How To Stay Clean In A Dirty World!
Psalm 119:9-11
Introduction
A. A text with a vital question.
1. How can one stay clean before God?
a. In this old work a day world¡Khow do we remain unspotted?
b. Is it possible¡KGod says be ye holy¡Kso it is possible.
c. Is it important?
d. So if it is important, and it is possible¡Kwhy does it seem that we fail so much?
e. Why does it seem sometimes like we are a magnet to sinful things?
f. Why does it seem that that pervasive attitude of anger and aggravation seem to always simmer just below the surface?
2. Many have asked this question¡K
a. Because ALL of us struggle with this problem!
b. We have a genuine desire to be clean before the Lord.
c. Our minds are truly willing¡Kbut our flesh indeed is weak!
d. We have the best of intentions¡Kso what happens?
e. Is this a new problem???
f. Story of the laver¡Kbetween the altar and the holy place we need cleansing!!! WOW
g. SO¡Kif this is not a new problem¡Kwhat is the answer?
h. As usual we find it in God¡¦s Word.
Psa 119:9-11 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
3. There are 4 components to the Psalmists question and his answers we need to remember
BODY
A. The Psalmist¡¦s Desire
1. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
a. The first step in cleanliness is a desire to have it.
b. You have to WANT to be clean before you can be.
c. You have to desire cleanliness more that you detest sinfulness!
d. You have to be tired of the sin that so easily besets you.
e. We must be weary of the broken resolutions¡Kagain and again¡K
2. How many of you can identify with the cry of the young man?
a. Lord¡Kit¡¦s me again¡KI¡¦ve done it again!!!
b. Why do we commit the same sins over and over and over again?
c. Don¡¦t we get it?
d. How can we say we love Christ and willfully commit the same sins over and over?
e. Listen to how the Apostle Paul puts it¡K
Rom 7:15-21 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
3. Newsflash, if the Apostle Paul struggled daily with his sin nature¡Kso will we.
4. But first, we must have a true desire for cleanliness each day¡K
a. Sin was defeated once¡Kand forever¡Kon Calvary¡K
b. But sinfulness is a daily struggle that must be fought daily¡K
c. Satan will not give up in his attempt to defeat you Spiritually¡K
d. We have to be just as tenacious in our defense.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
5. This word resist infers the meaning to resist continuously!!!
B. The Scripture As A Detergent!
1. ¡§By taking heed unto thy Word.¡¨
a. Not by hearing¡Knot by reading¡Kbut by heeding.
b. To heed is to obey¡Ksuch as our traffic laws¡Kto heed the speed limit is to obey it.
c. If God¡¦s Word is to take root and make life altering changes in us¡Kwe have to heed it¡Kto heed it we have to understand it¡Kto understand it we have to study it!
2. Now, it is important to note¡K
a. We have already been cleansed positionally by Christ.
b. We never have to get re-saved.
c. If we have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior¡Kthen our position IN Him never changes.
d. We will never have to have the blood applied ever again.
e. We are saved and secured through the blood.
3. Yet we still need daily cleansing from walking thru this sinful world in which we live.
a. Where do we get the cleansing that we need?
b. That cleansing comes from the Word of God.
Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4. We live in an era that brags about the products we have to get the worst of stains out of just about anything.
a. We have shout and oxy clean.
b. Something to clean up everything.
c. One for ink stains¡Kone for grease stains¡K
d. It seems like there is a ¡§Special Stain Remover¡¨ for everything.
5. We are no different.
a. Our lives are as difficult and our stains are diverse.
b. There are many different things we stain our lives with.
c. The difference however is this¡K
d. We only have to apply one cleanser to all our stains¡K
e. That is the Word of God¡K
f. It is The Word that cleanses us¡K
g. No stain is too tough.
h. No sin can stand up to it¡K
i. Unlike the modern day cleansers, it cleanses completely.
6. BUT¡KBUT¡KBUT¡Kjust like the modern day cleansers¡K
a. If it is not applied it will not clean!!!
b. It does no good in the box¡K
c. Useless if it is not used.
7. How is detergent used?
a. It is mixed with water and then gently stirred.
b. Water is almost always a word picture of God¡¦s Holy Spirit.
c. Detergent without water is useless¡Kit won¡¦t clean anything¡K
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
d. Daily Bible reading is vital to the daily victory we desire.
e. The Bible will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from the Bible!!!
f. We can¡¦t wait until we are filthy to clean ourselves up.
g. As soon as we see a little dirt, we need to remove it.
h. If we wait until the filth builds up, it takes a lot of scrubbing and scouring to remove the built up filth and grime¡KWe wouldn¡¦t wait six weeks to take a bath would we?
Eph 5:25-26 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
8. The recommended usage for this cleanser¡K
a. Gently apply generous amount gently to the problem areas.
b. Guaranteed to work every time.
C. The Psalmist¡¦s Decision
1. ¡§With my whole heart I have sought thee.
a. There is never any half-way with God!
b. It all starts with a definite decision!
c. We have to decide¡Ktoday is the day¡Know is the time¡KI will make my stand here¡K
d. And then we have to stand!!!
e. Most people never reach this point!
f. They want to have one foot in the world and one foot in the Lord.
g. It don¡¦t work that way!
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
2. There has to be a point in time when you make a decision.
a. You are either going to live for the Lord.
b. Or live IN the world.
c. But we cannot do both successfully.
d. We have to choose one or the other!
e. There has to come a time when we draw that line and stand fast.
1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong
f. Stand Fast¡Kthis is a military term that means to hold the line¡K
g. Folks we are in a spiritual warfare for the salvation of men¡¦s souls¡K
h. The US Marines are not the only ones looking for a few good men.
i. With a few good men Jesus changed the course of history.
j. I¡¦m convinced that with just a few good men we can change this community!
k. Where do we start?
3. Most people start on the road to cleanliness by being convicted of sin in their life¡K
a. Then they respond¡Kwith their whole heart.
b. That is the key¡Kit¡¦s not whether we respond¡Kit¡¦s how we respond!
c. We are to respond to the Lord with our whole heart.
d. With no hypocrisy.
e. No holding back¡K
f. Giving it all over to Him.
4. God does not want just a part of us¡KHe wants us period.
a. He wants a relationship at the deepest level of our being.
b. He loves us unconditionally.
c. He deserves our best!!! No less!!!
d. When we give God less than our best, we cheat not only God¡K
e. We cheat ourselves as well.
f. God longs for us to come to Him.
g. To cast all of our cares upon Him.
h. Really get INTO Him.
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
5. Folks, the decision to live for the Lord is one you will never regret.
a. I have never understood the reluctance of God¡¦s children to fully trust Him.
b. God loves us unconditionally.
c. He ALWAYS has our best interests at heart.
d. He is 100% trustworthy.
e. He knows the future.
f. Who else do you know that you can trust like God?
g. Why not give EVERYTHING over to his care today?
h. The number 1 reason why most don¡¦t¡KFEAR!
i. And like most fears¡Kthis one is totally irrational!
D. The Psalmist¡¦s Defense
1. ¡§Thy Word have I hid in my heart¡¨
a. The ¡§secret¡¨ of keeping ourselves unspotted from the world¡K
b. The carrying of God¡¦s word in our heart.
c. But¡Kto carry God¡¦s word in our heart means we have to study it enough to be able to bring to remembrance His words as we need them!
d. In other words¡Kwe have to KNOW the Word of God.
e. We have to not only know it¡Kbut we have to know how to apply it!!!
f. Knowledge is KNOWING the Word.
g. Wisdom is knowing how to use it.
h. Nothing is more dangerous than knowledge without wisdom.
i. Where do we get the wisdom we need to apply the Word?
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
2. The Psalmist doesn¡¦t want to fall back into the old devil¡¦s trap.
a. He wants total victory.
b. He doesn¡¦t want to waver back and forth like a unstable person
c. He wants his life to be steady¡K
„« Grounded in the faith.
„« Rooted in Love
„« Led by the Spirit
„« Lived for the Glory of God
d. How many of you here would say that sounds like a pretty good life?
3. To fight the enemy who does not want you to have that takes only one weapon!
a. The Word of God.
b. It is the only offensive weapon we need.
c. In Paul¡¦s great writing on the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6 we see the description of how we are to arm ourselves in this fight we face¡K
Eph 6:13-17 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
d. Notice two things¡K
e. The only offensive weapon in God¡¦s arsenal is His Word!
f. Once we have strapped on our battle gear¡Kour mission is to stand!
g. We are to hold our ground.
4. We have Christians have failed miserably in this country to hold our ground.
a. Little by Little we have continued to give ground to the enemy until our great country is nothing more than a shell of the country that was so blessed of God.
b. We are giving ground so fast today that it must look like the Church of God is in full retreat.
c. It¡¦s time to stand¡Kand stand now.
d. And it begins right here¡Kright now¡K
e. We are going to draw a line at Holland Baptist Church.
f. You need to decide¡Kwhich side of it are you going to stand on?
5. Let me ask you a question¡Kwhich team do you want to be on?
a. The winning one¡Kor the losing one?
b. What if you could know which team was going to win before you picked sides?
c. Which one would you choose?
d. I¡¦ve read the back of the book¡Kand we win!!!
CONCLUSION
A. Do you long to be clean?
1. Aren¡¦t you tired of living in filth?
2. Are you using the Divine Detergent?
Charles Spurgeon ¡§When the Word is hidden in the heart, the life will be hidden from sin.¡¨
