You Shall Be Holy

Brethren, we all clearly remember God's commandment to only eat clean foods. In fact, we've got a booklet about it. What does the Bible teach about clean and unclean meats? And we quite often focus on it as a law of health, which obviously is. But there is something spiritually far more than just physical health, behind the law of clean and unclean meats. There is a spiritual principle out of that. And so, to look at that, let's briefly turn to Leviticus 11. In Leviticus 11, we find the instruction about clean and unclean foods. And we can see right at the beginning, this whole chapter is addressed to that. And it talks about animals and land animals and then goes on to water animals and bird animals. And then we see a little later in verse 44 towards the end. It says, For I am the Lord your God, you shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth, for I am the Lord that brings you out. And there it says, You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. And then in verse 47, it talks against saying about that, this law is to distinguish between unclean and the clean, and between the animals that may be eaten, and animals that may not be eaten. It's interesting that in verse 44 of Leviticus 11, does not say, These laws are that you may be healthy. These laws are that you may be whole. And this is the point of my message today, is that God is holy, and He calls us to be holy, in worship, conduct, and interaction with one another. This is repeated in Deuteronomy 14, as you well know, and there in Deuteronomy 14, instead of putting at the end, it puts it right at the beginning in verse 2, where it says, For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples that are in the face of the earth. You shall not eat any the testable thing. And then it goes on to those instructions. And so the point that I want to focus today, brethren, is that there is a direct connection between clean food, physically speaking, and spiritually being holy. In fact, in this booklet, we read in page 9, in read in page 9, and it says, The specific purpose God gave for avoiding unclean meats is holiness. Right here, it's highlighted very clearly to us that the specific purpose for us to avoid unclean meats is holiness. Clearly, physically, there is a benefit. It's a law of health, but I think we need to focus even more on the spiritual turn principle of holiness. It goes on to read, God wants us to be holy since we belong to Him and He purchased as of His Christ's blood. It does not want us to be to contaminate ourselves through any kind of physical or spiritual defilement. And then he refers to 1 Corinthians 6, 15 through 20, which I'll go through in a moment. But let me just finish reading this section. And it says, In God's sight, refraining from eating unclean animals is an identifying sign of the holiness of those God has set apart through a relationship with Him. And so we see, brethren, that God often uses physical, in this case, a physical example, to illustrate a very important spiritual principle. So let's look at that section of Scripture that the booklet referred us to in 2 Corinthians 6, starting in verse 14.

And it says, Do not be unequally helped together with unbelievers. And now we can see, we're starting to see one example of a spiritual principle. Just like we are not to mix clean with unclean, spiritually speaking, we've got to be careful who we get involved with intimately. Just like it says, For what fellowship has righteousness with rolliness, and what communion has light with darkness? And then a little later, verse 16, and what agreement as the temple of God with idols, for you are the temple of the living God.

You and I are the temple of God. And then we read a little later in verse 17, Come out from among them and be separate. Here's a very important word, be separate. Says the Lord, Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I'll be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters. Says the Lord, Almighty. A great spiritual principle in clean and unclean foods is for us to discern to separate one from another.

Likewise, we are to be separate. Do you know that the word, the Greek word for holiness, or holy, Greek is a word called Agios, number 40 on the concordance. That word for holy is the same word for the English word saint. Holiness and saint in Greek are the same word. In fact, in Portuguese, if I translate holy, I have a word, and if I translate saint, I have the same word. And so holiness, or to be holy, or to be saint is the same thing. And you know that to be saint is to be set apart, is to be separated. And that's why it says, and be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean, and I'll receive you. Here is an important lesson, a spiritual principle of sanctification, which means being set apart. And so, what is the practical meaning that I want to focus today on this point? It's simple. Just like you and I have to carefully monitor when you go to a restaurant, when you go to a shopping mall to buy some can, unless obviously you know it, but if it's the first time you know it, you're going to read the label.

And you and I are going to be very careful to ensure that it does not have any unclean meat in that product, or in that menu item at a restaurant. The lesson is that you are continuously monitoring what you allow to go into your mouth. Right? That's what we do. Spiritually speaking, likewise, we need to be continuously monitoring, or controlling, or thinking about what we allow into our minds, our thoughts, or what words we say, or what actions we do. And so the analogy is very plain. Just like we have to be continuously thinking about what is clean and what can we eat, or what we can't eat, you and I have to continuously thinking about what goes into our mind, either through our ears, or through our eyes, or whatever it is.

And we have to monitor, monitor it continuously. In other words, we have to be continuously moving from a state of uncleanliness, sin, to a state of cleanliness, sinus. So what? Well, it's obvious. So that you and I could be glorified that we can have God's glory, to be considered by God as a person to be given all honor and glory, because we are separate from the world and we are like God being separate from this world.

You know, a very simple analogy we all have, we all talk about, that a bad apple spoils a bunch, and therefore it needs to be separated. And that applies to everything, applies to everything. But the one that is very predominant in my mind, and it needs to be in our minds, is that God has planned for us a responsibility to be kings and priests under the King of Kings and under the Lord of Lords.

And so God wants us to be part of His eternal government. He wants us to be leaders in their government. And as leaders in their government, we have to be squeaky clean, let's call it that way. Just righteous. Not like the wall today. Not like the government leaders of the wall today. And I'm not talking about just the US, every country is in the same situation. You see, brethren, power corrupts. Think about it. Power corrupts. And God is going to test you and I to the nth degree that when He gives us power, we will not be corrupt.

That we'll be clean. God's government will be clean, will be pure, will be uncorruptible. You know, will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. But that's not just a status of physical to spiritual. It's that we will not want to sin. We will forever be incorruptible because of our own will, because we've proved our desire to be self. And so, God will not have a person put into His kingdom and then 10 billion, billion, million years from today allow it to get to His head and become corrupt.

You will not have another Satan in His hands. And you will want to make sure now, under whatever fiery trials you and I have to go, that you are incorruptible and you will always be incorruptible when He will give you an I, God willing, tremendous power. Now, turn to 1 Corinthians, also chapter 6. Now, 1 Corinthians, chapter 6. And we're going to read in verse 15. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a holleter? In other words, are we going to mix Christ's members with dirt, with uncleanliness?

No, not at all. We need to be of that one mind, we need to be of that mind of God that is clean. It says in verse 17, but He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit within. We're going to have that same mindset of cleanliness, the same spirit, the same standard, the same set of values. That is a set of values that you and I really want to live by. Not because you and I have to, but because inherently we want to. In other words, we've got to have a set of values that is clean and not unclean.

In other words, we have to be set apart from this world. In other words, we have to live in a world of sin to really prove that we are fighting and want to go in opposite direction.

Because God wants to give you and I the highest positions in His government. Others, afterwards, will not have as high positions in His government as you and I will have. As the first fruits, we're going to be part of, let's call it, God's Executive Cabinet for Eternity. And that Cabinet, that Executive Cabinet, that ruling family, yes, others will also be part of the family, but that will be the headquarters group at the top. The first fruits, those that will be in the New Jerusalem. We have to prove that we are absolutely clean. And that's why it says, in YAH, flee sexual immorality. And that's a physical example, but you can apply that to any other unclean attitude or spirit that you and I have to fight or overcome. Because we are God's temple. In other words, we are going to be part of that holy city, ultimately, the New Jerusalem, the headquarters of the universe in the New Heavens and New Earth. So again, the Bible uses a physical example to illustrate a spiritual principle.

So spiritual hollitry, in a way of looking at spiritually, means that you and I have to put God before anything else. We cannot mix truth with lie. In other words, clean with unclean. Our thoughts, our actions, our understanding and sticking to the truth must be clean, holy, sacred. And so for you and I to avoid this spiritual hollitry, let's call that, with the world, we have to continuously control what you and I think, what you and I read, what you and I say, what you and I do. Just like I mentioned, reading the labels on a food item. So we have to be set apart. We have to be saints. We are the saints of God. We are the haggios. You are those that are being sanctified by God's Holy Spirit. You and I cannot do it myself or yourself. We need God's Holy Spirit. And so we have to think differently. Not like the world. But think like God. Not having wrong thoughts. Not having wrong actions. Not having inappropriate behavior. Now. We have to prove it now. And so that's why it says in verse 19 and 20, still law of 1 Corinthians 6, that it says, do you not know that we are not our own? But in verse 20 it says, for you we are bought at a price. You and I have been purchased to be different by crushed blood. So we must not contaminate ourselves. We must be different.

And so let us get a little bit more specific. Where do we get specific instructions about being holy? About being sanctified? It's interesting that some of the instructions are right-found as we dig into this a little bit further. Some of the instructions are found right in Hebrews. And we're going to read chapter 9. It's a section of Hebrews chapter 9 starting in verse 11. In Hebrews 9 verse 11, we see that Christ came as a high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacron not made with hands, that he is not of his creation, not of the blood of goats and coals, but with his own blood he entered the most holy place in the words, God's temple, God's throne.

Once for all, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of both goats and the ashes of the eifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the church, the abhima of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ through the eternal Spirit offer himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?

So the starting point is, your conscience and my conscience needs to be cleansed, needs to be washed clean of guilty, of guilt. And therefore, he says, he is the mediator of the new covenant, so that we may receive that promise of eternal inheritance. So it starts in first place in the conscience. Is our conscience being washed clean? And so, as you and I pray and look at ourselves, we look and ask God, please, cleanse any things in our conscience that might not be right.

In chapter 10 of Hebrews, starting in verse 20, and well, I was going to start in verse 19, it says, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

Now remember that only the high priest in the Old Testament could enter the holiest once a year on the day of the covenant. And that's after cleansing himself, then he could go once a year to the holiest. But now in verse 19 says, brethren, you and I, we can enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus now, any day, when you and I pray.

Therefore, how, by a new and living way, what is this new and living way, which Christ consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, through his suffering, through dying for us. He opened a way for us that you and I can now have access to the Father in our prayers. And therefore, having a high priest over the house of God, look at verse 22. Let us draw near with the true heart in full assurance of faith, in other words, not having any doubt, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.

Our hearts, our minds need to be cleansed from an evil conscience. So we have to make sure when we pray, when we ask God, help us please to have a clear conscience. Help us to have a clean heart. It starts right in our conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. And so, that pure water symbolizes God's Holy Spirit.

That God's Holy Spirit is washing, is making us clean, is sanctifying us. Our hearts are washed by crushed blood. And our bodies, our lives, are being washed by God's Holy Spirit as we are being set apart. You see, the problem that we have is, as we read, for instance, in Proverbs 14, 12, that you and I naturally think sometimes that, Oh, I know the way, but the way thereof is the way of death. You see, the problem is that our heart is desperately wicked. We read that in Jeremiah 17, 9. And absolutely corrupt. Now, you might say, or I might say, well, not my heart.

Well, the Bible doesn't say, everybody's heart is desperately wicked except George's heart, or put your name there. It doesn't say that. It says our heart is desperately wicked. Very corrupt. And so, we cannot justify ourselves and say, oh well, I'm kind of, I'm okay. No, we can't. And in fact, in Jeremiah 10, verse 23 and 24 says, God, it's not in man to direct his steps. It's not in you and I to know how to conduct ourselves in steps towards holiness.

We don't know how to go the correct way towards holiness. Therefore, it says, please correct me. Now, correct does not mean punish you till you're blue and purple. No, it means correct in an adjustment. It's like if you're sending a rocket to the moon and obviously you're sending it in the right direction, but then as it goes on, mile after mile, you may need to correct the direction, the trajectory, the way it's going, so that it's just a little tweak. It's a correction. And so, when you and I ask and pray God, correct us, but it says, not in your wrath, not in your anger. In other words, correct me in mercy.

Just a little bit, please. Not too hard, because if it's too many things, I'm going to get discouraged and give it up. So, correct me gently. Help me. And in fact, sometimes we have problems and we have to recognize that we have those problems. You see, if you and I say, well, my heart is not wrong. I don't have any problem. I don't need any correction. Then we really have a problem. We have a big problem. We normally call that self-righteousness, but that's a big problem. So, you and I need to recognize our weaknesses.

I mean, even Paul, when he had this thorn in the flesh, whatever the thorn in the flesh was, could have been a health issue, like his vision. But it could have been somebody that was giving him a hard time all the time. Maybe Gnostic believers or Gnostic Judaism or whatever it was that was giving him a hard time.

It could have been a multiple number of things. You and I need to understand what is our thorn in the flesh. What is our weakness? And then, ask God to help us overcome it. I mean, we know Paul in Romans 7 towards the end of Romans 7, starting in verse 15 and then emphasizing in verse 21 through 25.

In fact, let's just turn it there in Romans 7. Paul said, there's a law in me that is going against God's law. It's in my body. It's there all the time. I'm overcoming and fighting it all the time. In verse 15, he says, for what I'm doing, I don't understand.

For what I will to do, that I do not practice. But what I hate, that I do. In other words, he was recognizing it was this pull, not saying that he was absolutely immoral, but he was recognizing the weakness that he had in himself. And then a little later, in verse 21, he says, I find then a law that evil is present within me, the one who wills to do good.

I find there is this carnal pull that is pushing me or pulling me, and I have to be continuously fighting it. That's what he says. For I delight in the law of God, according to the inner man.

So in my mind, with God's Holy Spirit, I want to do what's right. I want to be holy. But I know in my body there is this pull. Verse 23, but I see another law in my members, in my physical body, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. In other words, I'm in continuous this fight. O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? And yes, only at the resurrection, again, as Spirit beings, we will not have this body, this law of the flesh in us.

But we would have learned, by continuously overcoming it, we would have learned the lessons of holiness and to be holy. And that's why he says in the next verse, verse 1 of chapter 8, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We gotta walk as, in the physical example, eating clean food. We gotta walk in cleanliness. But there is always that pull of the flesh there.

And then he goes on and says, if we have God's alisprudence, we are Christ's, and we have to be fighting all the time that carnal mind. We read that in verse 5 and 6. He says that we have to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, because we gotta be spiritually minded, and that is life and peace. And then in verse 14 he says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, and that means we are led and we follow and we are walking, and we are following the way of holiness. These are the sons of God. And then a little bit later, in verse 20, and this is a very interesting verse, brethren.

This is a very interesting verse in verse 20. He says, for the creation was subject to futility. You and I were created subject to this carnal futile hope, not willingly, but because of him was subjected in hope. The hope is that you and I learned the lessons to fight it now, so that we will never, when we receive power, we will never become corrupt. We'll be completely following him, and God will not have another Satan in his hands. You see, so we've got to be guided by God's Holy Spirit, which is God's power, and we need to continuously, deliberately choose clean food, spiritually speaking.

Clean thoughts, clean words, clean actions. We need to produce godly fruit. In Ephesians chapter 1, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3 and 4, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3 and 4 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without bluish before him in love. We are to be holy, and He has given us every spiritual blessing to help us to achieve that.

He has given us every spiritual tool. Number one, He's given us Christ's blood to cleanse our conscience, and number two, He's given us God's Holy Spirit, in a sense like His spiritual tool bag, that is power that helps us to overcome. Look at 1st Peter chapter 1, verse 2. 1st Peter chapter 1, verse 2.

He says, Elect according to the full knowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit. Can you see the word sanctification being set apart, being holy? Because of God's Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit is what helps us to be saint, to be separate. It's that prequing of our conscience with His thoughts, with His mind, with His power to say, put your name on it, put mine. George, don't think that way. Don't allow. Don't say that. Be careful how you're going to say it. Be kind. In other words, the sanctification of the Spirit for what? For obedience. For obedience and the speaking of the blood of Jesus Christ to wash and cleanse our consciousness. So, we can see God's Holy Spirit is a tool that God gives us to be holy and helps us to be saint. Look at still in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 14 and 15. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as He has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. We need to be holy in all our behavior, our conduct, because, verse 16, it is written, be holy for I am holy. Be separate. Be a saint.

You know, brethren, we know that at end time, at the end time, there's going to be perilous times. We read that in 2 Timothy chapter 3. Let's just turn there very briefly to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. And it says, but you know this, in the last days perilous times will come, and it describes various things. But look at what it says in verse 5. It says, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Think about it. They appear very religious. They appear very godly. It's talking about people today in our society. But they deny the power of religion. What is the power of God's truth? Is God's Holy Spirit? They deny God's Holy Spirit. They deny God's power. The power that makes us holy. The sanctification of the Spirit. Right? So it's the power of God's Holy Spirit that makes us holy. They deny it. Now how do the people in the world deny it?

Because God gives his Spirit to those who obey him. Right? That's 5 verse 32. And because they don't obey God, oh no. We don't have to keep the Sabbath because that's Old Covenant stuff. That's Jewish stuff. Or whatever. They don't obey God. They don't do the will of the Father.

Christ said very clearly, do the Father's will. Where did Christ say that? Matthew 7 verse 21 through 23. Let's just look at that. Matthew 7 verse 21 through 23.

Matthew 7.

Verse 21.

There we are. Matthew 7.

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. Not everyone that says to me, I love Jesus. I've got Jesus in my heart. Oh, I have accepted Jesus. Not everyone that says that shall enter the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Now, the will of my Father in heaven is more than just the basic Ten Commandments. It's more than that.

We just read, be holy, and right there talking about cleaning and clean foods. And we read that we ought to be holy.

He says, Oh, they say to me, Lord, have I not preached in your name? Oh, I've gone out and I preached Jesus. I preached Jesus. I'm saving my souls. Look how many souls I've saved. It was prophesied in your name. I've preached. I've been an example. I've talked about God's glory. I've cast out demons in your name. I have cast out demons in Christ's name. How many of us have cast out demons in Christ's name? I'd say probably very few. And then many wonders in your name.

And Christ doesn't say, well, you're lying. You didn't do that. But He says, I'll declare to them, I never knew you. Well, imagine these so-called Christians. I've accepted Jesus. I've given my whole life to Jesus. Hallelujah! And they stand in front of Christ and Christ says, I never knew you.

It must be quite a shocker. This is the part from the you who practice lawlessness.

You see, we have confidence towards God. Why? In other words, we have to have faith. Yeah, faith. Oh, I have faith. I believe in Jesus. But you know, believing in Jesus is actually a lot more than that. It's absolute trust in Him. And knowing that He will intervene according to His law. Look at 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. Verse 21 and 22. Beloved, if your heart does not condemn us, we have confidence towards God. In other words, if your conscience is not freaking you because you've washed your conscience. In other words, you've reprogrammed your conscience with God. Spirit, your buying God's law, God gives His Spirit and that's the washing of the Spirit and He's changing you.

We have confidence towards God and whatever we ask, we receive from Him. Whatever we ask, we receive from Him. Obviously according to His law, because we keep His commandments full stop. Oh no! There's an end. It's more than just keeping the commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

We got to do more just keep God's commandments. We got to do what's pleasing in His sight.

Therefore, no wonder so-called Christianity deny God's power because they're not keeping all these commandments, much less are they doing what's pleasing in His sight. We see we have to go through a metamorphosis. Romans 12, verses 1 and 2 says, that is our, that change of mind is our basic duty. We got to do that. And so how do we do that? And today I want to connect two sections of Scripture that you may have not connected before. And the first one is the fruit of God's early spirit, Galatians 5, 22 and 23. Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23. And you all have read that many times, but it talks here about the fruit of God's early spirit and then it lists these nine characteristics, these nine attributes. Let's put it this another way, nine tools, nine spiritual tools that God's early spirit gives us. And so I would say, start with the last one. Self-control. And say, Father, and pray, please God, help me to have more self-control. Help me to overcome whatever these things, and I need more self-control. I'm struggling. Start with the last one. And then build it up by being meek, that is teachable, malleable. And say, God, help me to be more malleable. And then help me to be more trustworthy, in other words, faithfulness. And then pray about maybe the next day or next week, keep praying about one of these things and then build them up. And the last one, the last one is the ultimate is to have God in love, because you start with self-control and then you build them up till you actually have God in love. And then, if we follow that, we are not denying the power of God's early Spirit.

And interestingly, it says, if we are denying the power of God's early Spirit, it could be blaspheming God's early Spirit, which is kind of, let's put it another way, the unpardonable Son.

And so, you and I need to use God's power, not deny it, not blaspheme it, not reject it, but use it to have clean hearts to be holy.

But I mentioned I wanted to put two scriptures together in maybe in a way that you've not looked at. And the next one is in 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. This is a very, very powerful scripture, because starting in verse 2 says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. And by the way, grace and peace and the knowledge of Christ is how it finishes this epistle in chapter 3 verse 18. It says, but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and savor Jesus Christ. So, right at the beginning it says, grace and peace, and may you have more of the knowledge or understanding to be like Christ is. And the end says, you know, you've got all these problems and all these things that don't be deceived, but grow in grace and knowledge. And so, but now it says, it goes through, let's call it, a logical methodology, with a proper methodology, a prophet's proper step, process of growing. It actually gives us that process of growing, because it says, in verse 3, as God's divine power, which is God's Holy Spirit, right? God's Holy Spirit has given to us all things. God's Holy Spirit has given us all spiritual tools. And I've just listed from Galatians 5, 22, 23, the fruit of the spirit, nine of those attributes. So, it's given us all these things that pertain to eternal life and to become like God and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that through this we're going to have amazing promises to be in the kingdom. That through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. In other words, that you move from uncleanliness to clean, to holiness. That through these you may move to it from carnal mind to divine nature. In other words, from unclean to clean, back to the analogy of cleaner and green fruits. We've got to keep thinking about this all the time. And so, for this reason, give all their diligence. In other words, make every single bit of effort. Add to your faith to trust. You and I have faith and trust in God. That's one of the preconditions of baptism, right? Faith and repentance. In other words, you're repentant and striving to become virtuous. And so, you add faith and virtue knowledge. Knowledge of understanding, of what our goal is, of what to be like in crisis. And so, with those basic points, what is the one that we have to add to knowledge? Self-control.

Can you see it's the last of those nine that I mentioned in Galatians 5? So, make every effort. We've got Christ, we've got God's Holy Spirit, we've got the truth, we've got the Bible, we've got God's Holy Spirit. Now, you know what you need to do. Pray and ask God for self-control, which is what I mentioned in Galatians 5. Start from the last one. Self-control. And from self-control, perseverance. What's perseverance? Is faithfulness? Is stick-to-wittiveness? Is being sticking and not giving up?

And then, it goes on to other characteristics related to how to deal with people, like godliness and kindness. Over those characteristics. And then, it gets to bradily kindness.

And the last one, it says, love. And so, you can see, in a sense, a correlation between the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. If we start from the bottom up, till we get love. We start from self-control, till we get Godly love. And Yah, Peter, is saying, make every effort to have the same approach, being repentant, striving to study the Bible, have all the knowledge. And then, work from self-control all the way up to Godly love. And then, it says, verse 8, For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's how you and I can grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Here is the formula. A very systematic approach, very much linked to the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. For he, verse 9, who lacks these things, is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, verse 10, Brethren, be even more diligent. Make every effort to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never leave the church. You will never stop. In other words, you will never leave the church. You will stay there and you will be considered faithful. Those that Christ is coming are called, chosen, and faithful. You will have been faithful to the end. And that way, verse 11, for that way, for so, an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of God. That's how we'll enter into the kingdom of God. So, brethren, as we are careful, daily, to eat only clean foods, yes, that's important for our health. But think about it. Take that spiritual principle of being careful about what goes into your mouth as far as food, and do the same thing as far as a spiritual approach to be holy as God is holy. Looking at the end of this book, look at the end of this book, this epistle, 2 Peter 3, verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away, with the great noise, and the elements will melt if ever they eat, both the earth and the works are in it, will be burned up. In other words, in the day of the Lord, and not only it's that day, but it's that whole period of Christ's intervention, and finally concluding after the millennium, after the hundred years, and all that, ultimately everything will burn up.

And you come as a surprise, because initially starts as a surprise, and really a lot of people will be caught by surprise. Therefore, verse 11, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and Godliness? What manner of persons you and I ought to be in holy conduct and Godliness? You see, the whole purpose of prophecy is to teach us this lesson here, verse 11.

I mean, it's not saying this date and that and whatever, and this sequence, and that sequence, and all this technical stuff. Yeah, it's interesting to know, and yes, sometimes it helps, but the point is, we have to change, and behold, and Godly. That's what it is. And then it says a little later, verse 17, Therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, since you know that all this is going to be burnt up, and you know that there's going to be wickedness, and people are going to be falling away by error for us. Verse 18, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope I've given you some ideas to help us. Just taking Romans 5 with 2 Peter chapter 1, bring them together, pray, ask God to help us as we are long to grow, and that is something we can do. And so to Him be the glory, both now and forever.