Bible Text: Leviticus 11 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship

— Pastor Lou’s Notes —
Intro: I would like to ask a question this morning. What does personal holiness look like? May I add to the question, can we distinguish between false holiness and biblical holiness? We are very good at letting people see the best side of us. However, in many instances, when we are in private or when we are away for people who know us, we can live a different life. So, what is needed in our lives as Christ followers in order to live holy lives?

Leviticus 11-12 offer insights to us today about keys to personal holiness.

1. We need to learn what God loves and what God hates: key verse 11:44-45
1. The dietary laws were given by God for sanitary and health purposes
2. They were give by God to help us develop loving obedience and discernment
3. These laws ended at the cross because Christ fulfilled all the law

2. We need discernment informed by the Word and the Spirit
1. We need to learn what please God and what displeases God
1. We face input and decisions every day and, sometimes, every hour
2. We need God’s discernment and wisdom to make the right choices and do the right thing

2. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can develop discernment
1. We live in a culture which generally believes there are not more moral absolutes
2. Cultural morals are influenced by popular opinion

3. We need to pass this on to our children
1. Deut. 6: 1-9
2. This is a daily task

3. We need to practice God’s provision for holiness and purity
1. All the ceremonial acts outlined in these chapters point to God’s grace when we are made impure by bad decisions
1. These were never to be mindless acts, but acts of faith
2. It was to teach us that our sinful decisions due have consequences

2. God’s now makes provision for Christ followers for purity and holiness
1. The cross of Christ
1. Made pure by the blood of Christ

2. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
1. Making the Word of God come alive to us
2. Helping us apply to our lives the principles of Scripture
3. Changing us from the inside out to be more like Jesus

3. The Word of God
1. Sometimes we tend to treat the Bible as a restaurant menu
2. Learning what pleases and displeases God

4. The fellowship of the church
1. Corporate worship and fellowship
2. Accountability
3. Serving and loving one another
4. Reaching a lost world

Closing: How are we doing in our journey towards holiness? Are we learning what please God and what displeases Him? Do we really believe in our hearts that God has made know to us His moral absolutes?