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Perfecting Holiness 
 
II Corinthians 6:11-7:1
Introduction:  In these verses we are commanded to be “perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. Holiness in the simplest of terms is defined as that which is set apart for God. It contains a negative element (set apart) and a positive element (for God).   How can we perfect holiness?  The word “perfecting” is translated from the Greek word “epiteleo (ep-ee-tel-eh'-o)” and means to “fulfill further or completely by execution.”  Other words translated in the KJV are accomplish, do, finish, and perform.
How can we as believers perfect holiness in our lives?
 
I.  Recognize the Person of Holiness
    A.  Gain the Correct Perspective of God
         1.  The term “holy” refers to “a setting apart”.  Practically, it refers to
             the setting aside of something for a dedicated use for God.  With
             God “holiness” denotes his exalted status.  Isa. 63:15  --  “Look
             down from heaven and behold the habitation of thy holiness and of
             thy glory.”  God’s essence is exalted above man.
         2.  Christians often live subnormal lives because they lack a correct
             view of God and his exalted holiness.  Ps 46:8-11 – “Come, behold
             the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
             He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the
             bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the
             fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the
             heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.  The LORD of hosts is with
             us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”
         3.  Every believer needs to stop and contemplate the person of God.
             a)  Holiness demands reverence and submission
             b)  Holiness sets the standard by which we all will be judged
             c)  Holiness demands the condemnation of all sinners
             d)  Holiness awakens human consciousness to sin
             e)  Holiness provokes man to aspire to be like God
         4.  Holiness is the essence of all God’s attributes.  His holiness allows
             for love, mercy, longsuffering, tenderness, gracious, truth.
         5.  His Holiness demands Justice.  God’s wrath follows.
         6.  There is nothing that keeps the believer and sinner from experience
             God’s wrath but his pleasure.  Not at all restrained by obligation, He
             has power and authority to consume men in his wrath.  (Edwards)
             a)  There is no want of power
             b)  We deserve judgment.  Divine justice does stand in the way.
             c)  Willful sin already places condemnation over us.
             d)  We face the same wrath that kindle the torments of Hell
             e)  It is no security to wicked men that there is no present signs of
                 judgment.  Disobedient Christians walk over the wrath and
                 judgment of God on a rotten covering with places so weak they
                 cannot bear the weight of the sinner.  God has innumerable ways
                 of destroying the Backslidden Christian in judgment.
             f)  Hypocrisy cannot preserve the disobedient believer
             g)  Devised plans, excuses, and reasons will not stop wrath.
             h)  God is not obligated to let you live in Sin
             i) God’s mercy wears thin and upon release of his fury there is not
                return or time of repentance.
               1)  Like a building storm of thunder and threatening clouds
               2)  Like a flood gate being released
               3)  Like a damn of water breaking --  There is no remedy
               4)  Ill.  Tocoa Falls  --  Ill.  Young man sucked down drainage pipe
         7.  God is in charge and he has the power to destroy you  --  Prov. 20:2
             “The fear of a king is as the roaring lion: whoso provoketh him to
             anger sinneth against his own soul.”
         8.  You are exposed, bare, unprotected from the fury of God  --  Isaiah
             59:18  --  “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury
             to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will
             repay recompence."  Recompence = “deserved treatment”
             Isa. 66:15-16  --  “For behold the Lord will come with fire, and
           with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, &    
          his rebuke with flames of fire.  For by fire and by his sword will the
           Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.”
         9.  God will not have pity when his wrath falls upon you.  Prov. 1:24-
             32, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my
             hand, and no man regarded;  But ye have set at nought all my
             counsel, and would none of my reproof:  I also will laugh at your
             calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;  When your fear
             cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
             when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call
             upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they
             shall not find me:  For that they hated knowledge, and did not
             choose the fear of the LORD:  They would none of my counsel: they
             despised all my reproof.  Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of
             their own way, and be filled with their own devices.  For the
             turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of
             fools shall destroy them.”
    B.  Gain the Understanding of Sin’s Terrible Nature
         1.  Sin is totally opposed to God and his holiness
         2.  Man’s sinful nature is described as “only evil continually”,
             “desperately wicked”, “shapen in iniquity”,  “estranged from the
             womb”, foolishness is bound in the heart”, “righteousness is as
             filthy rags”,  “gone astray… turned to his own way.”
         3.  Sin is described as “evil, wicked, iniquity, rebellion, froward,
             unrighteous, unholy, ungodly, works of darkness, error,
             transgression, trepass, and offence.”
         4.  Metaphors and types of sin in the Bible  --  A theif, debt, heavy
             burden, a sting, wound, a plague, poison, sickness, vomit,
             uncleaness, grey-hair
         5.  Every sin we commit contributes to unhappiness, shame, despairity,  
             hopelessness, loss, regret, fear, oppression, depression.
         6.  The innocent suffer because of our unholiness.  God has chosen the
             Christian as the channel of blessing to the world.  Our neglect of
             righteousness leaves the suffering without hope.
         7.  The fruit of sin is broken homes, diseased bodies, crying children,
             murder, hatred, death.  We contribute to all these when we allow sin
             to reign in our mortal bodies.
 
II.  Recognize the Principles of Holiness
    A.  How it is Produced
         1.   Produced By the Spirit - Romans 6:19-22.
              a)  Holiness is an attribute that is exclusive to God. Therefore
                 holiness can only be produced when we take on the character of
                 God. This is done by the Holy Spirit that dwells in the believer.
             b. Rom 6:19 “I speak after the manner of men because of the
                 infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members
                 servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so
                now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
         c. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth
           in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
           without me ye can do nothing.”
             d.  Holiness in the life of the Christian is produced by the Holy
                 Spirit that dwells in us. It is not manufactured but simply
                 manifested.
         e. Acts 3:12 “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people,
            Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so
            earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had
            made this man to walk?”
         2. Produced Through Separation - II Cor. 6:14-18.
           a) Holiness is produced thru Biblical separation (from the  world to
             God). That is why 7:1 is connected to 6:14 -18 by the phrase 
             “having therefore these promises…”.
           b) Real Biblical separation is not isolation from the world but
             insulation from the world.
           ILL. – The wiring in this building can carry a great deal of power –
           It is not the source of this power but simply a channel - It performs
           perfectly as long as nothing contacts the wire. So we are in the
           world as a witness - Separation insulates us from becoming
           corrupted by the world and thereby losing our ability to channel
           God’s power.  John 17:15,16 “I pray not that thou shouldest take
           them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the
           evil.”
    B.  How Can I Practice Holiness - 1 Pet 1:15,16 “But as he which hath
     called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because
     it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” By realizing that…
         1. It is Necessary - I Peter 1:15.
           a)  The only concept of holiness this world knows is just what they
               see in our lives.
           b) “conversation” = behavior. Holiness is not something we put on
                Sunday morning, it is a way of life.
             c) Everything we do should reflect the holiness of God. 1 Cor
                 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye
                 do, do all to the glory of God.”
             d) It has always been the plan of God that His people be a holy
                  people.  Lev 11:44 “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall
                  therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am
                  holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of
                  creeping thing that creepeth  upon the  earth.”
         2. It is Natural - I Peter 1:16.
             a) The argument is that children inherit the nature of  their
                 parents. And since God is holy and He is our Father, then it
                 would seem only natural.
             b) A dog barks because it is a dog, a duck quacks because it
                 quacks, a fish swims because it is a fish - No need to teach,
                 train a dog to bark, a duck to quack, a fish to swim - WHY ? –
                 Because it is their nature !!!
             c) If we are saved by a Holy God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
                 entrusted with God’s Holy Word written by Holy men of old
                 and called to live a Holy life it should be natural to be Holy !
    C.  How To Perfect Holiness  - II Cor. 7:1.  God does not expect us
         to produce holiness but He does expect us to practice and perfect it.
        1)  Eternal Sanctification  -- Through the Blood  -- 
            Hebrews 10:14  --  “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever
            them that are sanctified.”
        2)  Internal Sanctification  -- Through the Spirit  --  II Thess. 2:13  -- 
             “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
              sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
              Galatians  3:3  --  “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit
              are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
        3)  External Sanctification  --  Through the Spirit  --  John 15:3  -- 
       “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”
         John 17:17  --  “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
         1. There is a Permanent Cleansing - I Jn 1:7 “But if we walk in the
             light,  as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
             and the  blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
             a. The High Priest went in once a year to make atonement on the
                 Mercy Seat. So Christ went into the Holiest of Heaven and
                 sprinkled His own blood on the Mercy Seat in Heaven.
             b. When you are born again, saved by the grace of God you are
                 permanently cleansed from “all” sin.
         2. There is a Periodic Cleansing - I John 1:9 “If we confess our
             sins, he is  faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
             us from all unrighteousness.”
         a) John 13:10 “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not
             save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean,
             but not all.”
             b) According to Exodus 30:17-21 the priest was to wash his hands
                 and feet in the laver before he attempted to do their service.
             c)  The blood on the Mercy Seat (once a year) was a type of the
                 permanent cleansing the blood of Christ assures.
         d) The laver was a type of the periodic cleansing that was the
             priest’s responsibility. You and I are priests (Rev. 1:5). So it is
             our responsibility to cleanse ourselves.
             e)  How can we stay clean and holy before God
             1) Heb 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full
                 assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
                 conscience, and ourbodies washed with pure water.”
             2) 1 Cor 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not
                 be judged.”
             3) I Jn 3:3 “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
                himself, even as he is pure.”
Conclusion:  It is vital that we have the three cleansings and in the right
order.  Internal sanctification precedes external sancitification.
Search your heart  -- Meditate upon sin of omission and comission.
Ingratitude, want of love to God, neglect of bible, unbelief, neglect of
prayer, neglect of means of Grace.  The manner in which you’ve      
performed duties, want of love for fellow man, want of care for heathen,
neglect of family duties,  social duties, watchfulness of your own life
your brethren , neglect of self denial,  Commission – Worldly
mindedness, pride, envy, bitterness, slander, wrestling with God, Lying,
cheating, hypocrisy, robbing God hindering others, bad temper, lust,
covetousness.