By Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14
Many years ago a woman walked into Grandma’s house and picked up some valuables including a handbag and keys. Stepping out the back door, she encountered Grandma herself who raised the alarm. My son Samuel and I were working next door in the church building. As soon as we heard of the theft, we took off after her at a run. Never have I run so fast! We located the woman at the Dapto train station next door preparing to board an approaching train. In her hands were Grandma’s belongings. Grabbing them, a struggle ensued. A small crowd gathered around, trying to work out who was the aggressor and who was the victim. By this time the train had arrived, the doors had opened, and the thief had one hand on the train door handle and the other hand on Grandma’s handbag. Realising what was happening, one lady standing in the door of the train pried the thief’s hands from the door handle. The thief tumbled backwards and the train quickly departed. Dropping the valuables, she ran off, and we were able to recover Grandma’s stolen goods.
Reflecting back on this event, if we had arrived just 15 seconds later, that thief would have boarded the train, we might not have located her, and Grandma’s goods would have been difficult to recover. It was vital that we chase her down as quickly as possible!
Those who heard the sermon this past Lord’s Day will recall that the first word of our verse for today means ‘to chase down, to pursue.’ Just as we pursued the thief when there wasn’t fifteen seconds to spare, so we each must chase down peaceful relationships and holy living.
Holiness is separation from sin.
Some magnify their ‘liberty’ (see my past article The Misuse of Liberty) and justify sinful behavior when they ought to be chasing down holiness. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too strict, too restrictive, too righteous. This is not the emphasis of Scripture. We tend toward unholiness, not over-righteous. God is holy, and He ‘gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works’ (Titus 2:14).
Not only does holy living foster peaceful relationships, but it limits how far we will go in order to pursue peace with others. We must not sin or compromise with people in our pursuit of peace. Ephesians 5:11 says, ‘And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.’
Father, I’m tempted to chase all sorts of pleasures in this world – some good, some bad. Bend my heart toward chasing You, being like You in Your chief attribute of holiness, and living as peacefully as possible with those around me. May this passionate pursuit bring You much delight. In Jesus’ Name I ask, Amen.
This message was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.