life.
It has a lot to do with our union with Christ,
and how we are relating to each other.
We have been reflecting on various Bible passages
to ascertain what is involved.
We have talked about being found in Christ,
saved in Christ,
justified in Christ,
together in Christ,
and dead and alive in Christ.
And if you have missed any of those sermons,
please visit our YouTube channel or our app.
And indeed, you will also see today,
I will cover a very broad and pervasive aspect
of Christian life, holiness.
Holy in Christ.
And I have three points.
God's holiness,
your holiness,
and our holiness.
We have just read a passage from Peter's first letter
to the early Christians.
Peter is one of the main leaders of the early church,
one of the main disciples of Jesus.
And he urged them in 1 Peter 1,
1 Peter 1, 14 to 16,
As obedient children,
do not confirm to the evil desires you have
when you live in ignorance.
But just as he who calls you is holy,
so be holy in all you do.
For it is written,
Be holy because I am holy.
The early Christians faced with a lot of challenges
and opposition in their beliefs and relationship with God.
And so are we who try to live our Christian life
in today's society.
Instead of giving in and conforming to the world,
he calls Christians to be holy in all we do,
just as God who calls us is holy.
Peter quotes from the beginning session of the Bible
from Leviticus.
This session of the Bible tells about God's creating this world
and human,
and how God established and continued to maintain relationship
with his creation.
The very first time the concept of God's holiness
was introduced straight after the world was created,
on the seventh day of its existence.
In Genesis 2, verse 3 said,
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the works of creating
that he had done.
This statement shows three things about God.
Firstly, God is the holy one.
He is the holy of his very nature of being.
Secondly, he made holy.
God's method to make holy is by coming in
and resting with his creation.
And thirdly, he sent his sanctifying word
when he makes holy,
always accompanied by a blessing.
When God blessed the seventh day
and made it holy,
he elevated it above the other days,
setting it apart for the revelation of himself.
When the Bible talks about holiness,
it often refers to setting apart or separating.
When God rests from all the work of creating
that he had done,
the glory of that day surpasses everything before it.
It is a glorious day for God to rest
and enjoy the work of his creating.
God's holiness is God's glory and vice versa.
All God's perfection center in the word holy
and his glory streamed out from it.
From eternity,
before and during creating,
God has one purpose in mind for human
and their highest glory in the coming eternity.
That is to be a particle of his holiness.
He wants to keep blessing us by his holiness.
The seventh day never ends.
Not like the sixth previous day where he say,
and there was evening and there was morning
and so-and-so day.
In this day,
we don't count the days anymore.
We count our blessing in God,
as Nick had pointed out last week.
God said that
never-ending day for us
to count how God makes us holy,
to consider God's holiness.
Even though human ends up disobeying
and rebelling against God's original intent,
but that does not nullify God's plan.
The second time the word holy
appeared in the entire Bible
is in Exodus chapter 3,
when God appeared to Moses
in flames of fire from within a bush.
Strangely, the bush was on fire,
but it did not burn up.
And Moses wanted to go over to check it out,
and at which it said,
when the Lord saw that
he had gone over to look,
God called to him from within the bush.
Moses, Moses,
and Moses said,
here I am.
Do not come any closer.
Take off your sandal,
for the place where you are standing
is holy ground.
A fire often draws us towards it,
but equally,
we also instinctively keep our distance from it,
because we know that
if we get too close,
it will harm us.
In Exodus,
throughout and throughout the Bible,
fire points to God's holiness,
and how such holiness
endangers sinful people,
and excludes them from God.
Back in Hong Kong,
I have an uncle
that is a goldsmith,
and he often invites me
to his workshop
to see how he refined
his gold by the fire.
And the amber of that modern gold
was so attractive,
and I really want to touch him.
But every time,
my uncle says,
as I want to move my hand a little bit,
it's a strong warning to say,
hey, this is not for you to touch.
Moses is whom God will give the law
and whom God used to lead his people back to him.
And during his first encounter with God,
he saw something that attracted him,
and he did not know
that he was approaching the holy God
and he was in danger.
So God told him
not to get any closer
and take off his standouts,
for the place he's standing
is the holy ground.
Why is it a holy ground?
Because God was there.
God came there
and occupied that ground.
Where God is,
there is holiness.
The presence of God makes holy.
God did not reject Moses
or kill himself away,
but he set a way for Moses
to stand in the holy ground.
And the condition for that to happen
is very simple and accessible.
Remove your sandals.
The removal of sandals
is a lesson in simple obedience
because obedience
is a condition of being
in the presence of the holy God.
Through Moses,
the law will be revealed.
When the law is given,
sin will be manifest
and humans will feel
their distance from God.
The intention of the law
and command is that
the human,
in learning to know
himself or herself,
or his or her sinfulness,
may learn to know
and long for God
to make them holy.
God's holiness
is presented in a flaming bush.
It draws near,
but at the same time
instill a sense of fear
within us.
Having a proper fear
towards God
and respect his holiness
is what God asks of us.
The English Bible
uses words like
holy, holiness,
keeping holy,
saints, sanctify,
sanctification
to translate the same word
in the original language.
when God or Christ
is called the holy one,
the Hebrews,
and the Greek word
is precisely the same use
when a believer
is called a saint.
He or she, too,
is the holy one.
Peter explained
the reason a believer
is holy
in verse 18 to 20
that was read out.
It is not
with perishable things
such as silver or gold
that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life,
but with the precious blood
of Christ,
chosen before
the creation of the world,
we feel in this last day
for your sake.
Through him
you believe in God,
who raised him from the dead
and glorified him,
and so your faith
and hope are in God.
People of God
long to be made holy,
Christian long to be
sanctified in Christ.
The full meaning
of being a saint,
being sanctified,
the priceless blessing
we long to fully possess,
all originated
in the awe-inspiring act of God
through what he has achieved
in Christ.
God's holiness
is revealed
in his interaction with us.
He made holy
by his presence.
God revealed himself
to Moses
in flame of fire
from within a bush.
The fire signified
purifying work,
but the bush,
the tree,
did not burn up,
for an everlasting tree
has been prepared
to show how wonderful
God's plan and purpose
for his people
would be carried forward
and brought to completion
in Jesus.
Apostle Paul,
which is another main leader
of the early church,
often addressed the believers
at the beginning of his letter
by calling them
the holy people of God.
To the Romans,
he said,
to all in Rome
who are loved by God
and called to be
his holy people.
He referred to the believer
in Philippi
as God's holy people
in Christ Jesus.
And to the believer
in Corinth,
he said,
to the church of God
in Corinth,
to those sanctified
in Christ Jesus
and called to be
his holy people.
Paul wrote his letter
not just to the different
churches of his time.
His letter is written
for us
who come to be in Christ
through his writing today.
We have the same title
as the early believer.
We are God's holy people.
These titles,
God's holy people
in Christ Jesus,
holy people in Christ,
sanctified in Christ Jesus,
signify your holiness.
Your holiness
is guaranteed by Christ.
Christ makes God's holiness
accessible
by living it out
through human actions
and relations.
He tears down the barrier
that separates us
from God
and his holiness.
He brings God's holiness
lead by uniting us
with himself.
To be holy in Christ
means our holiness
is a gift from God.
We serve for us,
impart to us,
and actively working
powerfully within us
simply because
we are in him.
In Christ,
you see what God's holiness is,
what your holiness is.
In Christ,
both are one
and both are yours.
You can say to yourself,
in Christ,
I am holy.
Holding on
and growing in him,
I can be holy
in all manners of living
as God is holy.
In Christ,
in whom all the wisdom
and love of God
are unfailed,
the Father giving his Son
to be one with you,
the Son dies on the cross
to make you one with him.
The Holy Spirit
of the Father
drawing in you
to establish
and maintain that union,
a union as tight
as the one enjoyed
by the Trinity
among the Father,
Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
it's a summary
of what redemption
has done
and of the inconceivable
blessed life
in which the child of God
is permitted to dwell.
In Christ,
it's the one lifelong lesson
we have to study on earth.
In Christ,
it's God's ultimate answer
to all your needs
and prayers.
And in Christ,
it's a guarantee
and a foretaste
of the eternal glory
that awaits
every believer.
look again
at what Paul urges.
Just as he who calls you
is holy,
be holy in all you do.
For it is written,
be holy because I am holy.
I don't know about you,
but every time
I hear the command,
be holy as I am holy,
it feels like
there's a vast,
unbridged gap
between God's holiness
and my own.
And every time
I have to remind myself
and use that big word
but,
B-U-T.
But in Christ,
that gap is breached.
Christ's fullness
completely fills the gap
and gives me access to God
and His holiness
becomes mine.
Christ's holiness
is your holiness.
In Christ,
God and humanity met.
In Christ,
God's holiness
reaches us.
claim us as His own
and take on human form
and can truly become yours.
If there are
any anxious pleads
and a deep longing
for kindness
thirst within you,
you know you are a believer
who trusts in Jesus
but still don't know
how to be holy.
He is God's answer.
You are holy
in Christ Jesus.
It is by an act
of divine power
that you are in Christ
and are kept in Him.
It is this I want us
to realize and hold firm to.
Your holiness
is not yours
but Christ's.
remember the divineness
of your position
in Jesus.
Jesus Christ
is a living person,
a loving Savior,
how He delights
in taking full possession
of you
and doing all the work
within you.
Holding on to
this truth,
as we go on,
you have a rightful claim
on Christ,
on His love
and power
to make you holy.
as His redeemed one,
right now,
no matter who you are
or where you are,
you are in Him,
His holy presence
and love surrounds you.
You are in Him
and cause in that tender love
that constantly wraps you
in His holy presence
and your holiness
light
in the acceptance
and fully understanding
of their presence.
Peter starts off
his letter
by addressing
all his readers
and all the believers
together as though
who have been chosen
according to the full knowledge
of God the Father
through the sanctifying work
of the Spirit
to be obedient
to Jesus Christ
and continue to urge them
now that you have
purified yourself
by obeying the truth
so that you have
sincere love
for each other,
love one another
deeply
from the heart
from you have been
born again
not of perishable seed
but of imperishable
through the living
and enduring
word of God.
Jesus also teaches
the same thing
in John 8,
31-32
that obedience
will lead to
ascertaining
the truth
which is the intent
outcome
of the sanctifying
work of the Holy Spirit.
To those
who have believed
in Him,
Jesus said,
if you hold
to my teaching,
you are really
my disciples
and you will know
the truth
and the truth
will set you free.
God gave His people
the law
through Moses.
The law given
helped us to realize
and understand
our sins
and how far
short we are
from God.
God used
what is written
to increase
in His children
the conviction
that we must
be holy.
and praise
to the God
and Father
of Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed
us in the heavenly realm
with every
spiritual blessing
in Christ
for He chose
us in Him
before the creation
of the world
to be holy
and blameless
in His sight.
God's ultimate
purpose and aim
for each person
when He set aside
the seventh day
to rest
and make holy
is for us
to partake
in His holiness.
His word
gives us
the knowledge
of how we are
to be holy
and the joy
that we might
be holy
and the faith
that we can be holy
all come from
living words
that were inspired
by God's Spirit
as we study it together.
Peter points out
in the end
of the first chapter
of his second letter
he says
above all
you must understand
that no prophecy
of Scripture
came about
by the prophet's
own interpretation
of things.
for prophecy
never had its origin
in human's will
but prophets
though humans
spoke from God
as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit
is a key
to our holiness.
He does the
sanctifying work
by first inspiring
the prophet
to write down
God's Word
and ever since
the creation
continue to remind
the believers
again and again
of the truth.
God choose you
as first fruit
to be saved
through the sanctifying
work of the Spirit
and through
believing in the truth.
You might find that
the more you meditate
and study on God's Word
especially when you do it
with others together
the less you grasp
this infinite holiness
and that the more
you momentarily
catch hold of it
the more you despair
of the holiness
is so divine.
Remember that
this bricking
and despair
are exactly
what the Word of God
was meant to accomplish.
That is the sanctifying
work of the Spirit.
God gave
His Holy Spirit
to enable us
to live a holy life.
We need to understand
the more you try
to become holy
by your own effort
the further away
you are from
achieving holiness.
learn to stop
relying on
your own wisdom
just as we must
stop relying
on our own goodness
as Stephen mentioned
it's nothing
but our own goodness
to be in front of God.
Allow the Spirit
of God
to work on us
through God's Word.
Remember
the one who calls you
is faithful
and He will do it.
God's holiness
is revealed
in His willingness
and His work
in making us holy.
In the death
and resurrection
of Christ
and the continued
sanctifying work
of the Spirit
your holiness
and our holiness
do not only mean
for us to enjoy
but God's holiness
also is for sharing.
When we gather together
and approach Him
with a humble
empty spirit
letting God
showing us
that the holiness
He demands
is utterly
beyond human knowledge
on human power
to the soul
that sees trusting
in ourself
and has no confidence
in His own human strength
He will reveal
and actually give
the holiness
He calls to.
Everyone
can share
in God's holiness.
God's intention
when He creates
the world
is for a human
to be partaker
of His rest
and holiness.
when was the last time
you shared with others
how great God is?
When was the last time
you talked to others
about God's glory
in your life?
When your mind
and body
is preoccupied
and concerned
with telling others
about how awesome
our God is
you have no time
to sin or confirm
to the evil desire
of this world.
So may God Himself
the God of peace
satisfy you
through and through.
May your whole spirit
soul and body
be kept blameless
at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you
is faithful
and He will do it.
As obedient children
do not conform
to the evil desire
you have
when you live
in ignorance
but just as He
who calls you
is holy
so be holy
in all you do
for it is written
be holy
because I am holy.
may may may
Thank you.