Separation: How to Attain, Part 3

Introduction: The Indispensable Link Between Justification and Radical Discipleship

0:00 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, November 19, 2006, at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Before we turn to the Word of God, I want to just say a word concerning your gathering here on Wednesday. Over the 44 years that it's been my privilege to labor amongst God's people here, I believe there are only several of those praise services that I have missed, and the ones that I have missed, I think for the most part, have been due to being set aside perhaps with illness. But God willing, Dorothy and I will leave tomorrow to drive out to Michigan

0:42 to spend Thanksgiving with several of the families in that area, and then come back next week. But be assured that our hearts will be with you here, and trust that God's presence will be with you. God will be evident among you, and needless to say, where I hear, you already know what my Thanksgiving would be. So just consider that I've given it, even though it's three days early.

1:08 And now again, let's turn in the Word of God to Matthew chapter 7, as I purpose tonight to conclude this series of studies that has been bracketed by 14 messages on the doctrine of justification awaiting. Probably another seven or eight to complete that series. And I have been greatly persuaded, as I have worked through what I did not anticipate would be an 11 message series, that in the providence of God, God has riveted a truth to my heart, and I hope to all of our hearts, and it is this.

1:47 If any church, if any individual, is to be spiritually vigorous, then two truths must be held together. Two truths must be held with equal, biblically based perception and spiritual conviction. On the one hand, the truth that our acceptance with God rests solely upon the perfection of the righteousness of Christ, composed of His perfect life and His substitutionary death, a righteousness received in Christ by faith alone. That truth is the lifeblood of vital religion.

2:24 How can man be right with God? He can only be right with God on the basis of Christ's work on His behalf, received by faith alone. But the second truth is that the way of entrance into that provision is by radical, biblical conversion, leading to radical, biblical discipleship. And if justification is needed, justification by faith alone, is not constantly joined in our understanding and experience, with radical conversion, leading to radical discipleship,

3:06 then we have lost, we have lost, biblical Christianity. Let one go, or the other go, and you have tragedy. To hold solely to justification by faith alone, and not with equal understanding, tenacity, and experience, to radical conversion, leading to radical discipleship, is to have nominalism. Mere head Christianity.

3:35 On the other hand, to hold to radical conversion, leading to radical discipleship, without it being founded upon justification by faith alone, in Christ alone, is to lead to a kind of heavy, pedantic, joyless, and often legalistic view of the Christian life. But to hold both, by the grace of God, with equal tenacity, is to have vital, biblical, New Testament Christianity. And so I'm grateful for what God has done in leading us along a path that I did not anticipate

Revisiting the Narrow Gate and Restricted Way

4:18 when I started out the ministry some months ago with the series on justification, and had reason to believe that I ought to move towards several messages on Matthew 7, 13, and 14. And so it's wonderful to have a sense that God continues to lead us as we seek to know His mind and will concerning those things which Christ would say to us through His Word. Now I read again, most likely now, for the last time in this series, Matthew 7, 13 and 14. Enter in by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction,

5:01 and many are they that enter in thereby. How narrow is the gate, and how compressed, how restricted, how difficult the way that leads unto life, and few, and few are they that find it. Now I believe most of you are here tonight, were here this morning, when I continued what are the concluding, what have been the concluding messages in this series on the narrow gate and the restricted way, messages that I've entitled practical pastoral counsels as to how to attain an increasing nonconformity to

5:46 and separation from the world and its molding influence upon our lives. I've given you three counsels. The first was constantly remind yourself of your true identity as a disciple of Christ. Secondly, commit yourself and jealously maintain a pattern of serious Bible reading and meditation.

Addendum to Counsel 3: Praying for Discernment Against Worldly Infiltration

6:13 Thirdly, constantly pray for the spiritual discernment to see the things of the world for what they really are and not for what they may appear to be. And I was opening up that third counsel when I looked at the clock and it was ten minutes to one, and I said it's time to get this plane out down from 30,000 and parked at the gate and go home. And I really did not fully open up some of the concerns upon my heart. And so this is going to be a patchwork quilt sermon tonight.

6:50 I'm going to patch on an addendum to that third word of counsel and then as time permits to give a fourth and a fifth word of pastoral counsel as to how by the grace of God you and I can be marked more and more by separation from and nonconformity to this present evil world. I was suggesting after opening up several key passages that in this matter of praying for discernment that we might see things as they really are that the Council of Os Guinness was very helpful. And when we're wrestling with an issue,

7:34 especially matters that would intrude themselves into the church and into our patterns of life, to ask, where has this trend come from and where does it lead? Not to evaluate it in terms of how it may appear isolated from those realities of where it came from, where is it leading? And then just this afternoon when I took the things out of my letter file and I often will do that to make sure there's nothing of pressing importance that I ought to take care of with one of the sheep when I come back in the evening, I found these pages in my letter file. You all can't see them.

8:17 I wish I could have blown them up. But on this front page, it's called Christian Music Updates. Rock your youth group with dance praise. And here is the picture of a very nubile young woman showing about two-thirds of her right thigh and half of her left in a miniskirt and a tank top.

8:37 Dear children's pastor, churches across the country are excited about dance praise. Now your church can join in the fun with special pricing and a free bonus offer. And then we're told what the special pricing and bonus offer is. And then we are told this.

8:59 What is dance praise? Dance praise is a computer game that turns your PC into a dance arcade with music from top Christian artists including Zogirl, Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, Toby Mac, and more. Dance praise church specials include two quality dance pads that connect to your computer. Kids of all ages appreciate the energetic dancing and pastors and parents approve of the on-screen lyrics with positive Christian messages.

9:40 Churches across the country are excited about dance praise. Quote, we use dance praise before and after youth group. Our beloved boys and girls alike. Quote, dance praise was a big hit at our church's annual community outreach day.

9:59 We need to attract more youth to our church and we had kids waiting in line all day. We love the positive entertainment for students and leaders at all of our activities. In God's name, did this stuff ever get floated in Christ Church? I'll tell you how.

10:21 If I had the time and the authorization and the money to do a survey, I'd like to have ten churches that use this, I don't know what to call it, trace the history of those churches and I venture to say that the majority of them were churches that began when a handful of people weary of liberalism, with no Bible message, with no Bible concept of God and salvation, came together and constituted evangelical churches for the preaching and exposition of the word and for the proclamation of the word both at home and abroad. Churches that were birthed in prayer

11:05 and in saturation of Bible truth. But somewhere along the line, unconverted kids began to squawk and say, I'd like to just come in here preaching and if you don't give us something we like, we're not going to church. People said, well, we've got to keep our kids. So what are we going to do to keep our kids?

11:27 Well, we've got to have something that'll spice up the gospel a little bit here, a little bit there. And people failed to ask, where is this spicing up desire coming from? And where is it going? Where will the ball in the pinball machine bounce next?

11:49 This is where it bounces, folks. This is where it's bouncing. Because someone failed to ask the question, where does it come from? It came out of the desire of worldlings who said, give us what we like in the world, give it to us in the church or we're not going to be interested in the church.

12:17 So the church has turned into the world instead of the church having a message of power that delivers people out of the world and into Christ and into a hunger for His word and a hunger for holiness and a hunger to pray. Don't tell me it can't be done. I was birthed in such a movement of the Spirit of God where teenagers knew what it was to have half-nights of prayer and preach on the street corner three and four times a week. And none of us was sad.

12:53 None of us was complaining. The first time someone even suggested that we go from a prayer meeting to a restaurant to have a hamburger, we felt unclean. Now, there's nothing wrong with going from a prayer meeting to a hamburger. I'm not saying there is.

13:09 I'm trying to give you a sense of when God gives us in Christ the true satisfaction we don't need this drivel and this nonsense to be paraded and promoted. Our Lord Jesus would come into a church where this was going on and He'd do exactly what He did in the temple. He would tear up the dance pads. He would smash the PCs.

13:36 And He would take the audios with their rock music that has just enough of Christian what was the language? It's sickening. Lyrics with a power and a positive Christian message. You think these guys are listening to the positive Christian message when they've got these cute little well-stacked girls in tank tops and miniskirts bouncing around on a pad?

14:02 Get real. Nobody took the time to ask. Where is it coming from? Where is it going?

14:25 No discernment. We've got to keep the key. Take that logic. There are men.

14:37 Addicted to pornography. That'll never come to church. See where it leads? Bring in your burlesque queens and with Christian lyrics flashed up to rock music let them do their thing.

15:05 Dear people, in God's name I beg you especially those of you who will have the responsibility for the direction of this church in the years to come pray to God. Lord, in the language of Philippians 1 may my love abound yet more and more in knowledge and discernment that I may approve the things that are excellent. That I may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ. Think through the issues.

15:48 Don't just take things that face value. What they appear to be. But pray that God in His grace will help you to see them for what they really are. Well then I want to move on to the fourth pastoral council.

Counsel 4: Ruthlessly Cut Off Unnecessary Exposure to the World's Molding Influence

16:10 And it is this. If you're serious I mean serious not momentarily serious but serious as a positive settled disposition of the soul serious about becoming more and more separate from and less and less conformed to the world. Here's my fourth council. Ruthlessly cut off all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your life and upon your mind.

16:48 I should reverse those in my notes they were. Ruthlessly cut off all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and upon your life. Jesus prays for His own not that we would be taken out of the world. Therefore there will be much necessary exposure to the world's molding influence.

17:17 As long as we are in this world and the world is what it is men and society in alienation from God under the permissive control of the devil seeking to squeeze us into its mold there will be a constant influence of the world upon us which we cannot escape. I am saying if you're serious about making progress in separation from that world while yet in it less and less conformed to it while surrounded by it then ruthlessly

17:56 cut off all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and your life. And say now pastor you overstate things sometimes where do you ever get the notion that ruthless is in the language of a Christian? You challenging me? I'll rise to your challenge.

Biblical Basis for Ruthless Separation: Matthew 18 and Romans 13

18:23 In Matthew chapter 5 in Matthew chapter 18 and in Mark chapter 9 it is our gracious tender loving compassionate savior who uses this language If your eye offend you gouge it out and cast it from you. That sounds like ruthless activity. If by hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee. If by foot offend thee cast it off cut it off and cast it from you.

19:06 Now it's interesting in the Matthew 5 use of that ruthless language the context is sexual sin. But in Matthew 18 and that's where I want you to turn with me now for a few moments the context is far more general. Verse 7 Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling for it must needs be that the occasions come but woe to that man through whom the occasion comes. Here's our Lord's realism the world being what it is

19:48 and disciples being in that world occasions of stumbling will come the world's pressure at times will at least temporarily overcome some of the people of God. But woe be to that man through whom the occasion comes which by the way means that I am responsible to make sure that I do nothing in my lifestyle my dress my words my actions that provokes others to sin because though offenses will come if I trigger the offense God will hold me accountable

20:30 as well as the offending man or woman. Ladies don't ever try to cop out on modesty by saying what if men have a problem with their eyes that's their problem. No it's your problem as well if you unnecessarily provoke the second and the third glance by the way you dress. That's what this text is teaching.

20:49 But now he comes back to the person who does stumble. Verse 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble cut it off and cast it from you. It is good for you to enter into life maimed or halt rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble pluck it out and cast it from you.

21:14 It's good for you to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire. See what our Lord is saying? Ruthlessly cut off all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon mind and life that would ensnare you and cause you to sin. Now there are many passages that clearly teach that this is not just our Lord's once off repetition of this particular imagery of the hacking and the casting away.

21:56 But listen to these portions of the word of God. Romans 13 and verse 14 I'm going to run by a litany of passages. Romans 13 and verse 14 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ that's the positive injunction if we would walk becomingly verse 13 as in the day not in reveling and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and jealousy put on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith dress yourself in your soul with Christ the virtue of his life his power to deal with sin put on the Lord Jesus Christ

22:41 and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. You must not only put on Christ you must shut the door to every unnecessary avenue to your mind and your life of the world that can lead to sin. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. There's many a person in hell who wishes that while he was in this life he had gouged out his eyes had cut off the hand that clicked the mouse

23:24 that went to the porno sites that became an overwhelming addiction and swallowed that man or woman up in pornographic addiction from which they never were released. They wish they had cut off the hand that clicked the mouse. They wish they had gouged out the eye that looked upon the forbidden object and sold the soul to have that object make no provision for the flesh. I'm urging you ruthlessly cut off all unnecessary exposure

24:06 to the world's molding influence to have that movie oh yes it just has a fully clothed one love scene nobody's naked nobody's tumbling in bed just a gentle embrace what does that do to you? It awakens in you a desire if you're a woman to be embraced tenderly passionately kissed a man to hold the beautiful woman in your arms what are you doing? You can't help it when you're on your way to work and someone with no sense of social reserve makes out in the bus or in the train

24:48 or halfway walking down the street as I've seen this summer you're in the world you can't avoid that exposure but why in God's name do you go home and Friday night and stick the DVD and stick the video into the machine and let that worldly influence come into your soul awakening desires that are illicit do you do it? when you do it you're not on that occult way in which there must be an increasing weanedness from the world

Biblical Basis for Ruthless Separation: 2 Corinthians 6 and Psalm 101

25:33 and a commitment to a life of universal holiness 2 Corinthians 6 one of the first passages I was encouraged to memorize as a young Christian 2 Corinthians 6 14-7-1 be not unequally yoked with unbelievers and I was told that definitely applied to business commitments where you would seek to operate a business with Christian ethics and an unbeliever with worldly ethics applied to marriage romantic interest then the questions are asked to show the reasonableness

26:17 but it goes far beyond that yoking with unbelievers is when you draw alongside with unbelievers to enjoy what they enjoy because they are worldlings to listen to the music they like because they like it as worldlings it feeds what is worldly and unregenerate and anti-God in their souls don't be yoked with them in what you listen to don't be yoked to them in what you watch don't be yoked to them in their attitude to the unclean and to the untrue and to the violent and to the coarse don't be yoked with them for what fellowship

27:01 have righteousness and iniquity none what communion has light with darkness none what concord has Christ with Belial none what portion has a believer with an unbeliever none what agreement has a temple of God with idols for we are a temple of the living God even as God said I'll dwell in them and walk in them I will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come ye out from among them and be separate says the Lord and touch no unclean things there is enough uncleanness in this world that will touch us and we must pray oh God immunize us

27:46 against its influence but the believers not to reach out and touch it the unclean thing yes this world will seek to spatter our garments James 1.27 and pure religion is to keep oneself unspotted from the world we are not to volitionally put ourselves in contact with that which is unclean and I will receive you and will be to you a father you shall be to me sons and daughters says the Lord Almighty having therefore these promises beloved let us cleanse ourselves

28:29 from gross defilement no from all defilement notice of the flesh and of the spirit our minds our internal life we are to be committed to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God and unless you are prepared ruthlessly to cut off all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and your life this passage will remain simply a passage in the Bible when God intends it should be regulative of your life

29:13 and of my life turn to Psalm 101 verses 2 to 4 Psalm 101 a marvelous Psalm Psalm of David he begins by saying I'll celebrate the loving kindness and justice of God now notice here's his resolve I will behave myself wisely in a perfect or an upright way oh when will you come to me I will walk within my house with a perfect heart that's the resolution of David I'm determined to walk

29:57 within my house with a perfect heart and doing that in connection with my passion to experience communion with my God it's as though he anticipates what John will say if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another if we say we have fellowship with him and walk around in the darkness we lie and we do not the truth and what is the mark of the world it is its darkness this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil but here's the contrasting disposition

30:40 I will walk within my house with a perfect heart now notice I will set no base or unworthy thing before my eyes see the connection here's the resolution walk within my house with a perfect heart but note the connection between the eyes and the heart I will set no base thing before my eyes now notice I hate the work of them that turn aside the worldlings who have no passion to experience communion with God who have no desire to walk with an upright heart before God

31:24 I hate their work I'm not going to entirely identify myself with their work those that turn aside to violate all of God's commandments and to draw up plot lines that celebrate idolatry and adultery and murder and thievery and blasphemy and cursing and taking the Lord's name in vain how can someone determined to walk with an upright heart find delight involuntarily associating with that with his eyes

32:04 I'm worthless on these issues none of you are still stubborn rationalizing if you don't come to grips with these issues people that once wept with me and prayed with me and preached with me they're wreckage I can see their faces if it says if I'm going to walk within my house with a perfect heart

32:48 I'm committed that I will set no base thing before my eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it will not attach itself to me it may seek to but I'm going to have holy teflon it may attempt to for the world will try to attach its ways to me but I'm determined to I'm determined it will not and how can you be satisfied that that's your disposition if you voluntarily deliberately as a matter of choice for your entertainment for your aesthetic satisfaction

33:32 or for whatever else you deliberately set before your eyes what is base and you associate with the work of them that turn aside

Biblical Basis for Ruthless Separation: Psalms 119, 26, and Isaiah 33

33:48 and then he comes back to the heart a perverse heart shall depart from me I will know no evil thing psalmist prayed turn away my eyes from beholding vanity emptiness that which is of no worth you want some more scriptures I'll give you some more Psalm 119 this is not some isolated perspective from one or two passages my dear friends ruthlessly cutting off all unnecessary exposure

34:32 to the world and its molding influence upon mind and life is an indispensable element of the narrow road of the compressed road of the difficult of the restricted road Psalm 119 verses 35 to 37 here's his prayer make me to go in the path of your commandments for therein do I delight incline my heart to your testimonies and not to covetousness now notice having prayed that God would incline his heart to the testimonies of God

35:15 and not allow his heart to be inclined to covetousness and inordinate desire for things that he ought not to desire that may be legitimate in themselves but are not his in the providence of God or may be illegitimate for God says that covetousness is idolatry then he says turn away my eyes from beholding vanity if my eyes look upon the empty the vapid the vain things my heart will go out after my eyes the eyes are the inlet to the heart

35:58 and if we are not ruthlessly dealing with what we voluntarily choose to look upon for some of you your perspective of beauty which is skewed and is not a biblical perspective know what it's fed by it's fed by your JCPenney catalog it's fed by your Macy's flyers it's fed by ladies magazines your eyes are beholding vanity and what's happening your heart is going out to covetousness without dealing with it then stop letting

36:40 the paste printed things come into your eyes that's the answer if you're serious ruthlessly cut off the unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and upon your heart back to Psalm 26 Psalm 26 verses 1 to 6 judge me O Lord for I've walked in my integrity I've trusted in the Lord without wavering you say Lord I'm an open book

37:24 I know nothing against myself I'm not a sinless man but I have walked purposely uprightly I've trusted in you without wavering examine me O Lord and prove me here's my judgment of myself but O Lord I'm but a creature I may be blind there may be areas where I do not see that there is lack of integrity examine me O Lord and prove me try my heart and my mind for your loving kindness is before my eyes and I've walked in your truth now notice I have not sat with men of falsehood neither will I go in with dissemblers hypocrites I hate the assembly

38:07 the gathering together of evil doers and will not sit with the wicked where I have a choice in my associations I'm not going to posture myself with the wicked now follow me when I read my paper on a Monday and one of the things I always read is the weekend report on the box office at the theaters two weeks ago Halloween weekend the big number was saw three the chainsaw massacres which is nothing but gore and gruesome cutting up of people's bodies with chainsaws

38:51 38.8 million dollars second in line and I don't know why some of you are smirking there's nothing funny recent film celebrating the raw brutality of the mafia 9.8 million dollars and when you read the review and at the bottom it tells why they have an R rating much violence nudity sexual situations

39:34 and language review after review after review and when I hear that professing Christians watch these things I say Lord if that's Christianity maybe Islam ain't so bad at least the devout Muslim keeps himself externally clean you see how the Psalmist understands this I've not sat with men of falsehood blessed is the man who walks not or does not take the advice or the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the way of sinners

40:19 nor sit in the seat of scoffers do you want to be sitting at home in the privacy of your living room with the same sinners that six months ago sat and watched that movie in the theater you are sitting with them you just got a convenient way to do it that isn't as externally and obviously shameful but you're doing it and then you wonder why there's no vigor in your spiritual life you wonder why there's so little joy in the Holy Spirit you're not ruthlessly cutting off all unnecessary

41:04 exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and life you're welcoming it because you're addicted to your visual images and you're addicted to the notion that if you're not with it and you can't discuss the latest movie and the latest DVD and the latest CD and the latest latest latest some baptism of that kind of kookiness where we can look people in the eye and say no I don't know a thing about that latest group and frankly I could not care less I don't need them I'll tell you how you can get to know God in Jesus Christ

41:47 and you won't need them either will you let me tell you you got no clout to tell them anything about Jesus when you're feeding it the same pig slop that they have to feed at because they think that that's the real river of life one more verse a lot more I'll give you one more turn to Isaiah turn to Isaiah chapter 33 Isaiah chapter 33 here this question is asked very similar to Psalm 15 who shall ascend into the hill of God here's the question Isaiah 33 14b

42:31 who among us can dwell with the devouring fire that's not hell that's God who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings who can enter into real experiential communion with God here's the answer of verse 15 he that walks righteously speaks uprightly he that despises the gain of oppressions that shakes his hands from taking a bribe isn't that a beautiful picture someone wants to slip you a bribe and you go like this and say no way no bribes in my hand that's the upright man what else does he do the man who's going to have communion with God he shakes his hands

43:15 from taking a bribe he stops his ears from hearing of blood and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil he shall dwell on high his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks his bread shall be given him his water shall be sure one of the marks of the truly godly who dwells in experiential communion with this holy God is the wonder when he cannot help it evil is there before him he's in the world he doesn't plunk himself down in his living room or in the theater

43:59 or somewhere else and say alright evil come into my eyeballs no if necessary he shuts his eyes and if he can't walk for fear he'll stumble he'll stand still until he has reason to believe that the evil that he does not want to allow into the eye gate has passed folks I didn't write it that's the God you say you love the God the God whose communion you say you cherish God says I withhold that communion from those that wide-eyed like to look at evil like to look at violence like to look

The Danger of Familiarity with Sin and Worldly Images

44:43 at fornication like to look at deceitfulness like to look at that which is in opposition to almighty God see one of the things that some of you young people especially you don't know and understand and I hope you don't have to learn it experientially Bridges in writing on Proverbs 7 and the naive young man who's seduced by the experienced married woman whose husband's away on a business trip and she gets the hots for him and she's determined to seduce him and Bridges commenting on the fact that

45:26 he goes to the wrong place he walks by her house in the evening in the cool of the day commenting on this this is what he says an impure thought a polluted fancy an idle book filthy conversation foolish company theaters or places of vain resort these are her ways dread the first step and dream not that you can stop yourself at pleasure in her course and here's the sentence familiarity with sin weakens abhorrence towards sin familiarity with sin

46:09 weakens abhorrence to sin one of the most wonderful protections against the indulgence in sin in the way God has constituted us is that in the soul of the righteous man or woman there is an emotional aversion towards sin yes there may be with the reality of his remaining sin an affinity for the sin but knowing this is the thing that put Jesus to death this is the thing that exposes me to hell and to damnation this is that which offends

46:53 a holy and a pure and a righteous God so that thinking of sin in the light of what I am as a new man and new woman in Christ there is an emotional abhorrence to sin and that is one of the great preventives to indulge in sin is to have that emotional abhorrence strong vigorous and active but familiarity with sin bridges rightly observes weakens that abhorrence and when the emotional aversion to sin erodes you are only a step away from your will from your volitional

47:37 faculty choosing that sin and you see this is the great danger of the visual medium it draws you in at the emotional level with the images and before long you are in sympathy with that lovely woman devoted to that klutz of a husband who is emotionally dead and neutered and along comes the devil who is sensitive who is understanding who is touchy feely and before you know it you are emotionally identifying with the potential adulteress

48:22 and the devil is behind the scenario when you let your eyes drink in the plastic surgeons work in one part of the body and the airbrush in the other part of the body and then you have to have an image of what beauty is from the women's magazines what's happening an emotional abhorrence to this plastic nothingness is breaking down you can begin to have an emotional affinity that before

49:06 long will draw you in to seek to become something like beauty and modesty dear people this is not a tempest in a teapot this is a matter of my walking on that compressed that narrow that difficult way that leads to life the way of increasing nonconformity to and separation from this world and that's the path into which you're not ready for that you're not a

49:51 christian i would be less than truthful did i tell you then you're not ready to become a christian that's the path that you'll enter if you get through the narrow gate but blessed be god on that path there are springs and pleasures none but zion's children know all my life long i had panted for a draft from some cool spring that would satisfy

50:36 the burning of the thirst i felt within hallelujah i have found him whom my soul had i had another note recently a young man that wandered in the far country far too long and god roped him in a couple years ago and he said in his

51:20 note pastor when you used all unnecessary exposure to the world's molding influence upon your mind and life bear witness that you really have found christ what he says to those who come to him if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink as the scripture shall thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that i shall give him

52:02 shall have in him unto everlasting so all the travelers on that restricted way the world looks at them and hates them the world thinks they've cut themselves off from every thing they know us our springs of joy are in places that they know nothing

52:46 about and when we more and more drink at those springs and our lives are living monuments of that well of water springing up and flowing out in rivers and that's a given in our consciousness here all of us and all that that life but this time you are someone who can do that and certainly could do it and it does and it does and it does of God something to the world it says them whatever they got here it ain't much different from what I've got

53:31 that's not Christianity that's bogus sham shallow empty fake religion folks that's not the real thing well then i have one final word of counsel and it is this well i got to read you a little quote from ryle before i move on to that ryle writes make a wrong choice in life an unscriptural choice settle yourself down unnecessarily see there's the word again in the midst of worldly people in your job in your neighborhood you're in the midst of them unnecessarily you've got to be there but when you settle yourself down unnecessarily in the

54:13 midst of worldly people go into a ball go into a dance go into a theater going to a bar whatever it is unnecessarily and i know no surer way to damage your own spirituality and to go backward about your eternal concerns this is the way to make the pulse of your soul beat feebly and languidly this is the way to make the edge of your feeling about sin because come blunt and dull. This is the way to dim the eyes of your spiritual discernment until you can scarcely distinguish good from evil and stumble as you walk. This is the way to bring a moral palsy to your feet and limbs and make you go tottering and trembling along the road to Zion

54:56 as if the grasshopper was a burden. This is the way to sell the past to your worst enemy, to give the devil vantage ground in the battle, to tie your arms in fighting, to fetter your legs in running, to dry up the sources of your strength, to cripple your energies, to cut off your own hair like Samson, and give yourself into the hands of the Philistines to put out your own eyes, grind at the mill, and become a slave. Is that what you want? If not, then determine this night before you pillow your head, I am going to, by the grace of God, begin as a Christian to ruthlessly cut off whatever that

Counsel 5: Allow Nothing to Dampen Love for Christ

55:38 means for me. It may not mean the same for you. Don't make your decisions the rule for others, but whatever it means for you, then start doing it this very night. My last exhortation, and it is this, and it's crucial, allow nothing and no one to dampen your love for and your single-eyed devotion to and communion with

56:23 the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Allow nothing and no one to dampen your love for, single-eyed devotion to and communion with Jesus Christ Himself. Remember the parable of the treasure in the field, which a man found and hid, and a count of his joy sold all that he had that he might obtain the treasure. Paul found the treasure, and he said, the things that were gained to me, these I count loss for Christ. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ

57:08 Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, scubala, don't, all scourings, that I may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith. That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being made conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. That's what I'm talking about. That no matter what this world presents to you, you say, I will allow nothing, whatever worldling seeks to come into your life, no

57:52 one to dampen my love for and my single-eyed devotion to and communion with Jesus Christ. I will allow nothing, whatever worldling seeks to come into your life, no one to dampen my love for and my single-eyed devotion to and communion with Jesus Christ. Because at the end of the day, when He is sweet to your taste, the world has nothing to offer you. But let there begin to be a distance in your relationship to Christ. The

58:19 soul is a restless, hungry thing, and if not being satisfied with Him, it will seek satisfaction somewhere else. The great Gentiles are the ones who have been raised to the world, and who have been loved battleground of your heart the citadel of it is that whole matter of maintaining your first love, single-eyed devotion, delight in communion with the Lord Jesus, for at the end of the day, thinking biblically what is the narrow gate Christ himself said I am the door, what is the narrow way, it is the way of walking with Christ communing with Christ pleasing Christ, growing in the knowledge of Christ

Concluding Exhortation and Prayer

59:03 as we anticipate the day when at the end of that compressed, restricted narrow difficult way we'll behold him face to face, and in the language of one of the old gospel hymns again, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus one look of his dear face all sorrow will erase so bravely run the race, till we see Christ dear people, these are sobering days for me, the Lord spares me, my times

59:47 to stand before you are numbered, and I want to see you at the end of the road I trust in God's providence there'll be many occasions to come back among you after I relocate there in Michigan but dear people I want something more than just seeing visits back here I want to know that in that day it will be evident you got through the gate by the grace of God you walked on that compressed way and now together in the presence of the Father and of the Lamb we enjoy the face to face vision

60:29 if God will take some of these things and make them his means then it's worth the study it's worth leaving myself in this pulpit the way I've done in recent weeks and months because I remind you that though the Lord gives me strength to preach like I did when I was thirty I ain't thirty when I leave this pulpit I feel all seventy-two of my years and I feel them usually for days after Sunday but that's alright, I'm willing to spend and be spent out for the sake of your souls enter in at the narrow gate

61:13 there's another alternative a wide gate in a broad way but they lead to destruction oh how narrow is the gate how compressed is the way but blessed be God it leads to life but only few only few find it may you by God's grace be among those few let's pray Father we pray that you would bless your word that by the Holy Spirit there would be deep resolute

61:57 heart dealings with you in the light of the things we've considered from your word God we long that you'd so bless your word that the back of worldliness will be broken in this place that you would have deep lasting dealings with all of the hearts of your children that there would be an awakening from the slumber of careless flirting with the world unnecessary exposure to the world and its deadening damning influence we ask Lord you would make us more and more a company of radical kingdom disciples

62:42 that we may count it a privilege to be thought strange and odd and weird not only by the world but by nominal Christians who regard us as legalists and too strict and cutting out all our fun oh Lord may we be so filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit that we can laugh at their mocking we ask you Lord to bless your truth for those who've never pressed through that gate oh God give them no rest or peace until by your grace they turn from sin and self-trust and throw themselves at the feet of the Savior come through the gate

63:26 and by your grace are found upon the narrow way hear our prayers and answer us for Jesus' sake we pray Amen