Responsibilities of Members: Holiness

Introduction to Pre-Membership Class and the Responsibility of Holiness

0:03 The following message was delivered on Sunday morning, May 24, 1992, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. This is lecture number 12 in our pre-membership class. Now, this morning we continue our studies in what we've called a pre-membership class. And for the sake of those who are visiting with us this morning, I do see unfamiliar faces.

0:32 So, for the sake of those visiting, let me give a brief word of explanation as to exactly what we are doing. We are in week 11 of 13. Hard to believe it's been 11 weeks already. But we are in week 11 of 13, conducting a pre-membership class, pretending a little bit that all of the members and everyone sitting here is applying for membership in Trinity Baptist Church.

1:00 And we are addressing... We are addressing all of those issues, those simple foundational issues, which someone has to face if they can intelligently and conscientiously make a commitment to be members of Trinity Baptist Church.

1:18 Now, we have already considered such matters as the gospel of God, because the very foundation of joining the church is having heard and embraced the gospel. Then we have also considered the doctrinal distinction, which is that we have to be members of the church, so that people who would come into the church would understand where we are in terms of our commitments to the doctrines of the word of God. And now we are considering the final segment or aspect of this pre-membership class. We are focusing upon those things which are the terms of membership.

1:57 What is expected of those who join the church? What are the requirements of membership? And then, what are the privileges of membership? And are there liabilities of joining the church?

2:09 Yes, there are liabilities. And what are those liabilities? And we are currently considering the responsibilities of membership. And we said that there is a responsibility, first of all, to honor and respect the priority of the church, both in attending the meetings of the church and in supporting the church financially.

2:33 The second responsibility is to honor the purity of the church. And the third, to honor the peace or unity of the church. And this morning we will focus upon the second of those responsibilities, what is really the very heart and foundation, and that is the responsibility to honor the purity of the church. And let us therefore pray and ask for God's blessing upon us as we consider this vital matter of the responsibility of each member to honor the purity, the holiness of the church of God.

3:10 Let us draw near to the Lord.

3:17 Our Father, as we draw near again into your presence this morning, we come in the awareness of our dependence upon you, that we cannot of ourselves, of our own strength, with our own minds and mental faculties benefit from your word this morning. Recognize that we stand in need of grace, that we stand in need of light, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. We come confessing our weakness, our dullness, our sinfulness, and we pray, O God, that you would be pleased in your power, kindness and compassion to draw near to us this morning, to pour out of your Spirit upon us,

4:00 and to make this time in your word to be of profit and benefit to our souls, and make it to be for your glory, and for the praise of the name of Jesus Christ through his people gathered in this place. For we ask these things through our beloved Lord and Savior. Amen. Now, as I have said, the responsibility to honor the purity or holiness of the church rests upon the shoulders of each individual member.

The Foundation of Personal Godliness and the Church's Good Name

4:38 Those of you who are thinking of joining this church, this responsibility begins with yourself. And I say to those of us who are members of this church, this responsibility continues to begin with yourself. It begins with you, and it begins with me. Your responsibility primarily is not to promote the holiness of the church by looking over the lives of others, but primarily your responsibility, and mine, is to promote the holiness of the church by looking out for your own life

5:20 and your own walk with God. And this is abundantly clear in our statement in our church constitution, which sets out what is clearly expected and required in the matter of personal godliness, a godly Christian life for all of those who come into the membership of the church. And these requirements are set out in our current constitution in Article 5 on membership section 5, conduct required of members, pages 6, 7, and 8. And just as an aside in our proposed revision of the constitution

6:02 We have collected, reorganized some of these things into one major paragraph entitled, A Godly Christian Life which has five subparagraphs organized as I have described. have written on the board this morning, and this rearrangement incorporates four paragraphs of our present Constitution under the conduct required paragraphs B and D and F and G, as I have also listed on the board. And we've combined them together under the heading of a godly Christian life that is a commitment to honor the purity of the church.

6:43 And the introduction to this is restated as follows, all who come into the membership of this church are expected to walk worthily of the Lord, that his name and word be not blasphemed, but rather that his excellencies be displayed through us, and that the good name of the church be not damaged, but rather enhanced. Therefore, every member. Is expected to practice and cultivate godliness in the following areas, you see, the issue

7:25 that's at stake is the good name of the church, the issue that's at stake is the glory of God and the display of the excellencies of the Lord through us, that when people see us, the representatives of Christ and of God in the world, that the name of God through looking at us in our lives is not blasphemed. But rather that the name of God is honored and glorified by looking at us and that this church does not become a laughing stock in the community, but rather that it's respected and that it be known no matter what people may say about the doctrines or what they may

8:08 say about the strict fanatical group of Baptists. One thing they can't say, and that is that that place is a sham. It's made up of a bunch of. Monies.

Five Areas of Commitment to Church Purity

8:21 Their lives are a disgrace to the Lord and to the gospel, hopefully, whatever they may say about us, they can't with all honesty say that. And that's the concern that's before us this morning. Now, as I say, we have five areas with reference to this commitment to respect the purity of the church. The first is what we've entitled practiced devotion to God.

8:55 Currently in our. Constitution. It's paragraph. B. The second is biblical order in the family.

9:04 Currently paragraph D. The third is open promotion of the gospel. Currently paragraph F. The fourth is principled liberty of conscience.

9:20 Currently paragraph G. And the fifth is evident separation from the world. Currently paragraph C. The fifth is the first.

9:54 The fifth. The sixth. Look and trust that God will be pleased as we skip over the mountaintops to drive the word home to our hearts and to rekindle in our souls a commitment to these things, that God may be glorified and that the good name of the church may be preserved. First of all, then, practice devotion to God.

Practiced Devotion to God: Secret Prayer, Bible Reading, Conscience, Self-Examination, and Lord's Day

10:18 Let me read what is expected of those who are joining the church. Paragraph B on page 6 of our Constitution says this, The church expects its members to make use of the various other means of grace which are available to them, such as the regular daily reading of the Bible, regular private and family prayer, and a proper reverence for and observance of the Lord's Day. You notice that there are three private means of grace mentioned. The reading of the Bible.

10:57 One of the scriptures, prayer, and the observance of the Lord's Day. In our proposed revision of the Constitution, what we have done is we have added scripture references to support these three things and have also added two more. In addition to daily reading and meditating on the word of God, we say the continual maintenance of a good conscience with judgment day honesty, and periodic and wholesome self-examination, prayerfully conducted by the standard of the word of God,

11:40 and with each of those scripture references to support them. Now, the word that we've chosen is practiced devotion to God. We would like to have said ardent devotion to God, because ardent devotion to God is certainly, our duty, and it should be ardent.

12:05 And we lament that our devotion to God is at times so cold and is not what it ought to be. But if we put in there ardent devotion to God, half of us might need to resign from the church if we were of sensitive consciences, saying more often than not, I struggle with the maintenance of ardent devotion to God.

12:27 We have not therefore written ardent devotion, but practiced devotion. Practiced. Devotion.

12:38 Practiced. Devotion. There's a difference. Practiced devotion means you do read the Bible.

12:45 It means you do pray in secret. It means you do examine yourself periodically, and not in an introspective but wholesome manner. It means you do seek to maintain a good conscience. It means you do observe the Lord's day.

13:03 We're not requiring perfect devotion. Near perfect devotion. Even continually flaming ardent devotion.

13:12 But merely practiced devotion in fact and in reality as the overall pattern and lifestyle of the membership of the church.

13:33 That it is the general pattern of a regular routine and that it is part of your life to practice devotion. To pray in secret. To meditate on the word. To maintain a good conscience.

13:47 To examine yourself. To observe the Lord's day. This is the requirement for church membership. Now as I say, if I were to try to delve into the biblical basis for all these things, to open them up and apply them, well we'd never get any further than the first point this morning.

14:09 But first with reference to secret prayer. It has always been, this is nothing new that we have added to the requirements of membership. It has always been expected and required that the members of the church practice secret prayer. When the Lord taught us to pray in secret in the Lord's prayer, one of the things he said is, give us this day our daily bread.

14:35 Not give us this week or give us this month or give us this year. As though we were to pray in secret. Not give us this week or give us this month or give us this year. As though we were to pray in secret.

14:43 Not give us this day our daily bread. As though we were to pray in secret once a week or once a month or once a year. But, secret prayer and devotion to God is to be the regular daily pattern of the life of the child of God. You look over your life and this is to be quote, the habit of your life.

15:12 Now you see why this is so important? We didn't say long, secret prayer. We didn't even say ardent secret prayer, we just said, had practiced. Because what the Lord taught us to do is to confess our sins, to say sorry to God, forgive us our trespasses, and we don't sin weekly, we don't sin monthly, we don't sin annually, but we sin daily, in thought, in word, in feeling, and in deed.

15:54 Therefore, we have need for regular, daily recourse to the throne of grace to confess our sins and to say sorry to God. Otherwise, we're living under a cloud of guilt and a cloud of distance between us and the Lord. Furthermore, we don't receive blessings from God on an annual basis. God is not worthy of praise monthly or semi-annually.

16:32 But hallowed be thy name. This disposition is due to God daily. His mercies are new every week, every month, every year, but every morning He renews His mercies. And therefore, the renewal of thankfulness to God for the mercies of this day are due every day. If the mercies are new, then the gratitude is due

17:06 every morning.

17:13 Furthermore, thy kingdom come. We are not to be concerned for the coming of the kingdom of God on an annual or semi-annual basis, but day by day there are sinners who are lost, there are saints who are in need, there are churches struggling and striving to glorify God in the world, and there is the need for our intercessory prayer for the work of God in society. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Furthermore, our needs for

17:45 provision and for protection. Our needs for provision and protection are not weekly. Give us this day our daily bread. We must eat daily by the providing hand of God and deliver us from evil. Lead us not into temptation. Our need for spiritual protection from the Lord is a daily need, for there is an ever-present devil and spiritual warfare in which we are engaged not weekly, not monthly, but daily. Give us this day our daily bread.

18:17 Lead us not into temptation. Our need for provision and for protection is daily need. And so regular, secret, daily prayer is part of a godly Christian life. And a person who doesn't confess his sins is self-righteous. A person who doesn't say thank you and bless God is an ingrate and irreverent. A person who doesn't say thy kingdom come and doesn't pray for others and for the coming of the kingdom is selfish and ungrateful.

18:51 A person who doesn't say give us this day our daily bread, deliver us from evil is presumptuous. So there's presumption and selfishness and ingratitude and irreverence and self-righteousness. You see, this is no little matter. But these are serious issues. And if you can't say sorry, God, I'm sorry, forgive me. And thank you. And bless your work and your kingdom. And provide for me in

19:25 protect me. You can't find it in your heart to say those things to God. And your heart is filled with presumption and selfishness and irreverence and ingratitude and self-righteousness. And this is not a disposition of those who know the Lord. This is not a disposition of those who walk with the Lord. But this kind of a heart is the disposition of those who are far from God. But then there's the regular reading of the word. For the scripture says that man should

20:00 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And in Psalm 1 and verse 2, it speaks about the righteous man who meditates on his law day and night. And in Psalm 1, 19, 11 and 97, the feast of the soul of the psalmist is upon the word of God in regular daily reading and meditation upon God's holy word. If we must eat every day,

20:33 for the continual nourishment of our body, how much more are our souls in need of nourishment by the word of God. And I also commend to you some system, as we often do in pastoral visitation, some system of systematic reading through the Bible. For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

21:07 Every word, the words of the Old Testament, every word, the words of the New Testament, the sustainable well-being of the soul depends upon exposure to all the word of God. I'm not saying you need to read the whole Bible every day. I'm not saying you need to read the whole Bible every week. I'm not even saying you need to read the whole Bible every year. We're not going to be legalistic and legislate that.

21:40 It's evident from the size and length of the Bible. It's evident from the size and length of the Bible that God never intended it to be read daily. But systematic, regular reading of the word of God so that over some period of time your soul is exposed to all the words of God and the Bible is conducive to your spiritual health. And then there's the maintenance of a good conscience. Paul says, I do my best to maintain a conscience void of offense to God and to men through all things.

22:10 And so there's the conscientious effort with judgment. Today, honesty to be void of offense to God. It doesn't mean that you never sin, but it means that when you sin, you seek to resolve that matter between you and the Lord and also before men. It doesn't mean that there's never tension. It doesn't mean that there's never difficulty or never friction. But it means when there is a problem that you seek conscientiously and sincerely to resolve that matter in the fear of God with the brethren.

22:46 It doesn't mean that there's never tension. It doesn't mean that there's never difficulty or never friction. But it means when there is a problem that you seek conscientiously and sincerely to resolve that matter in the fear of God with the brethren. me. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24.

23:29 2 Peter 1, verses 10 and 11. That you take an honest, periodic look at yourself and at your life, whether indeed in your life there be the marks of true biblical religion. And finally, the observance of the Lord's Day. Our Confession of Faith, chapter 22, paragraphs 7 and 8, speaks about the Lord's Day and its observance. Observing it by preparation. Observing it by rest

24:03 from our mundane recreations and works. And observing it by worship. By giving ourselves and our strength to the worship of God the whole day belonging to the Lord. That this is what it means to observe the Lord's Day.

24:23 This is personal, practiced devotion. And this is what distinguishes the true saint from the hypocrite and the formalist. There are people whom you could call hypocrites or formalists that are orthodox in their doctrine and that would hold to all of the things that we've listed as the doctrinal distinctives of this church. And that outwardly, externally, are not living in any of the ten commandments. And yet there's a lack, the absence, the total neglect, no pattern, no

25:06 lifestyle of secret prayer, no lifestyle and pattern of reading the word of God, no lifestyle and pattern of the maintenance of a good conscience, no practice of self-examination, no spiritual observance of the Lord's Day, though there might be a concession. And yet there's a lack of commitment to attending the public meetings, but no further than that. Well, this is, in reality, a lack of devotion to God. It is formalism. It is not biblical, genuine, God-honoring Christianity. And what we are

25:49 saying, very directly and plainly to those of you who desire to join the church, is that what is expected goes beyond external decency and doctrinal orthodoxy. What is expected touches the heart and the life and your personal walk with God. Now, brethren, we're not saying that if you ever have struggled with your devotion and you walk with the Lord, you're out of the church. No, we're not saying that. We understand that there are times and seasons of difficulty, times and seasons

26:28 of struggle, some times and seasons of inconsistency and of vicious warfare to maintain a sense of communion. We understand that. We go through the same struggles ourselves. We're talking about the difference between true Christianity and empty formalism. We're talking about the difference between the saints of God and the

26:51 hypocrites. And what we're saying is we stand committed, totally committed, to the maintenance of the purity of the church, with each member responsible to walk in a lifestyle of personal in your life. That brings me to the second matter this morning, which is biblical order in the family. Paragraph D, biblical order in the family.

Biblical Order in the Family: Roles of Husband, Wife, and Parents

27:27 And let me read paragraph D from our current church constitution. The church expects its members to obey the teachings of the scriptures in respect to family life and government. As the God appointed head of the family, the husband must rule over the household with gentleness and love, but also with wisdom and firmness. And mention is made of Ephesians 5, 25 and 1 Timothy 3, 4 and 5. The wife must be in subjection to her husband in all things according to the

28:07 rule of scripture. And the texts that are mentioned, Ephesians 5, 22 to 24 and 1 Peter 3, 1. The husband and wife must nurture their children in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6, 2. By setting a godly example before

28:28 them, by instructing them consistently in the scriptures, and by wise and firm discipline, including corporal punishment when it is needed. Proverbs 13, 24, 22, 15, 29, 15, and Hebrews 12, 7. These are all mentioned in the present constitution. We have also suggested the addition of two other things. First, we've suggested that we move

29:00 family worship from being under paragraph 2 to being here under paragraph, I'm sorry, paragraph B to being here under paragraph D and speaking here about the parental duty of leading them in family worship. And then also speaking about the additional parental duty of praying for our children. So now let me just briefly mention what is required here under paragraph D, biblical order in the family. First, with reference to the

29:36 husband's role. The husband's role, according to the Bible, is that he be the head of his home, that he give leadership to the household. With two things, love and gentleness on the one hand, and firmness on the other. He cannot be bitter against his wife, beat her, rail upon her, or otherwise abuse her on the one hand, and expect to be a member in good standing here.

30:07 He cannot abdicate the rule of his house, desert her, refuse to provide for her, and expect to be a member in good standing here. Now when we make reference to 1 Timothy, that the man must rule well his own house, what do we mean? Do we mean that every member must be qualified to be an elder? Because it says the elder must rule well his own house, and if you're not qualified to be an elder, you can't stay a member? No, that's not what we mean.

30:37 We don't mean that. That evidently is not right. But what we are doing in quoting that passage is we are stating the biblical teaching and requiring, not that you be such an example of ruling well that we could put you in the eldership to be a member, but that I'm not. modicum of domestic order be present and that there's not a radical disorder and dysfunction in the home with reference to the husband's role and headship. Similarly, with reference to the

31:09 wife's role, what is required is that she submit. Now, there's much hoopla about submission today, and I'm not going to go into all that. But the point is that in the home, the women cannot evidently wear the pants, bark out the orders, rule the house in a role reversal. And we've seen over the years, we have observed the pattern that where there is a de facto role reversal in the family, such has often been the source of recurring problems in the church,

31:50 dissatisfaction with the church, and leaving the church under a cloud. So you might, as well, know now that if you have a role reversal in your family and you want to come here and join the church, you really are not going to be comfortable here. You might, as well, know sooner or later, sooner or later, the wife that is ruling the household will not fit in. It just isn't going to work out. Now, also in experience as a pastor, I know that there are times when it looks like

32:32 that you really have a bossy woman, and she's running the show. When you get a little deeper into the situation, you find out it's not the case. You find out what you really have is a whiny, wimpy man. And the woman would just love and value leadership if the man would give it to her. And she just is waiting to have

32:55 that kind of leadership. And when she gets it, she's the sweetest thing. Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

33:07 But what we are requiring is a basic submissiveness on the part of the wife and not a role reversal. But then we come thirdly to the parents' role. The parents' role. And we mentioned a godly example.

33:21 We mentioned the practice and pattern of family worship, family devotions, family prayer, and Bible reading under the oversight of the parents. Instruction of the children in the scriptures. And we propose, as I say, the addition of praying for the souls of your children. I trust no one will want to argue with that. And then the

33:47 exercise of discipline including corporal punishment where it is needed. We corporately have taken a stand that the Bible is so clear about the necessity of corporal punishment that we find that the practice of such a permissiveness as would allow the children to run wild, is incompatible with the peace and unity and harmony of the church. And it is a radical, dysfunctional, disorder of the family, which is not consistent with maintaining membership in good standing. So you have the husband's role,

Recommended Resources for Personal Devotion and Family Order

34:32 you have the wife's role, and you have the parents' role. Now what I've thought to do, since I've spoken so briefly about these things and our time is fleeting on, that what I've thought to do is to mention to you tapes on this subject. Tapes by Pastor Martin on this subject of personal devotion and also family and domestic order. Now first on personal devotion, I would commend to you tapes T.E.X.

35:06 1-20 entitled Personal Devotions. T.E.X.

35:12 1-20 on Personal Devotions by Pastor Martin. Also, tapes E.P.W.

35:19 31-36, which are expositions of the Gospel of Mark. E.P.W. 31-36

35:25 on the Christian Sabbath. And the first set is 20 tapes and the last set is 6 tapes. And that ought to keep you busy for a while.

35:35 But then with reference to the family, basic series of tapes by Pastor Martin that I would recommend to you. God's Directives for Family Living. 6 tapes which covers the husband's role in the world. The wife's role and the parents' role.

35:50 The number is T.E.L. 1-6.

35:54 6 tapes by Pastor Martin on God's Directives for Family Living. And then also I would suggest to you with reference to domestic order tapes by Pastor Martin on Christian Education. T.C.S. 2-4.

36:08 3 tapes on Christian Education. T.C.S. 2-4.

36:13 And if you sense that you need more instruction on any one of these areas, I would commend to you. These tapes will give you a basic foundational overview both of personal devotion to God and of Biblical order in the family. But now I must quickly move on to the third requirement with reference to the maintenance of purity in the church which is the open promotion of the gospel. Paragraph F on page 7.

Open Promotion of the Gospel: Living and Speaking the Gospel

36:40 The open promotion of the gospel. It is the duty of every Christian individually and as a member of a local church to labor for the extension of the kingdom of God both at home and to the ends of the earth. Therefore, every member of this church is expected prayerfully to recognize and to seize every opportunity to bear witness to his faith in Christ both by consistent Christian conduct and by the testimony of his lips. Those are the two great means of evangelism, personal evangelism. Consistent Christian

37:23 conduct and the testimony of his lips. I put it down under A and B. Consistent Christian conduct. Live the gospel. And the

37:33 testimony of his lips. Speak the gospel. Live the gospel and tell or speak the gospel. Now what I have put here is open promotion of the gospel. We didn't

37:50 say successful promotion of the gospel. We didn't say you have to have so many converts a month or so many converts a year or you can't remain a member of good standing in the church. We didn't say that. Nor did we even say, though I would like to have said, zealous promotion of the gospel because you should be zealous.

38:09 But there are times when we lament that we are not as zealous as we ought to be and cry to God to forgive us for our lack of zeal and to forgive us for our apathy. So if I said zealous promotion, again, perhaps the sensitive would resign. But it doesn't say zealous and it doesn't even say successful. It just says open.

38:31 Open as opposed to a cowardly denial of Christ in public. As opposed to a refusal to be identified with Jesus Christ in the midst of a hostile world. That type of denial of Christ as a pattern of life is indeed inconsistent. With being a member in good standing in the church. For whosoever will

38:57 deny me before men, him will I deny before the angels of my Father. Matthew 10, verses 32 and 34. Now I know as in the case of Peter, a Christian may fall into that sin. But where there is a fall, there is restoration.

39:13 And we're talking about the pattern of life. A pattern of refusing to be identified openly with Jesus Christ. In the midst of a hostile world is incompatible with church membership. Now there are two ways of openly promoting the gospel which we are expected to implement.

39:35 The first is we are expected to live the gospel by consistent Christian conduct. So that men might ask reason concerning the hope that is within us. And as Peter exhorted the wise in 1 Peter 3, that they may be gained by the wife's life, by her consistent testimony, without ever opening their mouth. That he may see the transformation of the wife by consistent conduct. That it may be an

40:05 ongoing witness to the man. And so with our contact with our neighbors, and our work associates, and our relatives, and if we're married to an unconverted spouse in our own home, in our own domicile, with reference to this, our lifestyle before them must be such that it commends the gospel to them, that it is a testimony of the reality of the saving grace of the gospel. But secondly, we must also speak or tell the gospel with the testimony of lips. And brethren, if we would tell the gospel we must know the gospel.

40:42 You cannot tell people the gospel if you are ignorant of the gospel. And you will not tell people the gospel if you are ashamed of the gospel. And so in order to tell the gospel you must know. You must know the gospel. You must know

40:57 the message of the problem of God's wrath upon human sin. You must know the provision of the Lord Jesus Christ and His person and work. And you must know the duty that is required or the prescription.

41:15 I remember one time I preached a sermon on this and I called it the problem, the provision, and the duty. One of the academy students came to me and said that's no good. It has to be changed. It has to be three P's. It has to be the

41:29 problem, the provision, and the prescription. He said very well. Whether you want to call it the problem and the provision and the prescription or the problem, the need and the provision and the duty, it doesn't matter. As long as you know God's wrath upon human sin is the issue of the death.

41:51 Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone is God's provision for sinners in His perfect life and in His atoning death. And that what God requires of sinners in the gospel is that they turn from their sins in repentance and that they cling to Christ and Christ alone in faith.

42:11 And you tell them that the Lord sincerely offers this provision to you. And Him that cometh unto me I will in no way cast out. Well, you need to know that. You need to know that simple, basic gospel story and message.

42:32 If you're going to tell anybody, that message. You need to learn it. To understand it. It's not that hard to know about God's wrath and sin, about Jesus Christ and about repentance and faith.

42:46 Now, we're not saying you have to be able to be a theologian and understand all the intricacies of the atonement and all the intricacies of the difficulties with saving faith and repentance and all the rest, but we're just simply saying to you, do you realize the issue is wrath and sin and God's wonderful provision is in Jesus Christ and what God requires is that they repent and believe? I don't think it's requiring too much of church members to expect them to know those things and be willing to tell them. Not at all. Not in the least.

43:16 Didn't say you have to have a gift of evangelism such you should be set apart and set out by the church. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about God opening opportunities in the context of living a godly life to bear witness about Jesus and His love and grace. But that brings me then to the fourth requirement which is mentioned in paragraph G, which is principled liberty of conscience.

Principled Liberty of Conscience: Privileges and Responsibilities

43:44 Principled liberty of conscience. And under this, two things.

43:52 Principled means the opposite of denying liberty on the one hand and becoming legalistic. And the opposite on the other hand of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness and using liberty as a ground and excuse and cloak for licentiousness and living a wicked life.

44:12 So by principle, it cuts as a two-edged sword keeping us from denying Christian liberty on the one hand and from abusing it on the other. So the first thing that's in this paragraph is that we are called to respect the privileges and rights of Christian liberty. That we are called upon to respect, capital A, the privileges and rights of Christian liberty. Each member of the church is required to render in his daily life loyal obedience to all the moral precepts established in the word of God. If

44:49 God has not condemned or forbidden a practice in his word, a Christian is at liberty to participate in it. That's the first thing. Now Christian liberty never means liberty to be involved. Liberty to sin.

45:06 Liberty to violate the ethical precepts demands of the law of God or of the gospel of God. It never means liberty to do that. But if God has not forbidden something in his word and we're not now talking about worship and about the regulative principle of our worship and drawing near to God that we only bring what God requires. We're talking about the life of the people of God and Christian liberty in matters ethical, in matters moral, in things indifferent.

45:33 If God has not forbidden it then someone is free to do it.

45:38 And if you come into the church you are not, you can't, you're expected not to come in here, with a pharisaical spirit which is determined to be the Lord of the consciences of the rest of the church. That's not the way we operate. But rather you are expected to honor and respect the privilege and right of Christian liberty enjoyed by all of your brothers and sisters who are members of this church.

46:12 But then secondly, capital D, you are also expected to respect the responsibilities and stewardship of Christian liberty. And there are four. You are required to respect the responsibilities and stewardships. With privilege comes responsibility.

46:31 Christian liberty of conscience brings great privilege but it also brings great responsibility and we must respect both. And here is how these are set forth in the Constitution.

46:45 The exercise of Christian liberty, however, must at all times be governed. That is, it must be principled. It must be regulated by principles. And here they are. It must at all times

46:59 be governed by, one, an earnest desire to walk in the fear of God and glorify Him in all things. Two, by a loving regard for the consciences of weaker brethren. Three, by a compassion for the lost. And four, by a zealous regard for the health of one's own soul.

47:22 So therefore, there are four things, four principles that you need to consider, which must regulate your use of Christian liberty. The first is the fear of God. The second is the conscience of other people. The third is compassion for the lost.

47:36 And the fourth is the health and well-being of your own soul. Now you see I have these written on the board. One, two, three, and four. And after each one of these Scripture passages are mentioned in the Constitution, I would suggest that you look them up and consider them, very seriously. First of

47:54 all, the fear of God. Now you're thinking about eating that particular food, or drinking what's in that glass, or watching what's on that TV.

48:06 My question is, can you pray for God to bless it? Can you pray for God to bless the eating of that food, or the drinking of what's in that glass, or the watching of what's on that TV, or going where you're going? Can you pray God's blessing? Can you go do that with God, with a good conscience, with an open face before God? Or in your doing

48:34 it, are you running away from God? And seeking to escape God? Then you might say, well, it's my liberty. But it's never your liberty to escape God.

48:44 It's never your liberty to run from His fear, and to run from His presence, and to engage in things. Would you say, that's my liberty? But to engage in them so as to get away from Him? That's not liberty.

48:56 That's righteousness. So you ask yourself this question. Can I do this in the presence of God? Asking God's blessing and presence in it and with it?

49:08 What about the consciences of others? Ask yourself, too, am I being discreet in what I'm doing?

49:16 Could possibly anyone now beholding me do this, be emboldened to sin by following my example and violating his own conscience? That's the concern of the Apostle Paul. This is a thing indifferent. And in my doing so, publicly, openly, indiscreetly, could I be encouraging brethren to stumble and fall into sin? You need to

49:38 be discreet and consider the consciences of others. Then there's compassion for the lost. You know that there are people that have problems with this thing. The greatest example of this that I see is circumcision in the New Testament.

49:50 A case where Paul circumcised somebody. Though he said it's a matter of Christian liberty, he didn't want to stir up all kinds of trouble about something that was a matter that to him was indifferent unnecessarily. Now, if there was a specific issue and someone said now if that man's not circumcised, he can't be saved, then Paul would never circumcise. But in another case where there was no knowledge of it, he took a man and had him circumcised in order not to stir up trouble over something that was nothing. So our

50:17 attitude with reference to liberty, well, it's my liberty. Well, it's my liberty. Well, it's my liberty, yes. But why do you want to stir up trouble over something that's nothing?

50:25 So you need to consider as well in the specific circumstances of the exercise of this liberty, whether you're stirring up trouble over things indifferent, or whether you are in fact being sensitive to the consciences of the unconverted, to the lost, and opening an avenue for the gospel. I became all things to all men that I might by all means gain some. And then you've got to be concerned for the health of your own soul. All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

50:53 All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Who's in control? You or the food? You or what's in the glass? Who's

51:02 in control? Are you in control of it or is it in control of you? Is what you're doing being done by compulsion and addiction so that you're under its power? Or is it truly the use of liberty? Because if it's

51:16 a compulsive, addictive thing you're doing, then it's not liberty, it's bondage.

51:22 And you ought not to be doing it. So those are the principles. Your own soul, the consciences of the lost, the consciences of others, and the fear of God. And in that context, we can exercise Christian liberty.

Evident Separation from the World: Attitudes, Practices, and Influences

51:37 Well, it brings me then to my fifth and final point, which is not in our Constitution per se at this time, but which we propose, may God willing someday be in there, which is what I've called an evident separation from the world. With reference to this separation from the world, we propose the following. First, the general idea of separation, and then the specific areas of separation from the world. The general idea, according to the Word of God, we ought not to love the world.

52:12 According to the Word of God, we ought to refrain from our former ways and lifestyle when we were in the world. And according to the Word of God, we should resist the evil pressures of the world to conform us to its ways and life. We write this, God never intended the glorious blessing of Christian liberty, which His people enjoy, to become an excuse or covering for worldliness. To the contrary, Christians have been liberated from their former sin in order that they may be a people distinct from this wicked world and set apart to God.

52:46 And accordingly, Christ's disciples are commanded not to love the world, to refrain from their former worldly attitudes and deeds, and to resist the wicked influence of godless society. And with reference to specific areas, first, we must not love and resist the attitudes of the world, not love and resist the practices of the world, and not love and resist the influences of the world. We must be separate from its attitudes, its practices, and its influences. Therefore, all the members of this church are expected to separate from the attitudes, practices, and unwholesome influences of the world. Specifically,

53:31 we're expected to resist worldly materialism, which regards the things of this life to be of primary importance. That's the attitude which we focus upon, that is, to be resisted and renounced. With reference to the practices, members are expected not to indulge in the world's vices, such as drunkenness, drug abuse, gluttony, pornography, fornication, homosexuality, and other such sins. With reference to the influence of the world, members are expected to refrain from all entangling relationships with the ungodly, such as pursuing romantic interests in them,

54:15 contracting marriages with them. And similarly, we're expected to seek to discern and resist any wicked influence upon our souls and families by whatever means it is exerted, whether it's exerted by music or by movies or by TV or by anything else. Now, I have a word of caution. Scripture says of the Lord Jesus, this man receives sinners, and we need to balance it with a gospel zeal and a gospel love. It doesn't mean you can never have any

54:48 contact with sinners or make it known that no sinner is ever welcome to come in here and hear the gospel. That's not our attitude. But rather than in our personal lives, we resist the attitudes, practices, and influences of the world. Well, those are the things I wanted to say to you this morning.

Call to Renewed Commitment and Warning Against Formalism

55:04 Devotion, biblical order in the family, promotion of the gospel, principled liberty of conscience, evidence separation from the world.

55:14 Without this, dear brethren, the rest is vain, and I would call you this morning to a renewed commitment, or perhaps from others here, an honest assessment of your life and where you're at. To the very sensitive soul, we are not calling for perfection or near perfection. Don't resign because your heart's sometimes cold when you read and pray or because you missed family devotions twice last month. We're not saying that.

55:43 But just imagine what would happen to this church if the members were by and large worldly, if there was no biblical principle governing the use or abuse of liberty, if there was either disgrace or apathy respecting promoting the gospel as the standard fare, if the homes of the members of this church were dysfunctional and disorderly, and if there was a widespread radical absence of personal walking with God, where would this church be if the members of it lived like that? I'll tell you where it would be. It would be down the tubes and it would be down the tubes fast. And so this is crucial

56:26 for the continuance of this congregation under the blessing and favor of God. And to that end, let us pray.

56:40 Our Father, as we have considered this morning, that which is required of us at the very foundation to maintain the purity of the church, O God, we know in many things we fall short.

56:56 Confess that our devotion is not as ardent as it should be, nor are families ordered as in all ways they should be. We have sometimes been ashamed to speak of Jesus, and sometimes abused our liberty, and sometimes succumbed to the influences of the world. Forgive us for these failures and sins, O God, but also grant, Father, that we may walk more and more in patterns of holiness and obedience in these things, as a people that each one of us from the heart would become renewed in our commitment to implement these things in this church. Thank you, Lord, for your glory, that Jesus Christ may be magnified here in his house, that his name may be

57:40 honored, and that the church may be preserved in the pursuit of godliness and purity until he comes again. For we ask these things in his most holy name.