Embracing Holiness and Authentic Faith in the New Year

Reflecting on the past year can be more than just setting physical goals; it's about assessing our spiritual journey. As we step into a new year, I invite you to join me in examining what has influenced us spiritually and what we need to let go of. Inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, we'll explore the true essence of holiness that comes from belonging to Christ. We'll debunk some common myths about religious beliefs, underscoring that true holiness is found in Christ alone, not through rituals or other figures. Let's commit to living a life of repentance and holiness as we welcome the new year with open hearts.

Navigating faith in the age of social media presents unique challenges. Many put on a facade of devout Christianity, but their actions don't always align with their beliefs. Drawing from Ephesians 4, we'll discuss the importance of authenticity in our spiritual journey and how to resist the pressures of societal norms. I'll share my own struggles with addictions and temptations, highlighting the continuous journey of spiritual growth amidst the relentless influences of the world. This conversation encourages us to stay true to our faith and maintain a genuine spiritual path.

Embracing a new identity in Christ is a transformative experience guided by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:25-33 calls us to embody love, kindness, and patience, renewing our thoughts and attitudes. We'll talk about living out this new nature, focusing on speaking truthfully, controlling anger, and uplifting others. Let’s remember that we are marked as God's own, empowered to live a life reflecting His righteousness. As we ground ourselves in God's Word and find support within our faith communities, we strive for a genuine relationship with God, living a life that reflects His love in a broken world. As we round the corner into a new year, may faith and love guide your path.

Chapters

• 0:00 New Year Spiritual Examination and Holiness
• 10:18 True Holiness in Action
• 20:35 Living Out Our New Identity
• 27:44 Living Out Our New Identity

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What is up? Faith and Failures community. So we are just days away from the new year, so a lot of people right now are getting those gym memberships that we'll never actually use. We're starting to eat right and we're claiming that we're going to stick to it this time around. But I want to talk to you a little bit about maybe a part of the new year that maybe you have not thought about, and that would be a spiritual assessment, a spiritual examination going into this new year. Like what does that look like for you? Like what have you allowed to manipulate 2024? And, in all honesty, what are you going to allow to continue to manipulate? Or are you going to say you know what? It's not going to control me anymore? You know what that person is not going to control me anymore? So stick around, because we're going to talk about some serious things. Last week was a holy God and this week we're going to talk about how we are called to be holy people.

Speaker 1: 1:10

Before we get into today's video, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the new subscribers. If you haven't yet consider subscribing, hit that bell notification so that you can see every time I put out a new video. A major portion of you that watch my videos haven't subscribed yet, so why not? It's free. You can also find a PayPal link below if you want to give a one-time or give a monthly to support the channel. Anything, great or small, is appreciated. Now let's get into the video. You can also find it All right. So we're going to dive into some scripture and I want you to look on the screen with me. If you want, take your phone and screenshot, or if you're on your computer, whatever you got to do, second Corinthians, write it down. Second Corinthians, 5, 16, 16 through 21. It's a little bit meaty here with quite a bit of scripture, but I believe that's what we're called to do to dive into scripture. So we're going to do that here today, starting in verse 16 in 2 Corinthians.

Speaker 1: 2:14

It says so we have not stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now. So it's saying there was a before and now there's an after. We used to look at him one way, and now we see him a different way. How differently we know him now.

Speaker 1: 2:39

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life has gone, a new life has begun, and all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ, and God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. So Christ laid down his life for us, and now it is our jobs as believers to then begin to also do that. Try to reconcile that same in other people, spark that interest in other people of finding truth, the real truth, not my truth, your truth or all whatever truth they got going on, but the truth, the one truth from the one true God. For God has sent Christ, sent, for God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them, and he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we hold on. I got reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, come back to God, for God made Christ, who never sin, his son, to be the one and done sacrifice that there never has to be another sacrifice again. There must be a life of repentance but, like the old covenant, required blood on the altar. Jesus' blood is eternal and lasting to be able to reconcile anybody in any state, at any point. All they have to do is say yes to Jesus and make Him Lord of their life and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is the one true Son of God, which is why Muslim people will never go to heaven. They will not admit that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Traditional Jews. They do not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Traditional Jews. They do not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah. That's not my rules, that's the Word of God. They have to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah that laid His life down 21. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Now there's nowhere in biblical text where it says that Mary never sinned. Okay, jesus literally had half brothers. Where did those brothers come from? Mary? So for certain sections of religious beliefs that she is somehow holy, she is not. She was a vessel, just like all of us are vessels to be used by God however he sees fit. That was her part to play, and so when people put her on a pedestal, that has made an idol out of something that I believe grieves Jesus' heart, that people would turn his mother into an idol Verse 21,. Let's read it, for God has made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, that we could be made right with God through Christ, not through Mary, not through a ritual, not through the way we dress, not through how we pray, what prayers we pray If we go to a priest, if we say these things, all these things that seem to be copy and pasted on some very traditional and around the world things are not actual New Testament biblical beliefs.

Speaker 1: 6:27

They are made up and they are man-made. So I want to walk you through this and as we walk through this, I want you to understand that God. I didn't switch that for you just a second ago. I do apologize, I forgot I had it going. I split it up for you. But God is holy and so he requires His people to be holy. So we're going to look at what that actually means when we say to be holy. So we're going to build on last week of talking about God, how he was holy, and this week is going to be and starting of the new year is going to be talking about how we must be as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, that we are also called to a holy life.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Now, legalistic people try to mesh these two together. Legalistic, which is like you have to do a certain thing with your hair. You got to not do that. All of a sudden, there a bunch of lists and it's exactly the same way as the Pharisees, which, in their day, it was the religious law, it was the way they were taught, they were doing it right, but they missed the part of relationship inside.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Now, that being said, if someone is dressing a certain way, doing a certain thing, and that is their conviction, and they are living a holy life, not a certain thing, and that is their conviction. And they are living a holy life, not from that because their works do not get them into heaven, but out of that. They have prayed, they have fasted, they have understood, not because just how they were raised, but they are truly convicted that that's what God is requiring of them to maybe live a more humble life, to maybe live a certain way. Hey, all glory to God and let your life be a reflection of who he is and his glory and majesty through a way of living, because Jesus did point this out in the Pharisees. He did say do what they're doing, because they are doing it right, they understand the law, they understand how to partake and do what they're supposed to do, to say the right things. To quote scripture they knew scripture very well, but it was beyond that that Jesus was trying to relay to those who were listening to him teach. Is that? Yes, that is a good thing, but that is not the thing that is a good practice for you to have that is good for your life. It will structure you, it will help you remain mentally, physically and emotionally, I think, in a very clear place.

Speaker 1: 8:52

But just as in the book of 2 Corinthians we have where the people of God took gifts that were good and they made them into spiritual gifts that were good. They made them into something that would birth things of the flesh and sin got in the camp of the church and somebody was sleeping with their mother-in-law or their stepmom or whatever it was, and people in the church were just like, hey, that's cool, you do you boo, and that's not how God has called us to live. He's called us to live a holy life. So let me look and see if I have the next. Yeah, ephesians chapter four. So I want you to look at this, look over in Ephesians chapter four. Okay, ephesians chapter four calls us to step away, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Now this chapter, this verse 22 right here, calls us to step away from our sinful nature and put on a new, god-given nature, a transformation that reflects the holiness of our Father. Our journey as believers isn't about receiving, just about receiving, forgiveness. God calls us to live a life of transformation where we can become more like Him every single day. It should be.

Speaker 1: 10:18

This is why it angers me so much, and I'm just going to I'm not trying to throw people under the bus, but if you're going to put it in public, then you kind of you're asking for it. I can't stand when someone on TikTok or Instagram or or Facebook, or Twitty, or Twitty Twitter formerly known as Twitter, now it's X they. They like oh, I just want to, I just want to read my scripture today, but then they have like a selfie picture of themselves, like I am. So now, if you do this, don't think I'm calling you out, I'm talking like a very specific. They have in their little bio scriptures and everything. I'm a Jesus lover, and then they dress like a hooker. I'm sorry those two things can exist in the same thing, because now I don't know where they are in their walk of faith. But I'm telling you this when you come to Christ, the things that you used to do, how you used to act, the way you used to respond, the very thoughts you used to have, should now be different and begin to be transformed.

Speaker 1: 11:14

But here's the thing. Here's what we do in the American culture, at least that I can speak to, is that we love to put Christ on with everything we are being and just keep everything else too. There's never an exclusion, there's never a separation, and so what we have is a bunch of whitewashed tombs that their Instagram looks pretty. They got highlighted scriptures, they got whatever little scriptures on their little bio thing. They're making little TikToks.

Speaker 1: 11:45

I just felt today that Jesus said and it's like you're not doing it for you, I mean for God, you're doing it for you, and it's very obvious that it's a self-absorbed, self-selfish instead of selfless Like. Here's the thing If we're doing something out of the goodness of our heart, the kindness of our heart. If we're going and serving people, we shouldn't have to have a camera crew or record every single moment of it. It should be more of a private thing, because the Lord says that he will uplift the things we do in private and it seems like all we want to do is get things on social media to show that we're doing something.

Speaker 1: 12:20

Now, if I'm looking up a church, I want to see stuff going on, I want to see things happening, I want to see the messages, I want to see the outreach they're doing. But what I'm saying is you can be doing these things and being recorded, having photos taken, and it'd be perfect. But if the opposite and the wrong ambition on this type of stuff and now you only do it when you're being recorded, you only will do it when you're pretending to be, your pride has taken over where this servanthood spot should have been. So that's what we have to be mindful of. So, bottom line, if you dress like a hooker, don't say you love Jesus because you don't know him.

Speaker 1: 13:13

And when I say that, I'm not talking about those who just got saved, I'm talking about those who are like they're reading scripture every day and they don't feel convicted at all about showing themselves. That should be only for their husbands. I mean, you too, you know you can show your stuff like it that is very private stuff that the culture has become so sexualized that probably very good-hearted people that actually love God don't even realize that they are sexualizing the word of God by dressing the way they do and then talking about God. So now they look like hypocrites and there's no weight or substance to their claim of Jesus because they look just like the world. They act just like the world. There is no separation and God has called us to be a separate, a called apart people. So the being set apart is a continual and it is an intentional and it is an intentional process.

Speaker 1: 14:20

Ephesians 4 tells us that putting off our old sinful nature and putting on our new nature is how we respond to God's holiness. So we'll look at it one more time. Throw off the old sinful nature and your former way of life, so what you were should no longer be. Now some of these things happen overnight. I've heard of people where they just like their addictions were gone, like that.

Speaker 1: 14:48

My story was not that way. I actually got a little better and then went back to a couple of things and then got a little better. It was a slow, gradual, sometimes a flip-flop back and forth, but every time I flip-flopped back and it was like I got closer to God and eventually the things of the past that I really didn't want, that my heart really wanted God, they eventually faded. Now that doesn't mean I still don't struggle, like one of my biggest things that I struggle with. I mean I used to be on meth all the time and that's called a sex drug for a reason, and so pornography is one of my things because that's all I did when I was on drugs and so it's constantly. That's still the remnant of sinful nature.

Speaker 1: 15:28

The devil knows that that's what I the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, that's what men gravitate towards. So that's what he tries to use to get us separated from God. He's trying over and over again to replay out the initial separation of Adam and Eve when he got them to separate themselves from God. He tries to do that to us every single day because he is jealous of us, of how close we can be with God, because he can never be saved and yet we can do whatever, and God still loves us that he sent his son to die for us. Like there, what he did there is no atonement for. And yet God provides atonement for us. And so it angers him, it makes him mad, it makes him want to see us fall, want to see us trip up, because he can't have what we can have. He can never have that relationship between him and God again, and so we must, as believers, there should be action behind our salvation. There should be action behind sanctification.

Speaker 1: 16:29

If you don't know what sanctification is, it's an ongoing process, every single day, of intentionally making a decision that I am going to follow Christ, in spite of what is around me, in spite of how I feel, in spite of if it's good, in spite of if it's bad, like it does not matter. I am going to say yes to God every single day. That is sanctification. So throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of lust or your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception, by lust and deception. So put on your new nature in Christ. Put on your new nature in Christ. So Ephesians again, chapter four, same chapter 23 and 24. Instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Now, why does it say very specifically here the spirit, because I don't know if you've tried to do things yourself before. I have several times and several years and I can make a mess of everything because I don't have the capacity to pull me out.

Speaker 1: 17:37

So let me, let me give you a very real, a real physical example for a second. We're talking about getting yourself to be better. If you or I fell into a hole, a pit, and we latched onto the side and we were just like hanging, like just by the edge. You know, you see them on the movies. They're always hanging off the buildings Somehow. Their fingers are holding them up. It seems like 30 hours, but they're going like this and they're hanging and you're hanging All right. Now imagine how could you come off the roof and pull yourself up, like how could you be on the other side like a person would and pull yourself up? It is nearly it could. You could actually pull yourself up, you could do it.

Speaker 1: 18:32

But most majority of people, in their physical strength, do not actually have that amount of strength in their upper body to pull themselves up and get back up on a ledge. Now think about that what I just said Nine times out of 10, a person does not actually have the strength to pull themselves out of a pit. Let's read this again. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. So if we're going to be renewed in Christ and we're going to live a holy life, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to do the work, because if not, we will try, and most of the time, and almost all of the time, until we reach a state of strength and maturity in Christ, we will end up failing and falling back into our old ways, and so that's why it's incredibly important to understand that you, in your strength, stop trying to control it. Stop trying to be the person like. Be strong enough. That's your pride.

Speaker 1: 19:28

Allow God to do the work that only God can do, because if you've ever served the Lord and you probably had some situations that were probably not fun, situations that were hard, distracting and dismantling to you as a person, just who you thought you were, who you thought was around you I've had to let God and the Holy Spirit handle things and keep my cool and keep my mouth shut, and you know what happens. And keep my cool and keep my mouth shut and you know what happens when God handles it and God takes care of it. It always works out the best way possible. But when Steven gets on board and I'm trying to do it my way and I'm trying to make things happen, when, when I'm overstepping my bounds of authority of of if God is authority of my life, then I need to let God be the authority and I need to sit on the back seat for a little bit. So in this, if I don't reserve that spot for God, I will end up messing it up. But I have to be willing to sit on the sidelines and let God do what only God can do and let the Holy Spirit do what only the Holy Spirit can do.

Speaker 1: 20:35

So put on your new nature, okay, your new nature by the Spirit, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. We are called to allow the Spirit to renew our thoughts and our attitudes. This will produce out of us good attributes and good character and all the fruit of the spirit that we actually desire in our lives. But we end up doing it the wrong way and getting the wrong fruit, and then we get upset. But God has given us a new nature through Christ. This isn't just a set of rules. If you don't know Christ.

Speaker 1: 21:12

Coming to Christ is not a set of rules. It's actually a new way of being free. It's a radical transformation of the inside out. We are renewed by the Holy Spirit, who helps change our desires, our thoughts and our attitudes. Goodness, if we could just get some people in the church to allow their attitudes to be changed, imagine who would actually want to come to Christ. That is crazy. Being created to be like God means we are designed to reflect His righteousness and His holiness. When we embrace this new nature, our lives will reflect qualities like love, kindness, patience, humility and integrity and other fruit of the Spirit. Integrity is not in there, but just letting you know Things like that that we really would want to have in our lives. That develops and manufactures good character. To put the new nature, to put on this new nature, we need to surrender daily to God's Spirit, asking Him to change our hearts and our minds, to be willing and to be open for Him to do that. We must be intentional in our relationship with God, allowing His Word to shape us. Let's look at Ephesians 4, 25-33. It's quite a bit of scripture, but living out our new identity, let's give some understanding to what we've been talking about. Let's get some context from Ephesians, chapter four again.

Speaker 1: 22:41

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all part of the same body. So when you come to Christ, there is a connection between each other. The Bible even says that the spirit of God living in us bears witness with the spirit of God living in other people. So the spirit recognizes the spirit, so it makes it where it's not confusing and somebody does something that's out of line or out of the spiritual alignment and gets in the flesh. We know because the spirit within us checks us and checks them. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all part to the same body, verse 26. And don't sin by letting anger control you. Man, where you at, you might not be emotional, but anger is an emotion. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Speaker 1: 23:44

If you are a thief, guess what? Quit stealing Shocker. Instead, use your hands for good hard work and then give generously to others in need. So it's talking about a reversal effect of when the Holy Spirit comes, lives inside of you and changes you. Now what you used to do. That was wrong, and fleshly it's taking those same instruments. So this person is a thief. That means they're good at concealing, they're good at pickpocketing, pickpocketing, pickpocketing, pickpocketing. They pick them pockets. You know what I'm saying. And they can do things, but they also want everything for themselves. Well, it's saying that you, once you come to Christ, you begin to reverse that. Now you want to give to everybody else, you want to protect, you want to quit lying, you want to quit stealing. Instead, use your hands that once was used for stealing, now use them for the good of the kingdom. Hands that once was used for stealing, now use them for the good of the kingdom Verse 29.

Speaker 1: 24:44

Here we go, church people, don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember he has identified you as his own. But, holy Spirit, by the way you live, remember he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing you, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. He's talking to Christians here. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander and, like I just said he's talking to Christians here. All types of evil behavior, verse 32. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God, through Christ, has forgiven you. Just as Christ has forgiven you. Now.

Speaker 1: 25:28

This outlines specific behaviors that come from our new nature, coming to Christ. Paul talks about things like speaking truthfully, controlling your anger, being generous and speaking words that builds others up. Let's break this down a little bit more. So let's go to Ephesians 4.29. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Take a screenshot of this, put it on a sticky note, put it on your window, whatever you got to do, write it down.

Speaker 1: 26:05

When we put on our new nature, it affects every area of our lives how we speak, how we treat others, how we respond to hurt, how we deal with temptation. Our new nature reflects a holy god showing others that we are truly set apart, that we are truly set apart, the power of the holy spirit in transformation. Let's look ephesians, chapter 4, verse 30, and do not bring sorrow to god's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember he has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. I thank God that he has identified me as His own, but how he identifies us is that we are identified by Him. You understand what I'm saying. Identified by him. You understand what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 27:06

God has given us his Holy Spirit to help us live out this new nature. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, marked as God's own people. The Holy Spirit guides, he convicts and he empowers us to live a life that honors God. When we walk in this new nature, the Holy Spirit within us is pleased, but when we slip back into our old patterns, we bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit. Living our new identity as God's children is an act of gratitude for all he has done. So encouragement for the church.

Speaker 1: 27:44

Look at Ephesians 4.32.

Speaker 1: 27:46

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God, through Christ, has given you.

Speaker 1: 27:53

This verse is a beautiful picture of our new nature. We can love, we can forgive, we can show kindness because he has received, because we have received these things from God. As we embrace our new nature, we reflect God's love to a broken world. And as we close this out, I want you to remember this that the call to holiness is not about perfection. As we draw near to a holy God, we become more like him. We should become more like him because we are seeking to be closer to him, and the new nature becomes evident in how we live. Living a certain way, doing good things, does not produce salvation or holiness, but salvation and desiring to live holy produces these things out of the abundance of our heart, because now our heart belongs to God. Our heart of stone has become a heart of flesh and now it pumps, it lives again. The new nature becomes evident in how we live, speak and love. God has given us everything we need, through the Holy Spirit, to live out this identity, this new identity in Christ.

Speaker 1: 29:07

So I want you to ask yourself, as we come into this new year in just a few days have you truly given your whole heart, the way you think, what you watch, what you see, what you hear, what you listen to, what you speak, the things you say? Have you given everything over, truly given everything over to God? Your past hurts, maybe your present hurts, maybe you're in the middle of things right now and you don't see a way out, and all you feel is fear, anger, hate, and you don't know what to do. First of all, cling to His Word. The Word is the foundation for where and how you're going to heal, are going to heal. Second is, find a good community of people who believe what the word says. Doesn't have to be a specific denomination, but they wholeheartedly, from cover to cover, believe what the word says and they don't add to it and try to make up something. And I'm not going to go into that.

Speaker 1: 30:14

That's another podcast episode.

Speaker 1: 30:16

What I'm saying is this we are called to be set apart. I don't want Jesus to ever look at me, like he did the Pharisees, and say you're just a whitewashed tomb. You're doing everything right on the outside. You're dressing right, You're acting right, you're talking right, you're doing all the charity work, you're giving generously, you're paying your tithes, you're doing all the things right that the Bible says you should do a well-rounded, good character, loving husband, man, all these things, father, but then inside I'm a wreck, I'm a wretched soul. I want God to look at me one day and say well done, my good and faithful servant. And so that is my harsh desire, and I hope that some of this from something today has birthed something in you that you will also want to at least begin to search and that it becomes your heart's desire, because that's the kind of relationship God desires to have with us. He is holy, so we, if we are his children, also must be holy. Love you, praying for you, and I hope you have an amazing new year. Faith and failures podcast.