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Sermon:
Ameliorate … a
sermon about how to perfect holiness
by Chris Cumming
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On the 18th of
January of this year (2020),
I presented to you the sermon, “Double-down”
which shared with you a hands-on perspective to repentance. I began
that sermon with this statement:
“Back in July and August of 2014, I gave four sermons as part of a
Holiness series.
You can see all these sermons at the
Las Vegas site.”
Today’s sermon is the twelfth in the Salvation series which was born in
the Holiness series Each Salvation Series sermon is stand-alone sermon
on the same overall subject: Holiness and Salvation.”
The “Double-down” sermon is part of the
Holiness series
of four (4) sermons. From this one sermon, I have put together fourteen
(14) sermons in what I call the, “Salvation
series.” You
can see these sermon titles and subjects on the
Sermons page
of the
Las Vegas site.
Each sermon has a key verse or two you heard in “Double-down.”
Again, today’s sermon is the twelfth sermon in this series.
Note:
Any scripture you see with an asterisk (*) is one found in the sermon
“Double-down.”
Let us begin.
Here is the key verse we read in the Double-Down sermon:
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.
Double-down Phrases:
--Cleanse yourself from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit.
--Perfect Holiness.
--Have fear of God.
Definitions:
---Filthiness: vile; vulgar; obscene.
G3436: a stain, that is, (figuratively)
immorality. Notice the commentary:
From all filthiness
of the flesh - The
noun used here (μολυσμὸς molusmos) occurs nowhere else in the New
Testament. The verb occurs in 1 Corinthians 8:7; Revelation 3:4;
Revelation 14:4, and means to stain, defile, pollute, as a garment; and
the word used here means a soiling, hence, defilement, pollution, and
refers to the defiling and corrupting influence of fleshly desires and
carnal appetites. The filthiness of the flesh here denotes evidently the
gross and corrupt appetites and passions of the body, including all such
actions of all kinds as are inconsistent with the virtue and purity with
which the body, regarded as the temple of the Holy Spirit, should be
kept holy - all such passions and appetites as the Holy Spirit of God
would not produce.
And spirit -
By “filthiness of the spirit,” the apostle means, probably, all the
thoughts or mental associations that defile the man. Thus, the Saviour
Matthew 15:19 speaks of evil thoughts, etc. that proceed out of the
heart, and that pollute the man. And probably Paul here includes all the
sins and passions which pertain particularly to mind or to the soul
rather than to carnal appetites, such as the desire of revenge, pride,
avarice, ambition, etc. These are in themselves as polluting and
defiling as the gross sensual pleasures. They stand as much in the way
of sanctification, they are as offensive to God, and they prove as
certainly that the heart is depraved as the grossest sensual passions. ~Barnes
Notes
Clearly our
procedures are invoked to keep the filthiness of both flesh and spirit
away. We learned about this in the sermon, Rampageous where
we see our holiness pushing away all the negative elements. The number
and types of filthiness are legion and this means that you will be led
to and inspired to specific procedures and specific convictions. Each
success in this area will help you in the next or additional element.
The title of the sermon again is Ameliorate [uh-meel-yuh-reyt]
…to make or become better.
…to improve
…perfect
The purpose of this sermon is, from all we have shared so far is:
Perfect Holiness
Let us breakdown our key verse.
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.
For our purpose, I have broken out this verse into four (4) parts:
1] Let us cleanse ourselves.
2] From all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
3] Perfecting holiness.
4] In the fear of God.
We will discuss one at a time.
1] Let
us cleanse ourselves.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 119:9
BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word.
Notice the commentary for the phrase, "cleanse his way?"
Cleanse his way?
- Make his course of life pure and upright. The language does not
necessarily imply that there had been any previous impurity or vice, but
it has particular reference to the future: not how he might cleanse
himself from past offences, but how he might make the future pure. The
inquiry is, how he might conduct himself - what principles he could
adopt - under what influence he could bring himself - so that his future
course would be honest, honorable, upright.
~Barnes Notes
Notice how the rest of the verse answers the question of how a person
will cleanse his way. Immerse yourself in the Word of God.
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Commentary:
Who can say, I have
made any heart clean
- No man. But thousands can testify that the blood of Jesus Christ has
cleansed them from all unrighteousness. And he is pure from his sin, who
is justified freely through the redemption that is in Jesus.
~Adam Clarke
Isaiah 1:16*
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Jeremiah 13:27
I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy
whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto
thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
Ezekiel
18:30-32*
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to
his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your
transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have
transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye
die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord
GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
Ezekiel
36:25-26
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Matthew 12:33
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree
corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Matthew
23:25-26
25 Woe unto
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of
the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and
excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Titus 2:11-14*
[see
Lesson]
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.
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 Peter 1:22*
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another
with a pure heart fervently:
1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Notice the commentary
If we confess our
sins - If, from a
deep sense of our guilt, impurity, and helplessness, we humble ourselves
before God, acknowledging our iniquity, his holiness, and our own utter
helplessness, and implore mercy for his sake who has died for us; he is
faithful, because to such he has promised mercy, Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13;
and just, for Christ has died for us, and thus made an atonement to the
Divine justice; so that God can now be just, and yet the justifier of
him who believeth in Jesus.
And to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness
- Not only to forgive the sin, but to purify the heart.
~Adam Clarke
Quoted verses:
Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I
said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.
1 John 3:3
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure.
Perfect Holiness
2] From
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and
to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be
saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
1 Corinthians
6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and
in your spirit, which are God's.
Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
1
Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Perfect Holiness
3]
Perfecting holiness.
Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.
Ephesians
4:12-13
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ:
Philippians
3:12-15
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:
but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in
any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
1 Thessalonians 3:13
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before
God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all
his saints.
1
Thessalonians 4:7
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Hebrews 12:23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written
in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect,
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.
Perfect Holiness
4] In
the fear of God.
2 Chronicles
19:9
And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD,
faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
Psalm 19:9
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the
LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil
way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 16:6
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men
depart from evil.
Acts 9:31
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and
Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in
the comfort of the Holy Ghost [Spirit], were multiplied.
Hebrews 12:28
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear:
I will leave you with some quotes on spiritually cleansing and being
holy.
"When Jesus comes to live in our hearts, the seed of holiness is
planted."
“Just as
one goes on a fast or a body cleanse you owe it to yourselves to detox
your mind, it will not be easy but easy never yielded lasting results.”
"God
sometimes takes us into troubled waters...Not to drown us, but to
cleanse us.
"I am
learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things not meant
for me."
"The
Bible is proved to be a revelation from God, by the reasonableness and
holiness of its precepts; all its commands, exhortations, and promises
having the most direct tendency to make men wise, holy, and happy in
themselves, and useful to one another." ~Adam
Clarke
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