Sermon: Maculate
by Chris Cumming

I was taking a survey of my posted sermons the other day and found a number of them to be about righteousness and specifically either bringing in the good or forcing out the bad elements from our hearts, minds and lives.  Take a look at what I found as I encourage all of us to avoid defilement.

Avoid getting defiled.

Sermon

Content

Affinity

This is a serious sermon about kinship and at the same time discusses the concept of impure religion and the fact there can be nothing in our ultimate character that would defile us.  Our religion must be pure.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. ~emphasis mine

Bread Crumbs

We discussed the principles of purging, cleaning and purifying ourselves.  We read scriptures where we do these things to ourselves and other scriptures where God does the same things in us.  Examples:

James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

1 John1:9  
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Chatter

In this one we gave the warning from God about avoiding vain jangling or false doctrine.  Notice scripture from that sermon:

1 Corinthians 6:9a
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  This warning is followed by the admonition:

Colossians 2:6-7
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 

The Dirty Fleece

 This is a sermon about wolves in sheep’s clothing:

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

The primary admonition of that sermon is:

Deuteronomy 13:4
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

F.D.Z.P.

This is a sermon about Fervency, Diligence, Zeal and Perseverance.  Here is just one verse from this sermon:

Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Foul Language – Parts 1-5

This is a series of sermons in which we are admonished to get rid of negative language and engage solely in positive and uplifting language.  We are taught to bring in the good to overcome the bad:

Romans 12:21  
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Grand Slam

This is a sermon about striving for the high calling God has given to us.

Philippians 3:14
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Habitude and Echo

In this sermon we learn about continually practicing righteousness and then repeating it.

Psalm 119:1-2
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 

Lustration

This is a sermon about destroying evil thoughts and images from our mind.

1 Peter 1:15-16
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

Philippians 4:8  
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, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

One Verse

This sermon focuses on 1 Timothy 1:6

1 Timothy 1:6
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling.

…and Paul’s admonition to Timothy and us:

1 Timothy 6:20
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 

Pack your Bags

This sermon is about fleeing apostasy, heresy, false doctrine and false teachers.  The Word of God states this would happen.

1 Corinthians 11:19
For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Paul gives us the admonition:

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.

In this sermon I list scores of scriptures about fleeing apostasy and all things negative including:

1 Timothy 6:3-5
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Pathway Lights Part 1
Pathway Lights Part 2

The Pathway lights sermons bring in all the scriptures of light and all the admonitions to stay in that light.

1 Thessalonians 5:19
Quench not the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

It includes a promise from God:

James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Phobos & Tromos

A sermon on Philippians 2:12

Philippians 2:12

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.


How do we do this?

Psalm 2:11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

 

Piety

Piety is a sermon about holiness.

1 Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

Ephesians 4:24 
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Leviticus 11:44a  
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:

Pure Occasions

Pure Occasions is a sermon about striving for spiritual purity.  Here is a key verse:

1 Timothy 5:14  
I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

1 John 3:2-3
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Rampageous

The specific purpose of this sermon was, “Cleanse yourself.”

2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

This sermon goes on to discuss overcoming riotous living, sin and most every negative element that tears at righteous character.

Separation

This is a sermon about sanctification or sanctifying yourself before God.  In there I make the statement, “We find purpose in becoming like Christ.”

Roman 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Leviticus 11:44 ...being holy like God
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Stablishment

In this sermon we see what God is doing with us in the salvation process.

1 Peter 5:10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

God is repairing, adjusting, confirming, consolidating and completing us.  He is actively purging the elements defiling us and establishing in us all good elements.

Tell It to the Mountain
Mover of Mountains

This two-part sermon is about firstfruits having the same faith God has.  It is about filling yourself up with faith and casting out all doubt.  The key verse is Mark 11: and verse 22:

Mark 11:22
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

…and then the next verse:
Mark 11:23 
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. ~emphasis mine

The Breastplate

This sermon covers just about every element of righteousness from God the Father, Christ and down to the individual firstfruit.  It was difficult picking a key scripture or two here.  I chose those that speak to the element of righteousness coming into you.

Proverbs 21:21
He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Proverbs 13:6a

Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way:


Proverbs 12:17
He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness:

Thralldom

…or how not to become a thrall [one who is enslaved by any negative element].  This is a purposeful sermon on how to force negative elements out of your life using the power of the Holy Spirit in you.

2 Corinthians 10:5 
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

Philippians 4:8
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, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

Thwart!!

The purpose of this sermon is to thwart the enemy.

1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 

Titus 2:12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Ephesians 4:27
Neither give place to the devil. 

Verse 28

The verse 28 in question is in Romans 8.

Romans 8:28  
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The admonition of this sermon is to allow the Law of God to rule you.  Clearly if one is ruled by the Law of God, there is no room for negative elements.

Your Reasonable Service

This sermon carries with it the admonition to be a living sacrifice before God.

Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Zucht  [zyxt]

This is a sermon with the admonition to invoke discipline in our lives.

Proverbs 25:28
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. 

Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Proverbs 13:18
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. 


So now you have a quick reference to these 27 sermons on bringing in the good elements of God and thereby forcing out the negative elements of Satan, the world and our own human nature; all of which defile the firstfruit human being.  This sermon is about defilement and the elements that would defile us in the judgment we are currently going through.

As we have discussed many times, God is judging us on just two things:

1] What we believe.
2] Our theology or how we arrived at those beliefs.

Neither of these can be tainted or with spot.  We are in a process where we are bringing both to a place of white linen or the character of Jesus Christ.  Let us take an excerpt from the first sermon I gave you in this list, “Affinity.”

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Most skip right over the first part of this to focus on what comes after the comma, but notice what the commentaries say…

[Pure religion] The phrase "pure religion" means that which is genuine and sincere, or which is free from any improper mixture.

[And undefiled before God and the Father] That which God sees to be pure and undefiled. 

Note: God wants our love, devotion, and reverence to Him to be pure and free from any improper mixture. ~end quote from the sermon

This is a serious subject simply because so many things can defile our religion.  There can be defilement in an action, a thought, an attitude or a belief.  There is a large biblical list of things that can defile us and in which we can defile.  For a few examples:

1] false doctrines can defile our religion. [
see 2 Peter 2:1-3—false teachers bringing in damnable heresies]
2] bitterness or hatred of a brother can defile our hearts and minds. [
see Hebrews 12:15—root of bitterness]
3] we can defile the Sabbath. [
see Ezekiel 20:24—pollute my Sabbaths]
4] all manner of sin can defile us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. [
see 2 Corinthians 7:1-- let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness]


This concept of defilement is right there in the title of this sermon, which is “Maculate.”  God is admonishing us; commanding us not to become maculated.  Let us look at this and related words:

Word

Meaning

Defile

verb (used with object), defiled, defiling.

1. to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.
2. to violate the chastity of.
3. to make impure for ceremonial use; desecrate.
4. to sully, as a person's reputation.

Maculate

Adjective
1. spotted; stained.
2. Archaic. defiled; impure.
verb (used with object), maculated, maculating. Archaic.
3. to mark with a spot or spots; stain.
4. to sully or pollute.

Pollute

1. to make morally unclean.
2. to render less effective or efficient.

Unclean

1. morally impure; evil; vile.


Let us look at a key scripture:

Mark 7:20-23
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

I told you there were a number of things listed in the Bible that could defile the man.  I want to finish the sermon now by going through some biblical passages that speak to defilement.

Matthew 15:16-20
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

James 3:1-6
1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Revelation 21:22-27 …speaking of New Jerusalem
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Hebrews 12:11-15
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. ~emphasis mine

Let us close with some scripture from Colossians 3 which includes both an admonition and a prayer.

Colossians 3:1-4
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Let us finish that race to glory together.

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