Here are the sermon notes from Pastor Roger Walter’s sermon from 1 November 2014. I will put the mp3 file at the bottom of the post.
Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation Part 1
Holy – Devoted to the Service of God – Set Apart
Secular – Not Concerned with Religious or Spiritual Matters
An example in the Bible of Holiness is Moses being told to take off his shoes at the burning bush as he was in God’s Presence.
1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
The transformation that happens when Jesus takes over a person’s heart is like the change of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
2 Timothy 2:19-22
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Practical Process of Personal Holiness
| First Stage | Second Stage | Third Stage |
| Salvation | Presentation | Transformation |
| Conversion | Consecration | Conduct & Character |
| Trust In Jesus Christ | Gratitude In Jesus Christ | Obedience |
Jesus Christ Changes Us.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
1. Accept the Call of God to a Life of Personal Holiness
2. Read Your Bible Each Day for the Next 30 Days
3. Find An Accountability Partner, Prayer Partner, and a Small Group
Read Herbert Douglass Message “Are We Saved”? Here is a story Mr. Douglass wrote about Living in These Tough Times.
A few weeks ago, Norma and I toured the aircraft carrier, Lexington, now moored in the Corpus Christi harbor. It is the fifth ship in U.S. history to have that brave name. The fourth was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942) after a brilliant and surprising effort that stopped the advance of the Japanese toward Australia. As soon as this news hit America, the next aircraft carrier being built was named the Lexington, which also soon saw heroic action in the Pacific.
On December 4, 1943, this new Lexington was disabled by a Japanese bomber on a moonlit night off Tarawa. The skipper, Captain Felix Stump went to the ship speaker system so that all aboard could her him: “This is the captain speaking. We have taken a torpedo hit in our stern and the rudder seems badly damaged. Each man must do his job calmly and efficiently. Don’t worry. That’s my job. I got you here and I’ll get you out .and home.” And so he did. Marvelous story in how they did it.
But there’s more to that story. More than 95% of those on board had never been in the open sea before. They were not seasoned sailors and pilots. Citizen sailors and pilots they were. Recently assembled, trained but unsure of themselves. On that moonlit night, they were an easy target but the captain kept maneuvering the ship into the moonlight so that the Lexington would not give the bomber or submarine a silhouette. All the time changing his speed and direction.
On the way back to Pearl Harbor with that disabled rudder, the Admiral of the fleet radioed to Captain Stump, “That was wonderful seamanship, Captain.” The Captain replied, “Thank you, sir, my crew was magnificent!”
Those words swept through the crew. “They were magnificent in the eyes of their captain.” The sailors wrote home about their captain. When they limped back to Pearl, they did not need the serenade of the Navy Band to make them feel like they were heroes. They had already heard the commendation of their captain. Knowing their captain for what he was, kept them unafraid, kept them doing their duty. They could trust their captain, because he got them there and he would get them home.
One of these days, a wonderful group of people will, in a way, limp into the harbor after the worst time of trouble ever to hit people on this earth And they will hear their Captain say: “Well done, good and faithful servants . . . Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt 25:21. And then He will turn to the unfallen worlds, to the unfallen angels, and wave His hand over the veterans from earth, and say, “My crew was magnificent!”
Quietly, I want each of you to tell yourself, that by the grace of God, you will be there to hear your Captain. You are already on the ship’s manifest, you know. Your name is already in His book. Will you promise Him, right now, by His grace that you will not disappoint Him?