Putting S-t-r-e-t-c-h into your soul - 1 Peter 1:22
Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday September 6, 2009
Putting s-t-r-e-t-c-h into your soul
1 Peter 1:22
your soul can be pure
What is your soul? mind/emotions/will | think/desire/decide
What is a pure soul? Thoughts/desires/decisions that glorify God.
What is a pure glass? A glass that doesn’t have anything in it that would keep you from drinking from it. I wouldn’t use a coffee cup w/ last night’s creamer hardened in the bottom and a few grounds from the pot. I would clean it first, make it pure so I could use it.
Your soul can be pure – you can have thoughts/desires/decisions that glorify God. Pure – word not used to describe a forgiven/ cleansed soul. A cleansed soul is one that has been forgiven through the blood of Jesus. A pure soul is one that has been faithful to God through the power of the Spirit. A pure soul has moved beyond forgiveness into faithfulness.
Illustrate w/ difference between forgiveness/restoration. If you sin against me, I have to forgive you, but I don’t have to trust you. A pure soul is one that can be trusted to do the will of God.
A pure soul is a means to an end. The goal is not a pure soul – the goal is loving one another. This helps us understand what a pure soul is. A pure soul is one that is emptied of all that would prevent me from loving you. Self pity/self-centeredness/bitterness/hatred/ un-forgiveness/indifference/lust…
Some of you bear a great sorrow… Things that should never have happened to you have happened to you. Weights that never should have been placed on you are being carried by you. A son in Afghanistan, a wife and newborn separated from husband and father. The burden of the text isn’t on how to overcome sorrow, but on how to love others – relieve others of their sorrow. Purifying your soul isn’t getting rid of the sorrow necessarily, but the paralysis/bitterness of the sorrow.
obedience to the truth purifies your soul
Peter is writing to people who are walking in the obedience of faith – people who take their faith seriously and are doing the will of God. He’s not writing to altar junkies. OT: altar in courtyard - bread/light/prayer in holy place Altar junkie never makes it into the holy place. Forgiveness takes place in the courtyard, fellowship takes place in the holy place.
An altar junkie is one who is always repenting on Sunday for what he did the week before. He never gets past the altar into the holy place. He never gets past the need for cleansing from sin and into the disciplined walk in the Word/Spirit – he never goes beyond forgiveness into fellowship. And it is only as you fellowship w/ God in the Word/Spirit that you purify your soul.
God forgives – you purify! You can pray, “God forgive me.” But you can’t pray, “God make me pure.” You make yourself pure, which means that you remove those things from your life that interfere with loving other people.
Want to be more generous – eliminate debt/control spending
Want to be hospitable – clean up house/open room
Want to help helpless – turn off TV/get out of house
Want to speak words of encouragement – get into Word/prayer
Holiness is unto love
A pure heart is a means to an end - …the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5
Holiness is not an end, it is a means to an end. A pure heart is for loving others sincerely/fervently. If I make a pure heart an end in itself, I have short-circuited the purpose of God. Bible reading not end in itself – but means to an end – know God. Goal isn’t purity – it’s love.
What is love?
Love is positioning yourself to assist others get ahead in life.
Apply to a spouse/parent/friend/boss/employee/stranger.
We are to love one another sincerely and fervently
Sincerely is the motive – w/o hypocrisy – not role playing.
Fervently is the manner – this is adv., but verb is ‘to stretch out’. A pure soul has stretch to it. Is there a stretch in your soul? Live in Irvington but give ride to church to someone in Centerville.
An impure soul is so full of other things, that’s there’s no room to stretch toward others w/ the love of Christ - there’s no room for others. A pure soul is one that’s full of Jesus. An impure soul is full of other things that crowd out Christ and others.
Peter instructs us that we need to empty our souls of anything that would hinder us from loving one another. In doing this, he is directing us to the example of Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus is the purest soul in existence – and look at His stretch – from heaven to earth. Jesus left the glory of heaven for the dust pile of earth. He left the company of His Father for the fellowship of sinners. He left the adoration of angels to be despised and forsaken, a man of sorrows and acquainted w/ grief. He emptied Himself – all for you. He loves you sincerely/fervently. His love stretches around the globe, through all time, and His love stretches to you.
Personal holiness, by itself, this is incomplete Christianity. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself.” Holiness, by itself, is self consumed and concerned w/ what is coming in – e.g., the Pharisees. Muscle building for the sake of muscle building – show off! “I’ve been entirely sanctified for 30 years!” Personal holiness is meant for others. Love is other centered and focuses on what comes from me. Holiness w/o love is legalism.
Holiness, by itself, is immature spirituality. Holiness is ½ way point to full maturity. It is unripe fruit – it promises, but doesn’t deliver. Holiness can’t sustain itself w/o corrupting itself. When holiness is sustained by love, it is continually fresh.
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Putting s-t-r-e-t-c-h into your soul
1 Peter 1:22
your soul can be pure
What is your soul? mind/emotions/will | think/desire/decide
What is a pure soul? Thoughts/desires/decisions that glorify God.
What is a pure glass? A glass that doesn’t have anything in it that would keep you from drinking from it. I wouldn’t use a coffee cup w/ last night’s creamer hardened in the bottom and a few grounds from the pot. I would clean it first, make it pure so I could use it.
Your soul can be pure – you can have thoughts/desires/decisions that glorify God. Pure – word not used to describe a forgiven/ cleansed soul. A cleansed soul is one that has been forgiven through the blood of Jesus. A pure soul is one that has been faithful to God through the power of the Spirit. A pure soul has moved beyond forgiveness into faithfulness.
Illustrate w/ difference between forgiveness/restoration. If you sin against me, I have to forgive you, but I don’t have to trust you. A pure soul is one that can be trusted to do the will of God.
A pure soul is a means to an end. The goal is not a pure soul – the goal is loving one another. This helps us understand what a pure soul is. A pure soul is one that is emptied of all that would prevent me from loving you. Self pity/self-centeredness/bitterness/hatred/ un-forgiveness/indifference/lust…
Some of you bear a great sorrow… Things that should never have happened to you have happened to you. Weights that never should have been placed on you are being carried by you. A son in Afghanistan, a wife and newborn separated from husband and father. The burden of the text isn’t on how to overcome sorrow, but on how to love others – relieve others of their sorrow. Purifying your soul isn’t getting rid of the sorrow necessarily, but the paralysis/bitterness of the sorrow.
obedience to the truth purifies your soul
Peter is writing to people who are walking in the obedience of faith – people who take their faith seriously and are doing the will of God. He’s not writing to altar junkies. OT: altar in courtyard - bread/light/prayer in holy place Altar junkie never makes it into the holy place. Forgiveness takes place in the courtyard, fellowship takes place in the holy place.
An altar junkie is one who is always repenting on Sunday for what he did the week before. He never gets past the altar into the holy place. He never gets past the need for cleansing from sin and into the disciplined walk in the Word/Spirit – he never goes beyond forgiveness into fellowship. And it is only as you fellowship w/ God in the Word/Spirit that you purify your soul.
God forgives – you purify! You can pray, “God forgive me.” But you can’t pray, “God make me pure.” You make yourself pure, which means that you remove those things from your life that interfere with loving other people.
Want to be more generous – eliminate debt/control spending
Want to be hospitable – clean up house/open room
Want to help helpless – turn off TV/get out of house
Want to speak words of encouragement – get into Word/prayer
Holiness is unto love
A pure heart is a means to an end - …the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5
Holiness is not an end, it is a means to an end. A pure heart is for loving others sincerely/fervently. If I make a pure heart an end in itself, I have short-circuited the purpose of God. Bible reading not end in itself – but means to an end – know God. Goal isn’t purity – it’s love.
What is love?
Love is positioning yourself to assist others get ahead in life.
Apply to a spouse/parent/friend/boss/employee/stranger.
We are to love one another sincerely and fervently
Sincerely is the motive – w/o hypocrisy – not role playing.
Fervently is the manner – this is adv., but verb is ‘to stretch out’. A pure soul has stretch to it. Is there a stretch in your soul? Live in Irvington but give ride to church to someone in Centerville.
An impure soul is so full of other things, that’s there’s no room to stretch toward others w/ the love of Christ - there’s no room for others. A pure soul is one that’s full of Jesus. An impure soul is full of other things that crowd out Christ and others.
Peter instructs us that we need to empty our souls of anything that would hinder us from loving one another. In doing this, he is directing us to the example of Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus is the purest soul in existence – and look at His stretch – from heaven to earth. Jesus left the glory of heaven for the dust pile of earth. He left the company of His Father for the fellowship of sinners. He left the adoration of angels to be despised and forsaken, a man of sorrows and acquainted w/ grief. He emptied Himself – all for you. He loves you sincerely/fervently. His love stretches around the globe, through all time, and His love stretches to you.
Personal holiness, by itself, this is incomplete Christianity. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself.” Holiness, by itself, is self consumed and concerned w/ what is coming in – e.g., the Pharisees. Muscle building for the sake of muscle building – show off! “I’ve been entirely sanctified for 30 years!” Personal holiness is meant for others. Love is other centered and focuses on what comes from me. Holiness w/o love is legalism.
Holiness, by itself, is immature spirituality. Holiness is ½ way point to full maturity. It is unripe fruit – it promises, but doesn’t deliver. Holiness can’t sustain itself w/o corrupting itself. When holiness is sustained by love, it is continually fresh.
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