The Beauty Of Holiness 2 - 2Cor. 7:1

God's call to us to be holy is comprehensive and can be found throughout the Word.

Our key verse today is:

2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, 

let us cleanse ourselves from all fishiness of the flesh and spirit,

perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The promises that are spoken of here, are found in chapter 6:

6:17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."

6:18 "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughter, Says the Lord Almighty."

These are awesome promises - that He will receive us as sons and daughters. Whatever it takes, this is what I want, but this blessing costs us - we must be holy.

Notice - we have to cleanse ourselves, and perfect holiness ourselves. There is a measure of holiness that comes from beholding Him and being changed into His likeness; but this verse reminds us of the work that we need to do on our own hearts and lives.

I believe we were created to be holy - it should feel "natural" to us.

Here are five magnificent results of holiness:

• Psalm 110 - The Lord will work with, and through you to have authority over Kings and nations

• Isaiah 35 - The Lord will give us a straight, joyful and safe road into Zion - the presence of God

• Romans 6:18-23 - The Lord will make us slaves of righteousness - free from the bondages of sin

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 The Lord will establish us as blameless ones before God

• Hebrews 12:11-15 The Lord will give us strength and wholeness; and our eyes will see the Lord

The Beauty of Holiness Part 1: HERE 
More on Holiness: HERE and HERE and HERE

Five Secrets To Seeing God

Here we go again - a second look at Psalm 27:4

One [thing] I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

• "One thing have I desired" - bring your desire for God into focus. Reduce it to the most important thing. The word "desire" does not simply mean "to ask" but it means to make a careful request - even to "beg."

• "That will I seek" - this word means to "seek until you find," or to demand. Don't give up until you find the face of God.

• "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" - it takes time to create a dwelling, or to make a place into your home. Make His presence Your home, and become comfortable with His house. Claim it as your own. This word "dwell" means to "sit down, abide or stay."

• "To behold the beauty of the Lord" - means "to see with your whole being." Look with spiritual eyes, but also look with your understanding. Take time to look at the Lord carefully. He wants us to see Him (John 17:24).

• "...And to inquire in His temple." - This word means to cling to the thing you are looking at. There is a sense in this word that we are expecting a response from the Lord. We are asking Him for a response to our looking.