OCCASION: Men’s Breakfast, First Free in St. Louis
Holiness Is What I Long For
SCRIPTURE: Various
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: I’ve been asked to speak on personal holiness today. I hope you will excuse me for a brief reference to the headlines of recent weeks. Leaving aside all the unsubstantiated rumors, we have in the White House and as the leader of the Free World today an admitted adulterer and liar. I won’t focus on him, however, because he told us who he was before we elected him. No one should be surprised at what we have learned in recent weeks.
What troubles me more is the reaction of the American people. The overwhelming response is, “I don’t care what he does in his private life; just keep those interest rates low, keep the employment rate high; and keep those government checks coming.”
When the most popular politicians of our generation include the likes of Jack, Bobby, and Teddy Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bill Clinton—all of whom were or are notorious womanizers—and the most reviled is Jimmy Carter—one of the few who seems, at least on the surface, to have lived an exemplary moral life—something is wrong. It seems that for vast numbers of the American people, character counts for nothing.
But when character in our leaders is no longer a concern to us, we are asking for far more serious problems. I want to read a portion of George Will’s editorial from the St. Louis Post Dispatch just this past Thursday:
Some of those who say, “he lied but so what?” are proudly affirming a particular notion of cultural maturity. These Americans endorse the European condescension that recurs when Americans worry about whether politicians should be exemplary individuals. Europe, and Americans who take their intellectual bearings therefrom, say: Grow up, Americans. It is immature to judge politicians by other than quantifiable public consequences, such as the growth of gross domestic product….
To which this answer is appropriate: “Europe’s… de-moralization of politics (politics in which the only important questions are, Do the trains run on time? Do the autobahns get built?), has been no impediment to the emergence of Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Franco and Hitler. So spare us your tutorials on political sophistication.
Clinton’s longest-lasting legacy will be a short-term recasting of America’s political interest. He has caused a pain he does not feel: the sense millions of Americans have that something precious has been vandalized.
But let’s leave the politicians alone for a moment and focus on the church. And let’s not even look at the mainline churches—they are easy targets with their uncompromising support of abortion and homosexuality. Let’s just look at the evangelical church. Let’s look at ourselves.
I serve as Chairman of the Board of Ministerial Standing for our denomination. I’ve been on this Board for over 11 years and will finish out my term, thankfully, in April. We handle all the credentialing and discipline for over 3,000 pastors. Sadly, every year we have a dozen or so new discipline cases involving conduct unbecoming a minister of the Gospel. And it’s amazing how often we hear a certain faction in a church, whose pastor has been disciplined, respond to our action by saying, “You’re being judgmental! He’s a good pastor and we should be forgiving. Let him continue.”
Dwight Moody once said, “The place for the ship is in the sea, but God help the ship if the sea gets into it.” I haven’t seen the movie “Titanic” yet, but from what I have read, I think the movie may serve as a gigantic object lesson for us. There is a huge iceberg of permissiveness today that is threatening the very survival of the ship of state, as well as the ships of home and church. Ninety per cent of an iceberg, I understand, is below the surface; if what we can see is frightening, imagine what the full truth must be! Tremendous damage has already been done, but even as the ship begins to leak like a sieve, most people are refusing to go to the lifeboats. They are dancing and singing as the ship goes down.
Friends, though character and holiness are increasingly missing ingredients in our political and church life, I want you to know that it is of major concern to God. Listen to these passages from the NT:
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified (made holy): that you should avoid sexual immorality.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify (make you holy) you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”(Ephesians 1:4)
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25,26)
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1)
“Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Cor. 7:1)
Now this is just a sampling of the exhortations in God’s Word toward holiness. And frankly, I think God has implanted a passion for holiness deep in every born-again heart. If you have no desire for holiness, if your conscience doesn’t bother you when sin has invaded your personal sanctuary, I would say that is virtual proof that you are spiritually lost. But most of us really want to live lives of holiness before God and man. When we do not, it is usually because of weakness and lack of discipline, not because of rebellious attitudes, and we feel a lot of guilt.
What is holiness? Without trying to give a fancy theological definition, I would simply say that holiness is a passion for purity and integrity.
When I ask myself, “How can I say anything significant about this enormous subject in 25 minutes?”, I am tempted to throw up my hands and say it’s impossible. But we can at least look at an example. When I think of holiness, purity, and integrity, I cannot help but think of a man named Joseph, one of the very few individuals in the Bible concerning whom no moral failure is recorded.
The story of his life covers many chapters in the Book of Genesis and could take up an entire sermon series. I will only refer to six aspects of his life that reveal a strong commitment to holiness.
1. He had a certain naive honesty about him.
This is what got Joseph in trouble with his older brothers. He had a dream and shared it with them, even though the meaning of it indicated that his brothers would one day bow down to him. A person more streetwise and cunning would have kept such a dream to himself. But Joseph was not that kind of person—he was transparent; what you saw is what you got.
Now I don’t want to imply that naivete is a synonym for holiness, because it is not, but there is an aspect of naivete that is closely related to holiness. In Romans 16:19 Paul says, “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” It’s not necessary that we experience or see or even read about every kind of depravity known to man. A lot of the crud we read in the newspapers or see on TV, to say nothing of the normal fare in the movies, is indelibly imprinted on our memories to our own harm.
One of the most disgusting results of the current scandal at the highest levels of government is that fathers and mothers are having to answer questions from their young children, like “What is oral sex?” Grief, I didn’t know what it was until I was in college, and I’m not ashamed to say so. But today kids are being exposed to abortion and condoms and homosexuality and all kinds of stuff that kids shouldn’t have to deal with at the age of 4 or 6 or 8. They are losing their innocence so early, and it makes me angry. There’s a part of that innocence that can never be recovered.
Men, we should not only be concerned about what our kids are exposed to; we also need to guard our own lives against over-exposure to sin and immorality. I’m not even talking about being involved in it—just exposure to it.
2. Joseph walked with God and thus enjoyed the blessing of God on everything he did.
The account of Joseph’s work in Pharaoh’s house in Genesis 39 reveals a man who was diligent, honest, competent, and trustworthy.
“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. {3} When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, {4} Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. {5} From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. {6} So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (Gen. 39:2-6a)
And it didn’t matter to Joseph what the outward circumstances were. He was not diligent, honest, competent, and trustworthy just when things were going well; he was diligent, honest, competent, and trustworthy all the time. That was not just how he behaved; it was who he was.
At the end of chapter 39 Joseph is thrown into prison for something he didn’t do. But we read the same basic story regarding his walk with God and the blessing of God on everything he did:
“…while Joseph was there in the prison, {21} the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. {22} So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. {23} The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:20-23)
3. He maintained his moral purity in the face of incredible opportunity and “excusability.”
This is one part of Joseph’s life that I want to read at length:
“So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, {7} and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said,
“Come to bed with me!”
{8} But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. {9} No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
{10} And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. {11} One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. {12} She caught him by his cloak and said,
“Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. {13} When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, {14} she called her household servants.
“Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. {15} When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”” (Genesis 39:6-15)
If there was ever a man who had an excuse for sexual immorality, Joseph was the man.
First, he was a hunk. Gen. 39:6 says, “Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.” Some of us must bear that cross, others not so much. Joseph could have said, “If God didn’t want me to mess around, He didn’t have to make me so attractive.”
Second, he was a long way from home. Guys, Paul Olschner’s son-in-law, Phil Downer, the President of CBMC, writes in his new book, Eternal Impact, “Character is who you are in a hotel room out of town.”
Third, he was a long way from home through no fault of his own. He didn’t choose this situation—he was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Anger at one’s family has led many a young person to throw off the traces and delve into the worst of sin. They do it subconsciously to hurt the loved ones who let them down, but they end up hurting themselves even more. Joseph realized the senselessness of that kind of thinking.
Fourth, he didn’t initiate the opportunity. It’s possible for us to fool ourselves into thinking that we’re not responsible for trouble that finds us—only when we go looking for it. I’ve heard Christian men say, “There’s nothing wrong with looking.” They wouldn’t go into an adult bookstore, but if there’s an adult movie available in their hotel room, that’s somehow not as bad. Joseph was clearly minding his own business (“attending to his duties,” v. 11) when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. But he rejected the opportunity.
Fifth, he didn’t dally with temptation. Joseph refused to go to bed with her. But that’s not all he didn’t do. He didn’t kiss her. He didn’t fondle her. He didn’t admire her naked body. He didn’t have oral sex with her and consider himself innocent of adultery. He didn’t try to counsel her. Remember the words, “And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” He avoided her as much as was possible and still did what was required as a slave. And when she flung herself at him, he fled, leaving his coat in her hand. The NT command regarding sexual immorality is to “flee.” God knows that if we flirt with it, it’s going to entrap us.
Why did Joseph pass up this opportunity? Integrity and holiness. His master trusted him with everything, and he could not violate that trust. But even more importantly, he asked, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” But wasn’t God the one who allowed him to be sold into slavery in the first place? Joseph didn’t think that way. Which brings us to the fourth aspect of Joseph’s life that reveals holiness and integrity.
4. Joseph endured injustice without anger, bitterness, and blame—not once but many times.
He was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. He was thrown into prison (a dungeon, according to 41:14) without cause. He was forgotten there, even after helping another prisoner be restored to his position as cupbearer to the king.
How is this related to the issue of holiness? Well, holiness is at heart a recognition that God is the one who sets the standards and God is the one against whom everything else is measured. If God permitted injustice in his life, it must be for a reason. There must be something Joseph needs to learn. That was his perspective.
5. He gave credit to God and refused to let success go to his head.
When called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, he said in 41:16, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” In verse 28, after interpreting the dream he says, “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.” Do we give the credit to God when our gifts result in success?
Perhaps you remember that Joseph was appointed prime minister of Egypt, second-in-command of the greatest world power of the day. We’re talking 1800 B.C. here. Egypt had already been the only true world-wide empire for 2,000 years and would continue to be for another 800 years. We like to think of the U.S. as a dominant nation in human history, but we’re still an infant nation compared to ancient Egypt. And here is this young man, just 30 years old, who is given power and authority second only to the most powerful man on earth.
But it didn’t change him. He just went about his work with the very same integrity. He was still diligent, honest, competent, and trustworthy.
6. He forgave terrible offenses and restored broken relationships.
The forgiveness Joseph practiced was not a surface forgiveness. It wasn’t like the forgiveness we grant to people, saying, “Oh, it was nothing,” all the while we are still seething inside. He tested his brothers to see if true repentance had taken place, and then he forgave them completely and restored the relationship.
When he first revealed his identity to his brothers he said, “Do not be distressed and to not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…. God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then it was not you who sent me here, but God.” (45:5-8)
After his father died (17 years later), his brothers feared greatly that Joseph would finally take vengeance on them. But even then his response was the same: “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” (50:19-21)
Men, what is it God wants us to learn about holiness from this man Joseph?
1. One’s difficult circumstances are never an excuse for sin. If they weren’t for Joseph, they are not for you or for me.
2. One’s culture is not an excuse for sin. It may be that 70% of American men are having affairs, but so what? It’s still sin. It may be that lying and cheating are part and parcel of the business world, but so what? It’s still sin.
3. One’s success, power, and wealth are not an excuse for sin. These things make sin easier, but not more excusable. In fact, they are just the opposite. The more God gives you, the more He expects from you.
4. What one does in his private life does matter. In fact, it affects everything else. It is not a coincidence that this man of character, Joseph, was also a great leader.
I leave you with this thought: Take care of your character; God will take care of your reputation and your interests.
DATE: February 7, 1998
Tags:
Holiness
Temptation
Excusses