http://bible.com/events/49238706

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Holiness as Wholeness, Part 1

Holiness as Wholeness

The idea behind this new teaching series is that Holiness, rather than being a heavy burden of impossibility placed on believers, is a healing and freeing effect of Christ’s sacrifice. Holiness is good for us; it restores to us the design of God for our lives. The enemy wants us to believe it is a chain placed upon us, so we dread its requirements so that we’ll turn our back on it or roll our eyes at it. But, in essence, holiness brings all that we really want into our lives. It makes us whole with all of the attendant beauty of that idea. Holiness is not a requirement as much as it is a remedy. The Nazarene understanding of Christian Holiness or Entire Sanctification is freeing, not binding. Through this sermon series then, we want to see Holiness as Wholeness.

When you decided to attend Church of the Nazarene this morning, you decided to attend a church born of what’s referred to as the Wesleyan or Holiness tradition. “Wesleyan” because of the influence of the great church father John Wesley, and “Holiness” because the pursuit of a real, deep genuine (not generic) relationship with Christ is at the heart of our purpose together.

1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Hebrews 12:14-15

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

“Holiness is a word that can make us feel uneasy. It seems lofty, threatening, alien. We instinctively sense that God’s holiness has dangerous overtones. His purity calls our sinful attachments into question, demanding that we forsake them in order to enjoy the greatest of all goods—belonging to a God of infinite love and power. To come casually with our hearts grasping tightly to the sins we cherish or to come lightly as though they are no big deal, might be like throwing ourselves onto a roaring fire with the expectation we will not perish. How, then, can we—sinful and broken human beings—hope to come into the presence of a holy God and survive the experience?” Ann Spangler

Why do some struggle with the concept of Holiness?

“I believe most think it’s impossible to be holy so they are intimidated by the word. But we need to understand that any holiness we have is not from us, but God working in and through us. Impossible for us? Yes. For God working in us? No.”

“I attend a holiness believing denomination because I was tired of being frustrated trying to live a holy life without understanding full surrender, trying to live in my own strength and hearing ‘you can try, you can try really hard, but you can’t do it’ by other denominational teachings. It is scary when one tries to live a holy life in their own strength, and then it truly becomes frustrating, trying but just not able to do it.”

“I believe that the concept of holiness often feels distant because it’s mistakenly equated with perfection. However, true holiness isn’t about flawlessness but about aligning ourselves with God’s purpose. Similarly, many misconstrue sin as mere error, when in reality, it’s a conscious choice. While perfection remains unattainable in our earthly journey, perfection in Christ entails fulfilling our intended purpose without succumbing to sin. It’s not about flawlessness, but about living without the stain of sin.”

“And here in Holiness is the remedy for all our disease, all the corruption of our nature.” John Wesley

“How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets real thing, it is irresistible.” C.S. Lewis

“Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its beauty.” C.H. Spurgeon

Holiness as wholeness means that the sanctifying work of God in the pursuit of holiness in our lives doesn’t just allow us to be in relationship with Him, but cleanses, refreshes and heals our body and our mind.

Romans 7:24-25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Holiness and the Church of the Nazarene

Former Nazarene General Superintendent Dr. J.K. Warrick discusses the distinctiveness of the Nazarene Church with a focus on Holiness.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

https://www.bible.com/events/49239220

Holiness as Wholeness, Part 1

Holiness as Wholeness

The idea behind this new teaching series is that Holiness, rather than being a heavy burden of impossibility placed on believers, is a healing and freeing effect of Christ’s sacrifice. Holiness is good for us; it restores to us the design of God for our lives. The enemy wants us to believe it is a chain placed upon us, so we dread its requirements so that we’ll turn our back on it or roll our eyes at it. But, in essence, holiness brings all that we really want into our lives. It makes us whole with all of the attendant beauty of that idea. Holiness is not a requirement as much as it is a remedy. The Nazarene understanding of Christian Holiness or Entire Sanctification is freeing, not binding. Through this sermon series then, we want to see Holiness as Wholeness.

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

1 Peter is written by Apostle Peter. It’s believed he is writing in the early to mid 60’s AD, so this is nearly 30 years after Christ.

The letter was written to Christians in and around Rome who were facing severe persecution under the Roman Emperor Nero. It was a widespread and ruthless persecution of Christians.

Peter wants to write them a letter of encouragement, a letter of hope to remind them of who they are in Christ and the victory found only in Him.

His letter opens affirming the wonderous work of Christ and the hope that believers have in him. Peter, much older than we find him in the gospels, fans the flame of faith and hope for these weary and persecuted believers.

For Peter’s audience, it wasn’t the time to be mentally and spiritually sloppy or lazy it was time to be alert and focused.

It’s interesting to me in verse 14 that he doesn’t point out specific actions they used to do. Not how they used to talk, now how they used to dress, or what they used to drink- none of those specifics.

Peter is looking beyond the conduct and actions themselves, to the heart motives and he says, “Don’t let those old passions and desires rule over you, don’t let them call the shots.”

Then he sets up the contrast “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”

The word there in the Greek for holy is hag’-ee-os

It means to be set apart for God, to be exclusively His

Think about what Peter is saying- Rather than being driven by desires, the old ways down in your heart, set yourself apart, give your heart fully to the Lord. Friends that’s the essence of holiness.

1 Peter 1:14-16

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

The invitation of holiness is to allow the Holy Spirit to come and deal with our lives at a heart level. To deal that old nature- to purify our hearts.

It’s possible by the blood of Jesus, it’s brought to life in us by the Holy Spirit and it’s a categorically different way of living.

We still need to grow, we still need to learn, we still need to heal. But our hearts are not divided any more. We don’t have that inner war.

By the power of The Holy Spirit, we have traded that war for peace, the peace of his presence.

It’s a close and intimate relationship with Christ himself. That’s Holiness, and it’s anything but drudgery and bondage. It’s freedom!

Holiness and the Church of the Nazarene

Former Nazarene General Superintendent Dr. J.K. Warrick discusses the distinctiveness of the Nazarene Church with a focus on Holiness.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

https://www.bible.com/events/49235012

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Easter 2024: A Tale of Two Gardens

“Where are you?”

Easter is really a tale of two gardens.

The first garden was beautiful, but more than just physical beauty, this garden represents all creation as it should be: man and woman made in God’s image, walking intimately with Him.

There is no sin, no brokenness, no sickness, and no death.

This is life as it should be, and it’s beautiful.

The story begins in that garden

Genesis 2:8-9

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God has provided everything they needed in a garden whose beauty is beyond imagination.

Within this garden there was one tree that was off limits. They were not to take and eat from that tree. Adam and Eve, they had a choice- Would they take God at his word? Or would they take control?

Genesis 3:7-8

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

They decided to take control, to call their own shots.

The moment that sin enters into the world through this selfish act, immediately there is fear and shame. They were ashamed to be naked, and they ran from God.

Read a little further and there is accusation, blame, and denial between husband and wife. Sin entered the story and so did separation from God. The weight of failure and shame set in, and they hid.

Romans 5:12

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Sin entered into the world in that first garden, and it didn’t stop there. It became an epidemic infecting the hearts and souls of all mankind forever.

Whenever you see confusion, you can be sure that something is wrong. Disorder in the world implies that something is out of place. Usually, at the heart of all disorder you will find man in rebellion against God. It began in the Garden of Eden and continues to this day.

-A.W. Tozer

Our story begins in that first garden because sadly, for many, that’s really all they know. That’s their whole story, at least, so far. All they’ve known is a life filled with disorder and chaos.

That is the story of the first garden.

But…Easter is the story of not just one garden, but two.

John 19:38-42

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Here we see another garden.

Interesting that the first garden initially represented life, but now symbolizes death.

A place where life should have been celebrated, death became victorious.

And now in this garden, the garden tomb, it is clearly a place of death, a place where death has had the final word.

But in this garden, the second garden, death does not get the final word.

Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

There’s great irony in juxtaposing the two gardens:

1. In a place of the earth’s greatest beauty – the Garden of Eden – the hideousness of sin entered the world through human choices spurred by the devil’s deception.

• Out of great light falls great darkness.

• Death was never supposed to be a part of that beautiful place. But through the sin of man, it was.

2. In a place of death, the Garden Tomb – where darkness has its home – the Lord is resurrected and light dawns.

• The darkness of sin obliterated by the Light of the World.

• No one was ever supposed to escape that grave. But through the victory of Christ over sin, He did.

The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane.

In the first, Adam took a fall.

In the second, Jesus took a stand. I

in the first, God sought Adam.

In the second, Jesus sought God.

In Eden, Adam hid from God.

In Gethsemane, Jesus emerged from the tomb.

In Eden, Satan led Adam to a tree that led to his death.

From Gethsemane, Jesus went to a tree that led to our life.

-Max Lucado

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving