Come to the Table

 This is a sermon that was given at Wayside Community Church near Mercer PA for the Sunday morning worship service in which the sacrament of communion was shared. The sermon is based on some of Paul's words in First Corinthians 10 and shares some comparisons between coming to the table at a family dinner and coming to the Lord's Table. Those who wish to view a video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was preached may click here.

Written Excerpts:

1 Corinthians 10:21 ^(NKJV) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.

Introduction:

When the Apostle Paul speaks about the sacrament of communion, he sometimes referred to it as “The Lord’s Table.” Because of his use of the phrase, many preachers and authors have likewise used it when they are speaking about the Lord’s Supper or Communion. I don’t know what thoughts or images may come to your mind when you hear the title of today’s sermon, but the phrase brought a few memories for me.

During my childhood there were times when my mother would finish preparing a meal for our family, and she would signal that fact by saying, “Come to the table.” Mom wasn’t a gourmet cook, but she sure could prepare a feast for her family that included 3 hungry sons. The announcement, “Come to the table,” was not only the signal that the time to eat had arrived, but it was the signal that something delicious was waiting. I don’t know about your house, but the dinner table was also a place where many enjoyable and meaningful conversations took place. – Something that doesn’t happen too much in many homes today.

When Paul talks about the “Lord’s table,” he certainly isn’t referring to a great feast in the literal sense, even though there is evidence that the NT Christians did share a common meal at their celebrations. When he speaks of the “Lord’s table,” he is referring to the bread and the cup which represented the body and blood of Jesus. Today, as we share the sacrament of communion, I want to share a couple of observations about the “Table of the Lord” that I hope will be an encouragement to each one of us.

1. At the table there is provision for all.

I don’t know how it was at your house, or how it was at your grandma’s house, but in my mind, whenever it was time to “come to the table,” I always knew there was going to be enough for everyone in the house. We had some pretty hard times when I was growing up, as I imagine most of us can say. So, there were times when the table wasn’t covered with a huge Thanksgiving-style feast, but whatever the menu included, there was always enough for everyone in the house.

At the table of the Lord, there is room for everyone.

1 John 2:2 ^(NKJV) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

John 1:29 ^(NKJV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 6:51 ^(NKJV) I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

Matthew 26:28 ^(NKJV) For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

All of these references emphasize the truth that Jesus gave himself for the whole world – everyone who has/will ever live. We believe the atonement of Christ is universal. There is provision for everyone. No one needs to be left out.

2. At the table there is both inclusive and exclusive fellowship.

Some Bible teachers have observed that many of Christ's lessons were taught while sharing a meal with his followers and hearers. There is something about sitting down to a meal with others that just draws you closer together. I have drawn an analogy about the fellowship around the table by suggesting it is both inclusive and exclusive. Those who have been invited to “come to the table” are individuals that belong. In some cases, they “belong” because they’re part of the family. In other cases, they “belong” because they have been invited to join the family, even if for a few hours or some limited time. Everyone who has been invited is included in the fellowship around the table. There is something special and unique about that.

Likewise, in the spiritual sense there are many invitations recorded in Scripture. Not all of them have to do with sharing a meal, but Jesus offers a standing invitation for whosoever will, to come unto Him.

Matthew 11:28 ^(KJV) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Luke 14:17 ^(KJV) And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

Luke 14:23 ^(KJV) And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Revelation 22:17 ^(NKJV) And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

So, the table of the Lord is inclusive. It is for everyone who will respond to the Lord’s invitation and come to Him for salvation. Paul described it as a communion (fellowship) with the Lord. We are all one body, there is communion/fellowship/participation between each member and there is communion/fellowship/ participation with our Lord.

However, the table of the Lord is also exclusive.

Jesus told a parable and said that the kingdom of heaven is like a king who planned a marriage for his son.

Matthew 22:8-11 ^{(NKJV) 8} Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' ¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

In this story, the man who did not have on the wedding garment was cast out of the wedding celebration. Everyone was invited (so it was inclusive), but not everyone was accepted (therefore, it was also exclusive).

The invitation to the Lord’s table is for everyone, but only those who accept His offer of salvation through faith are granted access.

Here is an interesting passage from the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 65:13 ^(NKJV) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My servants shall eat, But you shall be hungry; Behold, My servants shall drink, But you shall be thirsty; Behold, My servants shall rejoice, But you shall be ashamed;

In the context of this verse, the prophet was giving God’s description between those who have deserted Him and resorted to worship of idols and others who have remained faithful to Him. So, the Lord says that He will give food and drink to His servants, but those who have been unfaithful will be turned away.

The Apostle Paul describes another scenario. He addresses the matter of eating food that was offered to an idol. (1 Cor. 10:14-33)

Notice verse 21 ^(NKJV) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.

(Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – [Paul does] not dispute the contention of the Corinthians that an idol is not a god at all. But he will not agree that therefore idols can safely be treated as nothing more than so many blocks of wood and stone. The demons use people’s readiness to worship idols. Thus, when people sacrifice to idols, it cannot be said that they are engaging in some meaningless or neutral activity... Paul has shown from the usage of both Christians and Jews that to share food is to establish fellowship. Idol worshippers are entering into fellowship with demons…

“… The Lord’s table reminds us that the Lord is the host at the sacrament. By parity of reasoning the table of demons indicates that there may be other hosts. But those who accept the Lord’s invitation cannot in good conscience also accept the invitation of demons. If we are really in fellowship with the Lord, we cannot also be in fellowship with demons… All that Paul is saying is that the Holy Communion, in one aspect, is a feeding at the table of the Lord, an enjoyment of fellowship with him. Similarly, participation in an idol feast means having fellowship with demons….

Paul is saying to the Corinthian Christians, “It is one or the other. You can’t have both. You can’t eat at the Lord’s table and at the table with demons.” Why? Because you cannot have fellowship with both the Lord and with demons. You cannot have two loyalties. You cannot have two masters. The table of the Lord is not a place where you can come and receive the benefits of Christ's sacrifice unless you are willing to forsake all you other idols/loyalties and devotions. There is a standing invitation for everyone, but it excludes those who still want to hold on to the other things that steal our love from Christ.

Conclusion:

A little more than a week ago, Kris and I attended a small conference in KY. In the last session of that conference we gathered around a table and shared the sacrament of communion. The speaker had given a message about the kingdom of God and he came to a point when he mentioned the “full meal” that believers will enjoy at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” He stated however, that there is still work to be done before we get to that supper. Then, as he gestured toward the communion tray of emblems, he said, “Until that time comes, let’s enjoy the appetizer.”

Today, I present to you the Lord’s table not only as a reminder of what Christ accomplished for our redemption and the sacrifice He made, but also as a reminder that this is only a small taste of the great meal we will someday get to share with Christ in person.

When Does the Church Need to Repent?

This is a sermon that was based on portions of Revelation chapters two and three. It answers the question posed in the sermon title by looking at the churches Jesus told to repent in these Scriptures. Five out of the seven churches addressed were commanded to repent. The reasons they needed to repent can be discovered in the description of each church. Those who wish to watch the video recording of the worship service in which this message was presented may click here.

Written Excerpts:

Revelation 3:19 (NKJV)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Introduction:

Yesterday our church participated by live stream simulcast in an all-day meeting in Washington DC calling our nation to repentance and prayer. It was a global call to “return to God” so that God will return to us (i.e. the U.S.). The event took place on the National Mall in front of the Washington Monument. At the same time and partially in the same place, Franklin Graham had a prayer march in which people walked from the Lincoln Memorial all the way down past the National Mall to the U.S. Capital building, praying as they walked.

As I began preparing this message, the prayer meeting in Washington hadn’t occurred yet, so I began planning without knowing what the speakers were going to be saying, except in a general sense to call us to repentance and prayer. But as I thought about the prayer events in DC, I felt that God was leading me to preach on a similar topic in order to lead our church into a spirit of repentance and prayer that will help put us in harmony with the call that national leaders have expressed.

We often quote 2 Chron. 7:14, and I just preached on that passage a few weeks ago. It is a passage that reveals a promise from God for His people if they will meet certain conditions. Those conditions are: humility, repentance and prayer. However, it occurred to me that God’s people, the church, may not know what to repent from. Therefore, I felt God leading me to preach on the subject: When Does the Church Need to Repent? Or What does the church need to repent from?

We who are believers and are part of the Church of Jesus, we might be tempted to think and even say, “We’re the ones who are right. It is all those dirty, rotten, sinners out there in our world that need to repent.” Yes, the dirty, rotten, sinners need to repent. So do all of the clean, respectable, sinners! However, I'm confident that there are scores of people sitting in church pews today (or watching a church service online or on TV) who truly think that all the repentance and returning to God has to be done by the wicked people of the world. But even more than all those sinners, the church needs to repent too. It was the people of God, that the Lord was talking to in 2 Chron. 7:14. It is the people of God or the churches of God that were commanded to repent in the book of Revelation.

Today I am going to raise the question, “When does the church need to repent?” I am going to look at Scripture to answer that question in hopes that God will show us if there are any areas our church needs to repent, either corporately or individually.

Before we do that, I want to review the meaning of the term repent or repentance.

Repentance – a change of mind leading to a change of action. (Logos Bible Software); a change of mind: as it appears in one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done…that change of mind by which we turn from, desist from, etc. (Thayer, Greek Lexicon)

Repentance does not merely mean to be sorry about something. It does include sorrow, but it goes farther than simply being sorry and leads to a change of action, leads to a turning from or desisting from something in order to start a new course of behavior, attitude, etc. The Apostle Paul stated that “godly sorrow leads to repentance.” (2 Cor. 7:10) Practically speaking, repentance means that you do not and cannot go on in the same direction and the same manner you’ve been going.

About 7 years ago, I preached a series of messages from the first three chapters of Revelation, which contain God’s message through the Apostle John to seven churches of Asia. Today, I would like to briefly revisit that passage in our discussion of repentance.

I raised a question in my sermon title, “When does the church need to repent?” I believe that God’s message to these churches gives us some insight into the answer to that question. Out of the 7 churches mentioned, 5 of them were commanded to repent. So, I want to use those examples in Revelation 2-3 in order to help us understand when or why churches need to repent.

1. The church needs to repent when love is abandoned.

Rev. 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Ephesus was a very prominent city. It had experienced great teaching and preaching. This church has received one of the richest letters from the Apostle Paul.

(Leon Morris, Tyndale NT Commentary) The condemnation of this church is expressed in one memorable phrase, You have forsaken your first love. It is not clear whether this is love for Christ (‘you do not love me now as you did at first’, GNB), or for one another (‘you have given up loving one another’, Moffatt), or for mankind at large. It may be that a general attitude is meant which included all three (‘you do not love as you did at first’, Phillips). Forsaken (aphēkes) is a strong term; they had completely abandoned their first fine flush of enthusiastic love. They had yielded to the temptation, ever present to Christians, to put all their emphasis on sound teaching. In the process they lost love, without which all else is nothing.

When the church becomes satisfied and even self-congratulatory with just being orthodox in our beliefs and our normal formalities and routines, but the passion to love God and others along with the action that proves it has long been abandoned. This passage reminds us that mere faithfulness is not enough unless that faithfulness includes the faithful fanning of the flame of love for God. I’m not simply talking about emotional, warm and cozy feelings about Christ, but an ardent, vibrant love for Him that craves His Holy presence, His smile of approval, and His tender voice of guidance. 

2. The church needs to repent when truth is compromised to accommodate public standards.

Rev. 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

While these people were maintaining the right “theology” or the right terminology and were apparently willing to “die” for their faith, yet they were apparently not willing to stand against those in their “congregation” who had adulterated the practice of their faith to include various practices of sensuality and immorality.

(Barclay) [These wayward members] sought to persuade Christians that there was nothing wrong with a prudent conformity with the world’s standards.

Denomination after denomination, church after church and Christian after Christian all across our nation have bought into modernistic philosophy and rejected God’s Word in favor of the approval of the world. For example, the legal definition of obscenity is decided by community standards. God’s truth isn’t judged by community standards. God is the judge. His law is the standard. It really doesn’t matter what the world / community says about it.

3. The church needs to repent when its conduct is as immoral as the world’s.

Rev. 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Rev. 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Writers describe one of the potential problems in this city was the fact that large numbers of people would feel it necessary to join the trade guilds in order to “avoid commercial suicide.” These guilds no doubt offered common meals that would include meat that had been consecrated to an idol, and they would engage in all kinds of drunken revelry and immorality. (Barclay, ZPBD, et. al)

It is not clear whether the reference to “fornication” should be understood literally as sexual immorality or as spiritual infidelity.

(Barclay) Some believe that the phrase “the depths of Satan” (v.24), could very well be a reference to a common heresy during that era which claimed that Christians should experience every kind of sin… and accommodate themselves to the world.

This week Kris and I attended a two-day conference in Kentucky. In one of the sessions, the presenter mentioned a large mega-church that hired a Christian survey firm to conduct an assessment of its congregation. The conclusion of the survey was that the beliefs and conduct in the church nearly mirrored the beliefs and conduct of the non-churched.

There's little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. There's as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched. And I'm afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression--but it doesn't have primacy in determining behavior. (George H. Gallup, "Vital Signs," Leadership, Fall 1987, p. 17.)

4. The church needs to repent when it has spiritually died.

Rev. 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

(Barclay) This church was not practicing any heresy, and it was not under attack (persecution) from the outside. It had simply died spiritually.

One dies by simply not doing the things that sustain life. Nourishment; Exercise; Purpose; etc. – these are the things that promote life. Without these, life will ebb away, and death will certainly come.

Signs of death: legalism; formalism; ritualism… Paul said, “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”

A change of mind leading to a change of action is necessary in order to revive the dead.

5. The church needs to repent when its passion and mission have cooled.

Rev. 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

They were not cold or hot. This likely is a deliberate reference to the condition of the water supply in that city and the surrounding area.

(Reformation Study Bible) Laodicea's water supply had to be provided from a distant source through pipes. The resulting water was lukewarm and barely drinkable. By contrast, the neighboring town of Hierapolis had medicinal hot springs, and neighboring Colossae was supplied by a cold mountain stream. Christ urges the church to be refreshing (cold) or medicinally healing (hot), rather than like the Laodicean water supply.

(S. Zodhiates) …hot and cold represent beneficial qualities just as hot water soothes the body and cold water slakes one's thirst…. The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament.

The point seems to be that these people, just like lukewarm water, did not exhibit any passionate qualities that would have a positive effect on their culture or their world. In a literal sense, lukewarm condition can be attained by cooling of something that was hot, or the warming of something that was cold. The same is true spiritually.

How can people get in this condition of blindness? I believe it is through the common habit of comparing ourselves with ourselves. We Christians look at the attitudes and behaviors of the unsaved and unconverted “pagans” around us and, as long as we’re “not as bad as they are,” we are content.

Conclusion:

Look at vv. 19-20. God is passionate about saving them from their certain destruction. God is passionate about giving them whatever they need to break out of the lukewarm, half-hearted, self-righteous status quo into which they have settled. The Lord isn’t content to just let them drift along and lose their souls. He is rebuking and chastening and pleading and calling to them. He is urging them to do something about their sad condition.

Again, I remind each of us that the horrible conditions of our society right now are not solely because of the wicked people flaunting their wickedness. If the church had stayed hot instead of lukewarm; if the church had not compromised its standards of truth and conduct instead of following the standards of Hollywood and Washington; if the church had nurtured its love for God and its spiritual life; rather than gradually dying out; then I have no doubt our society and our world would be totally different than it is today.

I want to caution us to point the finger at all of the other denominations and Christians as if they are the problem. We need to ask God to search our own hearts and show us where we need to personally repent and change our thoughts and our conduct to line up with God’s Word.

But… remember that we can’t do any of that without a deeply personal and committed relationship with Jesus.

Closing Song: Give Me Jesus

Worthwhile Pursuits

This is a sermon based on Hebrews 12:14 which commands believers to pursue peace with all men and holiness. This message explores the meaning of the command and how it is achieved. Those who desire to watch the video of the worship service in which this sermon was presented may click here.

Written Excerpts:

Hebrews 12:14 ^(NKJV)  Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Introduction:

[Many people who] wanted to know how [their] knowledge of random facts stacked up against others, did one thing: [They] cracked open a box of Trivial Pursuit, one of the greatest board games ever invented. Invented in 1981, it's been one of the most successful games of all time, spawning countless editions and niche spin-offs (see: Stars Wars Trivial Pursuit, Book Lovers Trivial Pursuit, World of Harry Potter Ultimate Edition Trivial Pursuit, et cetera, et cetera, ad infinitum).

Trivia questions relating to fun facts, random facts, animal facts, and mind-blowing facts … can be related to each of the six categories: geography, entertainment, history, art and literature, science and nature, and sports and leisure. These questions provide minutes and hours of entertainment as a game, but they are just trivia. They do not provide essential information for much of anything important to daily life.

People pursue a lot of different things in life. Many of them are much more important and valuable than just knowing random facts. People pursue certain kinds of employment they desire, they pursue relationships with that ideal person they desire for a life companion, and some people passionately pursue every possible plan for getting rich. We all make decisions about the kinds of pursuits in life are worthwhile and those that aren’t.

In our Scripture that was read today, verse 14 in the NKJV reads, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Peace and holiness are two things that are very essential for daily life, mainly because God’s Word tells us to pursue them.

With the help of the Lord I want to explore the inspired words found here in verse 14 and try to apply them to our spiritual lives in a way that will benefit our daily walk with the Lord. But, before we do that, I want to briefly remind you of some background information about this letter, which we believe could have been written by the Apostle Paul.

This letter is written to Jewish Christian believers who have been experiencing persecution for their faith. As a result of this, some had returned to Judaism and others were tempted to turn back to their Jewish faith prior to Christian conversion. Throughout the letter, Paul is trying to explain all the reasons why they are far better off now than before and why faith in Jesus is better than the former system of animal sacrifices and offerings. Now, in chapter 12, Paul is addressing the matter of spiritual chastisement – discipline from the Lord to correct us and to shape us.

Notice in the beginning of verse 12, we have the word “therefore,” which is a word that ties it and the following verses with the points he has already stated in the previous verses. “Since God corrects us and disciplines us because we are His children and because He loves us, therefore do these things. These are the commands he delivers: “lift up;” “make straight;” and “pursue.”

I am not going to discuss the first two commands “lift up” and “make straight” today, but I do want to talk about the command to “pursue.” The two specific things he commands his readers to pursue are: peace and holiness.

1.         The meaning of the word “pursue.”

KJV – “Follow”.

It is in imperative form – a command. It is in the present tense – a continuous action, a constant pursuit. It is translated 28 times with the word “persecute;” 10 times with word “follow” or “follow after;” and 3 times to “suffer persecution.” 

Various meanings include: run or flee, put to flight, drive away, run swiftly to catch someone or something, to do any of these actions to harass, trouble or persecute. It can also carry the thought “to seek after eagerly” or “earnestly endeavor to acquire.” This word teaches the idea of constantly pursuing or chasing the goals described.

2.         The first thing we are to pursue is peace with all men.

“peace” – The ancient Greek meaning was the absence of war or hostility as a state or condition rather than attitude or relationship. The main meaning in the NT is not the Gk meaning, but salvation in a deeper sense, thus the absence of hostility with/against God and the condition of harmony, tranquility. When Paul in Rom. 14:17 says that God’s kingdom is peace, he is stating that the rule of God is one in which there is no evil or discord; he can thus exhort us to pursue what makes for peace (v. 19), i.e., to avoid squabbling about meats or days. (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume)

Romans 14:17 ^(NKJV)  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:19 ^(NKJV)  Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

1 Peter 3:11 ^(NKJV)  Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 ^(NKJV)  See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

(A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament) Give peace a chase as if in a hunt.

Romans 12:18 ^(KJV)  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Sometimes it isn’t possible. We still need to seek for it as much as is productive. (Sometimes, further efforts at peace cause more strife, especially if the other person is committed to never reconciling.)

(R.T. France, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) To “pursue peace with everyone” (an echo of Ps 34:14) is a more active goal than merely avoiding conflict; it echoes Jesus’ saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Why should we chase after peace with all people? Because everyone is made in the image of God and worthy of respect and kindness. Also because peace is necessary in order to win them to the Lord.

(Donald Guthrie, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) But that this does not mean peace at any price is clear from its close link with the pursuit of holiness. Peace with all men is possible only within the limits of what is right. There are in fact times when standing for just causes brings intense antagonism and peace is inevitably shattered.

It doesn’t mean “peace at any cost” or “peace over truth.” Jesus himself made enemies, not intentionally or maliciously, but only because He told the truth even when people didn’t like it or want it.

3.         The second thing we are to pursue is holiness.

“holiness” – trans. 5 times with word “holiness” and another 5 times with the word “sanctification.” Synonyms – purity; cleansing.

We’ve talked about sanctification and holiness many times. In the OT, it represented the quality of conforming to God’s commands in order to reflect God’s nature. The Lord tells the Israelites that if they obey His commands and follow His statutes, they will be a holy people unto Him or devoted to Him.

Dr. John Oswalt believed that the Ten Commandments were God’s requirements for the people to share His character. Those commands demonstrated the issues that were of supreme importance to God – right worship; right conduct toward others.

I’ve often pointed out that sanctification includes two themes: washing/cleansing from all impurities and separation or set apart for a specific purpose. That purpose is for God’s use and God’s glory. In the NT especially, holiness is only possible through the presence and fullness of the Holy Spirit whose primary ministry is to make us holy.

Romans 6:19 ^(NKJV)  I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 ^(NKJV)  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

1 Thess. 5:23 ^(NKJV)  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely…. (Not on the screen)

The reason we must chase after or pursue holiness is so we can “see the Lord.”

Matthew 5:8 ^(NKJV)  Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

(Donald Guthrie, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) The 'seeing' of God could be understood in a spiritual sense of communicating with him, but there is the further sense in which a fuller prospect is in mind than is now possible (cf. 1 John 3:2 which points to the coming again of Christ). The future tense (opsetai) looks forward to an event as yet unfulfilled.

(R.T. France, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) Holiness is God’s own character, and it is only those who share it (v.10) who can “see” him. God is, of course, literally invisible (11:27), which gives the greater force to the biblical use of “seeing” God as a metaphor for enjoying personal fellowship with him ….

Conclusion:

The worthwhile pursuits we have been talking about today – chasing after peace with all men and chasing after holiness – are nothing more or less than striving to be like Jesus. The record we have of Jesus and the life He demonstrated while He was on earth provides the example for us to follow. Through the author of this biblical letter, God has provided a challenge for us to establish and maintain godly relationships “horizontally” with our fellowman, and to establish and maintain a “vertical” relationship with Him.

Thomas Chisholm was born in 1866 in Kentucky. He attended a one-room school and at the age of 16 became the teacher of that same school. After 4 years, he was hired to work for the newspaper of Franklin, KY.

Several years later, at the age of 27, Thomas was converted in a revival meeting under the preaching of Dr. H.C. Morrison, the founder and president of Asbury College. Shortly after his conversion, Thomas wrote a poem to express his desire to be more like Christ in his life.

That hymn is our closing song for today:

O to Be Like Thee       #551

If we live our lives to be like Jesus, it will lead us to seek peace with people and seek to live holy lives before God.