Incentive for Holiness

scpHoliness

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (I John 3:3). 

God is saying that every man that has a burning in his chest of the hope of the second coming of Jesus Christ will live a pure life. It did not say he might live a pure life. It says he will live a pure life. Then if one is not living a pure life it means he or she is not looking for Jesus to come!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13). 

The first twelve verses of Titus chapter two starting at verse two tell of what the aged men and aged women are to do. It tells what the young women, young men, and employees are to do. What all of us are to do is listed in these verses. Then comes verse thirteen.

So God is saying older men are to be sober, because Jesus is going to come at any minute. The older men are to be grave, temperate, and sound in the faith as well as patience. Why, because Jesus is going to come at any minute.

Then he addresses the aged women and says they are to be holy, not given to much wine, and teachers of good things. Why, because Jesus could come at any moment.

No one would want him to come and find them gossiping, not living right, watching the wrong things, reading the wrong things, and running with the wrong crowd.

So, he says older men these are the things you are supposed to do, because Jesus could come at any moment. He instructs the older women of what they are supposed to do, because Jesus is coming any moment.

He addresses the younger women and says to them be keepers at home, sober, love your husband, love your children, be discreet, be chaste, and be obedient to your husband.

Why, because Jesus is coming soon and you do not want to be found doing wrong. No young woman would want Jesus to come and find them not being a good wife or find them not being obedient to their husband.

God is saying the great incentive to aged men, aged women, and young women for holiness is the soon imminent return of Christ.

God then addresses the younger men. He says to the younger men be sober minded, do good works, do not be corrupt, have gravity, sincerity, and a sound mind.

What is he saying? He is saying young men you would not want Jesus to come and find you reading porn, looking at porn, taking God’s name in vain, watching filth, and God is saying that the great incentive for the older women, older men, younger women, and younger men is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The he addresses the employees or servants. He says I want you to be obedient to your bosses. I want you to please your employer. He says, “not answering again” or don’t’ talk back to him.

He then says, “not purloining” or don’t be lazy. It simply means work hard! Eight hours of work for eight hours of pay! Christian people ought to be the hardest workers in the company. Why, because Jesus is coming again!

  • The greatest incentive for holiness for young women is the Second Coming of Christ
  • The greatest incentive for holiness for the young men is the Second Coming of Christ
  • The greatest incentive for holiness for the aged women is the Second Coming of Christ
  • The greatest incentive for holiness for the aged men is the Second Coming of Christ
  • The greatest incentive for holiness for the employee is the Second Coming of Christ

Then God addresses all of us. He says to all of us deny worldliness, worldly lusts, live soberly, live righteously, and godly in this present generation. He then tells us why in verse 13!

I believe those going to the movie house are not looking for Jesus to come soon! Anyone drinking liquor, listening to bad music, watching filth, spreading gossip are not looking for the eminent return of Jesus Christ.

The Bible says the great incentive for holiness is the Second Coming of Christ.

MAN’S ATTEMPT TO MOTIVATE MAN FOR GOODNESS

Scholarship is too often occupied with the study of yesterday as the explanation of today.

We are given to the study of origins like the finding of fossils, the etymology of words, the remains of ancient civilizations, old manuscripts, old inscriptions, or the study of barbaric tribes.

Study of the origin of institutions, the exhuming of the old and the past, the examinations of stalactites and stalagmites, and the learning about our savage ancestors.

Somehow we have the idea if we can learn what they did in the past that will be an incentive for man to be good in the future!

Man feels like if he can find where he came from he will discover the worth of his life. I am not saying the study of history has not been helpful, but this help is minimal.

Not many civilizations improve because they discover the way other civilizations fell. It is not only not a great motivator in man’s life but it is also not the motivator used by God in man’s life.

God uses the future and its study as man’s motivation for holiness and success. God does not say go back and see what your ancestors did and then let that improve your life.

No, God says look forward to Jesus coming and improve your life. God does not say study the fossils, the etymology of words, ancient civilizations, and find out what mistakes they made and you will improve your life.

God simply says “Straighten up, because you are going to see the face of Jesus any day now!” Jesus is coming! The Judgment Seat of Christ is coming and God’s people will have to face Jesus face to face.

God said, “Looking forward to that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” God is saying, “Clean your life up for it will not be long until Jesus comes!”

God is teaching us that it is not the past that will cause you to live holy lives. It is the future that causes us to be motivated to holiness. It is the blessed hope rather than the blessed past1 Prophesy propels us more than history!

The forward look is better than the backward look. Tomorrow is alive while yesterday is dead. We seldom learn from history anything that will improve our lives as Christians!

America is making the same mistakes as the Roman Empire. Books have been written by the thousands and exposed the cause for the demise and the fall of the Roman Empire, but America continues to make the same mistakes.

We know what caused the Roman Empire to fall, but we are doing the same things the Roman Empire did that resulted in their demise.

The truth is the Roman Empire made the same mistakes as the Grecian Empire. They knew exactly what mistakes the Grecian empire made, but just as America has not learned from the Roman Empire mistakes neither did they learn.

The Grecian empire knew what caused the Medes and Persians to fall but they did not correct themselves from those mistakes.

Somehow every generation thinks it can get by with what the past generation could not get by with. The same God that brought the Roman Empire, the Medes and Persians, and the Grecian Empire to their knees is the same God who will bring America to her knees.

The Medes and the Persians knew what caused the fall of the Babylonian Empire. However, check the rise and fall of the Babylonian Empire and you will find the same things caused the rise and fall of the Media Persia Empire, the Grecian Empire, the Roman Empire, and it will be the same for the USA.

The Babylonian Empire could have learned from Noah’s generation for they knew what happened to Noah’s generation.

Check the lives of the people who are looking into the past with those who are looking into the future.

Show me a church that does not believe and look for the imminent return of Jesus Christ and I’ll show you a church where the women wear tight skinny blue jeans and shorts in public. Where the men and women go to the beach in their under wear, and where they live a godless Hollywood style of life.

Show me a church that does not believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and I’ll show you a worldly church, a non-soul winning church, and non Sunday school bus running church.

Show me a church that believes Jesus is coming again and I’ll show you a separated church, a clean, high standard, convictions, and wins souls to Christ daily and not just once in a while!

The past does not motivate us to holiness. The future motivates us to holiness. Man has not learned from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for we know that sodomy destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

We know that sodomites caused Sodom’s destruction. Yet America is swimming in a cesspool of sodomy and perversion. We know what caused it and yet our sports heroes are wearing earrings promoting male feminism.

Men wearing their hair like a woman and women wearing their hair like a man. We know that God Almighty reigned fire and brimstone from Heaven destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. God killed everyone, but Lot and his two daughters! However, America does not seem to get it!

Our nation is plunging toward judgment because we have not learned from the past. We have not learned from the drunkenness of Noah. Liquor still flows like a river across America. We have not learned from the intellectualism of Athens.

Our so-called intellectualists of our day still deny the Scriptures. Oh, they may use it, but to use it and deny its inspiration is idiocy! Our intellectualists still deny the Saviour, a literal Heaven, a literal Hell, the virgin birth of Christ, as well as the inspiration of the Scriptures. The intellectualists in America are exactly what it was in Athens 2,000 years ago.

We have not learned from the drunkenness of Noah
We have not learned from the sodomy of Sodom
We have not learned from the intellectualism of Athens
We have not learned from the ecumenicalism of Babel

We know that when all religions get together like the Tower of Babel, we know what God did! We know that God destroyed that civilization.

It is a shame that we today do not have enough sense to know what displeases God. Would God we had enough sense to know the same thing that brought that Roman Empire down will bring America down.

The same thing that caused the destruction of Sodom will someday cause the destruction of the United States of America, but somehow we plunge our way to destruction because we are conditioned to look to the past and continue to not improve as a people!

The greatest incentive toward righteousness is not looking back to the past, but looking forward to the future. We have not learned from the idolatry of Baal, cancer of tobacco, and the destruction of alcohol. We have not learned from the judgment of the flood and the captivity of Israel.

One generation studies the past ones, but seldom alters its lifestyle. The study of yesterday rarely improves man’s behaviour for tomorrow.

The fact remains man seldom improves because of how he emerged, but rather where he is striving to go! I’m not against history, but I am against putting history ahead of prophecy. I’m against more of history than God’s word.

History is a poor teacher! History is a poor motivator! If you want to lead someone to Christ then tell them of a burning Hell to come, judgment to come, and their standing before and Almighty God some day.

If you want someone to live holy lives you convince them that Jesus is coming back soon! That will keep man out of the movie house.

Digging the ruins of the past is not as good a motivator as digging in the hopes of the future.

Beethoven looked toward the future when he said, “But a small part of my music have I uttered.” Victor Hugo look toward the future when he said, “There are thousands of tragedies in me waiting to be written.” God’s motivation is still in the future.

If the child of God will get into his or her heart that any moment the trumpet could sound, the dead in Christ could rise, the Arch Angel could shout, and those alive in Christ will be caught up into the air that would improve any ones’ life.

John Bunyan’s “Pilgrims Progress” was his entire journey being in reference to the celestial gate.

Looking forward to the Millennium is better than looking back to the Reformation. Looking forward to King Jesus is better then looking back to King George. Looking forward to the Holy City is better than looking back to the Holy Wars. Looking forward to the New Jerusalem is better than looking back to the good ole days.

Looking forward to the blessed hope is better than looking back to the blighted hope. Looking forward to the prophetic future is better than looking back to the patriotic past. Looking forward to the sunrise of tomorrow is better than looking back at the sunset of yesterday. Looking forward to the coming of Christ is better than looking back to the passing of Charlemagne.

The forward look is better than the backward look! The upward look is better than the downward look! Looking forward to the Apocalypse is better than looking back to the Apocrypha. The rise of the Millennial Empire is better than the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Rapture of the saints will motivate you more than the ruins of the catacombs. The foundations of the Holy City will motivate you more than the foundations of ruined cities. The revival of Israel will motivate you more than the ruins of Ephesus.

Do not attempt to find your motivation in the ruins of an old city. Find your motivation in the golden streets of the coming city.

Looking forward to the real Revelation instead of backward to Josephus. Looking forward to the New Jerusalem is better than back to the old Jerusalem. Looking forward to the living Christ rather than back to the dead false gods. Looking forward to the Judgment Seat of Christ rather than back to the Bema of Pilate. Looking forward to the Marriage of the Lamb instead of many marriages of Henry the VIII.

More people will turn to God when you say there is a Heaven, a Hell, and a God in Heaven, a Judgment Seat, and a Great White Throne Judgment. I’d be ashamed to be called a child of God and live like the devil!

God told the aged men to be grave, temperate, sober, sound in the faith, and patient. God told the aged women to be holy, not a false accuser, not given to much wine, and teachers of good things. God told the young women to be sober, love their husband, love their children, be discreet, keepers at home, and to be chaste.

Why, because Jesus is coming sooner than you think!

Jesus coming will be a sure event
Jesus coming will be a sudden event
Jesus coming will we be a shouting event
Jesus coming will be a separating event
Jesus coming will be a sweet event
Jesus coming will be a saving event
Jesus coming will be a shocking event