Purity may not be what you think it is.

Steve Brown:
Purity may not be what you think it is. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was Steve Brown. He’s an author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life, a program all about God’s radical grace. We’re committed to bringing you Bible teaching that’s honest, straight-forward, and street-smart. Keep listening to hear truth that’ll make you free.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We are looking at the first chapter of Philippians and we’re looking at the ninth verse through the next two or three verses where Paul kind of lays out a really good methodology for getting better. Now, the Christian faith isn’t about getting better and better in every way, every day. There was a time when I was a pastor, when I thought that was my job description, that I was called to teach people to be more obedient, more faithful, more strong in their witness, a better evangelist than they were, to have knowledge and to be better and better in every way every day. And then I realized, I wasn’t very much getting better and better every day, every way. And I decided that maybe I was supposed to do something else. And so, I switched and I talked more about love and forgiveness and mercy and compassion. And without my knowing it and without them knowing it, we got better. And the secret is found in these verses, that’s Philippians 9:1 through 11. And we’ve talked about how the step by step process begins in love. If you start it anywhere else, you’ll make a mistake and you won’t grow. I mean, if you listen to preachers and teachers, and I’m one of them, and I do this sometimes, and forgive me when I do. And I beat you over the head and say, if you really love Jesus, this is what, that’s not going to make you grow. You’ve just got to sit there and let Jesus love you. I’ve told you that I’ve often been puzzled with Christians who are so angry and so upset and so legalistic that they just look like they’ve had lemons for breakfast. And that puzzles me because the Christian faith isn’t about all of that. And then I realized they left before they were loved. So, when you’re a Christian, don’t leave until you’re loved. God doesn’t need your help. He was doing fine before you came along. And when you’re gone, you’re probably not even going to leave a hole. So, just sit there and let him love you. And once you’ve been loved, then go out and see what God does. So, it starts in love growth, the balance of growth is knowledge. And please note that the beacon of growth is insight, that’s wisdom, that’s discernment. And it is a gift that God gives to his own. Did you hear the story about Mozart? A boy, a young man, went to him to ask him how to compose a symphony. And Mozart answered, You’re pretty young. Why don’t you begin with something simple like ballads? But, replied the young man, you composed symphonies when you were only ten. Yeah, I did, said Mozart, but I didn’t have to ask anybody how to do it either. There’s something that happens when you’ve been loved. And when you acquire knowledge about the verities of the Christian faith that are always true, no matter what, God begins to apply discernment and wisdom. And that’s how you grow. Now, let me show you something else. I want you to note not only that the basis of growth is love, the balance of growth is knowledge and the beacon of growth is insight. Please note that the benefit of growth is purity, Philippians 1:10.

So that you may be able to discern what is best, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Jesus Christ.

Now, if I read this text right, I have a principle for you. Planned purity may be better than no purity. In other words, do your best to be as good as you possibly can, and when you’re not as good as you possibly can, the blood of Christ is sufficient for all sins, and you are covered. Planned purity is not real purity, but it’s better than no purity. Purity comes as the natural result of process. Love plus knowledge plus insight equals the natural result of purity. Now, you’ve got to also, when you’re reading this text, understand what he’s saying. Let me give you some interesting etymology about the word used here for purity. It comes from a word that means, believe it or not, transparency. Something you can look through and see the flaws and not see the flaws. Now, one of the things that happen in the process that begins with love is the natural transparency that we show to others. Most of us wear masks and we hide behind them. I wrote a book a number of years ago called The Masks We Wear. And we do it and sometimes it’s necessary, frankly. I don’t want you, if I just met you, to know everything about me, and so I’m going to put on my best face. I’m going to try to be nice, I’m going to try to be kind, and try to be civil, and I’m going to try not to cuss and spit because that’s natural, that’s what we do in the social intercourse that goes on every day in our lives. But when that fake reality is in us, then something really bad happens, and we begin to no longer know who we are. I have a psychologist friend, and she became a Christian, and her prayer, her first prayer after she was a Christian was.

Dear Father, I see 17 different editions of me in the roles I play, and if you can find the real me in all of that, then she’s yours.

That’s a good prayer. And so, when Paul is talking about blameless, of course we’re blameless, that has to do with the Imputation of the righteousness of Christ. I’m guilty, I’m not good sometimes. Sometimes I’m really bad, but I’m blameless. Why is that? Because of justification and imputation. When I stand before God, that is true. And I need to be pure in the sense of transparency so I don’t wear a mask all the time. Now listen carefully, in order to be transparent, there must be two preconditions to that. The word that most people use is authenticity. But there are two preconditions to authenticity or transparency. First, I must know that the dirt that is still in my life is covered by the blood of Christ and is forgiven. Forgiveness thus is the first requirement. You’ve seen the bumper sticker.

Christians are not perfect, but they are forgiven.

The second precondition for transparency is not only that the dirt is covered, but there is less dirt than there was before, that’s called perseverance. I haven’t reached it, but I’m moving in the right direction. You can look at me as I really am, and think about the way I really was, and I’m not that. And I’m not what I was going to be, but I’m different. Perseverance of the saints, John Wesley put it that way. When somebody was ordained in the Methodist Church, and this is still true, I think, there’s a question that was phrased first by John Wesley. Are you moving on to perfection? And the answer for the person who’s being ordained is yes, I am. My answer was sometimes, sometimes not. But I’m better than I was. And that should be true of every Christian. Now, we don’t always see it. You’ve got to sometimes say, Lord, just so I don’t be discouraged, would you show me places where I’m better than I was? And sometimes, because Jesus likes me, he’ll do that. It’ll come from a friend, a Bible verse, somebody on the staff at Key Life, my wife, our daughters, our granddaughters, and they’ll say something that will let me see the way I was and the way I am now. It’s not something you plan and you put together, it’s something that happens and it happens in the life of every believer. Are you moving on to perfection? Of course you are because

He who began a good work will bring it to completion at the day of Christ.

You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve for that encouraging word from Philippians about the Perseverance of the saints. Reminds me of that joke, am I perfect? No. But am I trying my best? Again, no. More from Philippians tomorrow, hope you will join us. Well, how much does the earth weigh? You might not know the number, but you might know how it feels if you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Stress, pain, fear, we’ve all been there. Would it change anything if you knew that Jesus identifies with you in that? We know this is true because in John 11, John weeps for the loss of Lazarus. But why did he weep? Well, Steve spoke about that in a powerful sermon called When Tears Are All That’s Left. Can we send you that sermon on CD for free? Then call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that CD. Or to mail your request go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for your free CD called When Tears Are All That’s Left. And finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? Giving is easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 again that’s Key Life, one word or two. It doesn’t matter. Just pick up your phone and text that to 28950, then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.