Holiness Demanded

This morning, I want to share with you from Charles Spurgeon again. I like Charles Spurgeon. He’s no-nonsense. This is a sermon titled ‘Holiness Demanded’ and it was delivered in 1862. It’s quite a lengthy sermon. I pulled out just a bit of it this morning. It is very good reading in it’s entirety. If you have an opportunity to read the whole thing, I would highly recommend it. You can find this sermon at: www.spurgeon.org/sermons/2902.htm . From there you can navigate to other sermons from Spurgeon.

II. Now, then, for the second point very briefly indeed: "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord;" that is to say, no man can have communion with God in this life, and no man can have enjoyment with God in the life to come, without holiness. "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" If thou goest with Belial, dost thou think that Christ will go with thee? Will Christ be a pot companion for thee? Dost thou expect to take the Lord of love and mercy with thee to the haunts of sin? Professor, dost thou think the just and holy One will stand at thy counter to be co-trader with thee in thy tricks? What thinkest thou, O man! wouldst thou make Christ a sharer of thy guilt? and yet he would be so if he had fellowship with thee in it. Nay, if thou wilt go on in acts of unrighteousness and unholiness, Christ parts company with thee, or, rather, thou never didst have any fellowship with him. Thou hast gone out from us because thou wert not of us; for, if thou hadst been of us, doubtless thou wouldst have continued with us. And as to heaven, dost thou think to go there with thine unholiness? God smote an angel down from heaven for sin, and will he let man in with sin in his right hand? God would sooner extinguish heaven than see sin despoil it. It is enough for him to bear with thine hypocrisies on earth; shall he have them flung in his own face in heaven? What, shall an unholy life utter its licentiousness in the golden streets? Shall there be sin in that higher and better paradise? No, no; God has sworn by his holiness—and he will not, he cannot lie, —that those who are not holy, whom his Spirit has not renewed, who have not been, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, made to love that which is good, and hate that which is evil, shall never stand in the congregation of the righteous. Sinner, it is a settled matter with God that no man shall see him without holiness.

This is preaching you don’t hear much of today. This is a sermon, when printed out, that is about ten pages long. This is just a wee portion.

Why don’t we hear this sort of thing preached from the pulpit, much? Are we that afraid that we might offend? Would we rather not offend than let souls slip into hell? In point III, he starts naming sins and calling out. Most people need to hear it in a simple, blunt, yet loving way. A lot of ways we hear it delivered does not bring conviction, which does not bring a change. We are almost taught (in not so many words) that we CAN hold on to sin in our lives and still be a good Christian. That God will overlook a little sin. That we can be pleasing to and have fellowship with the Lord just as you are. I have even heard people say that “God understands our flesh, so how can He be upset when we sin. He just accepts it.” I don’t think so. It is true that He loves us regardless. There is nothing we can do to change His love for us. But I also believe we can please Him. I also believe we can displease Him. Without giving up our lives to Him, and putting our faith in Him, it is not possible to please Him.

People think it’s too hard. What you don’t understand is that the way God planned it, He does all of the work. We put our faith in God to meet our needs….and He does. Our little faith, His big works. God put forth the effort to save our souls. He pays the price, we just accept it. It is our flesh (that same flesh that God is NOT pleased with) that tries to make it too complicated, when really it’s very simple. We try to justify with knowledge and logic when all we have to do is accept in faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Get in the Word. Build your faith. Please the Lord.

God Bless!

“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14