Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. A genuine, healthy walk with God is going to manifest itself in transformed attitudes and practices. As we sit at the feet of Jesus in full surrender, we will start to look like Jesus. In this message titled Bold Salt, Pastor Rich will show the character qualities of Christ lived out in His people. Let's listen in. This is part three of a message on Hebrews 13, 1-6.
It was first preached on February 17, 2013. And you name all the nots. Don't do this, don't do that. Touch not, taste not, feel not, look not.
Don't do this. All the things that you might do that makes you think you're being a good Christian because you're not doing these or you are doing these things. Paul calls it self-imposed religion. And then he says this in verse 23. It's a very, very powerful verse and you need to know it. He says all this stuff is of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. There you have it.
It's useless. Moralism is useless. Christianity is not moralism. We don't judge our holiness by the things that we do or don't do. It has to do with the transformation of the heart and me being transformed and changed at the very level of desire that I desire God more than anything else. That's why in Colossians chapter 3, he starts with this. Set your affections on things above. You want to know the real definition of holiness is a person who has his affections set on God.
I want God more than anything and nothing is going to distract me away from Him. That's the true biblical definition of holiness. And Dwight did an excellent job the last two Sundays unpacking that for us.
So thank you, Dwight, for that. What is the idol that being established by grace contrasts? It is the idol of moralism. It's very easy to just create a list and say, look at all the good things I do and look at all the bad things I don't do.
And that's how people compare themselves to each other. Moralism. No, he says, verse 9, for it is good that the heart be established by grace. The work that God is doing in the heart. Not I, but Christ.
Boldness, number eight, number eight in verses 13 and 14, the eighth quality. In Luke chapter 9, verse 51, it says of Jesus that he set his face to go to Jerusalem. What happened in Jerusalem? You see, Jesus knew what was going to happen.
Very, very painful. But he did it, didn't he? Aren't you glad he did? Boldness. Why did he do it? Because he knew the outcome. He knew the end of the game.
And so he proceeded. Boldness means to operate with the end in view, knowing which opinion counts. It says here in these verses, verse 13 and 14, we seek the city that is to come. Here we don't have a city. This isn't our home. This place isn't what defines me. And so I'm going to proceed with the end in view, regardless of what consequences it brings upon me, bearing his reproach. I'm not going to be defined or distracted by the circumstances of the today and the right here and right now. That doesn't define me.
What defines me is what I have waiting for me at the end of the race. And therefore I move towards it. Not I, but Christ.
I live for the higher purpose, whatever the cost. Verses 13 and 14. And what is the idol that boldness contrasts? It is the idol of fear. You see, what you fear is what controls you. What you fear ultimately is what you worship.
Think about that one for a while. Quality number nine, verse 15. Therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. Quality number nine is to be thankful. How many times did Jesus say, thank you, Father? It is a sacrifice of praise.
That means there's a cost involved in it. Let me make a very bold statement right here now, okay? Few things counter the gospel more convincingly than complaining Christians.
I'm going to say it again. Few things counter the gospel more convincingly than complaining Christians. Now be careful, because there are many forms of complaining.
One of them is cursing the darkness. Things today are not as they ought to be. There are some things that are going on today that we're not particularly happy with.
But does that consume you? Is that all you talk about during the course of the day, is how things are not the way they ought to be, the way I want them to be? That's not how they are, and I am complaining about it. Few things counter the gospel more convincingly than complaining Christians. We are not called to complain. We are not called to curse the darkness. We are called to turn on the light. You see, this is a manifestation of my pursuit of Christ. If I am pursuing Christ, I'm not going to be consumed with the way things are, because they're not the way they ought to be. I'm going to be consumed with Christ, and I'm not going to be preoccupied with complaining about my circumstances. Why should I be grateful?
This is really easy, okay? Why should I be grateful? Because God is good. There's never a time that God is not good. God is good.
He has treated us way beyond what we deserve. And if you think you deserve more from God, then you need to look at the cross, because you've lost sight of it. Christians, are you complaining?
Stop it. And fix your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the reward of your soul, and proceed with Him in view. Be a grateful Christian.
The idol that gratefulness counters is complaining, the idol of complaining. We got that. So, quality number 10.
Let's finish this out here. Verse 16. Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. It's the quality of giving. That wasn't hard, was it? Acts tells us that He went about doing good, speaking of Jesus Christ. To do good and to share.
This is very easy. Listen. Everything that you have, everything about you, everything that you have, everything that describes you and defines you.
What is it? It is entrusted to you by God. Therefore, glorify Him, not yourself. With the attitude of giving. You are a steward of what God has entrusted to you.
Everything you have is a trust, so glorify Him with what you have. And the idol that this contrasts, the quality of giving, the idol that it contrasts is, of course, the idol of selfishness. Now, right under that column of those idols, look at those idols once again.
Look at them all. Self-centeredness, ethnocentricity, indifference, self-gratification, self-sufficiency, self-preeminence, moralism, fear, complaining, selfishness. There's a lot of self in that, isn't there? The old hymn that we sing, prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
What is that? These idols are the lusts, the desires of the flesh that you and I are prone to do. And, listen to this, if you are not pursuing Christ, you will do them.
You are prone to do these things. The old man is screaming at you. You still have to battle the flesh. The flesh is the part of you that's habituated in sin. And if you are not pursuing Christ, you will fulfill that right-hand column. And the writer of Hebrews is exhorting us. Pursue Christ. Which way do you get that from? The fruit.
The fruit of our walk with Christ are these ten qualities. How does it come about? There's one tiny little word. In the English, it's two letters.
In the Greek, it's three letters. It's a preposition. It's right at the beginning of verse 15.
Look at verse 15 with me. Therefore, what? By Him. The preposition is the Greek word dia. It can be translated through or by, meaning what? It is a preposition of instrument, of agency, of means. Therefore, it is by Christ that we do this.
It's exactly what the youth pronounced to us down here before the message. I'm not called to do it on my own. I do it through Christ.
It is the outflow. It is the fruit of my vital connection with Christ. I am the branch grafted back into the tree and I am drawing life from the tree.
As I draw life from the tree, I naturally produce the fruit. By Him, we offer the sacrifice of praise. By Him, I manifest these qualities of the character of Christ. Psalm 73, 25. You need to know this verse. Let it become a verse in your life. Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is none upon the earth that I desire besides you. Wow. Can you say that? You see, if this becomes a reality in your life, these 10 qualities will be manifested. So when you leave here today, don't leave here thinking, oh man, Rich gave us 10 things that we need to work harder at doing. That's not what I'm saying.
Not what I'm saying, okay? And your care group discussion tonight is all about that. How do we do this? If Psalm 73, 25 becomes the ambition of your life and the characteristic of your life, then these 10 qualities will become the fruit and the natural outflow of your life. So what is our prayer today?
As we conclude this, we are called to be bold salt contrasting the world system around us. The prayer, let your prayer be this. God, reveal yourself to me. Let me know you in this way.
In what way? In these 10 qualities. Because this is the character of Christ. This is the fragrance of Christ, the beauty of Christ. Let me know you in this way that your likeness will be seen in me.
It's not a to-do list. It's a pursuit of the One who is these things and as you pursue Him, you become like Him. Do that and you will be bold salt. Christians, let us rise up.
Instrumentals can come forward now. Christians, we need to rise up and be the bold salt. We don't just do it by trying harder to be these things. We do it by pursuing Christ. And as this year, we don't just want people to come to church. We want people to adore Christ. As we adore Christ, these things become true of our lives, so let it be true of us. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.
