Would you turn back to 1 Timothy
chapter 5? I got my title of this message
from the last phrase of verse 22 of 1 Timothy chapter 5. Keep thyself pure. Keep thyself pure. Well, how do you go about doing
that? If I'm a believer, I have, I
possess a pure heart. The Lord said, blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God. I have a pure heart,
the heart given in the new birth, the heart that does not sin.
I also have a heart that is anything but pure. And I am continually
aware of that heart. Paul said, when I would do good,
evil, evil, that's a strong word, isn't it? Evil is present. with me. How do I keep myself
pure? This is a command. Keep yourself
pure. This is a command. How am I to obey that command? Now let's look at this passage
surrounding this command and then we're going to zero in on
this command. Keep yourself pure. Look in verse 21. I charge thee. I solemnly charge
thee is the word. I give a solemn testimony to
thee. And this charge is in the sight
of God. It's in the sight of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And it's in the sight of the
elect angels. I like this name for the angels,
don't you? The elect angels. The only angels
that did not fall with Satan are the elect angels. The reason
they did not fall is they were elected not to fall. The elect angels. All the rest
are demons. Are there demons? Absolutely.
But this charge is given before God. and before the Lord Jesus
Christ and before the elect angels. And here's the charge. That thou
observe, guard over, carefully watch these things without preferring
one before another. Doing nothing by partiality. Observe all of these things.
everything he said in this epistle and Everything said in this book
now listen real carefully. There's nothing in this book.
That's a secondary importance God revealed it People try to
say well this is important, and this is less important Who are
you to make a judgment like that none of us have the sense to
make a judgment like that? Remember how the Lord said teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever. I've commanded you He said, observe
all things. If God said it, it's of great
importance. And don't prefer something he said over something
else he said. You know, we all have inclinations
where we might like something better than the other. He said,
don't do that. Don't give anything any preference. Everything is
to be obeyed. Preached completely, the whole
counsel of God is to be obeyed. Whatever is said is of great
importance, and don't be partial. Don't let your inclination let
something slip. We're to preach the whole counsel
of God, all of His revealed Word we dare not leave out. We preach
the absolute sovereignty of God, and I love preaching the absolute
sovereignty of God. That means, more than anything else, whether
or not you're saved or whether or not I'm saved is totally up
to Him. You have no control. You know, I like that. I like
that. And I also like to preach the absolute responsibility of
men. You and I are commanded and are
responsible to believe the gospel, to repent, to come to the Lord
Jesus Christ, to call on his name, to walk in obedience to
him, to deny yourself, to take up your cross daily and to follow
him. We preach the whole counsel of
God. We're to love Him. We're to love
our brothers. We're to love our enemies. We
preach the whole counsel of God. Look what he says next in verse
22. He says, lay hands suddenly on
no man. Let somebody prove themselves.
Somebody comes in here. He's here two or three weeks.
All of a sudden, you know, he's ready to Assume a position of
leadership? No, no, no. Let him be proved. Don't lay hands suddenly on anyone. Watch him. Wait. It's so foolish. I've seen this happen so many
times where somebody comes in that has some kind of supposed
gifts and let's make him a teacher, let's make him a leader, let's
make him... No. Lay hands suddenly on no man. Let him come as a
hearer and a hearer only. Nothing more. Just wait and see
what the Lord does with that person. Lay hands suddenly on
no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins." If somebody
does this, don't you be a partaker in it. You see, it's a sin to
lay your hands suddenly on somebody. There's flesh behind it. And
if somebody does it, you don't be a partaker of it. And don't
be a partaker of anybody's sins. Don't join in. Don't jump on
the bandwagon. You withdraw yourself. Don't
be a partaker of somebody else's sin or rebellion or whatever
it might be. You stay away from it. I like
that passage of scripture where the Lord said through John, he
said, if any man come into your house without this doctrine,
the doctrine of Christ, don't bid him Godspeed. If you even
bid him Godspeed, if you even wish him well, you're a partaker
of his evil deeds. You're just as guilty as he is. So don't be a partaker of other
men's sins. Keep thyself pure. We're going
to come back to that. Verse 23. Drink no longer water,
but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often
infirmities. Timothy was a sickly man. He
got sick a lot. He had often infirmities. And
Paul tells him to drink a little wine. Not a lot of wine, a little
wine. Wine's good for you. I think
one of the most ridiculous things I ever hear is where people try
to say, well, what wine is sin or alcohol sin? No, it's not.
Paul told Timothy, drink some wine, drink a little wine for
that, a little, not drunkenness, not intoxication, but a little
wine for thy stomach's sake and not often infirmities. And just
that, you know, Walter Groover told me that all of his stomach
problems left when he started drinking a little wine. So I
believe that. I mean, I believe that. Drink
a little wine for that. The Bible says to do that. Drink a little
wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities.
Verse 24. Some men's sins are open beforehand. It's obvious. You look at their
lives. You look at their conduct. You
look at their words. You look at their attitude. You
look at the things they do. It's obvious they're enemies
of Christ. It's obvious they're going to
be judged and going to be condemned. Some men's sins are open beforehand,
going before them to judgment. No one wonders about them. Some
men they follow after. There are others who have sins
that nobody sees or perhaps sins that they're unaware of. That's
a scary thought, isn't it? You know, David said, cleanse
thou me from secret faults, faults I'm not even aware of. You know, there are those who
think that they're very good people, very righteous people,
and they have no idea that actually they're very evil before God.
And they do not have these, whatever it is they think they have, but
it's going to be exposed at that time. It'll all be exposed. They'll go behind him and they
will show up. But one of the things I thought
about Beginning right here, all of
us, all of us are a whole lot worse than we think we are. You believe that? All of us. Funny thing, we see faults in
others so very clearly, and those exact same faults, somehow, they're
not so bad in us. We're all like that. Likewise,
verse 25, also the good works of some are manifest beforehand.
It's obvious they're walking with Christ. It's obvious that
they're followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's others
who, it's not as obvious. It's just not at all obvious,
but they'll follow them. Their works will follow them.
They won't be hid. It will be seen. You know, every believer,
every one of God's elect, you may not even see it, but every
one of God's elect will have works that give evidence that
they really did believe the gospel. What did the Lord say to every
one of the seven churches? What's the first thing he said?
Remember, I know thy works. I know thy works. Well, back to this commandment.
Keep yourself pure. And that's a commandment to me.
That's a commandment to you. Keep yourself pure. Now, those that are kept And
the only way I'm gonna keep myself is if God keeps me. Don't you
know that? Don't you know that the only way that you'll keep
yourself is if God keeps you? If he doesn't keep me, I will. I will fall away. I'll leave
him. The scripture says we're kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Now unto him
that is able to keep you from falling. and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." I'm awful
interested in that, aren't you? To be kept. Kept by God. Kept by his power. Kept from
falling. Now those that are kept are kept
through keeping themselves. Those that are kept are kept
through keeping themselves. Now this word keep means two
things. It means first of all to guard. If you keep watch,
you guard. You're the keepers of the prison.
You guard things to keep things from getting out. Guard to keep
things from entering in. You guard. That's what it means
to keep. You guard. And it also means to keep as in you keep
a commandment. If you love me, keep my commandments. Not just know what they are,
not just be able to accurately describe what the commandment
itself, but keep it. If you love me, keep my commandments. Now we have a new nature that's
called upon to watch out against the old nature. I'm called upon
to keep myself pure and to guard over the things of purity and
don't let myself become contaminated and defiled. Now, we have a new
nature that's pure, that's holy, that does not sin. And we have
an old nature that is nothing but sin. Are you aware of that? Are you aware that new nature
is the nature that loves God? That new nature is the nature
that believes the gospel. You know, that new nature is the
nature that owns the sins of the old nature. The old nature
wouldn't own them. It's the new nature that does
this. It's the new nature that abides in the Lord Jesus Christ
and continues in the faith. It's the new nature that looks
away from self and holy to the Lord Jesus Christ and won't look
anywhere else. That's the new nature. That's
a holy nature. Born of God, can something be
begotten of God and have any corruption in it? That which
is born of the Spirit is spirit, is spiritual. without sin. He that's born of God doth not
commit sin, the scripture says. That new nature doesn't commit
sin. Now I realize that this is hard
to understand. How you can have a nature that
doesn't commit any sin at all that's perfectly holy and you
also have at the exact same time an evil nature that doesn't do
anything but sin. That's hard to get hold of, isn't it? But
if you're a believer, you just know it's so. I can't explain
it. I just know it's what the scripture
teaches, and I know it's so. I find that in my experience.
Now, how do we go about keeping ourselves pure, uncontaminated,
and undefiled? Well, turn with me to 1 John
3. I'm going to look at the scriptures that talk about us keeping something.
If I'm to keep myself pure, this is what I will be doing. Now,
1 John 3. Beginning in verse 1. Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world knoweth
us not because it knew him not. You know, an unbeliever can never
understand a believer. Now, a believer can understand
an unbeliever. I do. Somebody says, you don't understand.
I do understand. I do. I know what you're thinking. I know why you think it. I've
been there. I'm just like you. I understand
an unbeliever. A believer can understand an
unbeliever, but an unbeliever cannot possibly understand a
believer. The world knoweth us not. Don't expect for him to. I want
somebody to see Christ in me. They didn't see Christ in Christ.
They saw no glory in Him. They saw no beauty in Him. They
hated Him. The world knoweth not because
it knew Him not. Beloved, verse 2, now are we
the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. Now even John, speaking under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, I don't know what it's
going to be like to be without sin. It does not yet appear what
we shall be. I mean, can you imagine not having
a sinful thought? Can you imagine not having a
sinful motive? I can't even fantasize about it. John couldn't either. Even writing under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, he couldn't. But we know that when he shall
appear, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Charles Spurgeon had a sermon
on that verse of scripture and entitled it, The Beautific Vision. We shall see him as he is. And do you know that that sight,
seeing him as he is, will conform you completely to his image?
That's how powerful that sight will be. I'll be just like him. Verse 3. And every man that hath
this hope in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ, what's he do? He purifieth himself, even as
he is pure. Let's go on reading. Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is the
transgression of the law. And you know that He was manifested
to take away our sins. And in Him, this is the hope
we have in Him. In Him is no sin. Now this hope I have in
Him is that in Him I have. Not I will have one of these
days, but right now I have no sin. Now you know what folks
who have that hope in Him do? They purify themselves. even
as he is pure. We keep ourselves pure by keeping
his words. John 14 verse 23, the Lord said,
if a man loved me, he will keep, he will guard over, he will watch
over my words. You see, I find all my hope in
what he said. I can't emphasize that enough.
All my hope is in what he said in his word. In him is no sin. My hope of having no sin is because
he said, in him is no sin. And I'll tell you what, somebody
tries to change that in any way, I'm not gonna have it. Not for me,
no. I'm gonna guard over his words. All the doctrine of the
gospel, I guard over. It's all important. I don't wanna
change it in any way. I guard it and somebody tries
to change it. They come in here and try to
say something different other than what the Bible says. We won't have it. If we
love him, we keep, we keep, we guard over, we watch his words
because we find all of our hope and all of our salvation in his
words. We keep ourself pure by keeping
his commandments. John chapter 14 verse 15 says,
if you love me, keep my commandments. Now, What's that mean? Does it mean
you got to keep the Ten Commandments? Well, I'll have to say yes. When Jesus Christ kept the Ten
Commandments, I kept the Ten Commandments. That's why I don't
try to keep the law. I've kept it. I've kept it. We've kept His commandments.
I love God's law. I'm not afraid of it. I'll go
before God's law and say, look me over. See if you find anything
wrong. There's nothing there. Even the law of God cannot find
anything wrong with me. The law of God says, bring him
to heaven. He's without fault. We keep His
commandments. But that's really, I don't think
what he's talking about. Turn to 1 John 3. Well, you're
already there, I guess. Verse 23. Verse 22, and whatsoever we ask,
we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do
those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his
commandment that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus
Christ. Do you believe on the name of
his son right now? Then you are actually keeping
his commandment. I really believe the name of
Christ is my only interest in heaven. I keep his commandment. And next he says, and love one
another as he gave us commandment. Do you love the children of God?
Do you keep that commandment? I keep that commandment. I do. Now to love him is to keep his
commandments. And there's nothing, look over
in chapter five, verse three. Or verse 2, 1 John chapter 5
verse 2, By this we know that we love the children of God when
we love God, and keep His commandments. Do you know if you believe the
gospel, that means you love God and you love His people. It surely
does. And look in verse 3, For this
is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments
are not grievous, it's not irksome, it's not at all grievous to believe
on the name of the Son, is it? to know that His name is what
brings you into glory, that you're saved for His name's sake. It's
not grievous to love His children. It's glorious. It's not grievous.
There's nothing as purifying to the soul as obeying the truth.
Turn back a couple of pages to 1 Peter, verse 22. Seeing that you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned
love of the brethren. This is 1 Peter 1.22, seeing
that you've purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you
love one another with a pure heart, fervently. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
7. I want you to see this. 2 Corinthians chapter 7. Verse 10, For godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world. And there is sorrow in the world,
isn't there? There's much sorrow in the world. What does it do?
It works death. But godly sorrow, true sorrow
before God over your sin. It works repentance to salvation,
not to be repented of. Look in verse 11, for behold
this selfsame thing that you sorrowed after a godly sort.
What carefulness it wrought in you! What clearing of yourselves! Yea, what indignation against
yourself! Yea, what fear of yourself! Yea,
what vehement desire! Yea, what zeal! Yea, what revenge!
In all things you prove yourself to be clear. And that word clear
is the same word as pure. That word right there, it's pure.
Godly sorrow that works repentance is purifying to the soul. You know, they had gone through
a period of what Paul called being puffed up. You can read
about it in verse Corinthians chapter five, you puffed up and
you've not mourned. But then the Lord granted them
repentance. And what I thought about was
like David. Do you remember David went a whole year after the thing
with Bathsheba in a hard heart. He went through the process of
Bathsheba being pregnant, actually having a child, and he never
repented. He went through a hard period
for a year. And then the Lord sent Nathan
to him. You remember the story, Nathan the prophet. He came to
David and he told him, about this rich man who had a lot of
flocks and one man who had one little lamb that he loved and
set at his table and actually ate with him at his table. And
he treated it as if he was his daughter. And a stranger came
through and came to the rich man's house and the rich man
didn't want to use one of his little lambs. So he took that
poor man's lamb and he slew it and he fed it to him. And David
was enraged. He said, get the man, he's surely
gonna die. I'm gonna make sure he's dead.
And Nathan said, thou art the man. And you know what David
did? He said, I've sinned against
the Lord. He had godly sorrow. I realize no one will have godly
sorrow until the Lord gives it to them. But when He does, you'll
have godly sorrow over your sin. And when he said, I've sinned
against the Lord, you know what Nathan said to him? The Lord
hath put away thy sin. You're in 2 Corinthians, turn
to chapter 11. For I am jealous over you, verse
2, with a godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin, a pure virgin. That's the word. That word chaste
is pure. A pure virgin to Christ. Now, what is a pure virgin to
Christ? Well, He warned them, but I fear
lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
through his deceit, so your mind should be corrupted from the
simplicity that's in Christ. Now, what is a chaste virgin
to Christ, a pure virgin to Christ? It's someone who has not been
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus. You know, while religion is complicated,
the gospel is not. Aren't you thankful for that?
I've got a simple salvation. Jesus Christ being found in him. I have a simple object of faith.
It's Christ only. I look to Him. I'm not looking
anywhere else. I'm looking for everything God
requires of me, He looks to His Son for. Everything God requires
for me, I look to His Son for. Same thing. I look the same place
God does. God looks to Christ, I look to Christ. Very simple.
I have a simple reason for being forgiven. For Christ's sake.
No other reason. Simple cause of salvation. Christ.
Simple ground of assurance. Jesus Christ. Who He is and what
He did is all I need. I have a simple desire to win
Christ and to be found in Him. We keep ourselves pure and chaste
by not being corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus. We keep ourselves pure, as Jude
says, by keeping yourself in the love of God. That does not mean that I do
stuff to keep myself in the love of God. It doesn't mean that
I do stuff to make myself lovely to Him. It doesn't mean that
at all. I am lovely to Him in the Lord Jesus Christ. I only know that by faith. But
when God sees me, He sees me as the object of His desire. Just like He sees Christ as the
object of His desire. Thou art all fair, my love. There's
no spot in thee. That's what God says to every
believer. I keep myself in the love of
God in this sense. I don't leave that. I'm persuaded
that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Herein is love, not that we love
God, Al, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. God can't love me any more than
he does, and he can't love me any less than he does, because
he's God. God can't love less. God can't
love more. His love is altogether perfect
in Christ Jesus. And I keep myself right there.
I keep myself in the love of God. I'm not looking anywhere
else. James 1.27, would you turn there? This is how you keep yourself
pure. Verse 27, pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless
and widows in their affliction and to keep himself, have you
seen that? To keep himself unspotted. from the world. We keep ourself unspotted from
the philosophy of this world, from the values of this world,
from the ambitions of this world, from the psychology of this world,
from the religion of this world that hates the living God. Don't
think like the world thinks. The world thinks wrong. The world
thinks wrong. Wrong thoughts of God, wrong
thoughts of truth. Keep yourself unspotted from
this world. That's how you keep yourself
pure. Turn to Ephesians chapter four. Here's how to keep yourself pure.
Verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that
you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. What
is it to walk worthy with all loneliness? humility, a non-inflated view
of yourself, a just estimate of yourself that makes you esteem
others as better than yourself. That's what humility does. And
with meekness, not murmuring, but meekness, knowing that everything
God sends our way is right. He's God. We might not understand
it, but it's best because he did it. Whatever the Lord sends
your way, it's best, isn't it? Because the Lord did it. You
may not understand it. You don't need to understand
it. Trust him. Trust him. That's what meekness is. Meekness
before God. With long-suffering, forbearing
one another in love. You know what that means? I love
this. Putting up with one another. Putting up with one another.
Forgiving one another. for bearing one another. You
know, if you're going to have a relationship with me, you're
going to have to forgive me. You're going to have to put up with
me. You're going to have to love me for Christ's sake. Now, I
want to treat you in a way that you don't get mad at me. I really
do. I want to treat you in a way that makes you love me. That's
the way I ought to treat you. And when I don't, I'm sorry. But
when I don't, bear with me. Bear with me. Love me for Christ's
sake. And I want to do the same thing
with you. I want to bear with you. I want to love you for Christ's
sake. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, had forgiven you.
Forbearing one another in love. Now look what he says in verse
three. Endeavoring, giving every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace. Endeavoring. giving every effort,
everything you can do to take the lowest seat, to not be the
problem. I want to ask you a question.
I'm asking myself this question. Do I ever think maybe I'm the
problem? Well, if I don't, you can write
this down. I am the problem. I am. Endeavor, give every effort
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Philippians chapter 4. A few pages over. Verse 6, be careful for nothing.
We looked at this last Sunday night. I love it. Be careful
for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Don't
worry about it. Pray about it. and the peace
of God which passes all understanding. This isn't human. This isn't
something we can get from human means. It's a divine gift that
comes from trusting Christ. The peace of God which passes
all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue,
if there be any praise, think on these things. Whatever's pure,
the gospel, Jesus Christ himself, his way of saving sinners, the
gospel of his grace. That's pure, isn't it? That's
lovely. It's of good report. It's of power and virtue. Now, in doing those things, I
keep myself pure. Now I want to close with this
thought. I wonder if there's anybody thinking that's fine
and dandy for you to say, keep yourself pure. But what if you're
overall defiled and as bad as a devil? How are you supposed
to keep yourself pure if you're like that? Look to Christ. even now, and
as defiled as you are, you will be as pure and holy and without
fault as the white and the driven snow." How can I be pure? By resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His purity is my purity. Keep yourselves pure. May God enable us to do that. Let's pray together.