How Do I Pursue Holiness?

I. You Identify with the Work of Christ on the Cross

Romans 7 NLT

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 8 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

A. Stand on the Victory of Jesus

Sometimes we mistake condemnation for the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

B. Make Holiness Your Purposeful Pursuit

Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king’s meat (Daniel 1:8).

Holiness must be intentional—it doesn’t happen by accident.

God’s work in Holiness is primary and ours is secondary 

II. You Breed What You Feed

Romans 8 NLT

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

A. Separation

What we allow our mind to feed upon is what it will conceive.

We must separate ourselves from sin and guard ourselves at the level of intake.

B. Pursuit

We aren’t just called to avoid sin—we are called to fix our thoughts on Christlike, holy things.

Philippians 4 NLT

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Use this as both a guide and a litmus test for your thought life.

III. You Yield to the Spirit

Galatians 5 NLT

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

A. We Will Yield to One of These Two Desires

Every day, we yield either to the sinful nature or to the Holy Spirit.

Our sinful nature is inherited—we are born with it.

But as believers, we’ve been given a new nature through the Holy Spirit.

B. Yielding to the Holy Spirit Means Following His Guidance

To yield is to obey—to align our thoughts, actions, and decisions with the Spirit’s leading.

We must intentionally include the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, partnering with Him in every area.

Romans 8 NLT

7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

IV. You Produce What You Plant

Galatians 5 NLT

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The seed you plant and cultivate determines the fruit you produce.

A. The Seed of Sinful Desires Produces Unholy Fruit

• Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures

• Idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling

• Jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition

• Dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and similar sins

B. The Seed of the Holy Spirit Produces Holy Fruit

• Love, joy, peace, patience

• Kindness, goodness, faithfulness

• Gentleness, self-control

V. You Embrace Humility and Repentance

A. True Repentance Requires Humility

We must admit we were wrong and that we need God’s grace.

Psalm 51 NLT

17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 

B. Jesus Taught Us to Incorporate These Truths in Prayer

Matthew 6 NLT

12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

We learn from Jesus to:

• Repent humbly and daily

• Surrender ourselves in prayer

• Ask for help to not yield to temptation, but to yield to the Holy Spirit