Biblical Worldview Foundations

Perfecting Holiness - 4

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Biblical Worldview

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-01-29

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on perfecting holiness from 2 Corinthians 7:1, focusing on the command to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the spirit. He explains that while external purity is important, internal purity is essential, and sins of the spirit—such as bitterness, pride, an unforgiving spirit, and an uncontrolled tongue—are just as grievous to God as sins of the flesh. Weaver emphasizes that our spirit dictates our actions, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to mortify these inward sins, walking in the Spirit to produce the fruit of holiness. He concludes with applications to pray for a clean heart and to glorify God in both body and spirit.

[John Weaver] 2 Corinthians chapter 7, and we're on part 4 of this short series on perfecting holiness. So if you will look please at verse 1, we will read it and begin a slight review, and then pick up where we left off. Notice if you would, 2 Corinthians 7 verse 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. I trust that you will remember that when the Apostle said, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, he is referring back to the promises that are revealed in 2 Corinthians 6, verses 16-18. The first promise, of course, is that God would be our God and we would be his people. And the second promise is that God would be our father and we would be his sons and his daughters. I was really pointing out in the first two messages the implication of God as our Father, and I pointed out that if He is our Father indeed, then He is the one that has begotten us.

[John Weaver] For James 1.18 says,"...of His own will begotten us with the word of truth." Further, we've seen that if God is our Father, it also implies that He is our provider. He is our protector and He is our portion. So He's the one then who sustains us, who defends us, who protects us, who gives us victory in time and in history as well as in eternity.

[John Weaver] And it's important for you and I to remember what eternal life is because our Lord Himself said in John 17 verse 3, and this is life eternal. that they may know Thee, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." So eternal life is not just simply living forever. Eternal life is that personal, intimate relationship that we are enabled to have with God our Father through the merits and through the work of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I hope you see the connection then between these promises and encouragement to holiness, for our God said, Be ye holy as I am holy as well. So we looked at the declaration of the promises first, and then we looked began looking at the description of the purging, because if you look in verse 1, he said,"...having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh."

[John Weaver] And remember I told you last week that the flesh here refers to our sinful inclinations, our sinful propensities, and the word filthiness here demonstrates and denotes anything that is defiling, that is unclean, that needs to be purged from our lives. And of course, we talked about the filthiness of the flesh, and Galatians chapter 5 tells us the works of the flesh and how we are to consistently avoid the works of the flesh. And of course, in Galatians 5 and verse 16, the Apostle Paul said, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And then in Romans 13 and verse 14, we were commanded to put you on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." So, he's telling us then this is to be purged from our lives.

[John Weaver] Notice if you would, and here's where we're going to pick up today because there is something else that must be purged. He says,"...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." So under the purging described, we're not only dealing now with the filthiness of the flesh, which we have dealt with, but there's going to be a connection which you shall see. But now there's the filthiness of the Spirit. So God commands us then to cleanse ourselves from not only the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit as well.

[John Weaver] Now, we must understand that the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit were never designed as a substitute for our discharge of duty. It is true we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, but we must rely totally and completely upon the Holy Spirit, and yet our relying upon the Holy Spirit does not diminish our obligations or our duty at all. It is our responsibility, but it is his ability. Now, look, if you would, please, in the fact that he said, let us cleanse ourselves from all filth into the flesh and spirit. I have preached. For 46 years.

[John Weaver] I began saying this after the first year or two of preaching from personal observations, and I'm still saying it. There is nothing meaner or nastier in this entire world than a Christian that is not right with God.

[John Weaver] Now, you just stop and think about that. We may boast that we're not guilty of murder, drunkenness, thievery, adultery, fornication, and a thousand other filthy, fleshly acts. However, as long as we possess a mean, vindictive, bitter, resentful, and hateful spirit, we are nowhere close to biblical holiness. And there are so many people in this world today who will make all kind of efforts to make sure the outside is just right, that it's clean.

[John Weaver] But on the inside, they are a seething mass of sin and rebellion. It's kind of like the story I heard years ago about the mother who had the little girl in the car. And the little girl kept standing up. This was before the seatbelts. And the mother kept telling her to sit down. And the little girl would sit down and spring right back up. The mother said, I said, sit down. And the little girl just remained standing. Finally, she said, I said, sit down. And the mother reached over and grabbed the little girl and sat her in the seat. The little girl folded her arms and looked at her mother and said, I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside.

[John Weaver] Well, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. They have the outside clean, but on the inside, they're still in rebellion. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold 2 Corinthians 6, but go in your Bibles to Matthew 23, because our Lord tells us about people like this, and he especially nails the Pharisees. So if you look in Matthew chapter 23 and look in verse 27 first, Matthew 23 and verse 27, our Lord says it like this,"'Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are likened to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.'" So our Lord then likened the Pharisees to a beautiful, whited tombstone. Clean, beautiful, But on the inside, absolutely full of corruption and filth. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 11, and notice verse 39, he uses the same illustration, but just a little differently. Luke chapter 11 and verse 39, and here our Lord says this, Luke 11 verse 39, And the Lord said unto him, Now to you Pharisees may clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

[John Weaver] So very obviously, here were these Pharisees that were outwardly moral, but inwardly totally corrupt. They believe, the Pharisees believe, that just simply because they refrained from certain physical acts that they would fulfill the law and be pure.

[John Weaver] Now let me emphasize something. It is true that we must be externally clean, outwardly clean and pure. But it is also equally true that we must be internally clean and pure. Let me say it like this. It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure. For instance, if you would go back in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and look at verse 20, and look if you would what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees. By the way, let me just stop before I read this passage and remind you of something. Do you realize the average church would be absolutely happy, absolutely delighted to have a church full of Pharisees? Why?

[John Weaver] They were always on time. They were never late. They would always pray. They would always tithe. They would always make a show of all of these things. In other words, they would be the perfect church member. You would never have to get on to them for anything. And yet look what our Lord said in Matthew 5 in verse 20. He said it very plainly to his disciples.

[John Weaver] He said, Verily I say unto thee, watch now, verse 20, for I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord said you've got to have something more than external purity. You've got to have something more than externals. So the truth of the matter is this. The Pharisees did have a righteousness, but it was a righteousness of their own making. It was not the righteousness of God. And our Lord said very plainly, we have to have something more than that.

[John Weaver] We must be clean without and within. But listen carefully. Our external purity must proceed from an internal purity. So our Lord then tells us. We have to cleanse ourselves not only from the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit. And if we deny this simple truth, listen carefully, we're no better than the Pharisees. In fact, that's what we will become, Pharisees. We'll have the attitude, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't chew, I don't go with the girls that do. Well, fine. But why is it you don't do those things? Is it because of the internal holiness that makes you pure externally, or are you just claiming an external holiness?

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32, Psalm 32, and look at verse 2 at what David says. Psalm 32 and verse 2. David here is talking about the blessed man. In fact, verse 1, he says it like this, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. And now, verse 2, he tells another aspect of the blessed man. He said, Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

[John Weaver] Now, the word guile refers to deceitfulness, hypocrisy, treachery, slothfulness, or anything that is untrue and false. But notice where he says it is. Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile. It's not in his body. It's in his spirit. In 1 Timothy 4, verse 12, Paul wrote to Timothy and he said this, Let no man despise thou youth. But be thou an example of believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity.

[John Weaver] So everything is referring to internal. Now, let me show you another passage. I do want you to turn to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 4. 1 Peter 3 and verse 4, because here is That which God declares is holiness in women. 1 Timothy 2 is an excellent passage as well, but I want you to see what he says here in 1 Peter 3 and verse 4. Look at this. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 1, just so you can see it in the context. 1 Peter 3, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or the conduct of the wives. While they, that is the husbands, behold your chaste conversation or pure conduct coupled with fear." Now watch. Who's adorning? Let it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair, or wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel. Watch verse 4.

[John Weaver] But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price." Now, there are a lot of people who will take verse 3 out of context, and they will say that women should not plait their hair and women should not wear gold. Well, if you're going to be consistent in saying that, that verse 3 says, let it not be the putting on of apparel. So does that mean women should go around naked? Of course not. But what our Lord is saying is this. You're not dependent upon your hair for your beauty, your gold, or your apparel for your beauty. Your beauty comes from an inward, meek, and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price.

[John Weaver] Now, you've got to ask a question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible that refer to the Spirit? Why is there so much emphasis upon the Spirit? Let me answer that. It is because ultimately it is our Spirit that dictates our actions. For instance, don't answer this out loud, but if you ever physically struck out at someone, Have you ever physically hit someone or tried to hit someone?

[John Weaver] If you did, it's because you were angry first. Your spirit dictated your actions. Have you ever said something you wish you'd never said? It's because your spirit dictated first. You were angry, you were upset and you said it. Your spirit. Are you listening? Your spirit. was out of control. You were not controlling your spirit. Your spirit was controlling you. There is a spirit in man. And the Word of God tells us we should be controlling our spirits rather than allowing our spirits or our passions to control us.

[John Weaver] Now, we should look at two verses in Proverbs. The first one is Proverbs chapter 16, Proverbs 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 32. Proverbs 16, verse 32. Then we'll go to Proverbs 25. Proverbs 16, look at verse 32, at what the Scripture says. God says, He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he that taketh, and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city. Interesting. God said, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And then he says, he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. So the man then who has control over his own spirit, according to God, is greater than the greatest warrior. He's greater than the greatest fighter. Because he can indeed control himself. If you will look in Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28. Proverbs 25 and verse 28. He says it like this. Proverbs 25 verse 28. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.

[John Weaver] He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls." If we're not in control of our spirit, we're not in control. A city that is broken down and without walls is very easily assaulted. It is very easily entered into and looted. Now listen very carefully. If you are able to control your spirit, I cannot make you angry. I cannot upset you. I cannot make you jealous. I cannot make you envious. I cannot make you bitter. If you control your spirit, I cannot manipulate you or intimidate you. We often say something like this, that person just makes me so angry. No, the person is not making you angry. You're losing control of your own spirit is what is making you angry.

[John Weaver] I saw a movie many, many, many years ago, and I remember very little about the movie. And when I call the title, you will know it's very, very old. The name of the movie was Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman. He was in prison. I don't even remember why he's in prison. I have no earthly idea. But he'd always try to escape. He'd always try to do things that would upset the warden and the people in charge.

[John Weaver] And they would beat him. They would torture him. They would do all kinds of inhumane things to him. And he always had, even while they were doing it, that sly smile, which would infuriate them. And when they finished tormenting him and torturing him, he would still have that smile. Nothing upset him. And that's what infuriated those people who were torturing him. It's often been said, if you really want to infuriate your enemies, just smile and be sweet and be kind because they can't literally stand it.

[John Weaver] So very obviously, it does not matter how obnoxious someone is. It does not matter how contentious they are. If you can control your spirit, they cannot upset you and they cannot manipulate you. And they cannot make you angry. God said, he that controleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at Matthew 15, because our Lord illustrates what I'm trying to show you. Our Lord tells us that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Why should we pay attention to our spirits? Well, look in Matthew chapter 15, and let's begin reading there in verse 16. Our Lord is talking to his disciples, and he says this. Matthew 15 in verse 16, And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out of the draught?

[John Weaver] Now watch, but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note what our Lord is saying. And here's the very first thing that he says proceeds from the heart or from the mind or from the spirit. Watch. He said the very first thing that proceeds are evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. And you can actually describe everything else that follows as evil thoughts. Whether it's murders, adultery, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, in other words, if I'm just thinking about stealing from Ed, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about committing adultery or fornication, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about lying about Clay, that's an evil thought. Every one of these things that we ascribe to the flesh, which Galatians 5 says these things are of the flesh, they proceed from our hearts. Now, sins of the Spirit are those sins that come from our heart and from our mind. Often times, they are our secret sins.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain that. In one sense of the word, they're secret because no one knows them and no one suspects them. No one knows what we're entertaining in our minds. No one knows what we're really longing after in our hearts. No, they're secret in that sense of the word. And usually the only way that we, the outsiders, get to know what is really in your mind is when it comes forth in actions.

[John Weaver] when it manifests itself, and it will eventually demonstrate and manifest itself. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eventually you're going to do that. But they're secret in another way as well, because sometimes we may have secret sins, and we don't even know we have them. They can be secret to us. Who can ascertain The first rising of pride. None of us. I want to show you two passages, I want you to turn to Jeremiah 17 verse nine. And then we're going to turn to Psalm 19, Jeremiah 17 and Psalm 19. You're going to ask me, well, how can I have a secret sin? And I don't even know it. How can there be sin in my mind, sin in my heart, sin in my life, and I don't even realize it's there? Well, I'll show you. Look in Jeremiah 17, verse 9. Look what the Bible says. Jeremiah 17, verse 9. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? You don't know your heart.

[John Weaver] You don't know everything in your heart. Let me tell you, there have been times in my life that I genuinely thought that I was doing something for God's honor and God's glory. And God opened my eyes and I found out that God was not in it at all. I was doing it for myself. That was a secret sin until God showed it to me. So he said, the heart's deceitful above all things. and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

[John Weaver] So look in Psalm 19 and verse 12. And here is what David prayed. And certainly we should pray this prayer as well. Look at Psalm 19 and verse 12. David asked this question. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Notice, cleanse thou me from secret faults or from secret sins. There have been many individuals Many Christians who believed that they had honestly dealt with the sin of the Spirit, and they honestly thought they had it taken care of, and it was under wraps, and all of a sudden, in a moment of tension, or pressure, or stress, it came out. Our hearts are deceitful.

[John Weaver] And above all things, they are desperately wicked. So we need to learn to pray with David. Cleanse us from secret faults or from secret sins.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 and before I read this passage. If I were to ask you this question. Do you think the sin of adultery would grieve the heart of God? Yeah. What about the sin of murder? Would that grieve him? Yeah. What about theft? Would that grieve him? Of course. Idolatry? Yes. But you see, all of these are works of the flesh. We understand that. But I want to show you the sins of the spirit grieve God just as much. Look in Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30, the Bible says,"...and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed in the day of your redemption." Now watch.

[John Weaver] Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Notice if you would, after he says, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, then he lists some things that would grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And he tells you, since they will grieve the Holy Spirit, you need to put them out of your life. Bitterness! Wrath. Anger. Clamor. Do you know what clamor is? Clamor.

[John Weaver] I'll tell you the illustration and then you'll understand. When I was a boy, My cousins would come over and we would have, since we lived on the farm, we'd have corn cob wars. We'd fling corn cobs at each other. You don't throw them, you fling them, okay? But we would always cheat. Because we had a two-story barn, and my cousin and I would be up in the upper story. Ned, the big strong cousin, was down below. And we would always soak corn cobs overnight in water. You ever been hit with a wet corn cob? It's like getting hit with a brick bat. Well, Ned was so big and so strong, you know, the two of us would stay in here. Well, my cousin and I were in the loft of the barn. And for a minute, no corn cobs had been being thrown. And my cousin looked at me and says, where is he? I said, I don't know. I don't hear him.

[John Weaver] And there was a knothole. I'm telling you that knothole was no bigger than that. I said, look through that knothole and see if you can see. So my cousin got on his knees and looked down through that knothole. And the Lord is my witness. Ned was right under that knothole. With a wet corncob, and when he saw my cousin, Kneel down and look. He threw that corn cob, and that thing came up in first, right through the middle of that knothole, hit my cousin in the middle of the eye, knocked him out cold as a cucumber.

[John Weaver] He went flat on the floor. I jumped out of the second story window, and I went to sing, You killed him! You killed him! You killed him! And I went hollering to my dad that my cousin was dead. Well, that was clamor. That was useless noise because he wasn't dead. He's just knocked out. OK, we got him. We got him revived momentarily. But that's what clamor is. Clamor is just useless noise. That's like Henry saying something like this. Well, I don't know have the answer to the problem, but I don't put my two cents worth anyhow. That's clamor.

[John Weaver] I have been in so many meetings For people say things that are totally, absolutely unrelated to what's going on. I could conduct the average business meeting that lasts eight hours. I could conclude it in an hour if you just cut out the clamor. That's what clamor is, it's useless noise. Look what God says. He says that bitterness, that wrath, that anger, that useless noise, that evil speaking is to be put away from you. Now you know what evil speaking is. I hope you do. Let me put it like this. Suppose Clay came up and said, you know, I really like Robert. And I look at Clay and I say, You wouldn't say that if you knew what I knew. Have I said anything bad about Robert? Did I? No. I didn't say anything bad about him. But I implied that I knew something bad about him. You see what? That's evil speaking. That's when you're cutting someone down or implying that there's something wrong with someone when it's not true. So God says all that evil speaking is to be put away.

[John Weaver] And look what else he says. It's to be put away from you with all malice. There's to be no malice in your heart. Then he says you need to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. God says bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, all these things are sins of the spirit. How many people are bitter? I have known bitter people. I've known Christians that are so absolutely bitter, it is unbelievable. One of the tendencies, one of the failings of husbands is to be bitter against their wives. We would not strike our wives. We would not curse our wives. But we'll get bitter against them. And God says in Colossians 3 and verse 19, Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them. I want you to understand something. Not only can husbands be bitter against wives, wives can be bitter against husbands. In fact, we can be bitter against anyone. Let me show you something about bitterness. I want you to look in the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Watch carefully. Watch carefully.

[John Weaver] You've heard the old expression that a rotten apple will spoil the bushel or the batch or whatever you have, or peck, whatever you have your apples in, let one rotten apple stay in there and pretty soon all the other apples are spoiled as well. Watch what God says about bitterness. Hebrews 12 and verse 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. One root of bitterness that troubles you, according to Scripture, will defile many. So, if one gets bitter, the next thing you know, that bitterness will spread. It will defile a multitude of people. So bitterness is a sin of the spirit. What about an unforgiving spirit? I've heard so many people say, well, I'll never forgive him or I'll never forgive her. Why did we have such an unforgiving spirit? And the answer is because we have a bitter, vindictive heart, which is a sin of the spirit. Someone says, but you don't understand the sin that that person committed against me is so great.

[John Weaver] I could never forgive that person. Well, Was the sin against you any greater than your sin against Christ? And yet He forgave you. I want you to turn to Matthew 18. And I want you to see this in light of what I've just said. Look in Matthew 18. And I want to begin reading in verse 21. And we'll read down through verse 35. And I'm going to tell you the point of this entire lesson. This is a lesson on bitterness and on unforgiveness. Watch Matthew 18, verse 21. Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how off shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him until seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven, four hundred and ninety times, which Basically is unlimited.

[John Weaver] He says, therefore, is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he began to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold and his wife and children and all that he had in payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence, an insignificant amount, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou ow'st. And the fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I'll pay thee all. And he would not. And when he cast him into the prison till he should pay the debt.

[John Weaver] So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their Lord all that was done. Then their Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that thou didst, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on my fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him. So likewise, Shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses?"

[John Weaver] Here is the simple point. If we have been the recipients of mercy, we should show mercy. If we have been the recipients of forgiveness, we should learn to forgive. If we have been forgiven, we should have a thankful, tender spirit, and so that we can forgive others as well. Let me point out that not only bitterness and unforgiveness are sins of the Spirit, but also pride and haughtiness are sins of the Spirit. Most of you can quote Proverbs 16 and verse 18, where the Bible said, Goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

[John Weaver] You know, one of the sad things is this. If we were truthful, we would have to wrestle with pride every day. For there is pride in everything that we do. There is a difference between taking pride in your work and doing everything for God's honor and God's glory, and being proud of your work. Most of us want to think that we're self-sufficient, that we can take care of ourselves, and that everyone should agree with us. It is pride that causes us to stumble and fall, especially when we become very arrogant and puffed up and haughty.

[John Weaver] And if that's true, why do you understand? That's probably one of the reasons we're always in trouble. Do you realize that the Bible says that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble? And the word resist literally means that God fights against the proud.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. Do you realize that pride is at the bottom of a hardened spirit and a stiff neck? Look in your Bibles to the book of Daniel chapter 5. You'll find out what is said concerning Nebuchadnezzar. Look in Daniel chapter 5 and verse 20.

[John Weaver] Daniel 5, verse 20. Watch carefully. Daniel 5, verse 20. Speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, but what his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride He was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him. But when his heart was lifted up, that's true. That's pride. That's arrogancy. Watch. And his mind hardened in pride. Have you ever noticed that there are some people that are so hard?

[John Weaver] So stiff necked when it comes to the word of God, they will not listen. They do not want to listen. They will not repent. They refuse to entertain the fact that Jesus Christ is God and that He is Lord and demands their repentance and faith. Why is it they are so hardened, they are so adamant? The answer is because of pride. You strip away all of their excuses. You strip away all of their reasonings, and at the root of everything, you will find pride." Listen carefully. Pride is a root sin. Bitterness is a root sin. It is the root from which the tree grows and produces all kinds of sinful fruits. Let me point something else out that is a sin of the Spirit, and that is unfaithfulness. We certainly see how unfaithfulness can be the sin of a spirit when we are talking about an unfaithful husband or an unfaithful wife.

[John Weaver] But if you ever stop to think. That we do not see that same unfaithfulness in relationship to our Lord in his work. Have you ever noticed in most churches? In most churches, the pastors have to plead, beg, exhort, beseech, and coerce professing Christians to be faithful to the Lord and the Lord's work. Why? What's the matter with us? How is it we cannot be faithful and steadfast with the Lord?

[John Weaver] Listen, I know when Sunday morning comes around, I think even my dog knows when Sunday morning comes around, because she's up ready to ride in the car. I know where I'm supposed to be on Sunday. I know what I'm supposed to do on Sunday. And you should know the same thing. But let me show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 78. Psalm 78. I'm going to show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Psalm 78. Psalm 78.

[John Weaver] And look, if you would please, at verse 8. God is speaking and He's telling these people not to be as their fathers. In fact, He says in verse 8, and might not be as their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God. Now watch the next verse. The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bows turned back.

[John Weaver] in the day of battle. But notice, if you would, one of the reasons they turned back was their spirit was not steadfast with God. Israel did not maintain a firm trust in God. They yielded to every impulse and every passion, even when it tended to draw them wholly and totally and completely away from God, even They were so easily led into idolatry. And please listen. I know that in Galatians 5 and verse 20, that idolatry is listed as a work of the flesh.

[John Weaver] We saw it last week. But idolatry first starts in the mind. It starts in the spirit. When the spirit is not steadfast with God, you are going to wander. You're going to entertain thoughts that you should never entertain. And the Bible says they were not steadfast with God in their spirit. Let me tell you, the one area in which Old Testament Israel was consistent in was their inconsistency with God. They were consistently inconsistent.

[John Weaver] And unhappily, that's where a lot of Christians are today. They're consistently inconsistent. So the question then comes back, if we have to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, wow, how do we avoid sins of the spirit? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there in verse 22. Galatians 5, verse 22. We are told that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Watch. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

[John Weaver] Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Now, God says if we do not want to have the sins of the Spirit in our spirit, we should learn to walk in the Holy Spirit. Lord willing, I'm going to bring a short series in the not too distant future on what it means to walk in the Spirit. But right here, God says this is the answer. I want you to turn to one of the passage, go back to Romans chapter 8, and I will mention this because I'll develop this more fully when I get to that other series. But look at Romans chapter 8. And he says this beginning there with verse 10. Romans 8, verse 10. Look at this passage, Romans 8, verse 10, and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

[John Weaver] Therefore, brethren, watch now, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. If we are walking in the Spirit, if we are being led by the Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit of God who will lead us to mortify, that is to make dead, the deeds of the flesh and of the Spirit. He will lead us into obedience to the Word of God. So, here's how this works. Ed makes me angry. Ed makes me angry.

[John Weaver] And I'm just about ready to cuss him out and tell him off. And I think, wait. God said to cleanse myself from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Lord, I just had anger and that anger is wrong and it's wicked. And I'm not going to cuss out Ed. I'm not going to fuss at Ed. I refuse to do that. I will talk to him and we can resolve the problem together. You see what I'm saying? If you think for a minute, here's what God says, here's what I want. You have to cancel out what you want and go with what God says. Here's what I like to do. Here's what God says. I have to cancel out what I'd like to do and be obedient to what God says.

[John Weaver] Walking in the Spirit, if we're walking in the Spirit, he's leading us, he's guiding us into obedience. If you are living an unholy life, an ungodly life, I have no doubt in my mind that there is not a spirit leading you, but it is not the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will always lead us into obedience.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point one other thing out. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 15, and then we're going to the book of James. Just trying to show you very quickly one other sin of the Spirit. We never think of this as being a sin of the Spirit, and yet it really truly is. Look in the book of Proverbs 15 and look at verse 4. Proverbs 15 and verse 4. In fact, we probably ought to read verse 1 in light of this, but look at verse 1, Proverbs 15, verse 1.

[John Weaver] A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. Watch verse 4. God says a wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. What? Perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. Here's what he's saying. A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit. Isn't that amazing? A sharp, Biting, sarcastic, hateful tongue is a sin of the Spirit.

[John Weaver] Now, turn over in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1 and look at verse 26 first. James chapter 1, verse 26. Hebrews, James, and James 1 in verse 26. Look at this. God says in James 1 in verse 26, If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Isn't that amazing? You have to control your spirit in order to control your tongue. Look in James 3, beginning there with verse 5. James 3, verse 5. He says, Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire out of hell.

[John Weaver] For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and things of the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed, watch, but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Wow. I heard one preacher say one time, the tongue is like an automatic sewing machine set on fire out of hell. Have you ever noticed how fast those sewing machines can go? One preacher, he's now dead, but he did this.

[John Weaver] There was a lady in the church who was known for her gossiping, and he preached that night very powerfully, and he included gossip. And after the service was over, song was being sung, and the woman came up to him and said, Pastor, I want to lay my tongue on the altar. He said, Bless God. He said, There's 40 feet of it here. Put what you can on it and throw the rest in the corner.

[John Weaver] Well, that's exactly what the scripture is saying. The tongue is an unruly evil. I want you to turn to three passages, then I'm going to give you some applications. I want you to go to first Peter chapter three and verse 10. We're talking about the tongue. And we're talking about the fact it is indeed a sin of the spirit, so look in first Peter. 1 Peter, notice if you would, chapter 3 and verse 10. Here's what God says. 1 Peter 3, verse 10. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that speak no guile. Now God said if you want to love life, if you want to see good days, refrain your tongue from evil, and you make sure that your lips speak no guile. Two other passages. The next one is in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Proverbs 13 and verse 3.

[John Weaver] I have quoted these verses so many times. Not only to myself, but to others. But look in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Here is a verse you should memorize. At least write it in the flyleaf of your Bible. Proverbs 13, verse 3. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 21 and verse 23. This is one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 21 verse 23. Scripture says. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue. Keepeth his soul from troubles. You will avoid trouble. God says keep your mouth. And keep your tongue.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think about this with me. God said that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. If we cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh, we must know what the filthiness of the flesh is. If we cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the spirit, we must know what a filthy spirit is. Which leads me to this first application. We must learn to pray with David in Psalm 51 in verse 10 when he said, Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Create within me a clean heart, O God. Why should we pray that? Because we have secret sins and secret faults, some we don't even know about.

[John Weaver] You remember the passage in 1 Corinthians 6 in verse 20, when he says, For you're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." It's not just your body that belongs to Him, it's your spirit. And you're to glorify Him in the body and the spirit. And one of the ways we must do that is by cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Now, one last passage. I do have one more. I want you to look at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23.

[John Weaver] I will try to tie everything together for you next week. But look, if you would, at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23.

[John Weaver] Now you will understand why I'm dealing with the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. He said, God said, 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 23, And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. That's W-H-O-L-L-Y. totally, completely. And the very God of peace sanctify you totally, completely. I pray, God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Faithful is he who calleth you who also will do it. So Paul prayed that God would sanctify us totally and completely. And that should be our prayer as well, that God would sanctify us and enable us to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Let's pray. Father, we do ask you in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy. And pray, Father, that you would enable us to indeed cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and Spirit. Enable us to be holy on the inside as well as the outside. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, recognizing the fact that our body and our spirits are Yours. Help us, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[John Weaver] This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912 You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

Perfecting Holiness - 4

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	216121048340
Subject	Biblical Worldview
Course	Biblical Worldview Foundations
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 068: Perfecting Holiness — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review of the Promises

Weaver reviews the promises from 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 that God is our Father, implying He is our begetter, provider, protector, and portion, and that eternal life is knowing God personally through Christ.

2 Corinthians chapter 7, and we're on part 4 of this short series on perfecting holiness. So if you will look please at verse 1, we will read it and begin a slight review, and then pick up where we left off. Notice if you would, 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — 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."

I trust that you will remember that when the Apostle said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,"

he is referring back to the promises that are revealed in 2 Corinthians 6, verses 16-18. The first promise, of course, is that God would be our God and we would be his people. And the second promise is that God would be our Father and we would be his sons and his daughters. I was really pointing out in the first two messages the implication of God as our Father, and I pointed out that if He is our Father indeed, then He is the one that has begotten us.

For James 1:18 says, "...of His own will begotten us with the word of truth." Further, we've seen that if God is our Father, it also implies that He is our provider. He is our protector and He is our portion. So He's the one then who sustains us, who defends us, who protects us, who gives us victory in time and in history as well as in eternity. And it's important for you and I to remember what eternal life is because our Lord Himself said in John 17 verse 3,

Scripture Reading — John 17:3

"And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

So eternal life is not just simply living forever. Eternal life is that personal, intimate relationship that we are enabled to have with God our Father through the merits and through the work of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I hope you see the connection then between these promises and encouragement to holiness, for our God said, "Be ye holy as I am holy" as well. So we looked at the declaration of the promises first, and then we began looking at the description of the purging, because if you look in verse 1, he said, "...having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh."

The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Flesh Reviewed

He briefly reviews the command to cleanse from filthiness of the flesh, referencing Galatians 5 and Romans 13:14, emphasizing the need to avoid sinful inclinations.

And remember I told you last week that the flesh here refers to our sinful inclinations, our sinful propensities, and the word filthiness here demonstrates and denotes anything that is defiling, that is unclean, that needs to be purged from our lives. And of course, we talked about the filthiness of the flesh, and Galatians chapter 5 tells us the works of the flesh and how we are to consistently avoid the works of the flesh. And of course, in Galatians 5 and verse 16, the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Galatians 5:16

"Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

And then in Romans 13 and verse 14, we were commanded to "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." So, he's telling us then this is to be purged from our lives.

Notice if you would, and here's where we're going to pick up today because there is something else that must be purged. He says, "...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." So under the purging described, we're not only dealing now with the filthiness of the flesh, which we have dealt with, but there's going to be a connection which you shall see. But now there's the filthiness of the Spirit. So God commands us then to cleanse ourselves from not only the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit as well.

The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Spirit Introduced

Weaver introduces the command to cleanse from filthiness of the spirit, noting that external purity without internal purity is insufficient, and that a mean, bitter spirit is far from biblical holiness.

Now, we must understand that the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit were never designed as a substitute for our discharge of duty. It is true we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, but we must rely totally and completely upon the Holy Spirit, and yet our relying upon the Holy Spirit does not diminish our obligations or our duty at all. It is our responsibility, but it is his ability. Now, look, if you would, please, in the fact that he said, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." I have preached for 46 years. I began saying this after the first year or two of preaching from personal observations, and I'm still saying it. There is nothing meaner or nastier in this entire world than a Christian that is not right with God.

Now, you just stop and think about that. We may boast that we're not guilty of murder, drunkenness, thievery, adultery, fornication, and a thousand other filthy, fleshly acts. However, as long as we possess a mean, vindictive, bitter, resentful, and hateful spirit, we are nowhere close to biblical holiness. And there are so many people in this world today who will make all kind of efforts to make sure the outside is just right, that it's clean.

The Pharisees as an Example of External-Only Righteousness

Using Matthew 23:27 and Luke 11:39, Weaver illustrates that the Pharisees were outwardly clean but inwardly corrupt, and that our righteousness must exceed theirs by being internal as well as external.

But on the inside, they are a seething mass of sin and rebellion. It's kind of like the story I heard years ago about the mother who had the little girl in the car. And the little girl kept standing up. This was before the seatbelts. And the mother kept telling her to sit down. And the little girl would sit down and spring right back up. The mother said, "I said, sit down." And the little girl just remained standing. Finally, she said, "I said, sit down." And the mother reached over and grabbed the little girl and sat her in the seat. The little girl folded her arms and looked at her mother and said, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside."

Well, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. They have the outside clean, but on the inside, they're still in rebellion. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold 2 Corinthians 6, but go in your Bibles to Matthew 23, because our Lord tells us about people like this, and he especially nails the Pharisees. So if you look in Matthew chapter 23 and look in verse 27 first, Matthew 23 and verse 27, our Lord says it like this,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 23:27

"Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are likened to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."

So our Lord then likened the Pharisees to a beautiful, whited tombstone. Clean, beautiful, but on the inside, absolutely full of corruption and filth. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 11, and notice verse 39, he uses the same illustration, but just a little differently. Luke chapter 11 and verse 39, and here our Lord says this, Luke 11 verse 39, "And the Lord said unto him, Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."

So very obviously, here were these Pharisees that were outwardly moral, but inwardly totally corrupt. They believe, the Pharisees believe, that just simply because they refrained from certain physical acts that they would fulfill the law and be pure. Now let me emphasize something. It is true that we must be externally clean, outwardly clean and pure. But it is also equally true that we must be internally clean and pure. Let me say it like this. It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure. For instance, if you would go back in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and look at verse 20, and look if you would what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees. By the way, let me just stop before I read this passage and remind you of something. Do you realize the average church would be absolutely happy, absolutely delighted to have a church full of Pharisees? Why?

They were always on time. They were never late. They would always pray. They would always tithe. They would always make a show of all of these things. In other words, they would be the perfect church member. You would never have to get on to them for anything. And yet look what our Lord said in Matthew 5 in verse 20. He said it very plainly to his disciples.

He said, "Verily I say unto thee, watch now, verse 20, for I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Our Lord said you've got to have something more than external purity. You've got to have something more than externals. So the truth of the matter is this. The Pharisees did have a righteousness, but it was a righteousness of their own making. It was not the righteousness of God. And our Lord said very plainly, we have to have something more than that. We must be clean without and within. But listen carefully. Our external purity must proceed from an internal purity. So our Lord then tells us. We have to cleanse ourselves not only from the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit. And if we deny this simple truth, listen carefully, we're no better than the Pharisees. In fact, that's what we will become, Pharisees. We'll have the attitude, "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't chew, I don't go with the girls that do." Well, fine. But why is it you don't do those things? Is it because of the internal holiness that makes you pure externally, or are you just claiming an external holiness?

The Spirit Dictates Actions

Weaver explains that our spirit controls our actions; anger, harsh words, and other outward sins originate from an uncontrolled spirit. Proverbs 16:32 and 25:28 teach that ruling one's spirit is greater than military conquest.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32, Psalm 32, and look at verse 2 at what David says. Psalm 32 and verse 2. David here is talking about the blessed man. In fact, verse 1, he says it like this, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." And now, verse 2, he tells another aspect of the blessed man. He said, "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Now, the word guile refers to deceitfulness, hypocrisy, treachery, slothfulness, or anything that is untrue and false. But notice where he says it is. "Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile." It's not in his body. It's in his spirit. In 1 Timothy 4, verse 12, Paul wrote to Timothy and he said this, "Let no man despise thy youth. But be thou an example of believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity."

So everything is referring to internal. Now, let me show you another passage. I do want you to turn to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 4. 1 Peter 3 and verse 4, because here is that which God declares is holiness in women. 1 Timothy 2 is an excellent passage as well, but I want you to see what he says here in 1 Peter 3 and verse 4. Look at this. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 1, just so you can see it in the context. 1 Peter 3, verse 1.

"Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or the conduct of the wives. While they, that is the husbands, behold your chaste conversation or pure conduct coupled with fear." Now watch. "Whose adorning? Let it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair, or wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel." Watch verse 4. "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price." Now, there are a lot of people who will take verse 3 out of context, and they will say that women should not plait their hair and women should not wear gold. Well, if you're going to be consistent in saying that, that verse 3 says, "let it not be the putting on of apparel." So does that mean women should go around naked? Of course not. But what our Lord is saying is this. You're not dependent upon your hair for your beauty, your gold, or your apparel for your beauty. Your beauty comes from an inward, meek, and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price.

Now, you've got to ask a question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible that refer to the Spirit? Why is there so much emphasis upon the Spirit? Let me answer that. It is because ultimately it is our Spirit that dictates our actions. For instance, don't answer this out loud, but if you ever physically struck out at someone, have you ever physically hit someone or tried to hit someone? If you did, it's because you were angry first. Your spirit dictated your actions. Have you ever said something you wish you'd never said? It's because your spirit dictated first. You were angry, you were upset and you said it. Your spirit. Are you listening? Your spirit was out of control. You were not controlling your spirit. Your spirit was controlling you. There is a spirit in man. And the Word of God tells us we should be controlling our spirits rather than allowing our spirits or our passions to control us.

Now, we should look at two verses in Proverbs. The first one is Proverbs chapter 16, Proverbs 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 32. Proverbs 16, verse 32. Then we'll go to Proverbs 25. Proverbs 16, look at verse 32, at what the Scripture says. God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Interesting. God said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty."

And then he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

So the man then who has control over his own spirit, according to God, is greater than the greatest warrior. He's greater than the greatest fighter. Because he can indeed control himself. If you will look in Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28. Proverbs 25 and verse 28. He says it like this. Proverbs 25 verse 28. "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls."

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls." If we're not in control of our spirit, we're not in control. A city that is broken down and without walls is very easily assaulted. It is very easily entered into and looted. Now listen very carefully. If you are able to control your spirit, I cannot make you angry. I cannot upset you. I cannot make you jealous. I cannot make you envious. I cannot make you bitter. If you control your spirit, I cannot manipulate you or intimidate you. We often say something like this, "that person just makes me so angry." No, the person is not making you angry. You're losing control of your own spirit is what is making you angry.

Sins of the Spirit: Evil Thoughts and Secret Sins

From Matthew 15:16-20, Weaver shows that evil thoughts from the heart defile a person. He discusses secret sins that may be hidden even from ourselves, citing Jeremiah 17:9 and Psalm 19:12.

I saw a movie many, many, many years ago, and I remember very little about the movie. And when I call the title, you will know it's very, very old. The name of the movie was Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman. He was in prison. I don't even remember why he's in prison. I have no earthly idea. But he'd always try to escape. He'd always try to do things that would upset the warden and the people in charge.

And they would beat him. They would torture him. They would do all kinds of inhumane things to him. And he always had, even while they were doing it, that sly smile, which would infuriate them. And when they finished tormenting him and torturing him, he would still have that smile. Nothing upset him. And that's what infuriated those people who were torturing him. It's often been said, if you really want to infuriate your enemies, just smile and be sweet and be kind because they can't literally stand it.

So very obviously, it does not matter how obnoxious someone is. It does not matter how contentious they are. If you can control your spirit, they cannot upset you and they cannot manipulate you. And they cannot make you angry. God said, "he that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city."

Now, I want you to look at Matthew 15, because our Lord illustrates what I'm trying to show you. Our Lord tells us that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Why should we pay attention to our spirits? Well, look in Matthew chapter 15, and let's begin reading there in verse 16. Our Lord is talking to his disciples, and he says this. Matthew 15 in verse 16, "And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out of the draught?"

Now watch, "but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man." Now, I want you to note what our Lord is saying. And here's the very first thing that he says proceeds from the heart or from the mind or from the spirit. Watch. He said the very first thing that proceeds are evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. And you can actually describe everything else that follows as evil thoughts. Whether it's murders, adultery, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, in other words, if I'm just thinking about stealing from Ed, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about committing adultery or fornication, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about lying about Clay, that's an evil thought. Every one of these things that we ascribe to the flesh, which Galatians 5 says these things are of the flesh, they proceed from our hearts. Now, sins of the Spirit are those sins that come from our heart and from our mind. Often times, they are our secret sins.

Now, let me explain that. In one sense of the word, they're secret because no one knows them and no one suspects them. No one knows what we're entertaining in our minds. No one knows what we're really longing after in our hearts. No, they're secret in that sense of the word. And usually the only way that we, the outsiders, get to know what is really in your mind is when it comes forth in actions.

when it manifests itself, and it will eventually demonstrate and manifest itself. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eventually you're going to do that. But they're secret in another way as well, because sometimes we may have secret sins, and we don't even know we have them. They can be secret to us. Who can ascertain the first rising of pride? None of us. I want to show you two passages, I want you to turn to Jeremiah 17 verse nine. And then we're going to turn to Psalm 19, Jeremiah 17 and Psalm 19. You're going to ask me, well, how can I have a secret sin? And I don't even know it. How can there be sin in my mind, sin in my heart, sin in my life, and I don't even realize it's there? Well, I'll show you. Look in Jeremiah 17, verse 9. Look what the Bible says. Jeremiah 17, verse 9. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" You don't know your heart.

You don't know everything in your heart. Let me tell you, there have been times in my life that I genuinely thought that I was doing something for God's honor and God's glory. And God opened my eyes and I found out that God was not in it at all. I was doing it for myself. That was a secret sin until God showed it to me. So he said, "the heart's deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?"

So look in Psalm 19 and verse 12. And here is what David prayed. And certainly we should pray this prayer as well. Look at Psalm 19 and verse 12. David asked this question.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:12

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults."

Notice,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:12

"cleanse thou me from secret faults"

or from secret sins. There have been many individuals, many Christians who believed that they had honestly dealt with the sin of the Spirit, and they honestly thought they had it taken care of, and it was under wraps, and all of a sudden, in a moment of tension, or pressure, or stress, it came out. Our hearts are deceitful.

And above all things, they are desperately wicked. So we need to learn to pray with David. "Cleanse us from secret faults" or from secret sins.

Specific Sins of the Spirit: Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Evil Speaking

Ephesians 4:30-32 lists sins that grieve the Holy Spirit: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. Weaver defines clamor as useless noise and evil speaking as implying falsehoods, and stresses the need to put these away.

Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 and before I read this passage. If I were to ask you this question. Do you think the sin of adultery would grieve the heart of God? Yeah. What about the sin of murder? Would that grieve him? Yeah. What about theft? Would that grieve him? Of course. Idolatry? Yes. But you see, all of these are works of the flesh. We understand that. But I want to show you the sins of the spirit grieve God just as much. Look in Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30, the Bible says, "...and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed in the day of your redemption." Now watch.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Notice if you would, after he says, "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God," then he lists some things that would grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And he tells you, since they will grieve the Holy Spirit, you need to put them out of your life. Bitterness! Wrath. Anger. Clamor. Do you know what clamor is? Clamor.

I'll tell you the illustration and then you'll understand. When I was a boy, my cousins would come over and we would have, since we lived on the farm, we'd have corn cob wars. We'd fling corn cobs at each other. You don't throw them, you fling them, okay? But we would always cheat. Because we had a two-story barn, and my cousin and I would be up in the upper story. Ned, the big strong cousin, was down below. And we would always soak corn cobs overnight in water. You ever been hit with a wet corn cob? It's like getting hit with a brick bat. Well, Ned was so big and so strong, you know, the two of us would stay in here. Well, my cousin and I were in the loft of the barn. And for a minute, no corn cobs had been being thrown. And my cousin looked at me and says, "where is he?" I said, "I don't know. I don't hear him."

And there was a knothole. I'm telling you that knothole was no bigger than that. I said, "look through that knothole and see if you can see." So my cousin got on his knees and looked down through that knothole. And the Lord is my witness. Ned was right under that knothole. With a wet corncob, and when he saw my cousin kneel down and look, he threw that corn cob, and that thing came up in first, right through the middle of that knothole, hit my cousin in the middle of the eye, knocked him out cold as a cucumber. He went flat on the floor. I jumped out of the second story window, and I went to sing, "You killed him! You killed him! You killed him!" And I went hollering to my dad that my cousin was dead. Well, that was clamor. That was useless noise because he wasn't dead. He's just knocked out. OK, we got him. We got him revived momentarily. But that's what clamor is. Clamor is just useless noise. That's like Henry saying something like this. "Well, I don't know have the answer to the problem, but I don't put my two cents worth anyhow." That's clamor.

I have been in so many meetings for people say things that are totally, absolutely unrelated to what's going on. I could conduct the average business meeting that lasts eight hours. I could conclude it in an hour if you just cut out the clamor. That's what clamor is, it's useless noise. Look what God says. He says that bitterness, that wrath, that anger, that useless noise, that evil speaking is to be put away from you. Now you know what evil speaking is. I hope you do. Let me put it like this. Suppose Clay came up and said, "you know, I really like Robert." And I look at Clay and I say, "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I knew." Have I said anything bad about Robert? Did I? No. I didn't say anything bad about him. But I implied that I knew something bad about him. You see what? That's evil speaking. That's when you're cutting someone down or implying that there's something wrong with someone when it's not true. So God says all that evil speaking is to be put away.

And look what else he says. It's to be put away from you with all malice. There's to be no malice in your heart. Then he says you need to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

Now, let me point something out. God says bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, all these things are sins of the spirit. How many people are bitter? I have known bitter people. I've known Christians that are so absolutely bitter, it is unbelievable. One of the tendencies, one of the failings of husbands is to be bitter against their wives. We would not strike our wives. We would not curse our wives. But we'll get bitter against them. And God says in Colossians 3 and verse 19,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:19

"Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them."

I want you to understand something. Not only can husbands be bitter against wives, wives can be bitter against husbands. In fact, we can be bitter against anyone. Let me show you something about bitterness. I want you to look in the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Watch carefully. Watch carefully.

Bitterness and Unforgiveness as Root Sins

Hebrews 12:15 warns that a root of bitterness defiles many. Weaver uses Matthew 18:21-35 to teach that those forgiven much must forgive others, and that an unforgiving spirit is a sin of the spirit.

You've heard the old expression that a rotten apple will spoil the bushel or the batch or whatever you have, or peck, whatever you have your apples in, let one rotten apple stay in there and pretty soon all the other apples are spoiled as well. Watch what God says about bitterness. Hebrews 12 and verse 15,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:15

"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."

One root of bitterness that troubles you, according to Scripture, will defile many. So, if one gets bitter, the next thing you know, that bitterness will spread. It will defile a multitude of people. So bitterness is a sin of the spirit. What about an unforgiving spirit? I've heard so many people say, "well, I'll never forgive him" or "I'll never forgive her." Why did we have such an unforgiving spirit? And the answer is because we have a bitter, vindictive heart, which is a sin of the spirit. Someone says, "but you don't understand the sin that that person committed against me is so great."

"I could never forgive that person." Well, was the sin against you any greater than your sin against Christ? And yet He forgave you. I want you to turn to Matthew 18. And I want you to see this in light of what I've just said. Look in Matthew 18. And I want to begin reading in verse 21. And we'll read down through verse 35. And I'm going to tell you the point of this entire lesson. This is a lesson on bitterness and on unforgiveness. Watch Matthew 18, verse 21. "Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him until seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven," four hundred and ninety times, which basically is unlimited.

He says, "therefore, is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he began to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold and his wife and children and all that he had in payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence," an insignificant amount, "and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou ow'st. And the fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I'll pay thee all. And he would not. And when he cast him into the prison till he should pay the debt."

"So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their Lord all that was done. Then their Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that thou didst, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on my fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him. So likewise, shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses?" Here is the simple point. If we have been the recipients of mercy, we should show mercy. If we have been the recipients of forgiveness, we should learn to forgive. If we have been forgiven, we should have a thankful, tender spirit, and so that we can forgive others as well. Let me point out that not only bitterness and unforgiveness are sins of the Spirit, but also pride and haughtiness are sins of the Spirit. Most of you can quote Proverbs 16 and verse 18, where the Bible said, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Pride, Haughtiness, and Unfaithfulness as Sins of the Spirit

Pride leads to a hardened spirit (Daniel 5:20), and unfaithfulness stems from a spirit not steadfast with God (Psalm 78:8). These are root sins that produce other sinful fruits.

You know, one of the sad things is this. If we were truthful, we would have to wrestle with pride every day. For there is pride in everything that we do. There is a difference between taking pride in your work and doing everything for God's honor and God's glory, and being proud of your work. Most of us want to think that we're self-sufficient, that we can take care of ourselves, and that everyone should agree with us. It is pride that causes us to stumble and fall, especially when we become very arrogant and puffed up and haughty. And if that's true, why do you understand? That's probably one of the reasons we're always in trouble. Do you realize that the Bible says that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble? And the word resist literally means that God fights against the proud.

Now, let me point something out. Do you realize that pride is at the bottom of a hardened spirit and a stiff neck? Look in your Bibles to the book of Daniel chapter 5. You'll find out what is said concerning Nebuchadnezzar. Look in Daniel chapter 5 and verse 20.

Daniel 5, verse 20. Watch carefully. Daniel 5, verse 20. Speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, "but when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him." But when his heart was lifted up, that's true. That's pride. That's arrogancy. Watch. "And his mind hardened in pride." Have you ever noticed that there are some people that are so hard?

So stiff necked when it comes to the word of God, they will not listen. They do not want to listen. They will not repent. They refuse to entertain the fact that Jesus Christ is God and that He is Lord and demands their repentance and faith. Why is it they are so hardened, they are so adamant? The answer is because of pride. You strip away all of their excuses. You strip away all of their reasonings, and at the root of everything, you will find pride. Listen carefully. Pride is a root sin. Bitterness is a root sin. It is the root from which the tree grows and produces all kinds of sinful fruits. Let me point something else out that is a sin of the Spirit, and that is unfaithfulness. We certainly see how unfaithfulness can be the sin of a spirit when we are talking about an unfaithful husband or an unfaithful wife.

But if you ever stop to think. That we do not see that same unfaithfulness in relationship to our Lord in his work. Have you ever noticed in most churches? In most churches, the pastors have to plead, beg, exhort, beseech, and coerce professing Christians to be faithful to the Lord and the Lord's work. Why? What's the matter with us? How is it we cannot be faithful and steadfast with the Lord?

Listen, I know when Sunday morning comes around, I think even my dog knows when Sunday morning comes around, because she's up ready to ride in the car. I know where I'm supposed to be on Sunday. I know what I'm supposed to do on Sunday. And you should know the same thing. But let me show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 78. Psalm 78. I'm going to show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Psalm 78. Psalm 78.

And look, if you would please, at verse 8. God is speaking and He's telling these people not to be as their fathers. In fact, He says in verse 8, "and might not be as their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God." Now watch the next verse. "The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bows turned back." in the day of battle. But notice, if you would, one of the reasons they turned back was their spirit was not steadfast with God. Israel did not maintain a firm trust in God. They yielded to every impulse and every passion, even when it tended to draw them wholly and totally and completely away from God, even they were so easily led into idolatry. And please listen. I know that in Galatians 5 and verse 20, that idolatry is listed as a work of the flesh.

We saw it last week. But idolatry first starts in the mind. It starts in the spirit. When the spirit is not steadfast with God, you are going to wander. You're going to entertain thoughts that you should never entertain. And the Bible says they were not steadfast with God in their spirit. Let me tell you, the one area in which Old Testament Israel was consistent in was their inconsistency with God. They were consistently inconsistent.

The Remedy: Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-26 and Romans 8:10-14 teach that walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit enables us to mortify the deeds of the flesh and spirit, leading to obedience.

And unhappily, that's where a lot of Christians are today. They're consistently inconsistent. So the question then comes back, if we have to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, wow, how do we avoid sins of the spirit? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there in verse 22. Galatians 5, verse 22. We are told that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Watch. "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Now, God says if we do not want to have the sins of the Spirit in our spirit, we should learn to walk in the Holy Spirit. Lord willing, I'm going to bring a short series in the not too distant future on what it means to walk in the Spirit. But right here, God says this is the answer. I want you to turn to one of the passage, go back to Romans chapter 8, and I will mention this because I'll develop this more fully when I get to that other series. But look at Romans chapter 8. And he says this beginning there with verse 10. Romans 8, verse 10. Look at this passage, Romans 8, verse 10, "and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

"Therefore, brethren, watch now, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Now, let me point something out. If we are walking in the Spirit, if we are being led by the Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit of God who will lead us to mortify, that is to make dead, the deeds of the flesh and of the Spirit. He will lead us into obedience to the Word of God. So, here's how this works. Ed makes me angry. Ed makes me angry. And I'm just about ready to cuss him out and tell him off. And I think, wait. God said to cleanse myself from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Lord, I just had anger and that anger is wrong and it's wicked. And I'm not going to cuss out Ed. I'm not going to fuss at Ed. I refuse to do that. I will talk to him and we can resolve the problem together. You see what I'm saying? If you think for a minute, here's what God says, here's what I want. You have to cancel out what you want and go with what God says. Here's what I like to do. Here's what God says. I have to cancel out what I'd like to do and be obedient to what God says.

The Tongue as a Sin of the Spirit

Proverbs 15:4, James 1:26, and James 3:5-8 show that an uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit, a world of iniquity that defiles the whole body. Proverbs 13:3 and 21:23 urge keeping the mouth to avoid trouble.

Walking in the Spirit, if we're walking in the Spirit, he's leading us, he's guiding us into obedience. If you are living an unholy life, an ungodly life, I have no doubt in my mind that there is not a spirit leading you, but it is not the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will always lead us into obedience. Now, let me point one other thing out. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 15, and then we're going to the book of James. Just trying to show you very quickly one other sin of the Spirit. We never think of this as being a sin of the Spirit, and yet it really truly is. Look in the book of Proverbs 15 and look at verse 4. Proverbs 15 and verse 4. In fact, we probably ought to read verse 1 in light of this, but look at verse 1, Proverbs 15, verse 1.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." Watch verse 4. God says "a wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." What? Perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. Here's what he's saying. A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit. Isn't that amazing? A sharp, biting, sarcastic, hateful tongue is a sin of the Spirit.

Now, turn over in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1 and look at verse 26 first. James chapter 1, verse 26. Hebrews, James, and James 1 in verse 26. Look at this. God says in James 1 in verse 26, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Isn't that amazing? You have to control your spirit in order to control your tongue. Look in James 3, beginning there with verse 5. James 3, verse 5. He says, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire out of hell."

"For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and things of the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed, watch, but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Wow. I heard one preacher say one time, the tongue is like an automatic sewing machine set on fire out of hell. Have you ever noticed how fast those sewing machines can go? One preacher, he's now dead, but he did this.

There was a lady in the church who was known for her gossiping, and he preached that night very powerfully, and he included gossip. And after the service was over, song was being sung, and the woman came up to him and said, "Pastor, I want to lay my tongue on the altar." He said, "Bless God." He said, "There's 40 feet of it here. Put what you can on it and throw the rest in the corner." Well, that's exactly what the scripture is saying. The tongue is an unruly evil. I want you to turn to three passages, then I'm going to give you some applications. I want you to go to first Peter chapter three and verse 10. We're talking about the tongue. And we're talking about the fact it is indeed a sin of the spirit, so look in first Peter. 1 Peter, notice if you would, chapter 3 and verse 10. Here's what God says. 1 Peter 3, verse 10. "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that speak no guile." Now God said if you want to love life, if you want to see good days, refrain your tongue from evil, and you make sure that your lips speak no guile. Two other passages. The next one is in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Proverbs 13 and verse 3.

I have quoted these verses so many times. Not only to myself, but to others. But look in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Here is a verse you should memorize. At least write it in the flyleaf of your Bible. Proverbs 13, verse 3. "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 21 and verse 23. This is one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 21 verse 23. Scripture says. "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." You will avoid trouble. God says keep your mouth. And keep your tongue.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the message by urging prayer for a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), glorifying God in body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:20), and seeking entire sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23). He closes in prayer.

Now, I want you to think about this with me. God said that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. If we cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh, we must know what the filthiness of the flesh is. If we cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the spirit, we must know what a filthy spirit is. Which leads me to this first application. We must learn to pray with David in Psalm 51 in verse 10 when he said, "Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Create within me a clean heart, O God. Why should we pray that? Because we have secret sins and secret faults, some we don't even know about.

You remember the passage in 1 Corinthians 6 in verse 20, when he says, "For you're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." It's not just your body that belongs to Him, it's your spirit. And you're to glorify Him in the body and the spirit. And one of the ways we must do that is by cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Now, one last passage. I do have one more. I want you to look at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23.

I will try to tie everything together for you next week. But look, if you would, at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23. Now you will understand why I'm dealing with the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. He said, God said, 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." That's W-H-O-L-L-Y. totally, completely. "And the very God of peace sanctify you totally, completely. I pray, God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Faithful is he who calleth you who also will do it." So Paul prayed that God would sanctify us totally and completely. And that should be our prayer as well, that God would sanctify us and enable us to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Let's pray. Father, we do ask you in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy. And pray, Father, that you would enable us to indeed cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and Spirit. Enable us to be holy on the inside as well as the outside. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, recognizing the fact that our body and our spirits are Yours. Help us, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Internal vs. External Holiness

Summary: True holiness requires cleansing both the flesh and the spirit; external morality without internal purity is Pharisaical and insufficient.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure.' He cites Matthew 23:27 and Luke 11:39 to show the Pharisees' hypocrisy.

The Spirit Controls Actions

Summary: Our spirit dictates our behavior; sins like anger and harsh words originate from an uncontrolled spirit, so ruling one's spirit is crucial.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Your spirit dictated your actions... Your spirit was out of control.' He references Proverbs 16:32 and 25:28.

Sins of the Spirit Grieve God

Summary: Sins such as bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, pride, and an unforgiving spirit are just as grievous to the Holy Spirit as fleshly sins.

Evidence: Ephesians 4:30-32 lists these sins after the command not to grieve the Spirit. Weaver emphasizes, 'sins of the spirit grieve God just as much.'

Bitterness and Unforgiveness as Root Sins

Summary: Bitterness is a root sin that defiles many, and unforgiveness contradicts the mercy we have received from God.

Evidence: Hebrews 12:15 warns about a root of bitterness. The parable in Matthew 18:21-35 illustrates the necessity of forgiving others as we have been forgiven.

Pride as a Foundational Sin

Summary: Pride underlies a hardened spirit and leads to destruction; it is a root sin from which other sins grow.

Evidence: Daniel 5:20 shows Nebuchadnezzar's heart lifted up in pride. Weaver says, 'Pride is a root sin.'

Walking in the Spirit as the Remedy

Summary: The only way to overcome sins of the spirit is to walk in the Spirit, who leads us to mortify sinful deeds and obey God.

Evidence: Galatians 5:22-26 and Romans 8:10-14 are cited. Weaver explains, 'If we are walking in the Spirit... He will lead us into obedience.'

The Tongue Reflects the Spirit

Summary: An uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit, revealing inner corruption; keeping the mouth is essential for a holy life.

Evidence: Proverbs 15:4, James 1:26, and James 3:5-8 are used. Weaver says, 'A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit.'

Dependence on God for Cleansing

Summary: We must pray for God to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit, acknowledging our secret sins and relying on His sanctifying work.

Evidence: Psalm 51:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 are referenced. Weaver urges, 'We must learn to pray with David... Create within me a clean heart.'

Key Arguments

External purity is meaningless without internal purity.

Summary: Weaver argues that being outwardly moral while inwardly corrupt makes one no better than a Pharisee; true righteousness must exceed external compliance.

Evidence: He cites Matthew 5:20: 'Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.'

Our spirit dictates our actions, so controlling the spirit is essential.

Summary: Anger, harsh words, and physical violence stem from an uncontrolled spirit; ruling one's spirit is greater than military conquest.

Evidence: Proverbs 16:32: 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.'

Sins of the spirit are often secret and deceptive.

Summary: The heart is deceitful, and we may have secret sins we are unaware of; we must pray for God to cleanse us from hidden faults.

Evidence: Jeremiah 17:9: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?' and Psalm 19:12: 'Cleanse thou me from secret faults.'

Bitterness and unforgiveness are root sins that defile many.

Summary: A bitter spirit spreads and corrupts others; those forgiven by God must forgive others, or they face severe consequences.

Evidence: Hebrews 12:15 warns of a root of bitterness defiling many. Matthew 18:35: 'So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.'

Pride is a foundational sin that hardens the heart.

Summary: Pride leads to a stiff neck and resistance to God; it is at the root of many other sins.

Evidence: Daniel 5:20: 'But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne.'

Walking in the Spirit is the only way to overcome sins of the spirit.

Summary: The Holy Spirit leads believers to mortify sinful deeds and obey God; without the Spirit's leading, holiness is impossible.

Evidence: Romans 8:13-14: 'If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'

An uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit that reveals inner corruption.

Summary: The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, and cannot be tamed by human effort; it must be bridled as part of spiritual cleansing.

Evidence: James 3:6: 'The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity... and it is set on fire of hell.'

Believers must actively participate in cleansing, relying on God's enablement.

Summary: While we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves, we must depend on the Holy Spirit; our duty does not diminish because of His ability.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is our responsibility, but it is his ability.' He references 2 Corinthians 7:1: 'Let us cleanse ourselves.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 7:1

Context: The main text of the sermon: '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.'

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Context: The promises referred to in 2 Corinthians 7:1: God will be our God and we His people, and He will be our Father and we His sons and daughters.

James 1:18

Context: God begot us by His own will with the word of truth, implying He is our Father.

John 17:3

Context: Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, emphasizing a personal relationship with the Father.

Galatians 5:16

Context: Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Romans 13:14

Context: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

Matthew 23:27

Context: Pharisees are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful outwardly but full of dead men's bones and uncleanness.

Luke 11:39

Context: Pharisees clean the outside of the cup but are inwardly full of ravening and wickedness.

Matthew 5:20

Context: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 32:2

Context: Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).

1 Timothy 4:12

Context: Be an example in spirit, among other things.

1 Peter 3:1-4

Context: The hidden man of the heart, a meek and quiet spirit, is of great price in God's sight.

Proverbs 16:32

Context: He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.

Proverbs 25:28

Context: He that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

Matthew 15:16-20

Context: Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, etc., proceed from the heart and defile a man.

Jeremiah 17:9

Context: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?

Psalm 19:12

Context: Cleanse me from secret faults.

Ephesians 4:30-32

Context: Grieve not the Holy Spirit; put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and be kind and forgiving.

Colossians 3:19

Context: Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them.

Hebrews 12:15

Context: Looking diligently lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and many be defiled.

Historical References

Pharisees

Context: Used as an example of external righteousness without internal purity; they were outwardly moral but inwardly corrupt.

Nebuchadnezzar

Context: His heart was lifted up in pride, leading to his deposition from the throne, illustrating the danger of pride.

Cool Hand Luke (movie)

Context: Weaver references the character Luke's ability to remain unprovoked despite torture, illustrating control of one's spirit.

Important Quotes

There is nothing meaner or nastier in this entire world than a Christian that is not right with God.

Significance: Emphasizes the severity of internal sin and the hypocrisy of professing Christians who harbor bitterness and other sins of the spirit.

It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure.

Significance: Summarizes the central argument that holiness must be inward as well as outward.

Your spirit dictated your actions.

Significance: Highlights the causal link between the condition of the spirit and outward behavior.

He that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Significance: Quoting Proverbs 16:32 to stress the supreme value of self-control over external conquest.

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Significance: Quoting Jeremiah 17:9 to warn that we may be unaware of secret sins in our spirit.

Sins of the spirit grieve God just as much.

Significance: Asserts that inward sins like bitterness are as offensive to God as outward sins.

A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit.

Significance: Identifies the tongue as a key indicator of spiritual filthiness, based on Proverbs 15:4.

Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Significance: Quoting Psalm 51:10 as the essential prayer for internal cleansing and renewal.

Discussion Questions

Why is external morality without internal purity insufficient for biblical holiness?

Context: Weaver contrasts the Pharisees' outward cleanliness with their inward corruption, using Matthew 23:27 and Luke 11:39.

How does our spirit dictate our actions, and what does Proverbs 16:32 teach about self-control?

Context: Weaver explains that anger and harsh words stem from an uncontrolled spirit, and ruling one's spirit is greater than military victory.

What are 'secret sins' and why are they dangerous? How can we pray about them?

Context: Citing Jeremiah 17:9 and Psalm 19:12, Weaver warns that the heart is deceitful and we may have hidden faults we don't recognize.

According to Ephesians 4:30-32, what specific attitudes grieve the Holy Spirit, and how should we replace them?

Context: Weaver lists bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, and urges kindness and forgiveness instead.

How does the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) illustrate the necessity of forgiving others?

Context: Weaver uses the parable to show that those forgiven a great debt must forgive others, or face God's judgment.

In what ways is pride a root sin, and how did it affect Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:20)?

Context: Weaver explains that pride hardens the heart and leads to a fall, as seen in Nebuchadnezzar's deposition.

What does it mean to 'walk in the Spirit' as the remedy for sins of the spirit, based on Galatians 5 and Romans 8?

Context: Weaver teaches that the Holy Spirit leads us to mortify sinful deeds and obey God, enabling internal holiness.

Why is the tongue described as 'a world of iniquity' (James 3:6), and how can we practically bridle it?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that an uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit and urges keeping the mouth to avoid trouble.

Applications

Pray for a Clean Heart and Right Spirit

Summary: We must regularly pray Psalm 51:10, asking God to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us, acknowledging our secret sins.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must learn to pray with David in Psalm 51 in verse 10 when he said, Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.'

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

Summary: Since we are bought with a price, we must honor God not only in our physical actions but also in our inner spirit, cleansing both from filthiness.

Evidence: Weaver references 1 Corinthians 6:20: 'Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.'

Seek Entire Sanctification

Summary: We should pray for God to sanctify us wholly—spirit, soul, and body—preserved blameless until Christ's coming, as Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and says, 'Paul prayed that God would sanctify us totally and completely. And that should be our prayer as well.'

Control the Tongue

Summary: To avoid sin of the spirit, we must bridle our tongues, refraining from evil, guile, and useless noise, as Proverbs 13:3 and 21:23 instruct.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God says keep your mouth. And keep your tongue.' He cites Proverbs 13:3 and 21:23.

Walk in the Spirit to Mortify Sin

Summary: We must actively choose to walk in the Spirit, allowing Him to lead us to put to death the deeds of the flesh and spirit, canceling our desires for God's commands.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'If we are walking in the Spirit... He will lead us into obedience to the Word of God.' He references Romans 8:13-14.

Forgive Others as God Forgave You

Summary: Since we have received great mercy and forgiveness from God, we must forgive others from the heart, avoiding bitterness and an unforgiving spirit.

Evidence: Weaver uses Matthew 18:21-35 and says, 'If we have been the recipients of mercy, we should show mercy.'

Examine Your Spirit for Hidden Sins

Summary: Because the heart is deceitful, we should regularly ask God to reveal secret faults and cleanse us from sins we may not recognize, such as pride or unfaithfulness.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'There have been times in my life that I genuinely thought that I was doing something for God's honor... and God opened my eyes and I found out that God was not in it at all.'

Replace Sins of the Spirit with Christlike Virtues

Summary: Instead of bitterness, wrath, and evil speaking, we should cultivate kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness, as commanded in Ephesians 4:32.

Evidence: Weaver reads Ephesians 4:31-32: 'Let all bitterness... be put away from you... and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:18:25Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:50:50Z

Clean Transcript

Perfecting Holiness - 4

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

2 Corinthians chapter 7, and we're on part 4 of this short series on perfecting holiness. So if you will look please at verse 1, we will read it and begin a slight review, and then pick up where we left off. Notice if you would, 2 Corinthians 7 verse 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." I trust that you will remember that when the Apostle said, "having therefore these promises, dearly beloved," he is referring back to the promises that are revealed in 2 Corinthians 6, verses 16-18. The first promise, of course, is that God would be our God and we would be his people. And the second promise is that God would be our Father and we would be his sons and his daughters. I was really pointing out in the first two messages the implication of God as our Father, and I pointed out that if He is our Father indeed, then He is the one that has begotten us.
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For James 1:18 says, "...of His own will begotten us with the word of truth." Further, we've seen that if God is our Father, it also implies that He is our provider. He is our protector and He is our portion. So He's the one then who sustains us, who defends us, who protects us, who gives us victory in time and in history as well as in eternity.
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And it's important for you and I to remember what eternal life is because our Lord Himself said in John 17 verse 3, "And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." So eternal life is not just simply living forever. Eternal life is that personal, intimate relationship that we are enabled to have with God our Father through the merits and through the work of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I hope you see the connection then between these promises and encouragement to holiness, for our God said, "Be ye holy as I am holy" as well. So we looked at the declaration of the promises first, and then we began looking at the description of the purging, because if you look in verse 1, he said, "...having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh."
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And remember I told you last week that the flesh here refers to our sinful inclinations, our sinful propensities, and the word filthiness here demonstrates and denotes anything that is defiling, that is unclean, that needs to be purged from our lives. And of course, we talked about the filthiness of the flesh, and Galatians chapter 5 tells us the works of the flesh and how we are to consistently avoid the works of the flesh. And of course, in Galatians 5 and verse 16, the Apostle Paul said, "Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." And then in Romans 13 and verse 14, we were commanded to "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." So, he's telling us then this is to be purged from our lives.
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Notice if you would, and here's where we're going to pick up today because there is something else that must be purged. He says, "...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." So under the purging described, we're not only dealing now with the filthiness of the flesh, which we have dealt with, but there's going to be a connection which you shall see. But now there's the filthiness of the Spirit. So God commands us then to cleanse ourselves from not only the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit as well.
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Now, we must understand that the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit were never designed as a substitute for our discharge of duty. It is true we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, but we must rely totally and completely upon the Holy Spirit, and yet our relying upon the Holy Spirit does not diminish our obligations or our duty at all. It is our responsibility, but it is his ability. Now, look, if you would, please, in the fact that he said, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." I have preached for 46 years.
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I began saying this after the first year or two of preaching from personal observations, and I'm still saying it. There is nothing meaner or nastier in this entire world than a Christian that is not right with God.
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Now, you just stop and think about that. We may boast that we're not guilty of murder, drunkenness, thievery, adultery, fornication, and a thousand other filthy, fleshly acts. However, as long as we possess a mean, vindictive, bitter, resentful, and hateful spirit, we are nowhere close to biblical holiness. And there are so many people in this world today who will make all kind of efforts to make sure the outside is just right, that it's clean.
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But on the inside, they are a seething mass of sin and rebellion. It's kind of like the story I heard years ago about the mother who had the little girl in the car. And the little girl kept standing up. This was before the seatbelts. And the mother kept telling her to sit down. And the little girl would sit down and spring right back up. The mother said, "I said, sit down." And the little girl just remained standing. Finally, she said, "I said, sit down." And the mother reached over and grabbed the little girl and sat her in the seat. The little girl folded her arms and looked at her mother and said, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside."
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Well, that's exactly the way a lot of people are. They have the outside clean, but on the inside, they're still in rebellion. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold 2 Corinthians 6, but go in your Bibles to Matthew 23, because our Lord tells us about people like this, and he especially nails the Pharisees. So if you look in Matthew chapter 23 and look in verse 27 first, Matthew 23 and verse 27, our Lord says it like this, "Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are likened to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness." So our Lord then likened the Pharisees to a beautiful, whited tombstone. Clean, beautiful, but on the inside, absolutely full of corruption and filth. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 11, and notice verse 39, he uses the same illustration, but just a little differently. Luke chapter 11 and verse 39, and here our Lord says this, Luke 11 verse 39, "And the Lord said unto him, Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
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So very obviously, here were these Pharisees that were outwardly moral, but inwardly totally corrupt. They believe, the Pharisees believe, that just simply because they refrained from certain physical acts that they would fulfill the law and be pure.
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Now let me emphasize something. It is true that we must be externally clean, outwardly clean and pure. But it is also equally true that we must be internally clean and pure. Let me say it like this. It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure. For instance, if you would go back in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and look at verse 20, and look if you would what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees. By the way, let me just stop before I read this passage and remind you of something. Do you realize the average church would be absolutely happy, absolutely delighted to have a church full of Pharisees? Why?
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They were always on time. They were never late. They would always pray. They would always tithe. They would always make a show of all of these things. In other words, they would be the perfect church member. You would never have to get on to them for anything. And yet look what our Lord said in Matthew 5 in verse 20. He said it very plainly to his disciples.
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He said, "Verily I say unto thee, watch now, verse 20, for I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Our Lord said you've got to have something more than external purity. You've got to have something more than externals. So the truth of the matter is this. The Pharisees did have a righteousness, but it was a righteousness of their own making. It was not the righteousness of God. And our Lord said very plainly, we have to have something more than that.
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We must be clean without and within. But listen carefully. Our external purity must proceed from an internal purity. So our Lord then tells us. We have to cleanse ourselves not only from the filthiness of the flesh, but of the Spirit. And if we deny this simple truth, listen carefully, we're no better than the Pharisees. In fact, that's what we will become, Pharisees. We'll have the attitude, "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't chew, I don't go with the girls that do." Well, fine. But why is it you don't do those things? Is it because of the internal holiness that makes you pure externally, or are you just claiming an external holiness?
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32, Psalm 32, and look at verse 2 at what David says. Psalm 32 and verse 2. David here is talking about the blessed man. In fact, verse 1, he says it like this, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." And now, verse 2, he tells another aspect of the blessed man. He said, "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."
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Now, the word guile refers to deceitfulness, hypocrisy, treachery, slothfulness, or anything that is untrue and false. But notice where he says it is. "Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile." It's not in his body. It's in his spirit. In 1 Timothy 4, verse 12, Paul wrote to Timothy and he said this, "Let no man despise thy youth. But be thou an example of believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity."
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So everything is referring to internal. Now, let me show you another passage. I do want you to turn to 1 Peter 3 and look at verse 4. 1 Peter 3 and verse 4, because here is that which God declares is holiness in women. 1 Timothy 2 is an excellent passage as well, but I want you to see what he says here in 1 Peter 3 and verse 4. Look at this. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 1, just so you can see it in the context. 1 Peter 3, verse 1.
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"Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or the conduct of the wives. While they, that is the husbands, behold your chaste conversation or pure conduct coupled with fear." Now watch. "Whose adorning? Let it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair, or wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel." Watch verse 4.
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"But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price." Now, there are a lot of people who will take verse 3 out of context, and they will say that women should not plait their hair and women should not wear gold. Well, if you're going to be consistent in saying that, that verse 3 says, "let it not be the putting on of apparel." So does that mean women should go around naked? Of course not. But what our Lord is saying is this. You're not dependent upon your hair for your beauty, your gold, or your apparel for your beauty. Your beauty comes from an inward, meek, and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price.
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Now, you've got to ask a question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible that refer to the Spirit? Why is there so much emphasis upon the Spirit? Let me answer that. It is because ultimately it is our Spirit that dictates our actions. For instance, don't answer this out loud, but if you ever physically struck out at someone, have you ever physically hit someone or tried to hit someone?
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If you did, it's because you were angry first. Your spirit dictated your actions. Have you ever said something you wish you'd never said? It's because your spirit dictated first. You were angry, you were upset and you said it. Your spirit. Are you listening? Your spirit was out of control. You were not controlling your spirit. Your spirit was controlling you. There is a spirit in man. And the Word of God tells us we should be controlling our spirits rather than allowing our spirits or our passions to control us.
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Now, we should look at two verses in Proverbs. The first one is Proverbs chapter 16, Proverbs 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 32. Proverbs 16, verse 32. Then we'll go to Proverbs 25. Proverbs 16, look at verse 32, at what the Scripture says. God says, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Interesting. God said, "he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty." And then he says, "he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." So the man then who has control over his own spirit, according to God, is greater than the greatest warrior. He's greater than the greatest fighter. Because he can indeed control himself. If you will look in Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28. Proverbs 25 and verse 28. He says it like this. Proverbs 25 verse 28. "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls."
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"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls." If we're not in control of our spirit, we're not in control. A city that is broken down and without walls is very easily assaulted. It is very easily entered into and looted. Now listen very carefully. If you are able to control your spirit, I cannot make you angry. I cannot upset you. I cannot make you jealous. I cannot make you envious. I cannot make you bitter. If you control your spirit, I cannot manipulate you or intimidate you. We often say something like this, "that person just makes me so angry." No, the person is not making you angry. You're losing control of your own spirit is what is making you angry.
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I saw a movie many, many, many years ago, and I remember very little about the movie. And when I call the title, you will know it's very, very old. The name of the movie was Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman. He was in prison. I don't even remember why he's in prison. I have no earthly idea. But he'd always try to escape. He'd always try to do things that would upset the warden and the people in charge.
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And they would beat him. They would torture him. They would do all kinds of inhumane things to him. And he always had, even while they were doing it, that sly smile, which would infuriate them. And when they finished tormenting him and torturing him, he would still have that smile. Nothing upset him. And that's what infuriated those people who were torturing him. It's often been said, if you really want to infuriate your enemies, just smile and be sweet and be kind because they can't literally stand it.
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So very obviously, it does not matter how obnoxious someone is. It does not matter how contentious they are. If you can control your spirit, they cannot upset you and they cannot manipulate you. And they cannot make you angry. God said, "he that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city."
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Now, I want you to look at Matthew 15, because our Lord illustrates what I'm trying to show you. Our Lord tells us that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Why should we pay attention to our spirits? Well, look in Matthew chapter 15, and let's begin reading there in verse 16. Our Lord is talking to his disciples, and he says this. Matthew 15 in verse 16, "And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out of the draught?"
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Now watch, "but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man."
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Now, I want you to note what our Lord is saying. And here's the very first thing that he says proceeds from the heart or from the mind or from the spirit. Watch. He said the very first thing that proceeds are evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. And you can actually describe everything else that follows as evil thoughts. Whether it's murders, adultery, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, in other words, if I'm just thinking about stealing from Ed, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about committing adultery or fornication, that's an evil thought. If I'm just thinking about lying about Clay, that's an evil thought. Every one of these things that we ascribe to the flesh, which Galatians 5 says these things are of the flesh, they proceed from our hearts. Now, sins of the Spirit are those sins that come from our heart and from our mind. Often times, they are our secret sins.
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Now, let me explain that. In one sense of the word, they're secret because no one knows them and no one suspects them. No one knows what we're entertaining in our minds. No one knows what we're really longing after in our hearts. No, they're secret in that sense of the word. And usually the only way that we, the outsiders, get to know what is really in your mind is when it comes forth in actions.
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when it manifests itself, and it will eventually demonstrate and manifest itself. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eventually you're going to do that. But they're secret in another way as well, because sometimes we may have secret sins, and we don't even know we have them. They can be secret to us. Who can ascertain the first rising of pride? None of us. I want to show you two passages, I want you to turn to Jeremiah 17 verse nine. And then we're going to turn to Psalm 19, Jeremiah 17 and Psalm 19. You're going to ask me, well, how can I have a secret sin? And I don't even know it. How can there be sin in my mind, sin in my heart, sin in my life, and I don't even realize it's there? Well, I'll show you. Look in Jeremiah 17, verse 9. Look what the Bible says. Jeremiah 17, verse 9. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" You don't know your heart.
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You don't know everything in your heart. Let me tell you, there have been times in my life that I genuinely thought that I was doing something for God's honor and God's glory. And God opened my eyes and I found out that God was not in it at all. I was doing it for myself. That was a secret sin until God showed it to me. So he said, "the heart's deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?"
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So look in Psalm 19 and verse 12. And here is what David prayed. And certainly we should pray this prayer as well. Look at Psalm 19 and verse 12. David asked this question. "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults." Notice, "cleanse thou me from secret faults" or from secret sins. There have been many individuals, many Christians who believed that they had honestly dealt with the sin of the Spirit, and they honestly thought they had it taken care of, and it was under wraps, and all of a sudden, in a moment of tension, or pressure, or stress, it came out. Our hearts are deceitful.
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And above all things, they are desperately wicked. So we need to learn to pray with David. "Cleanse us from secret faults" or from secret sins.
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Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 and before I read this passage. If I were to ask you this question. Do you think the sin of adultery would grieve the heart of God? Yeah. What about the sin of murder? Would that grieve him? Yeah. What about theft? Would that grieve him? Of course. Idolatry? Yes. But you see, all of these are works of the flesh. We understand that. But I want to show you the sins of the spirit grieve God just as much. Look in Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30, the Bible says, "...and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed in the day of your redemption." Now watch.
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"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Notice if you would, after he says, "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God," then he lists some things that would grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And he tells you, since they will grieve the Holy Spirit, you need to put them out of your life. Bitterness! Wrath. Anger. Clamor. Do you know what clamor is? Clamor.
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I'll tell you the illustration and then you'll understand. When I was a boy, my cousins would come over and we would have, since we lived on the farm, we'd have corn cob wars. We'd fling corn cobs at each other. You don't throw them, you fling them, okay? But we would always cheat. Because we had a two-story barn, and my cousin and I would be up in the upper story. Ned, the big strong cousin, was down below. And we would always soak corn cobs overnight in water. You ever been hit with a wet corn cob? It's like getting hit with a brick bat. Well, Ned was so big and so strong, you know, the two of us would stay in here. Well, my cousin and I were in the loft of the barn. And for a minute, no corn cobs had been being thrown. And my cousin looked at me and says, "where is he?" I said, "I don't know. I don't hear him."
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And there was a knothole. I'm telling you that knothole was no bigger than that. I said, "look through that knothole and see if you can see." So my cousin got on his knees and looked down through that knothole. And the Lord is my witness. Ned was right under that knothole. With a wet corncob, and when he saw my cousin kneel down and look, he threw that corn cob, and that thing came up in first, right through the middle of that knothole, hit my cousin in the middle of the eye, knocked him out cold as a cucumber.
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He went flat on the floor. I jumped out of the second story window, and I went to sing, "You killed him! You killed him! You killed him!" And I went hollering to my dad that my cousin was dead. Well, that was clamor. That was useless noise because he wasn't dead. He's just knocked out. OK, we got him. We got him revived momentarily. But that's what clamor is. Clamor is just useless noise. That's like Henry saying something like this. "Well, I don't know have the answer to the problem, but I don't put my two cents worth anyhow." That's clamor.
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I have been in so many meetings for people say things that are totally, absolutely unrelated to what's going on. I could conduct the average business meeting that lasts eight hours. I could conclude it in an hour if you just cut out the clamor. That's what clamor is, it's useless noise. Look what God says. He says that bitterness, that wrath, that anger, that useless noise, that evil speaking is to be put away from you. Now you know what evil speaking is. I hope you do. Let me put it like this. Suppose Clay came up and said, "you know, I really like Robert." And I look at Clay and I say, "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I knew." Have I said anything bad about Robert? Did I? No. I didn't say anything bad about him. But I implied that I knew something bad about him. You see what? That's evil speaking. That's when you're cutting someone down or implying that there's something wrong with someone when it's not true. So God says all that evil speaking is to be put away.
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And look what else he says. It's to be put away from you with all malice. There's to be no malice in your heart. Then he says you need to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.
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Now, let me point something out. God says bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, all these things are sins of the spirit. How many people are bitter? I have known bitter people. I've known Christians that are so absolutely bitter, it is unbelievable. One of the tendencies, one of the failings of husbands is to be bitter against their wives. We would not strike our wives. We would not curse our wives. But we'll get bitter against them. And God says in Colossians 3 and verse 19, "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them." I want you to understand something. Not only can husbands be bitter against wives, wives can be bitter against husbands. In fact, we can be bitter against anyone. Let me show you something about bitterness. I want you to look in the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. Watch carefully. Watch carefully.
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You've heard the old expression that a rotten apple will spoil the bushel or the batch or whatever you have, or peck, whatever you have your apples in, let one rotten apple stay in there and pretty soon all the other apples are spoiled as well. Watch what God says about bitterness. Hebrews 12 and verse 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." One root of bitterness that troubles you, according to Scripture, will defile many. So, if one gets bitter, the next thing you know, that bitterness will spread. It will defile a multitude of people. So bitterness is a sin of the spirit. What about an unforgiving spirit? I've heard so many people say, "well, I'll never forgive him" or "I'll never forgive her." Why did we have such an unforgiving spirit? And the answer is because we have a bitter, vindictive heart, which is a sin of the spirit. Someone says, "but you don't understand the sin that that person committed against me is so great."
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"I could never forgive that person." Well, was the sin against you any greater than your sin against Christ? And yet He forgave you. I want you to turn to Matthew 18. And I want you to see this in light of what I've just said. Look in Matthew 18. And I want to begin reading in verse 21. And we'll read down through verse 35. And I'm going to tell you the point of this entire lesson. This is a lesson on bitterness and on unforgiveness. Watch Matthew 18, verse 21. "Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him until seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven," four hundred and ninety times, which basically is unlimited.
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He says, "therefore, is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he began to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold and his wife and children and all that he had in payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence," an insignificant amount, "and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou ow'st. And the fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I'll pay thee all. And he would not. And when he cast him into the prison till he should pay the debt."
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"So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their Lord all that was done. Then their Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that thou didst, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on my fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him. So likewise, shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses?"
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Here is the simple point. If we have been the recipients of mercy, we should show mercy. If we have been the recipients of forgiveness, we should learn to forgive. If we have been forgiven, we should have a thankful, tender spirit, and so that we can forgive others as well. Let me point out that not only bitterness and unforgiveness are sins of the Spirit, but also pride and haughtiness are sins of the Spirit. Most of you can quote Proverbs 16 and verse 18, where the Bible said, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
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You know, one of the sad things is this. If we were truthful, we would have to wrestle with pride every day. For there is pride in everything that we do. There is a difference between taking pride in your work and doing everything for God's honor and God's glory, and being proud of your work. Most of us want to think that we're self-sufficient, that we can take care of ourselves, and that everyone should agree with us. It is pride that causes us to stumble and fall, especially when we become very arrogant and puffed up and haughty.
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And if that's true, why do you understand? That's probably one of the reasons we're always in trouble. Do you realize that the Bible says that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble? And the word resist literally means that God fights against the proud.
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Now, let me point something out. Do you realize that pride is at the bottom of a hardened spirit and a stiff neck? Look in your Bibles to the book of Daniel chapter 5. You'll find out what is said concerning Nebuchadnezzar. Look in Daniel chapter 5 and verse 20.
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Daniel 5, verse 20. Watch carefully. Daniel 5, verse 20. Speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, "but when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him." But when his heart was lifted up, that's true. That's pride. That's arrogancy. Watch. "And his mind hardened in pride." Have you ever noticed that there are some people that are so hard?
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So stiff necked when it comes to the word of God, they will not listen. They do not want to listen. They will not repent. They refuse to entertain the fact that Jesus Christ is God and that He is Lord and demands their repentance and faith. Why is it they are so hardened, they are so adamant? The answer is because of pride. You strip away all of their excuses. You strip away all of their reasonings, and at the root of everything, you will find pride. Listen carefully. Pride is a root sin. Bitterness is a root sin. It is the root from which the tree grows and produces all kinds of sinful fruits. Let me point something else out that is a sin of the Spirit, and that is unfaithfulness. We certainly see how unfaithfulness can be the sin of a spirit when we are talking about an unfaithful husband or an unfaithful wife.
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But if you ever stop to think. That we do not see that same unfaithfulness in relationship to our Lord in his work. Have you ever noticed in most churches? In most churches, the pastors have to plead, beg, exhort, beseech, and coerce professing Christians to be faithful to the Lord and the Lord's work. Why? What's the matter with us? How is it we cannot be faithful and steadfast with the Lord?
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Listen, I know when Sunday morning comes around, I think even my dog knows when Sunday morning comes around, because she's up ready to ride in the car. I know where I'm supposed to be on Sunday. I know what I'm supposed to do on Sunday. And you should know the same thing. But let me show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 78. Psalm 78. I'm going to show you how unfaithfulness is a sin of the Spirit. Psalm 78. Psalm 78.
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And look, if you would please, at verse 8. God is speaking and He's telling these people not to be as their fathers. In fact, He says in verse 8, "and might not be as their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God." Now watch the next verse. "The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bows turned back."
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in the day of battle. But notice, if you would, one of the reasons they turned back was their spirit was not steadfast with God. Israel did not maintain a firm trust in God. They yielded to every impulse and every passion, even when it tended to draw them wholly and totally and completely away from God, even they were so easily led into idolatry. And please listen. I know that in Galatians 5 and verse 20, that idolatry is listed as a work of the flesh.
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We saw it last week. But idolatry first starts in the mind. It starts in the spirit. When the spirit is not steadfast with God, you are going to wander. You're going to entertain thoughts that you should never entertain. And the Bible says they were not steadfast with God in their spirit. Let me tell you, the one area in which Old Testament Israel was consistent in was their inconsistency with God. They were consistently inconsistent.
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And unhappily, that's where a lot of Christians are today. They're consistently inconsistent. So the question then comes back, if we have to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, wow, how do we avoid sins of the spirit? Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there in verse 22. Galatians 5, verse 22. We are told that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Watch. "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
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"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Now, God says if we do not want to have the sins of the Spirit in our spirit, we should learn to walk in the Holy Spirit. Lord willing, I'm going to bring a short series in the not too distant future on what it means to walk in the Spirit. But right here, God says this is the answer. I want you to turn to one of the passage, go back to Romans chapter 8, and I will mention this because I'll develop this more fully when I get to that other series. But look at Romans chapter 8. And he says this beginning there with verse 10. Romans 8, verse 10. Look at this passage, Romans 8, verse 10, "and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
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"Therefore, brethren, watch now, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
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Now, let me point something out. If we are walking in the Spirit, if we are being led by the Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit of God who will lead us to mortify, that is to make dead, the deeds of the flesh and of the Spirit. He will lead us into obedience to the Word of God. So, here's how this works. Ed makes me angry. Ed makes me angry.
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And I'm just about ready to cuss him out and tell him off. And I think, wait. God said to cleanse myself from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Lord, I just had anger and that anger is wrong and it's wicked. And I'm not going to cuss out Ed. I'm not going to fuss at Ed. I refuse to do that. I will talk to him and we can resolve the problem together. You see what I'm saying? If you think for a minute, here's what God says, here's what I want. You have to cancel out what you want and go with what God says. Here's what I like to do. Here's what God says. I have to cancel out what I'd like to do and be obedient to what God says.
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Walking in the Spirit, if we're walking in the Spirit, he's leading us, he's guiding us into obedience. If you are living an unholy life, an ungodly life, I have no doubt in my mind that there is not a spirit leading you, but it is not the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will always lead us into obedience.
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Now, let me point one other thing out. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 15, and then we're going to the book of James. Just trying to show you very quickly one other sin of the Spirit. We never think of this as being a sin of the Spirit, and yet it really truly is. Look in the book of Proverbs 15 and look at verse 4. Proverbs 15 and verse 4. In fact, we probably ought to read verse 1 in light of this, but look at verse 1, Proverbs 15, verse 1.
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"A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." Watch verse 4. God says "a wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." What? Perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. Here's what he's saying. A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit. Isn't that amazing? A sharp, biting, sarcastic, hateful tongue is a sin of the Spirit.
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Now, turn over in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1 and look at verse 26 first. James chapter 1, verse 26. Hebrews, James, and James 1 in verse 26. Look at this. God says in James 1 in verse 26, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Isn't that amazing? You have to control your spirit in order to control your tongue. Look in James 3, beginning there with verse 5. James 3, verse 5. He says, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire out of hell."
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"For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and things of the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed, watch, but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Wow. I heard one preacher say one time, the tongue is like an automatic sewing machine set on fire out of hell. Have you ever noticed how fast those sewing machines can go? One preacher, he's now dead, but he did this.
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There was a lady in the church who was known for her gossiping, and he preached that night very powerfully, and he included gossip. And after the service was over, song was being sung, and the woman came up to him and said, "Pastor, I want to lay my tongue on the altar." He said, "Bless God." He said, "There's 40 feet of it here. Put what you can on it and throw the rest in the corner."
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Well, that's exactly what the scripture is saying. The tongue is an unruly evil. I want you to turn to three passages, then I'm going to give you some applications. I want you to go to first Peter chapter three and verse 10. We're talking about the tongue. And we're talking about the fact it is indeed a sin of the spirit, so look in first Peter. 1 Peter, notice if you would, chapter 3 and verse 10. Here's what God says. 1 Peter 3, verse 10. "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that speak no guile." Now God said if you want to love life, if you want to see good days, refrain your tongue from evil, and you make sure that your lips speak no guile. Two other passages. The next one is in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Proverbs 13 and verse 3.
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I have quoted these verses so many times. Not only to myself, but to others. But look in Proverbs 13 and verse 3. Here is a verse you should memorize. At least write it in the flyleaf of your Bible. Proverbs 13, verse 3. "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 21 and verse 23. This is one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 21 verse 23. Scripture says. "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." You will avoid trouble. God says keep your mouth. And keep your tongue.
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Now, I want you to think about this with me. God said that we're to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. If we cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh, we must know what the filthiness of the flesh is. If we cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the spirit, we must know what a filthy spirit is. Which leads me to this first application. We must learn to pray with David in Psalm 51 in verse 10 when he said, "Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Create within me a clean heart, O God. Why should we pray that? Because we have secret sins and secret faults, some we don't even know about.
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You remember the passage in 1 Corinthians 6 in verse 20, when he says, "For you're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." It's not just your body that belongs to Him, it's your spirit. And you're to glorify Him in the body and the spirit. And one of the ways we must do that is by cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. Now, one last passage. I do have one more. I want you to look at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23.
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I will try to tie everything together for you next week. But look, if you would, at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23.
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Now you will understand why I'm dealing with the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. He said, God said, 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." That's W-H-O-L-L-Y. totally, completely. "And the very God of peace sanctify you totally, completely. I pray, God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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"Faithful is he who calleth you who also will do it." So Paul prayed that God would sanctify us totally and completely. And that should be our prayer as well, that God would sanctify us and enable us to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Let's pray. Father, we do ask you in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and for your mercy. And pray, Father, that you would enable us to indeed cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and Spirit. Enable us to be holy on the inside as well as the outside. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, recognizing the fact that our body and our spirits are Yours. Help us, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:18:25Z

Perfecting Holiness - 4

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on perfecting holiness from 2 Corinthians 7:1, focusing on the command to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the spirit. He explains that while external purity is important, internal purity is essential, and sins of the spirit—such as bitterness, pride, an unforgiving spirit, and an uncontrolled tongue—are just as grievous to God as sins of the flesh. Weaver emphasizes that our spirit dictates our actions, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to mortify these inward sins, walking in the Spirit to produce the fruit of holiness. He concludes with applications to pray for a clean heart and to glorify God in both body and spirit.

Introduction and Review of the Promises

Scripture Reading — 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."

I trust that you will remember that when the Apostle said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,"

Scripture Reading — John 17:3

"And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Flesh Reviewed

He briefly reviews the command to cleanse from filthiness of the flesh, referencing Galatians 5 and Romans 13:14, emphasizing the need to avoid sinful inclinations.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 5:16

"Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Spirit Introduced

The Pharisees as an Example of External-Only Righteousness

Scripture Reading — Matthew 23:27

"Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are likened to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."

The Spirit Dictates Actions

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Interesting. God said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty."

And then he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:32

"he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Sins of the Spirit: Evil Thoughts and Secret Sins

From Matthew 15:16-20, Weaver shows that evil thoughts from the heart defile a person. He discusses secret sins that may be hidden even from ourselves, citing Jeremiah 17:9 and Psalm 19:12.

So look in Psalm 19 and verse 12. And here is what David prayed. And certainly we should pray this prayer as well. Look at Psalm 19 and verse 12. David asked this question.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:12

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults."

Notice,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:12

"cleanse thou me from secret faults"

And above all things, they are desperately wicked. So we need to learn to pray with David. "Cleanse us from secret faults" or from secret sins.

Specific Sins of the Spirit: Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Evil Speaking

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:19

"Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them."

Bitterness and Unforgiveness as Root Sins

Hebrews 12:15 warns that a root of bitterness defiles many. Weaver uses Matthew 18:21-35 to teach that those forgiven much must forgive others, and that an unforgiving spirit is a sin of the spirit.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:15

"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."

Pride, Haughtiness, and Unfaithfulness as Sins of the Spirit

Pride leads to a hardened spirit (Daniel 5:20), and unfaithfulness stems from a spirit not steadfast with God (Psalm 78:8). These are root sins that produce other sinful fruits.

The Remedy: Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-26 and Romans 8:10-14 teach that walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit enables us to mortify the deeds of the flesh and spirit, leading to obedience.

The Tongue as a Sin of the Spirit

Applications and Conclusion

Perfecting Holiness - 4

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	216121048340
Subject	Biblical Worldview
Course	Biblical Worldview Foundations
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 068: Perfecting Holiness — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review of the Promises: Weaver reviews the promises from 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 that God is our Father, implying He is our begetter, provider, protector, and portion, and that eternal life is knowing God personally through Christ.
The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Flesh Reviewed: He briefly reviews the command to cleanse from filthiness of the flesh, referencing Galatians 5 and Romans 13:14, emphasizing the need to avoid sinful inclinations.
The Purging Described: Filthiness of the Spirit Introduced: Weaver introduces the command to cleanse from filthiness of the spirit, noting that external purity without internal purity is insufficient, and that a mean, bitter spirit is far from biblical holiness.
The Pharisees as an Example of External-Only Righteousness: Using Matthew 23:27 and Luke 11:39, Weaver illustrates that the Pharisees were outwardly clean but inwardly corrupt, and that our righteousness must exceed theirs by being internal as well as external.
The Spirit Dictates Actions: Weaver explains that our spirit controls our actions; anger, harsh words, and other outward sins originate from an uncontrolled spirit. Proverbs 16:32 and 25:28 teach that ruling one's spirit is greater than military conquest.
Sins of the Spirit: Evil Thoughts and Secret Sins: From Matthew 15:16-20, Weaver shows that evil thoughts from the heart defile a person. He discusses secret sins that may be hidden even from ourselves, citing Jeremiah 17:9 and Psalm 19:12.
Specific Sins of the Spirit: Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Evil Speaking: Ephesians 4:30-32 lists sins that grieve the Holy Spirit: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. Weaver defines clamor as useless noise and evil speaking as implying falsehoods, and stresses the need to put these away.
Bitterness and Unforgiveness as Root Sins: Hebrews 12:15 warns that a root of bitterness defiles many. Weaver uses Matthew 18:21-35 to teach that those forgiven much must forgive others, and that an unforgiving spirit is a sin of the spirit.
Pride, Haughtiness, and Unfaithfulness as Sins of the Spirit: Pride leads to a hardened spirit (Daniel 5:20), and unfaithfulness stems from a spirit not steadfast with God (Psalm 78:8). These are root sins that produce other sinful fruits.
The Remedy: Walk in the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-26 and Romans 8:10-14 teach that walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit enables us to mortify the deeds of the flesh and spirit, leading to obedience.
The Tongue as a Sin of the Spirit: Proverbs 15:4, James 1:26, and James 3:5-8 show that an uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit, a world of iniquity that defiles the whole body. Proverbs 13:3 and 21:23 urge keeping the mouth to avoid trouble.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the message by urging prayer for a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), glorifying God in body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:20), and seeking entire sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23). He closes in prayer.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

External purity is meaningless without internal purity.

Weaver argues that being outwardly moral while inwardly corrupt makes one no better than a Pharisee; true righteousness must exceed external compliance.

He cites Matthew 5:20: 'Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.'

Our spirit dictates our actions, so controlling the spirit is essential.

Anger, harsh words, and physical violence stem from an uncontrolled spirit; ruling one's spirit is greater than military conquest.

Proverbs 16:32: 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.'

Sins of the spirit are often secret and deceptive.

The heart is deceitful, and we may have secret sins we are unaware of; we must pray for God to cleanse us from hidden faults.

Jeremiah 17:9: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?' and Psalm 19:12: 'Cleanse thou me from secret faults.'

Bitterness and unforgiveness are root sins that defile many.

A bitter spirit spreads and corrupts others; those forgiven by God must forgive others, or they face severe consequences.

Hebrews 12:15 warns of a root of bitterness defiling many. Matthew 18:35: 'So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.'

Pride is a foundational sin that hardens the heart.

Pride leads to a stiff neck and resistance to God; it is at the root of many other sins.

Daniel 5:20: 'But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne.'

Walking in the Spirit is the only way to overcome sins of the spirit.

The Holy Spirit leads believers to mortify sinful deeds and obey God; without the Spirit's leading, holiness is impossible.

Romans 8:13-14: 'If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'

An uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit that reveals inner corruption.

The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, and cannot be tamed by human effort; it must be bridled as part of spiritual cleansing.

James 3:6: 'The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity... and it is set on fire of hell.'

Believers must actively participate in cleansing, relying on God's enablement.

While we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves, we must depend on the Holy Spirit; our duty does not diminish because of His ability.

Weaver states, 'It is our responsibility, but it is his ability.' He references 2 Corinthians 7:1: 'Let us cleanse ourselves.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 7:1: The main text of the sermon: '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.'
2 Corinthians 6:16-18: The promises referred to in 2 Corinthians 7:1: God will be our God and we His people, and He will be our Father and we His sons and daughters.
James 1:18: God begot us by His own will with the word of truth, implying He is our Father.
John 17:3: Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, emphasizing a personal relationship with the Father.
Galatians 5:16: Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Romans 13:14: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.
Matthew 23:27: Pharisees are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful outwardly but full of dead men's bones and uncleanness.
Luke 11:39: Pharisees clean the outside of the cup but are inwardly full of ravening and wickedness.
Matthew 5:20: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Psalm 32:2: Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
1 Timothy 4:12: Be an example in spirit, among other things.
1 Peter 3:1-4: The hidden man of the heart, a meek and quiet spirit, is of great price in God's sight.
Proverbs 16:32: He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.
Proverbs 25:28: He that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.
Matthew 15:16-20: Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, etc., proceed from the heart and defile a man.
Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Psalm 19:12: Cleanse me from secret faults.
Ephesians 4:30-32: Grieve not the Holy Spirit; put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and be kind and forgiving.
Colossians 3:19: Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them.
Hebrews 12:15: Looking diligently lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and many be defiled.

Historical References

Pharisees: Used as an example of external righteousness without internal purity; they were outwardly moral but inwardly corrupt.
Nebuchadnezzar: His heart was lifted up in pride, leading to his deposition from the throne, illustrating the danger of pride.
Cool Hand Luke (movie): Weaver references the character Luke's ability to remain unprovoked despite torture, illustrating control of one's spirit.

Important Quotes

There is nothing meaner or nastier in this entire world than a Christian that is not right with God.

Emphasizes the severity of internal sin and the hypocrisy of professing Christians who harbor bitterness and other sins of the spirit.

It does you no good to be externally clean and pure unless you are internally clean and pure.

Summarizes the central argument that holiness must be inward as well as outward.

Your spirit dictated your actions.

Highlights the causal link between the condition of the spirit and outward behavior.

He that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Quoting Proverbs 16:32 to stress the supreme value of self-control over external conquest.

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Quoting Jeremiah 17:9 to warn that we may be unaware of secret sins in our spirit.

Sins of the spirit grieve God just as much.

Asserts that inward sins like bitterness are as offensive to God as outward sins.

A sharp, sarcastic, biting, hateful tongue is a sin of the spirit.

Identifies the tongue as a key indicator of spiritual filthiness, based on Proverbs 15:4.

Create within me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Quoting Psalm 51:10 as the essential prayer for internal cleansing and renewal.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why is external morality without internal purity insufficient for biblical holiness?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the Pharisees' outward cleanliness with their inward corruption, using Matthew 23:27 and Luke 11:39.

[Question]

How does our spirit dictate our actions, and what does Proverbs 16:32 teach about self-control?

[Context]

Weaver explains that anger and harsh words stem from an uncontrolled spirit, and ruling one's spirit is greater than military victory.

[Question]

What are 'secret sins' and why are they dangerous? How can we pray about them?

[Context]

Citing Jeremiah 17:9 and Psalm 19:12, Weaver warns that the heart is deceitful and we may have hidden faults we don't recognize.

[Question]

According to Ephesians 4:30-32, what specific attitudes grieve the Holy Spirit, and how should we replace them?

[Context]

Weaver lists bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, and urges kindness and forgiveness instead.

[Question]

How does the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) illustrate the necessity of forgiving others?

[Context]

Weaver uses the parable to show that those forgiven a great debt must forgive others, or face God's judgment.

[Question]

In what ways is pride a root sin, and how did it affect Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:20)?

[Context]

Weaver explains that pride hardens the heart and leads to a fall, as seen in Nebuchadnezzar's deposition.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'walk in the Spirit' as the remedy for sins of the spirit, based on Galatians 5 and Romans 8?

[Context]

Weaver teaches that the Holy Spirit leads us to mortify sinful deeds and obey God, enabling internal holiness.

[Question]

Why is the tongue described as 'a world of iniquity' (James 3:6), and how can we practically bridle it?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that an uncontrolled tongue is a sin of the spirit and urges keeping the mouth to avoid trouble.

Applications

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