Discipleship Series, Sermon #3, purity, 6-17-03
Last week we continued our discipleship study by looking at the principal of submission. We learned the importance of submitting to God and surrendering all areas of our life to him. That was the first principal we looked at, because as we discussed submission directly relates to all of the other principles of a disciple. It easily relates to this week’s characteristic of a disciple, which is striving for purity in all areas of our life and fleeing from sin.
I really struggled with how to present tonight’s message because obviously the bible has a LOT to say about sin and how we should rid our lives of it. The Old testament is full of stories about how sin destroyed people’s lives as well as entire nations. The new testament is chopped full of warnings to flee from wickedness and evil desires and to make our lives pure and righteous. I also struggled with this message because it’s a topic that I fail at as much or more then most of you probably. So I just want to be upfront in the beginning and say that I’m in no way condemning anyone in here with tonight’s message, because I’m as guilty as anyone else, I simply want to present a picture of what the bible has to say about sin and its effects on us as disciples and why we should turn from it and strive for purity. I’ve got a lot of scripture references tonight, so I’ll try to repeat them for those of you that are looking them up and for those that may be taking notes. There are a lot of good scriptures that I’m going to talk about so I would encourage all of you to take notes if you would like and then look over them later.
I want to be very open and upfront with you all and say that I firmly believe in salvation by grace. There is no way that we can earn our way to heaven through good deeds. God makes it very clear throughout the bible that we are saved by our faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” However I also firmly believe that the bible makes it clear to us that we should always flee from sin in our life and do everything we can to live pure and righteous lives. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
The word pure doesn’t mean someone who hasn’t been exposed to sin in their lives or even someone who doesn’t sin, but someone who has purged their life of it and taken the steps toward fleeing from sin and striving for righteousness.
So what does that mean for us as we strive to be disciples for Christ? As disciples we must be pure in heart, because as we go and make disciples we will be asking others to make that same commitment that we are to be making to God. If we are living in constant sin then our words and our message will have no meaning to others. First off people may not even want to begin to listen to you if you are living in sin because they will see you as a hypocrite. And if they do listen, then they will begin to model their Christian life after yours, because as disciples we are seen as role models. If we are stuck in a sinful rut then we will pull others in with us and we will not be glorifying God through our actions.
Our challenge tonight comes from Ephesians 4:22-24: “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; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
As God’s disciples we are called to put off our old self, which means our old sinful ways and to put on our new self which is one that strives for righteousness and holiness. It sounds real nice, put off the old self and put on the new self so we can be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Unfortunately, as many of you know, it’s not that easy. Getting rid of our old sinful nature and striving to be pure and holy is a constant battle that we will face throughout our life.
God sets forth several areas in our life that we are to demonstrate purity and righteousness. I’ve chosen to look at 5 different areas that God calls us to remain pure in and I want us to look at these in groups. (hand out scriptures to each group and have them identify the area we are to be pure in and why we must do so as disciples)
First, God wants us to be pure in body. Typically when people hear pure in body, they immediately think of sexual sin, but purity in body encompasses more then just sexual sin.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
If we are to honor God with our bodies we must take care of them. This means he doesn’t want us polluting them with chemicals that can harm us including drugs, tobacco, and other such things. This also means he doesn’t want us to use our bodies to gratify our own sinful nature, because it is a holy temple in which we must honor and glorify God with. God wants his people to conduct themselves in such a way that their bodies are pure and clean. He wants our bodies to be healthy and a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in. God wants us to be pure in body.
Second, God wants us to be pure in our thoughts. Matthew 5:28 shows how strict God expects us to keep our thoughts, Jesus says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” One of the worst things we can do is start thinking and daydreaming about impure things, because that will quickly lead to other things. You all are probably familiar with the poem “Sow a thought, reap a word; Sow a word, reap an act; Sow an act, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a destiny.” It all begins with a thought. Since our thoughts are subject to sin, they too should be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Another area of our life to demonstrate purity is in our speech. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” And it’s continued in 5:4, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Paul is very upfront and clear about what purity in speech means. God wants us to use our tongues to encourage others and to glorify him, but instead we use them to gossip about others, speak obscenities, and tear each other down. As disciples we are called to be above these things and be pure in our speech.
We must also be pure in our dealings with others. Our guidelines for dealing with others is beautifully expressed in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:12 or in something else we know as the golden rule, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.”
This relates to our business dealings, working with others in a class, and basically any encounter with everyone we meet. If the clerk gives you too much change at the store, are you going to keep the money because it’s their own fault for hiring that person or are you going to be honest and give the money back? When you graduate and work in the business world are you going to do everything you can to fight your way to the top no matter what it takes or are you going to do it in an honest manner? If you have a chance to cheat on a test without getting caught are you going to do it for the A or are you going to be honest and earn it?
Finally, we must be pure in our personal relationships with others. This can relate to any kind of relationship. Are you being honest to your spouse or significant other? Are you putting your family’s needs before your own? Are you supporting your friends and gently rebuking them when they stray from the path of righteousness? Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” As we grow in our relationships with one another, we must challenge each other and spur one another on toward a Godly life.
Now obviously most of these areas in our lives that we are supposed to be pure in are things that many of us have struggled with and do struggle with. Many of the sins that fall within these areas are sins that are very common in everyone’s life. They include jealousy, anger, lust, obscenities, bitterness, deceitfulness, selfishness, drunkenness, sexual immorality, greed, lying, dissension, hatred, and many many more. If we are to be pure in body, thought, speech, and relationships, these sins cannot rule our lives.
We have no excuses for the sin in our lives, but the fact is we will have sin in our lives. The difference is whether we sin or whether we let sin rule us. Paul compares sinning and righteousness to slavery in Romans 6:16, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
We have the choice to be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. If we don’t keep ourselves in check, our sinfulness can easily turn to habits that enslave us. If we don’t try to stop it, we will become a slave to that sin and it will control us. If we make it our desire as disciples to flee from all sin, we can avoid becoming a slave to it and we can set our sights on being a slave to righteousness, godliness, and purity.
Now this is where it becomes really difficult and can sometimes lead to feelings of hopeless. I want everyone to think for a moment about a sin that you are committing in your life that you really want to stop. It could be gossip, using obscenities, drunkenness, lust, or unfaithfulness to God. Now if you think you can just stop cold turkey with that sin and not do it once over the next week, I want you to raise your hands. The good news is you are not alone. One of the greatest disciples there ever was had a very real struggle with sin. Paul reveals his struggle with us in a very personal way in Romans chapter 7. Starting at verse 14 and scattered over the next 9 verses here is what Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit.”
How does God rescue us from this dilemma, this constant battle in our lives? The battle that takes you to the point of saying, “what a wretched human being I am!” What is his answer for us? Paul gives it to us in Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
There are 2 laws that Paul speaks of here, the law of spirit and the law of sin. When an airplane is in flight, there are two laws that come into effect. The first is the law of gravity, which controls the plane on the ground and the 2nd law is the law of aerodynamics, which causes it to fly. As the forward momentum of the plane increases, the law of aerodynamics sets the plane free from the law of gravity, and the plane leaves the ground. As long as power is available, the plane will fly because of the law of aerodynamics. If something happens to the power while the plane is in the air, it will slow down, then stall, and eventually crash. The reason for this is that control has passed from the law of aerodynamics to the law of gravity.
This illustrates the two laws Paul was talking about, the law of the spirit and the law of sin. As long as we allow the holy spirit of God to control our life, to guide and direct us, we operate under the law of the Holy Spirit. If we depend on his power, we can have spiritual victory over our sinful battles and we can continue to fly as if we are at full power. If we interfere with the Holy Spirit and begin to rely on our own power instead, we will fall under the law of sin and spiritual death. There are many things in this sinful world that give us problems and we will constantly be tempted to sin. We will not be victorious over these temptations unless we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us.
For everyone one of us, we must first have the desire to get rid of all sin in our lives. We cannot allow the Holy Spirit to work in us if we don’t have that desire. Once you desire that freedom from sin, you must constantly tap into the power source that God has given us through the Holy Spirit. The bible clearly tells us that when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit enters our life and makes our body his temple. Every time we are tempted, the Spirit of God is right there to give us strength to overcome that temptation, but we must allow him to, we must rely on him in all circumstances and in all things we must surrender to his will. Our bodies are weak, but the spirit is willing.
As we continue in worship tonight, it is my hope and prayer that you will ask God to reveal the changes you need to make in your Christian walk. Some of you may be struggling with major issues and others not as much, but whatever sin you may be struggling with, if you do not get it under control and make yourself a slave to righteousness, you will become deeper and deeper enslaved to that sin and your discipleship to others will be severely hurt. Let us join together in a silent moment to pray not only for our own struggles but for those around us.
