“The Quest for Purity”
(Philippians 1:10-11)
Dr. Richard S. Koole
Chapel Pointe
May 25, 2008
I. Introduction
A. The story of Marie Walsh
1. The 53 year old mother of three
a. Living in an affluent suburb of San Diego for 30 years
b. Beloved by all who knew her
c. Appeared to be the perfect mother, wife and neighbor
d. Until the day when it all came crashing down
2. The shock when she was arrested on April 24
a. Family discovered her real name was Susan LeFevre
b. Escaped from the Detroit House of Corrections on Feb. 26, 1976
1. 32 years ago
c. When she was 19, she had been sentenced for up to 20 years in prison for selling heroin near Saginaw
3. An anonymous caller tipped Michigan authorities as to her new name
4. Can you imagine what her life must have been like for 32 years?
a. Every time a car drove up in front
b. Or she saw somebody who might have recognized her
B. Living with the fear of exposure
1. All of us have secrets
a. Things known only to you and God
2. Not all of us would be arrested if the truth were known
3. Fingerprinting workers at Tri-City
a. Two guys took off
b. Head of tape ministry
4. Do you have a secret?
5. What would your secret do to your reputation?
a. If we were to flash your secret up on the screen
6. Are you what you appear to be”
a. Are you sincere?
C. The sale of clay pots
1. During the time of Christ, people used clay pots
2. Made them on a potter’s wheel
3. Sometimes they cracked while baking
a. Useless
4. However….some put hard wax in the cracks
a. Smoothed
b. Painted and glazed over
5. They looked perfect….until the buyer tried to use them to heat their soup
a. Then the wax melted!
6. The wise shopper employed …..the “sunlight test”
a. Held the clay pot up to the sunlight
b. The sun would shine through the wax filling the cracks
1. Exposed by the sun
7. Dealers marked the un-cracked pots with two words
a. “sine cera”
b. “without wax”
c. We get the word “sincere”
1. Authentic
2. What you see is what you get
d. Are you sincere?
e. Addressed today in Philippians 1:9-11
(9) And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, (10) so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
D. Questions for those seeking to be sincere
1. Are you exactly what you appear to be (.v.10)
(10) so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
a. Paul’s prayer for the people of his church
1. the same as my prayer for you
b. “that you might be “pure and blameless” (NIV)
1. “pure” also translated “sincere” (NKJV)
2. e ilikrines (i lik ree nace’)
· “tested by the sun”
· Pure
c. We get tested by God’s Son
1. When exposed to the Son’s light
2. Won’t melt down when facing the heat
d. Spare me from those who act “holier than thou”
1. And then get caught
· Congressman Larry Craig
2. Going through “L’s” belongings
· His secret world
e. The demons dance when a Christian fraud gets exposed
f. What is hidden in your secret world?
g. Are you exactly what you appear to be?
h. Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
i. Jesus addressing the Pharisees and ceremonial purity
1. Took some of God’s commands beyond their intent
· Tried to appear more holy!
· That’s a sin also
2. Sabbath washing at the Kibbutz by Sea of Galilee
3. Ceremonial washing
Before an orthodox Jew sat at a meal, he washed his hands in a certain way, not in the interests of hygiene, but in the interests of this ritual and ceremonial purity. First of all he had to hold each hand with the fingers pointing upwards, and pour water over the hands until it reached at least up to the wrist; then he had to cleanse each palm by rubbing it with the fist of the other hand; then he had to hold the hands with the fingers pointing downwards, and pour water from the wrist so that it ran down the hand and off by the fingers. Not to do so was to be unclean, impure. On the Day of Atonement the High Priest had to wash his whole body in clean water five times, and his hands and feet ten times.
j. But Jesus wanted “internal” purity
1. A pure heart
k. People lower the standard
1. Don’t make me the standard for holiness
· I may break your heart someday
2. Jesus is the standard
l. A quiz on purity……
E.Types of Purity
1. Perfect purity
a. God
b. Total absence of sin
2. Prior purity
a. Adam and Eve
b. Prior to fall of man
c. “Untested holiness”
3. Promised purity
a. Heaven
b. Eternal home
c. No more sin
4. Positional purity
a. Salvation
(Rom. 8:1)—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”
b. God will not see your sin
c. Covered by Jesus
5. Practical purity
a. ….or personal purity
b. Life as we face it
(II Cor. 7:1)—“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
6. How to practice personal purity
a. An old song from my childhood
Oh be careful little eyes what you see…
1. Things that I shouldn’t have viewed
a. For years they would return unexpectedly
2. Mind is like a blank film
a. Never remove images
b. Pictures keep flashing back
c. They affect who you are
3. The Internet’s dark side
a. The mainstreaming of pornography
b. Into the homes of Christians
c. Seductive pull
d. The vulnerability of boys…and dads
4. Can’t pour trash in and get purity out
a. Trash in – trash out!
Oh be careful little ears what you hear…
1. People in comas
a. The mind hears!
2. Who do you listen to?
a. TV talk shows
b. Talk radio
1. Spending three hours per day listening to an unsaved man attack people
2. Watching people develop a critical spirit
c. Spending time with negative people
1. Church critics
2. Bitter people are infectious
d. “poisoning the well”
4. Can’t fill with garbage….and expect godliness
5. Preparing for surgery (4832)
The distinguished pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York, Dr. Maltbie Babcock was approached by a physician, a member of his congregation who was concerned about his health. Handing Dr. Babcock some theater tickets he said, “Take these. You need the recreation of going to this play.” His pastor looked at them. Seeing they were tickets to a play of the kind he could not conscientiously attend, he said kindly, “Thank you, but I can’t take them. I can’t go.” “Why not?” the physician asked. “Doctor, it’s this way. You’re a physician; a surgeon, in fact. When you operate, you scrub your hands meticulously until you are especially clean. You wouldn’t dare operate with dirty hands. I’m a servant of Christ. I deal with precious human souls. I wouldn’t dare to do my service with a dirty life.”
Oh be careful little feet where you go…
1. The story of Joseph
a. Flee from sin
b. Run
2. Avoid going where you know there will be drugs
a. I’ve never regretted not going
3. “If it’s doubtful—it’s dirty”
a. Shirts that are “iffy”
b. When you feel uneasy
4. The role of the Holy Spirit
Oh be careful little mind what you think…
1. Sin always forms in your mind
2. Things that cause impurity…
a. Disturbing books
b. Movies with Satanic themes
c. Dwelling on impure thoughts
1. We all get them
2. The question is how to stop them from festering
3. How to protect your mind
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy…meditate on these things.”
4. Later in Philippians
F. Questions for those seeking to be sincere
1. Are you exactly what you appear to be? (v.10)
2. Does anybody have an outstanding offense against you? (v.10)
(10) so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
a. If “pure” means “sincere”…what does “blameless” mean?
1. “without offense” (NKJV)
b. In other words, you have no “outstanding warrants”…..v.10
c. Being “blameless” is a requirement for church leaders
1. Pastors and Elders in I Timothy 3
I Timothy 3:1-2 “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. (2) Now the overseer must be above reproach” (NKJV “blameless”)
2. An unresolved offense
d. “Blameless” is different from “perfect”
a. You’d never find a person for the position
e. But have you sought to resolve issues
1. Are there no dark secrets?
2. Do people respect you as a person?
3. Is your language appropriate?
4. Is your behavior around women appropriate?
f. A partial list
3. Are you producing genuine fruit (v.11)
(10) so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
a. “filled with the fruit of righteousness”
1. Better translation….. “the fruit that righteousness produces”
2. Good fruit is produced by people with a right relationship with Christ
b. Plastic fruit can appear so authentic
1. Until you try to take a bite out of it
c. “filled with the fruit that comes through Jesus Christ”
1. The only source of power for good works
d. We operate in many ways like faucets
1. Lawrence of Arabia
· Took Bedouins to London
· Lived in dry desert
v Fascinated by faucets
v Water poured at will
2. Like kids watching $20 bills come out of an ATM
3. As the Bedouins left the hotel
· Took the faucets
· Source of instant water
vFaucets are worthless if not hooked up to source
e. The vine and the branches
John 15:4—Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
f. The source of the fruit at Chapel Pointe
1. God’s power flowing through us
2. It’s God…..not us
4. Do you have a purpose in life greater than yourself? (v.11)
(10) so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
a. Rick Warren and “The Purpose Driven Life”
1. Why are you on this earth?
2. To bring glory and praise to God
3. It’s not about you
b. God set a pretty high standard for us
1. (Mt. 5:48)—“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
2. (I Peter 1:15-16)—But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
c. When a Christian leader falls
1. Remember—he isn’t the standard
2. God is
d. Listening to an orchestra tuning up
e. How do we know the piano is out of tune?
1. May sound the same as another piano
v But both may be out of tune
2. Need a tuning fork
v The pure note
3. You may sound good compared to me
v ….but Jesus is God’s “tuning fork”
f. Making copies of copies
1. The key is to copy the original
5. Are you feeling the joy and freedom of having nothing to hide?
a. Give it to God right now
1. The joy of coming clean
b. People can take the truth
1. And God will forgive the truth….if you confess it to Him
b. The joy of confession
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)