WHAT MUST I DO? YOU MUST BE HOLY
EPHESIANS 4:17-24
Big Idea: Loving the world separates us from God – loving God separates us from the world.
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you MUST no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
INTRO
Does anyone know what that piece in the middle of the washer is called? You know what I am talking about right? That part in the middle of the washer that moves back and forth and shakes the clothes back and forth? What is that called? I’m going to call it an agitator.
What is the purpose of the agitator?
As far as I can tell, its sole purpose is to wreak havoc on the dirty clothes… it’s there to shake and separate the clothes from all the dirt and grime that is in or on the clothes.
The agitator is essential for the proper cleaning of the clothes.
(Illustration Source: Rev. Glenn Newton, New Hope Church of the Nazarene)
Did you know the Scriptures teach there is a “spiritual agitator” at work in the life of the Christian and the church? As soon as we are saved, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts. But, as Ephesians and other New Testament books teach us, He doesn’t have our heart to himself. The heart still has a lot of soiling that must be removed – a lot of stains that need to be cleansed.
In reference to this, Paul talks about “the old man” or “the old self.” He refers to yet-to-be-transformed Christians in those terms in both Ephesians 4 and in Romans 6:6. In Romans he says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin”
You noticed that both Ephesians and Romans place the old self in a negative – even sinful – perspective didn’t you? That is because it is an image of the old life; the old habits that we developed before our conversion; the habits that need to be removed and replaced. You see, even though we have been saved from our past sins, there still remains some of the world that we are still fond of. They have a way of attaching themselves to us like dirt on clothes … they can stain us; they seemingly won’t come out.
That old self has a motto: “me first!” It is self-seeking- self-praising and self-satisfying. The old self has developed a life-style that caters to its every whim … there is nothing “Christian” about it.
When we are converted, born-again, the Holy Spirit comes to reside within. Well, with the Holy Spirit’s character being Holy, His nature won’t allow Him to live in a dirty environment so He begins to firmly yet lovingly … agitate. He begins to shake us; to convict us of the things that need to leave our heart. You see God wants us to be filled with His Spirit… and only when we come to a place in our lives where we are willing to remove all the dirt can we truly be filled with His Spirit. Until then, our spiritual life will feel like we are in a washing machine … like we are being agitated. A piece of cloth cannot be clean by simply adding detergent – it must remove the dirt. The Holy Spirit is constantly convicting us of the old patterns of living that need to be removed from our lives.
Those old patterns come in a lot of expressions don’t they? The Bible calls them sin. And they range from sins of the spirit like anger, self-centeredness, greed, and malice to sins of the flesh like materialism, sexual misconduct, and violence. But they all have to go.
The truth is it, is God’s will for all us to be Holy. But it’s your choice … it’s up to you. If you are willing to surrender to God and repent of (abandon) your old self then you are well on your way to being filled with God’s Spirit and experiencing the holiness that accompanies it. As the old patterns are put off there is room for the Spirit to create a new, holy and righteous self within us. But this only happens when there is surrender.
The by-product of the new self within is is called “true righteousness and holiness” (v. 24). But hear me, righteousness and holiness is not about simply “being good.” Every religion requires goodness from its people. Holiness is about much more. It’s about becoming like Jesus.
- Holiness is about a transformation of your character into the character of Jesus Christ.
- Holiness is about a transformation of your behavior into the behavior of Jesus Christ.
- Holiness is about a transformation of your passions into the passions of Jesus Christ.
Only God can produce that kind of renewal within. All we can do is, at best, window dressing. Jesus told the Pharisees (who were known for their discipline, ritual, and morally good behavior) that they were like “whitewashed tombs”… clean outside but full of dead men’s bones within” (Matthew 23:27). When we try to be good and religious but have never experienced the forgiveness of sin and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are like the Pharisees.
Man is hopelessly separated from God because of sin. Verse 18 says “we are separated from the life of God.” Holiness is evidence that the separation is gone; that is has been replaced by closeness / intimacy. The word holiness comes from a Hebrew word that suggests that an object is both separated from the world (no longer identified with the sinful world) and dedicated to God (now identified exclusively with God). Separation and devotion are both elements of true holiness.
You see, when we put off the old self and put on the new self, there is a great reversal.
Loving the world separates us from God – loving God separates us from the world.
WRAP-UP
So, in closing, may I ask you a few simple yet important questions?
Do you feel like a hypocrite?
- Do you feel like you are trying to be good but you know that deep within you are dead and defiled?
- If so, I want to invite you to come to Jesus and experience authentic forgives from sin.
- When we accept Christ as your personal Savior the guilt and distance are removed.
Do you feel like God is present with you but you just can’t seem to put away some old habits and let God replace them with new ones?
- If so, I invite you to come to God in total surrender and be filled with His Spirit.
- It is only then that you can find the power to live like an overcomer.
As you know, the key to this sermon series is a very simple truth that my Heavenly Father has taught me about things He requires – things we “must” do. Knowing this truth is never more important than when we are talking about becoming clean.
The truth is “Whatever God’s Word says I must do God knows I can do.”
Now hear me closely. If we are not careful that contradicts everything I have just told you. If you are not careful you begin to think that you are the one responsible for your holiness; that you are the one who is to do the agitating and remove the dirt within.
But you can’t can you? The only way you can do this is to come to God and let Him do it through you.
Listen again to these verses:
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:22-23)
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
With that in mind, you are ready to understand the simple truth that: “Whatever God’s Word says I MUST do, God knows I CAN do!”
Why not come to Christ for all your needs today?
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
