Spread Scriptural Holiness Across the Globe
A Sermon by Pastor Lee Stevenson, delivered while on a mission trip to Kenya
Scripture: 1 John 4:9–10
“You cannot spread what you have not received.”
Creation and the Fall
In the beginning, creation was good, and humanity was very good, made in the image of God to reflect His glory to the world. Adam and Eve were the first image-bearers, entrusted with the task of representing God.
But in Genesis 3, we see a reversal of that blessing:
- Blessings became curses
- Paradise turned to pain
- Benefits became burdens
Those made in God’s image would now die like animals. The earth, once designed to serve humanity, became hostile. Sin fractured everything. The people of God were driven from the place of God and separated from His presence.
Yet all of creation groans for redemption.
God’s Redemptive Plan
God called out a people to be holy—a nation that would represent Him. Through them, He would restore the possibility of the people of God living in the place of God, experiencing the presence of God.
Then came Jesus, the second Adam.
What Adam broke, Jesus restored:
- Broken relationships healed
- Rebellious hearts softened
- Lost inheritance regained
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Because of Him, we now journey toward our eternal inheritance—the New Jerusalem—equipped with the Holy Spirit to bring God’s presence into the dark places of the world.
Holiness: God’s Work in Us
Jesus didn’t fail. He died to make us holy. The good work He began in us, He will bring to completion.
Consider 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24:
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through…The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
This is Scriptural Holiness—salvation to the uttermost. It’s not something we can earn or manufacture. It is a work of God received by faith, freeing us from the power of sin so we can joyfully live in obedience.
The Methodist Movement and the Call to Holiness
In the 1700s, John Wesley and a group of college students in England longed to live transformed lives for Christ. They were called Bible Moths and Methodists—people serious about following Jesus.
They were guided by the “Four Alls”:
- All need to be saved
- All can be saved
- All can know they are saved
- All can be saved to the uttermost
That fourth “all”—saved to the uttermost—is the promise of sanctification. It is God making us holy, transforming us into new creations.
A Holy People with a Holy Purpose
God’s desire has always been to form a holy nation, a people set apart to live differently (Exodus 19:4–6, Leviticus 20:24–27). Though the Israelites struggled to live up to that call, God did not abandon His plan.
At just the right time, Jesus was born—the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His being. By His death, He broke the power of the devil and freed us from the fear of death.
When asked the greatest commandment, Jesus responded:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… and love your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew 22:37–39)
But this love cannot be lived out on our own. We need the indwelling presence of God.
Only Jesus Makes Us Holy
We cannot make ourselves holy or born again. We need Jesus—who embodied holiness—to do that work in us.
He:
- Rescues us from darkness
- Purchases our freedom
- Forgives our sins
- Reconciles us to God
- Makes us new creations
The old is gone. We are remade.
As new people, we are no longer slaves to sin. We are filled with the Father’s love, and that love makes us holy—empowering us to love God, love our neighbors, and even love our enemies.
Now Go—Spread Scriptural Holiness
“You cannot spread what you have not received.”
But now that you’ve received it, the call is clear:
Go and spread Scriptural Holiness.
Take the love of God and the power of His presence to a broken world. Be the people of God, dwelling in the presence of God, wherever you go.
