Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The famous pastor John Wesley once asked his mother how she would define sin. Her response was powerful.
Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things. Whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, That thing is sent to you.
however innocent it may seem in itself. Wow. We must be ruthless with the things that draw our hearts away from God. loving him is our highest function. Let's listen to this message from Deuteronomy thirteen titled Purge the evil from your midst.
This is part four of a message first preached on July 21st, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can listen to the message in its entirety. And to other sermons from this series at www.delightingrace. Majority is not who determines truth. Truth has been revealed to us.
It is objective truth. It is to be brought to bear upon our lives. What Paul said to the Romans, do not be conformed to this world. Do not be conformed to this world. squeezed into its mold.
We do have a tendency to want to fit in, don't we? We don't like to stand out. We've We fear standing out and being strange and called names by people. John Wesley, young John Wesley, came to his mother. One time, and asked her, What is sin?
As I was asked that question one time by somebody who had attended this church for a very long time. What is sin after they thought they thought sin, well, it's just a list of do these things and don't do these things.
Well, everybody has a different list. And so I told him: I said, sin is any thought or behavior contrary to God's character and purpose. And, like, whoa. Because if we have a specific list of sins, everybody's going to have a different sin. And I am happy to judge people who sin differently than I do.
We do that all the time, don't we? That's what happens in legalistic systems. Everybody has a different sin. list of sins. And I'm keeping my list, you're not keeping my list, so I'm going to judge you.
Anyway, that's a different sermon for a different time. John Wesley goes to his mom, Susannah Wesley. Mom, what is sin? Here's her definition. This is so good.
Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God. takes off Your relish for spiritual things. Whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing to you is sin, however innocent it may seem in itself. That's good. And what God is telling us from Deuteronomy chapter 13 and from the Lord's lips in the New Testament and the lips of the The writings of the apostles.
Be merciless on what draws you away from God. Be merciless on it. Romans chapter 13, verse 12: The night is far gone, the day is at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. And then Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 11, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. Be merciless on what draws you away from God.
Now here's what happens, moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In the Old Testament, it was like this is a community responsibility. And in the church, it is to some degree still a community responsibility. But my challenge to you this morning is: I'm speaking to you personally, individually, be merciless on what draws you away from God. God calls us to hate sin.
Because it draws me away from God.
So the question on this third part, the question, the self-assessment question is, for whose opinion do you live? The crowd? Or gone. And that, you know, your object of devotion that is drawing you away from God, your object of devotion, of trust, I'm looking to this for my trust, for my security. For my pleasure.
What is it you're looking to? Business. Industry. Is your work drawing you away from God? God created work.
Work is a good thing, but is your work drawing you away from God? You need to be merciless about that. How about your entertainment? I could really step on some toes here. including my own.
Does your entertainment draw you away from God. Is there a relationship in your life that's drawing you away from God? Think about it. How about a habit? I'm not thinking substance abuse, although that could be included.
What habit do you have in your schedule? In the way you spend money. They could be drawing you away from God. You see, it all matters to God. It all matters to God.
What you do with your life, are you drawing closer to me or is there something in your life that's drawing you away from me? And God says, that thing that's drawing you away from me, you need to cut it off. Be merciless on it. Because God says, I am the point. Not your pleasure.
I am. Psalm 73, 25, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Let that be The statement, the prayer, the confession of our lives this morning. Whom have I in heaven but you?
What is the meaning there when it's all said and done at the end of the day when I'm done with this life under the sun? Then what do I have? You either have God. Or you don't. And there is nothing.
on earth that I desire besides you. If that is my confession, then I must be merciless. On what draws me away from God. The hatred of sin. This is what Paul was confessing when he wrote in Romans chapter 7, Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?
And what's his answer? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So It's not just about going out here and trying harder to be better. at hating sin and cutting things off. Draw near to God. Draw near to God. Let your delight be found in him.
Pursue him. Listen to me, folks. Pursue him. passionately. And be merciless on whatever it is is drawing you away from him.
And if I look in my life. through the lens of God's self-disclosure. And it becomes like a light into my heart and my mind. And it's a mirror revealing to me what needs to change. And a mirror revealing to me what is true about me in Christ, then I need to pursue that.
Passionately. Recognizing that God is the point of my life. And when I do that personally, individually. I'm not going to come to church. and point out the speck in your eye.
Well, I have this log in my own eye. Right? Because that's what legalistic systems do.
So let's take this very personally this morning. God loves Me. He draws me to himself. He has redeemed me. He accepts me fully.
He delights in me and he invites me to delight in him. And if I'm delighting in him, I'm not going to be drawn away to something. lured by something that draws me away from him. And then we can walk with each other.
So hold fast to him. It's what it says in Deuteronomy: hold fast. to him. Verse 4. Hold fast to him.
delight in him. Be merciless on what draws you away from him. God's working in every one of our hearts this morning individually. This is a tough chapter. But God wants us to be tough.
on the things that would contribute to our own destruction. Because that's what it is. Would you stand with me, please? Father, we are humbled before you to acknowledge that you are our infinite sovereign. Creator, Redeemer.
You are holy and just. righteous in all your ways, and you do all things well. And Father, we recognize, acknowledge this morning that we need you. You are Our highest good and our deepest satisfaction. Our highest function is to love you.
and to delight in you. and thereby reflecting you. to all those around us in everything that we do. Father, forgive us. for the petty and vain things in our lives that we allow.
to draw us away from you. Because of your goodness, your love, and your delight, may you find us. resolved to be merciless on what draws us away from you, Father. May we be honest as we look at our own hearts. Hearts and minds.
and habits. And may we, Father, be delightfully. devoted to you. Alone. Thank you, Father, for the work that you're doing in our hearts by your Spirit this morning.
We thank you for what you have done. and for what you will do. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace.
You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission. To help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in Him. the one who is infinitely good.
We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
