Difficulties to Endure Along the Narrow Way, #4

Introduction: The Urgency of the Narrow Way

0:00 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, October 22, 2006, at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:11 May I urge you to follow with me in your Bibles as I read two portions of the Word of God, the one that has been read in your hearing for five previous Lord's Days, Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13. Enter in by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For, or how narrow is the gate, and compressed, difficult, restricted is the way that leads unto life, and few are they. For, or how narrow is the gate, and compressed, difficult, restricted is the way that leads unto life, and few are they that find it. Now, the second passage, the Gospel of Luke, in chapter 13. Luke chapter 13, beginning at verse 24.

1:30 Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able when once the master of the house is risen, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand without, and knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us. And he shall answer and say to you, I do not know from whence you are. And then shall you begin to say, we did eat and drink in your presence, and you taught in our streets. And he shall say, I tell you, I do not know. I do not know from whence you are. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without.

2:44 According to these two texts read in your hearing, If you and if I fail to enter the narrow gate in this life according to the Lord Jesus, we shall be banished from the presence of Christ and the banquet house of heaven forever. It will not be enough that we were in proximity to Christ and to the word and provisions of Christ if we have not been banished. If we have not been banished, we shall be banished from the presence of Christ and the banquet house of heaven forever. entered the narrow gate, if we have not been willing to pay any price to enter, which is why Jesus says in the Luke 13 passage, strive, the Greek verb agonizomai, from which we get our English word agonize, our Lord says, whatever the cost to you may be, be certain that you enter that narrow gate, for if you fail to enter in this life, you will be banished from his presence forever. And feeling the weight of this fact in these two passages of the word of God, and desirous that I may be faithful to the souls of those of you gathered in this place,

4:08 I've been directing you in a serious examination and application of the words of our Lord Jesus as found in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We come today to the sixth message in our series of studies regarding the narrow gate and the compressed or difficult or narrow way that leads to life. The gate and the way found by few in any given group of gospel hearers. 1. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14.

Review: The Narrow Gate and the Difficult Way

4:46 2. We began our study by considering the setting in which these sobering words of our Lord were uttered. He had been preaching the gospel of the kingdom. And in Matthew 5 to 7, he sets forth what is commonly called the manifesto of the kingdom, delineating the character traits of the subject of the kingdom, delineating the moral and ethical standards by which those subjects will regulate their lives by the grace of God. 3. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14. We began our study in the first of these two passages, Matthew has to do with the Father's eye and the Father's ear and the Father's knowledge of them. And having opened up many of the basic elements of the kingdom of grace that the King of grace has come to establish, our Lord, like any good preacher, is not content merely to inform the minds of His hearers.

5:48 He now preaches to their wills and urges upon them to enter this marvelous kingdom with Christ Himself as the King of grace, conquering the hearts of all who enter. And as He does so, He speaks of that entrance under the figure of a very narrow gate. To us, it would be a turnstile. And we turn to the Scriptures to see why is it called a narrow gate.

6:17 And from the analogy of Scripture, from this manifesto of the kingdom, primarily but ranging far and wide, into other passages, we saw that if we are to enter through that turnstile, through that narrow gate into the kingdom, we must cast away from the heart the baggage of self-righteousness and self-sufficiency as the ground of our acceptance with God. We must cast away from the heart the baggage of self-will as the governing principle of life. We must cast...

6:55 away from the heart the baggage of sin as the deliberate practice and pattern of life, and then we must cast away from the heart the baggage of the world and its ways as the molding influence and chosen companion in life. And so it is indeed a narrow gate, for few are willing to deal with this baggage that we all have by nature, and we know from the analogy of scripture that none will honestly deal with it unless they experience what the Bible calls the new birth, in which God takes out the heart of stone that loves the very things that must be jettisoned and cast away as our greatest enemies, things that in ourselves and in Adam we count our most necessary companions. Our own righteousness, our own way in life, our own delight in our sins, and our darling friend, the world. And then for the past several weeks, we've been trying to examine this way that our Lord calls a compressed, a restricted, a pressured way, a narrow way,

8:14 and why is it that it is such a narrow and a difficult way? And in doing so, I've been breaking down the Bible, and I've been breaking down the Bible, and I've been breaking down the Bible, and I've been breaking down the Bible, and I've been breaking down the Bible, and I've been bringing you back again and again to this vital principle that the things that make the way a difficult way are nothing more but nothing less than the issues dealt with at the gate extended into the totality of life. To state it differently, it is radical biblical conversion that ushers into a radical kingdom. A radical kingdom lifestyle, and that difficult and narrow way is nothing more or less than the radical kingdom lifestyle mandated by our Lord Jesus and by the entirety of Scripture. That being so, we've considered three and are in the presence of looking at the fourth element of the difficulty, the pressured nature of the way that leads,

The Fourth Difficulty: Nonconformity to the World

9:22 to life. If indeed, we cast off the baggage of self-righteousness and self-sufficiency as the ground of our acceptance with God at the gate, then this narrow way is the way of clinging with a death grip of ongoing saving faith to Christ alone as the ground of our acceptance with God and as the source of our strength to live a life well-pleasing to death. It is not Christ alone at the gate, it is Christ alone along the way. And if indeed, the difficulty of that narrow gate is that we must cast off from the heart the baggage of self-will as the governing principle of our lives, then the narrow nature, the difficulty of the way is found in that it is the way of a saving faith to Christ alone as the ground of our acceptance with God and as the source of our strength to live a life well-pleasing to death. The gate of the way is the way of clinging with a death grip of ongoing saving faith to Christ alone as the ground of our acceptance with God and as the source of our strength to death.

10:38 It is narrow and the narrow, and in so do that before you and when the Bible talking about, and I came up with this summary definition, that world be ungodly not to more, they are, world would not be taken out of the world, but be kept from the even, the world as a way of increasing and separation in that way.

14:11 Then we looked at the compelling appeal in the light of God's man from that part of their redeemed being and be not conformed. To this world, let this word continually, the transformation, that transfer it through of us that we are of our mind, when we are about to, it would cause of the mind.

16:06 And then we looked finally, and this ends our, at the word command of the apostle, command of 17, love not the world, neither the things that are in, if any man, for all do not love the word in him.

17:05 In other words, he's not a Christian. If you still.

18:06 of your life so you have the two-pronged command not the world nor the things in the world then some the lust of the an inordinate desire an inordinate desire to be somebody at the expense

19:05 of the law of god and then he gives the fight not to love the world and what is it said the world and the lust there he that does the will of the world love it you're not on the narrow that leads to life but the broad road that leads to destruction now we come this morning to several more portions of the word of god we've looked at paul's john's clear command now we come thirdly to the vivid and shocking analogies of james the vivid that's the first of the next two analogies not a specificity a one-to-one equivalence but a likeness and under the guidance of the holy spirit the christian and his relationship to the world in three analogies or likenesses the first is a

James's Vivid Analogy: Keeping Unspotted from the World

20:24 vivid analogy and the latter two are nothing short and let's consider them in the order in which they appear in james letter now we turn to the book of james you remember the great passion and burden of this letter written by james under the guidance of the spirit is to deal with the problem of what we might call notion christianity people who have orthodox doctrine but in many areas their lives do not show the transforming power of the gospel james is not teaching salvation by works in opposition to paul's salvation by grace through faith james is simply teaching what paul teaches elsewhere that the faith saves is a faith that works and the salvation that come to us comes one that leads to our performing good works which god before ordained that we should walk in them so here in chapter one we come on an emphasis that fits under the rubric of the great passion james notice verses twenty seven if any

21:47 man himself judges walking in the light of the word of god if any man thinks himself be religious while he does not bridle his time this man's religion is vain it's a puff of smoke and it's a man thinks himself to be a religious by his religion is very poor and then the and undefiled before our god and fathers this the visit the father's and widows and and to keep one's self plotted from the world and hearing the with vitals saving religious experience james's practical and the conscious and determined effort to be on spotted from the world this is not the whole of true religion wherever do you exist

22:59 Now let me try to illustrate. Standing before you is a breathing, active human being. My beating heart, my breathing lungs, being a human being. I've got other organs, vital organs, some of which, take them out of me and I'm done. Can't function without them.

23:28 However, a man with no brain waves, no beating heart and no breathing lungs, he hasn't got human life. All right? So James is saying three things of religion, but wherever present, whatever else, a vital faith in Christ, crucified, a desire, these, a bridal tongue. I'm not going to preach on that. Practical compassion for the vulnerable and the destitute. I'm not going to preach on that. But notice the third.

24:16 That is an indemnity.

25:21 A difficult way in which the issue of day and compact. The evidence will be that I'm on the mice to try to come up with something that will help it. I hope this will.

26:34 Imagine you're back in the days before automobiles. When if you wanted to go from one place to another with any measure of dignity, you had a horse drawn. And here is the way in her previous, it's of her love life. There was a man who was even engaged to him. But as she got, was blown away.

27:07 She saw.

27:10 She broke the engagement. He's sour. He's bitter. He's resentful.

27:17 Wants nothing to do with him in the way of any romantic interest. In due course, God brings a godly proven character of a man into her life. And after some do proper God honoring courtship and consultation with parents and patterns involved, I'll get a little theology of courtship in here. She consents to marry him.

27:41 And now the day of the wedding comes. And so he has provided that a local livery service would send by a lovely, their very nicest carriage to carry his bride from her home to the church building. Well, just before she leaves, she receives information that this spiky former suitor has hired and around blind corners between her home and the church. And they've got buckets of mud.

28:15 And big paintbrushes. And they're going to make an effort to spatter her beautiful white gown on her way to the church. So that when it comes time for her to walk down the aisle, the bridegroom will be totally chagrined and embarrassed by his bride coming toward him with a spotted, mud-spattered gown. Now, if she believes that that's actually what she wants.

28:45 Well, that's what she wants. That's actually what is happening. When she gets in that carriage, what will she do? Will she simply be preening her dress and looking at it and looking at her engagement ring and putting it on the other hand and, if it's a beautiful day, with some puffy cotton?

29:02 No, no. If she is serious to present herself spotless to her bridegroom, she's going to say to the carriage driver, Sir, I may bark out strange orders. I may bark out strange orders between here and the church building, but it's necessary. Pay attention to me.

29:22 And as the carriage begins from her home to the church, she's looking carefully. What is she doing? She is doing what? She is spotless herself keeping from the rascals and their mud buckets and paintbrushes.

29:42 And so she approaches, Sir, turn right. There's a bush over there. There may be one of the rascals behind there out to spatter me. And they go another quarter of a mile and she says, Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the horse.

29:56 There's a blind corner. I want you to get out and walk ahead and go around the corner and make sure no one is there. He gets out, goes around. He says it's all clear.

30:07 All the way to church, what is she doing? Consciously, deliberately, with the engagement of all of her faculties of sight and perception, she's determined to keep herself unspotted from the mud buckets. See where I'm going with my parable? Look at the text.

30:32 Pure religion, undefiled before God and the Father is this, to keep oneself unspotted from the world. In other words, that within my power of spiritual alertness, I'll not be looking at the puffy clouds that pass by as though there's no danger to my garments. I'll not be carelessly absorbed with preening my wedding dress. I'm on my way to be married to my heavenly bride.

31:12 And I want to appear before him as Peter in a parallel passage says in 2 Peter chapter 3. And verse 14, Wherefore, beloved, seeing you look for these things, the return of your heavenly bridegroom, give diligence that you may be found in peace without spot, without moral blemish. And here James says that blemish can come from the influence of the world. And you see, behind the activity, behind the activity of this world system that would spatter our garments with the mud of moral compromise, with worldly perspectives about entertainment, worldly perspectives about friendships, worldly perspectives about the place that sports and avocations ought to have in our lives, worldly perspectives about the spending of our money, worldly perspectives about the conduct appropriate between a young man and a young woman, between married people and their interaction, worldly perspectives about the totality of life. Who's behind the rascals with the buckets of mud behind the bushes?

32:39 The spurned lover. The spurned lover! The one whom we can friend to kill and to destroy. But he's not comfortable with that repudiation.

33:11 And though he knows he cannot drag us to hell with him, he'll do his best to bring us to the wedding with spotted mud. Yes, we have an orthographic record in the court of heaven in our justification. Here the emphasis is not upon justification. That record cannot be stated.

33:35 It's upon the delusion of the indisputable heart of the human.

34:40 Keep yourself analogous to one of the modern commentators. With the world's ears and imaginations, the world's erosion of a general way of life. Under the guise, and the guise might win them, we have sold out to worldliness.

35:48 So the light of the bride to keep her garment. Religion, undefiled before our God. Father is this, their affliction. A heart that reflects the heart of God.

36:18 For he gives the same and to keep one's self unspotted from the world. My friends, if you're not looking where the bushes are and avoid them, you'll be spotted day by day, day by day. If you're not looking for the blind corners, if you unthinkingly, unreflectively lay back in your easy chair and take your remote control and just surf the non-commercial, I mean the channels that come without cable, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 50. You're not.

37:03 Conscious. They're wrapping through the newspaper. Watch your garments. Spotless.

37:29 Spotless is to be our goal. Unspotted from the world. And it won't be done without conscious, deliberate, prayerful, careful concern about the bushes and the rascals and the blind corners. It won't be done.

James's Shocking Analogy #1: Spiritual Adultery

37:53 But then secondly, we come to James chapter 4. And here in James chapter 4, we encounter not another or two vivid analogies, but from the vivid analogy of James 1.27, we come to two shocking analogies in James chapter 4. In the previous part of the letter, James has dealt with many specific forms and manifestations of worldliness.

38:24 He addressed worldly discrimination and social prejudice in the church in chapter 2, verses 1 to 13. And then a worldly use of the tongue in chapter 3, verses 1 to 12. And then worldly attitudes of envy and jealousy in chapter 3, verses 13 to 18. And here in chapter 4, verses 1 to 3, he's dealt with the worldly pursuit of pleasure and of gain.

38:51 Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? Come they not hence? Even of your pleasures that war in your members you lust and have not. You kill and covet and cannot obtain.

39:02 You fight and war you have not because you ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may spend it in your pleasures. He's dealt with worldly pursuit of pleasure and gain. And now, to get into the consciences of his hearers in verse 4, he's about to use two more analogies.

39:24 More analogies that are nothing short of shocking. He wanted them to have a shock effect upon his readers. Now the issue is clearly worldliness. Twice in this verse, look at the phrases.

39:41 You adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? He's concerned about friendship of the world. Notice, whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. So, it's clear from the text that his concern is this flirting with the world that is producing these worldly manifestations.

40:17 And as he is dealt very stridently at points and pointedly, it's now as though he's taking the bucket full of ice water and throwing it into their faces and saying, first of all, look at the first analogy in its shocking nature. It's a marital analogy. Here it is. Adulteresses.

40:40 You may have a Bible that says adulterers and adulteresses. It's as though some of the scribes, early in the making of copies, felt why should just the females be addressed and the males ought to be addressed because this is in the feminine form, but there's really no solid textual evidence. It ought to read, you adulteresses. Now remember, these are people steeped in a knowledge of Jewish history.

41:10 These are Jewish Christians and some of them mere professing Christians that he is writing to. He has been addressing them again and again in the letter with the term, brethren, brethren, brethren, even the term, dear brethren. Look at it right from the very beginning. Verse 2 of chapter 1.

41:30 Count it all joy, my brethren. Verse 9. But let the brother of low degree. Verse 19 of chapter 1.

41:41 Know this, my beloved brethren. Chapter 2, verse 1. My brethren. Chapter 2 and verse 14.

41:52 What does it profit? My brethren. Chapter 3, verse 1. Be not many of you teachers.

41:58 My brethren. My brethren. My beloved brethren. And now he says, you adulteresses.

42:05 Now think for a moment. Here are people steeped in the knowledge of their Jewish history. And what would that immediately convey to them? Well, in order to give a good distilled answer to that question, I'm quoting from Douglas Moore, excellent commentary on James, where he writes, after the many times James had called his readers brothers, and even dear brothers, his address, you adulterous people, really catches our attention.

42:39 And then he goes into the textual thing that I've mentioned. A literal reading would suggest James is accusing his female readers of engaging in adulterous sexual activity. But this is unlikely. Nothing in the contest would suggest that.

42:52 Nothing in the context would suggest such an accusation. The clue to the feminine form to the accusation that James is making is found in the Old Testament, especially in the prophetic books. The prophets frequently compare the relationship between Yahweh, Jehovah, and his people to a marriage relationship. For example, Isaiah 54, 5 and 6.

43:20 For your maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your redeemer. He is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back, as if you were a wife, deserted and distressed in spirit.

43:35 A wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. As this text suggests, the Lord is consistently portrayed as the husband and Israel as the wife in this imagery. According, therefore, when Israel's relationship with the Lord is threatened by her idolatry, she can be accused of committing adultery. For example, Jeremiah 3 and verse 20.

43:59 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. I won't read the shocking language of Ezekiel chapter 16, where God gets very graphic in speaking of idolatry as spiritual adultery. And God condemns it. And then, of course, in the book of Hosea, that's the whole theme of Hosea, that Israel is like a wife who's become an adulteress and has consorted with other lovers, and yet God is determined to win her back.

44:37 James, following this tradition, uses adulteresses to label his readers as unfaithful people of God. And so in doing this, what is the theme? The thing that James says has constituted them guilty of spiritual adultery. Well, we've seen the theme of verse 4 is friendship with the world.

45:05 Friendship with the world. He calls them adulteresses because they are seeking to reestablish friendship with that lover whom they forsook and are married now, a covenant fidelity that committed themselves to be true godly wives. And I want you to think for a moment. If someone should propose to you in the coming week that you commit literal adultery with a man, what would your internal reaction be? Someone actually proposed that you meet a certain man at a certain place, be with him long enough to go to bed with him, break your marriage covenant. I hope you shudder inwardly at the very thought.

46:20 If you're a Christian, you're married to Christ. And as Paul to the Corinthians, as his heart was breaking with some of the worldliness in the context, it was worldliness primarily of thought, he says this to them, speaking to the Corinthians with a passion to see them brought back to their single-eyed devotion to Christ, I'm jealous over you with a godly jealousy for I espoused you to one husband that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But he says your spiritual virginity is being threatened. And I'm jealous over you. I've brokered a marriage and I've said I would present a virgin. And you're dabbling with spiritual adultery.

47:22 Dear people, it's a horrible thing to be charged by God with spiritual adultery. And who is the loving God? Whoever. It's the world.

47:41 Do you not know that friendship with the world, that's the theme, whosoever would be a friend of the world, whoever would deliberately and willfully or through spiritual carelessness draw the world to its side, lock arms, walk with it in its ways of thinking about moral standards, thinking about matters of entertainment, thinking about the music I play, the music I listen to, the DVDs I watch, the videos I view, that will draw you closer to Christ and make you know Christ better and serve Him more enthusiastically. Anybody think that? Any of you think that Hollywood's influence is utterly neutral? No, it is the world.

48:57 It's the epitome of the world. I read the movie reviews, not only in World Magazine, but in some of the secular newspapers. And it's just astounding because it's the world. One of the reasons Jack Nicholson plays a lead and clues and all of it.

49:20 Any young man watching that thing

50:12 will have his form when you've got that. Get the plot line. And she obviously hasn't. And you get a lesson in female anatomy front and back and everywhere else.

50:35 That's the world.

51:40 It doesn't hurt. Just a little bit of this. Friendship in which you lend your ear to the world to tell you what you need to see, what you need to hear, where you need to go, what you need to dress when you go swimming, how you need to dress at wedding, if you're determined, what you're doing if you name the name of Christ, you're guilty of spiritual harm. And I trust you feel the shock of that. It is a shocking analogy. Listen again to Mr. Moon.

52:47 We have no evidence of overtly disclaiming God, consciously deciding to follow the world instead, but their tendency to imitate the world by hating against people. Chapter two, thinking negatively of others. Chapter three, by exhibiting bitter envy. Chapter four, in selfish ambition, compromising conduct for what it really is.

James's Shocking Analogy #2: Enmity with God

53:23 God, their allegiance is to rather than to God. Then the second shocking analogy is found in verse chapter four. You adulterers of the world. Now he introduces another word to Ephesians chapter. And God in the begotten and at the cost of the Son

54:41 upon the cross, undating of the wrath of Almighty God. The scripture says, then God the Holy sought with you and through the word and the influences of the gospel brought in many different ways to many of you. God broke down the enmity of your heart to him. And you embraced the Savior through whose work God's enmity to you had been resolved.

55:17 And you were made like Abraham, the friend of God. You came through that narrow gate, saying, nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to the cross I cling. Wonder of wonders.

55:34 God of mercy who could have consumed you about it all that you didn't damn me. I marvel at your patience, your grace, the glory and the wonder of saving. And we've been made the friends of God. Now then, what happened?

56:03 When looking back over our shoulder we say, well, from the heart I did indeed throw away of attachment to the world my delightful companion. I did indeed turn from the heart to the world. I'd like to sort of just, Lord, if you'll forgive me, I'd like to just sidle up with the world and take a little walk with it for a mile or two. Oh, I don't want to be joined.

56:34 A little friendly interaction. You adulteresses do not know that friendship of the world is enmity with God. God's ways and the world's ways are hypothetical. To make yourself a friend of this you constitute yourself an enemy of God.

57:00 That's what the text says. Friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore here's the conclusion would be would desire would will to be a friend of the world thereby makes himself an enemy of God. Now the thought for a true Christian who is really on the narrow road that leads to life becoming God's enemy that's a shocking thing.

57:32 And the true Christian hears words like this and sees words like this and says oh God forgive me for my stupidity for my blindness for my insensitivity to think I could just take a walk around the block with the world in this thing or that thing that I could just have a weekend vacation with the world this or that and you run to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness and you read a passage like this I'm not going to be and once against and ought constantly to be yours and to be mine to put it bluntly if some of you can sit and hear what you've heard today and go out of here

59:02 and the pastor all worked up again about this matter of world and I don't know why he's gotten on this kick they ain't gonna budge me I know what my liberty my friend you are in dangerous ground some of you young people if it doesn't cause some of you to be brought up and say I've been mucking about with a half baked brand of Christianity in which I thought I could have all that the world has nice gifts just it's nice and it's comfortable dainties and you say oh I see from your word I can't be doing this kind of stuff I can't be playing around with these kinds of things you are calling me to a radical consistent whole faculties to live and walk and think as your friend and not your enemy so those are analogies the first is the second is relation commentator called it political as though you're setting up in another country or territory a posture of enmity and warfare

Conclusion: Are You on the Narrow Way?

60:31 with God well here then is the case for saying that the way that leads to life is a narrow compressed and difficult way because it is the way of increasing nonconformity to and separation from the world in its molding influence how do we know it Jesus describes his own in those terms he prays for his own in those terms Paul's appeal command James analogies my question is this are you on that narrow way that leads to life there is no other way there is no other way yes it is in the strength of Christ and in the virtue of our union with Christ and in our constant acknowledgement that we fail and we fall and we allow our garments to be spattered but my friends we don't get comfortable with God to be cleansed afresh we cry to God to sever whatever dimensions of heart affinity have gone out to the world in any area and we plead for grace to look at it as our sworn enemy once we look on it as our friend then we become God's enemy

62:00 what are you going to do with it individually where are we going to go as a church a worldly Christianity that pervades the landscape of evangelicalism today afraid to be different afraid to say until from our Bibles we see in our Bibles that we ought to do something other than what we are doing we stand with the light we have to pray the Bible to preach the Bible to sing the Bible to read the Bible to listen to the voice that comes from the world through certain Christian circles to let it come in and dictate what we do in the worship of our God I close by reading something my wife and I read back in September someone gave us Octavius Winslow's morning thoughts a lovely poem Romans 12 1 and 2 be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good acceptable and perfect will of God I read this devotional the world the love of it and conformity to it

63:29 may please and assist the life of sense but it's opposed to all that would promote the life of faith I'm sorry but it is opposed to the conductive of the life of faith the flesh and the spirit darkness and light sin and holiness are not more opposed in their natures than are a vigorous life of faith and a sinful love of the world you who profess to be Christians guard against the world it is your great curse watch against conformity to it in your dress your mode of living the education of your children the principles that govern you do not grieve them the Holy Spirit of God by any known inconsistency of conduct any sinful conformity to the world any inordinate pursuit of its wealth its honors its pleasures its friendships and great things pray against the sin of covetousness that feeds at the root of so many souls pray against the love of dress the sin that diverts the mind of so many professing Christians from the simplicity of Christ and takes the eye off from the true adornment pray against the thirst for light and trifling reading and if Winslow lived today he would also say and careless TV

64:59 video DVD and movie theater attendance pray against the thirst for light and trifling reading a strange and sinful life the certain tendency of which is to starve the life of God in the soul to engender a distaste for spiritual food for the word of God for holy meditation and for divine communion and fellowship pray against the spirit of worldly sinful conformity in everything that the Holy Spirit be not grieved and that Christ be not dishonored and crucified afresh the day is of a compromising character the spirit that marks so many is and he quotes the language of Judas when he went to the high priest what will you give me and I'll deliver Christ to you there is a betraying of Christ before the world a bartering of Christianity for the world's people

Prayer of Confession and Commitment

66:25 then guard against the least compromise of your principles the least betrayal of Jesus the first step of an inconsistency of walk above all pray and watch against a worldly Christianity that wears a fair exterior as far as it is composed of attendance at church services and sacraments and religious institutions but which excludes from it the cross of the meek and lowly Lamb of God pray and watch against the Christianity which loves the world and the things of the world makes a fair show in the flesh speaks well of Christ and yet betrays him with a kiss let not this be the model of your religion the world is the sworn enemy of your savior let it not be your friend no come out of it and be separate says the Lord our Father I trust that in praying the prayer of confession that there are many who from their hearts join me oh God forgive us when we've had our secret

67:55 weekend trysts with our sworn enemy with your sworn enemy forgive us when we've tried to take what we thought was just an innocent walk around the block arm in arm with a world that is slated for judgment we pray that your word would fasten itself upon our hearts move our wills and regulate our lives cleanse and wash us of all the spots that we've allowed to be spattered upon us through our carelessness passing through this world we do want to appear before our heavenly bridegroom not only spotless with an imputed righteousness but cleansed by his blood and found in the way of a careful walking and not allowing ourselves to be besmirched and spotted and polluted by the world oh God oh God have mercy upon us and help us where we have been guilty of spiritual adultery Lord Jesus forgive us we want to be part of that chaste virgin presented to you in the last day and where we've allowed ourselves to be made your enemies

69:23 in part oh God forgive us forgive us come upon us with a holy baptism of discernment that we would see through this system controlled by the devil which is determined to cripple us and dishonor you and cripple our efforts to be a light and salt to our generation Lord seal your word with grace and power help us to go forward determined that we will not love the world neither the things that are in the world but we may love you supremely as we were reminded in the previous hour hear our prayers honor your name we plead amen