The Quest for Holiness - Develop Godly Character: Live Holy

The Church of God of Prophecy

“The Quest for Holiness”

Bible Study Lesson #4: “In the Pursuit of the Holy God:”

“Develop Godly Character: Live Holy”

Sept. 25, 2013

Developing a Godly Character to Live Holy

In order to develop a Godly Character so that we may live a Holy Life:

1. We must learn to work with God

2. Accept His grace in our lives

3. Release the same grace to others

Let us look to Psalms 1:1-6: NKJV1. Blessed is the man…

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;


Psalms 1:1-6: (NKJV)2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of waters, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.


Psalms 1:1-6: (NKJV)5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in

the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.


What are some examples of evil influences we should avoid?

a. Temptation to engage in sex (Gen. 7-12)

b. Sitting in the assembly of evildoers.

( Psalms 26:5)

c. Being the companion of fools…(Proverbs

13:20)

d. Do not worry (Matt. 6: 25-27)


What are some examples of evil influences we should avoid?

e. Making provisions to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Romans 13:14)

f. Bad company corrupt good morals. (I Cor. 15:33)

g. Walking in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries (1 Peter 4: 3-4)


In short: All the temptations and evil influences of

the sinful nature should be avoided.

Does that mean we are to avoid the unsaved?

a. We are not to allow sinful individuals or situations to pull us down↓

b. We must shine the light of truth on the things that are wrong.

c. We are to be a light to our friends in darkness.


Let us read “Illustrating Matters: Resist the Crowd”p. 24, Adult Lesson.

What does it profit a fly (or a person) if he escapes the web only to end up in the glue?

There is a constant message conveyed throughout

the Church: “Avoid the Crowd. Do not follow the Way of the World.” Why is this constantly cited?

Answer: We are surrounded by evil influences: T.V., cell phones, billboards, and the Internet!

Developing a Godly Character to Live Holy Being bombarded by All the distractions and evil

influences everywhere, We have become desensitized to the evil around us.

Therefore, we must allow God to Reshape our Hearts!

Matthew 5: 3-12 (NKJV) contains God’s plan for the reshaping of our hearts:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.



5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the

earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.



8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.



11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


The “True Composition of the Heart”

The “Heart” as presented in the Word of God, is the “place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity.” It is the all-inclusive expression for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thoughts, understanding, and will.”

It is the “center of a person, the place to which God turns.” *

* J. Stowell, Fan the Flame, Quest for Holiness, Adult Lesson, p. 25


Therefore: We must allow God’s full access into our

lives so that our Hearts may be Reshaped.

God does not want just our “lip service.” He desires our “Heart Service” in order to purify, to mold, and reshape our hearts completely.

By God’s grace we are given a tabula rasta- a clean slate; with a new attitude and mindset.

When we are totally surrendered to God, He can renew and reshape our hearts so that we can be

used for His Glory!

* J. Stowell, Fan the Flame, Adult Lesson, p. 25


In Psalms 51: 10 King David cries:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (NKJV)

In order to really receive the reshaping and remolding

of our hearts we must surrender ALL so that we can continue in the Middle of the Sanctifying cleansing stream on our Quest for Holiness.


We, as Christians, are able to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires as found:

In 2 Peter 1: 2-11, we are advised that we are able to escape the corruption in the world which is caused by evil desires because God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him.*

In verses 10-11: the believer is admonished to be “even more diligent to make your call and election sure for if you do these things you will never stumble. 11 For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

* Quest for Holiness, Adult Lesson 4: “Develop Godly Character: Live Holy,”p.25


Verses 5-9 gives us a series of Godly qualities that build on one another:

Faith↓

Goodness↓

Knowledge↓

Self-Control↓

Perseverance↓

Godliness↓

Brotherly Kindness↓

Love

Developing a Godly Character to Live Holy Our faith in Christ is our starting point!

As we grow in Christ we add these Godly Characteristics one by one.

You cannot have one without the others. They are a cohesive unit to fortify us for Holy living.

REMEMBER: o We never stop growing in the Lord.o We never reach the pinnacle of the

Christian Life here on this earth.o There is no finish line for holiness or

sanctification while we are traveling in this life.

Developing a Godly Character to Live Holy REMEMBER: We must learn everyday to Love More, to

Persevere More, and to Be More Self-Controlled.

We must continually have more of God and less

of self.

We can never stop maturing and growing.

We must continue to grow closer to God.

We will fail if we do not grow closer to God. *



Today is another day for growth. Yesterday means

little today.

Today is another day for growth, and if we do not grow today, we have failed.

This is the journey of holiness.

This is a holy life.

This is the Quest for Holiness: ↓ *



The Quest for Holiness does not have an end:

We will fall further away if we don’t move closer to God.

We must continue to mature and grow in Christ.

It is a continuous every day journey.

We must continue to become holy.

We must strive to be more like GOD everyday.

TODAY is the DAY for US to Draw Closer to God.

*

* Quest for Holiness, Adult Lesson 4: “Develop Godly Character: Live

Holy,”p.26

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