| Purity and a Changed Mind | ||
| February 20, 2012 | Sermon by DRW | Passage 1 John 3.1-3 |
Kobe is getting old. Sorry to say it, but he is. People have asked who the next Kobe will be. When I was interested in basketball people asked who the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson would be. Nobody that I can recall said Kobe Bryant. That aside, I have read articles that stated OJ Mayo would be, lakersnation states it is Kevin Durant and others have suggested Jeremy Lin. Whoever your pick, think of the pressure that will be on him. When he plays he needs to reflect the persona of Kobe.
The same is true in any sport. I have seen many baseball players career ruined because one person labeled them “the next Nolan Ryan” or “the next Bonds.” The players get into mind that they have to live up to that persons ability and name. After awhile of failing they will either learn that they are never going to live up to that standard and redirect their abilities to be themselves or they continue failing and eventually quit.
Christians have that same pressure if you think about it. They have a standard to live up to, a standard that far exceeds a Bryant or Bonds. It is the standard of the Lord God Almighty. Christians do not compare themselves with mere men. God has asked us to be like Him. If the standard set by man is difficult to live up to, the standard God sets up is impossible to live up to and yet, He commands us to be pure, holy, and perfect as He is. Frightening.
God never compares us to others. He only compares us to Himself and the sad news is that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3.23). The good news of the Gospel is that “but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness–for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4.24). He keep us pure by continually cleansing us and empowering us to do His will. We will look at what purity isn’t, what it is, and how to maintain it.
1. Purity isn’t Legalism (not trying to push the ball under the water).
a. When Jesus came, Israel was in bondage to the Pharisaical rules and regulations.
i. do this but not that type of rules
ii. a system that was impossible to keep
(1) even the ten commandments show it is impossible to keep, unless you are God.
b. These led to frustrations with God, man, and themselves
i. with God because these men represented God
ii. with men because they failed to keep the law they espoused
iii. with themselves for they knew what evil was in their lives
c. They were looking for the coming Saviour. Someone who would deliver them from the bondage of legalism and bring them to the purity that Ezekiel spoke of:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36.25-27).
i. they flocked to John the Baptist with the question: How can I enter the Kingdom of God? (Matthew 3.5-6)
ii. They flocked to Jesus with the same questions (Luke 10.25; 18.18; John 3.3).
d. Purity, focus, devotion is not legally following a list of do’s and don’ts; the people of Jesus day were steeped in this type of life and were dying miserably from it. No wonder the people sought Him: Come unto Me all you who are heavy burden . . .
e. It is not being religious
f. It is not going to church, carrying a Bible and memorizing verses
2. Purity is a changed mind
a. God is concerned with how we think
i. Romans 12.1-2 (verse one is devotion)
ii. Philippians 4.8, focus on Jesus
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
iii. 2 Corinthians 10.5
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
b. The word “heart” in Matthew 5.8 is related primarily to the intellect.
i. Matthew 15.19
ii. Proverbs 4.23
c. God wants to purify our thinking
i. He wants us to think purely
ii. this means to think on Him (Philippians 4.8) not on ourselves
d. The word “pure” means “to cleanse”
i. morally: being free of filth
(1) unmixed, unalloyed
(2) unadulterated (not inviting things in that don’t belong)
(3) without syncretism
ii. spiritually: having integrity, being of one mind (Phil 2)
(1) being above reproach
(2) having sincere motives
e. pure thoughts and pure motives produce holy living, that is purity
3. How to maintain purity that God has granted us? Read 1 John 3.2-3
a. First of all realize that purifying the heart is the work of the spirit as we read earlier in Ezekiel 36.
Proverbs 20.9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?
b. Secondly, we must also do our part by putting our faith in Jesus
Acts 15.9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
c. Finally, we must study the Bible and pray.
Psalm 119.9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart [notice the focus]; do not let me stray from your commands [notice it is God working as we rely on Him]. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you [notice Bible study and prayer].
d. When this is said and done, we shall see God and be like Him (1 John 3.2-3)
When I was younger all the kids used to say they wished they were a little taller or faster or, something else, that way they could play basketball better or run track quicker. I used to say the same thing: If only I were taller, I could be a better basketball player. I am six foot and I kept saying I need five more inches. If I were six five I would be good. I did this because I saw Magic and Michael and they were all that tall or around that height. Then I looked and see Spud Webb and Muggsy Bogues. These people are five to seven inches shorter than me and still played in the NBA. I felt deflated. All my excuses seemed to go out the window. I kept saying height would make the difference. It’s not true. Height would make it easier. I needed to practice and train more. I didn’t want to so I chose to blame my non-ability on something I couldn’t change. If I really wanted to be better at basketball I would have to change my view of discipline and training. I would need to change my focus. This is purity, a single commitment to a single object for a single goal. In terms of Christianity, it is a commitment to God to be like Him. This is purity.
What then should we do in light of the need for discipline and focus, this purity? May I challenge you to think differently about God and His requirements? Turn to Isaiah 40.10-31 (p ). We read part of this passage every time we enter the gym. Far too often we turn to ourselves for strength and direction in overcoming our troubles in our attempt to have a pure focus on God. Yet, as we read through this passage, we find the focus is on who God is. Notice the pronouns are He, Him, His not me, my, or I. It is He who is in focus. He is the focus of the passage and should be the focus of our life. Read verse 28. Just as Philippians 4.8 reminds us. As we go through this passage, we come to the familiar portion in verses 29-31. This is what each of us seek for as we set our lives apart for Him. As we seek to live pure lives, we want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6.10). We want to be like those who wait on the Lord, as it states in verse 31. So, let’s do what it says. Let’s wait.
Turn to Psalm 103 (p. ). What is the focus of this chapter? You can tell by reading the first verse. Has the focus changed from 1 John 3 (it is about purity that is ours because we are seeing Christ as He truly is) or Isaiah 40? Or, is it still God? The focus is Him, our awesome God. As you read this chapter do you get a sense of the wonder of God and His work in our life. Look: He blesses us (v. 2), forgives us (v. 3), satisfies us (v 5), works righteously (v 6), makes His way known to us (v 7), shows compassion and justice (v 8-9), shows grace (v 10), removed our sins (10-12), treats us as His children (13), knows our abilities (v 14), never fails in keeping His Word (15-18), He is sovereign (19), and the list goes on. This is the God with whom we have to do. This is the God who came down to save us from our sins. This is our awesome God. This is the God who calls us to purity, to wait.
Did you notice verse 5? David tells us that God will renew us like the eagle. Does that sound familiar to you? Isaiah 40.31. The picture of an eagle during times of trouble or distress is a picture of one overcoming trouble not by running from it but by going over it. An eagle’s focus is not to get away from the coming storm but to overcome the storm. When an eagle faces a hurricane, he rides the wind to fly over the storm in order to come out the other side of it unharmed.
Psalm 103.5 and Isaiah 40.31 informs us that we can be like the eagle. We can live a life of purity, of hope, of wonderment, of focus, we can live the life that we were created to live. How? By waiting. How do we wait? Here is the simplicity of the last few messages we have had–we remember who God is and what He has done for us.
So, wait on the Lord. Look for God in your life. Understand who He is through reading your Bible. Know Him better by talking to others about Him. As He works in your life, praise Him. As you struggle through your day, trust the simplicity of His Word, and ride over the storm as you focus on Him, not the sin. He is God, as a Christian, you are forgiven. Tell others who He is and what He has done for you.
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