3 September, 2000

Spiritual Hygiene

John 16:33

I want to do things a little bit different today, I want to take a little survey: How many of you had breakfast this morning?
Is anybody in here hungry, everybody had enough to eat lately?
Any body have cereal and milk? Anybody in here that doesn't like milk?
Since this is Sunday morning, it's a good time to ask; how many of you took your Saturday night bath last night?
How many took your Saturday night bath this morning? No you didn't; you can't take a Saturday night bath on Sunday morning, think about it.
Last question; how many of you did something to get a little exercise this last week, work up a sweat, get the old heart pumping?
All these things have something in common; they are all parts of a healthy lifestyle.
Good food, cleanliness, and exercise; the requirements for good physical health, and they are also good physical examples of good spiritual health, and that is our topic today, good spiritual health and hygiene.

Let's start off with food, baby food, and specifically; mother's milk.
God in His wisdom has provided for all newborns to ideally be nourished the same way, mother's milk, and the more science learns about people, the more we realize what a perfect food it is for babies.
A couple generations ago, there was this fad of putting babies on formula immediately after they were born, and a lot of people in my generation had health problems because they were fed with something that man thought up, instead of what God intended.

In the spiritual realm, we likewise need to know that the best thing for newborn Christians is to have them immediately start spending time reading God's Word, because the Bible is the best thing there is to nourish them, and get them started off on a healthy Christian life.
1Peter 2:1 tells us; " Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speakings,
:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

When you are first getting started as a Christian, the best thing you can do is read the Bible.
See what God says, learn what He is like, learn what He does and what He wants, and learn how He deals with those that obey Him, and with those that hate Him.
There will be a lot you don't understand, just set it aside and keep going, the time will come when it will eventually fall into place.
Just as a baby has to grow to a certain age and maturity before it's ready for solid food, the same thing is true of new believers.

In 1Corinthians 3:1, Paul is speaking to a church that is very worldly, and has a lot of problems, listen to what he tells them:
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."

There is a normal progression in growth in the Christian life that believers grow from the simple, worldly understandings that they have at their conversion to something deeper.
There is a normal progression from the carnal, or worldly way of understanding and looking at things, to a spiritual way of understanding things.
Unfortunately, it does not always happen. In the church at Corinth, there was no growth. There was no progress.
It was a church that had believers that might have been there for years, maybe they had all kinds of head knowledge of Bible doctrines, theology, whatever, but spiritually, they were still babes in Christ.
They had a carnal, worldly outlook at things. They had not grown, they were infantile Christians, behaving in infantile ways.

Every once in a while we still read about churches like that in the funny papers; the deacons get out of sorts with the preacher, the preacher calls on the congregation to run the deacons off, everybody gets all bent out of shape, they go to court over it, and all the heathens stand around and laugh.
Such things ought not to be, but that's what happens when the church has too many carnal, baby Christians.

Everybody loves babies, but if time passes and the baby shows no signs of growing or developing, that is a great tragedy.
Something is wrong with the baby, something is supposed to happen, and it isn't happening.
There is supposed to be growth, and it's not there. Parents would spend all their money to get their child out of that situation, but how many Christians are content to stay that way spiritually, for years and years?

When David speaks during devotions here at the school, he limits his focus primarily to one thing; preaching the Gospel to the unsaved.
Why doesn't he spend more time telling all these unsaved folks about growing in grace, keeping themselves sanctified and holy before God?
Because they wouldn't understand it, an unsaved person cannot be sanctified or holy until after they get saved, salvation first, growth later. Babies can't grow until they first get born, in this case, born again.
How about if David tells them all about the Second Coming of Jesus, and maybe explains the differences in pre, mid, and post millenniumism?
That would be dumb, they don't need that; they need the pure milk of the Word, they need the very basics; how to be saved; and God has blessed the ministry here.

But once people do get saved, then it is normal and good for them to grow, and it is a problem when they don't.
Hebrews 5:12 says; "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
:13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Maturity, growth, discernment. Discernment is important. When a baby is nursing at it's mother, unless the mother is sick, or has ingested something bad, the baby is guaranteed of getting good nourishment.
But once a person gets mature, normally they get their food from a lot of different places; fast food places, pizza places, whatever; and that opens up the potential for problems.
What happens to you when you eat bad food? It makes you sick, weak, you can't do much of anything until you get it out of your system.

In 1Timothy 6:3, Paul tells us what happens when the Word, that pure nourishment that Christians are supposed to eat and grow from, gets corrupted.
"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."
Along with people that teach truth, there will be teachers of error, they are in it for the money, not because they love Jesus, or love other believers and want to help them; their motives are corrupt.
Paul tells us; "Withdraw yourself from them."

In 1Timothy 4:6, he tells us; "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."
A minister of the Gospel is responsible to learn and know as much as he can about the things of God, and then to nourish other believers in those same truths as much as he can.
Good food; the right kind of food, suited for the believer depending on where that believer is in their spiritual growth: spiritual milk for spiritual babies, spiritual meat for adults. Pure and healthy and nourishing.

The believer also has to be clean. Good food, good cleanliness too.
Psalm 119:1 says; "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD."
Isn't it interesting that one of the things that God gave to the nation of Israel was all their Old Testament laws about cleanliness?
They had to wash their hands in running water, not just any old water. They had to keep their utensils and pots clean. If a mouse or creepy crawly of some sort fell in a clay pot, it had to be broken and discarded. All of this thousands of years before germs were discovered.
Twenty five hundred years ago, doctors would pour vinegar or wine into a wound to cleanse and sterilize it, but then we got too smart for our own good.
Two hundred years ago, physicians ignored that God had a purpose behind those Old Testament laws, and doctors would go through hospitals, from one patient to another without washing their hands. Not good!

Just as cleanliness in personal things is vital for physical health, cleanliness in spiritual things is vital for spiritual health.
"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord."
There is a cause and effect relationship here: those whom Jesus Christ has cleansed and made holy by His sacrifice on the cross are the only ones that are undefiled.
They are also the only ones capable of being obedient to God, living according to His commandments because of the Holy Spirit given to those whom God regenerates.
If we stay in the path that God has put us on, and live lives obedient to Him, there will be blessing.

What happens to Christians that turn aside, wander off the path, defile themselves, and ignore the will of God for their lives?
Instead of blessing, you can expect to get taken out behind the woodpile and get a whipping. If you are a child of God, God will discipline you.
God does have some spoiled, bratty children in His family, but it's not a lack of discipline, it's because of hard headed kids. Or adults.

Ephesians 5:25 uses the earthly model of marriage to remind us of whose we are, and what we are to be;
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Spiritual cleanliness. Don't tolerate even a little dirt in your spiritual life, live up to what Jesus wants you to be.

The last part of good health is getting enough exercise.
In 1Timothy 4:7, Paul instructs young Timothy; "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
:8 For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

To really get in good shape, and really get into fighting trim, a person would need to work out and spar at least three times a week, for about 35 to 45 minutes a session, right?
What kind of spiritual strength would we have if we each spent 35 to 45 minutes, at least three times a week, in Bible study and prayer?
Pretty good? Probably so. I bet if we could get everyone in here to spend at least three days a week, 35 or 45 minutes at a time, seeking the Lord, and spending time with Him, in prayer, and in reading His Word, there's no telling what might happen here.

Some people that are getting spiritually beat up might start getting the victory.

Some people that want to get the victory over some particular aspect of their lives might start seeing the results they want.
Maybe I'm simplistic, but I just can't help but think that prayer warriors are going to be better warriors if they practice more often, and stay in shape.

Something that always happens when people start to get in shape physically, muscles start to ache and hurt, you get pains in places where you didn't even know you had places.
Discipline; it takes discipline to get into a physical routine that will really make a difference, and the same thing is true in the spiritual realm.
You start to get serious with God, He will take you up on it.
If you are willing to discipline yourself to get serious with Him, He will strip off your spiritual fat, your spiritual excess baggage, He will take you and teach you about yourself, and about Himself.
Just like a good physical coach or trainer, He will work you hard, but He knows what he is doing, and the rewards are worth it.

Hebrews 12:11 tells us; "Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
That means chastening with a view toward being spiritually exercised. He will take away those things that slow you down, and hinder your run.
He will get your mind off those things that distract you from the race, and teach you to focus on winning what He wants you to have.

Very few people enjoy all the workouts that it takes to get in shape, there is not a whole lot of pleasure in all the exercise it takes to become a great athlete.
And we don't always enjoy all the chastening and discipline that we go through from day to day either, as we try to learn patience, meekness, charity, kindness, and long suffering.
But the prize is worth it. If it wasn't, then God wouldn't be training us so hard. He knows what the prize is worth. He wants us all to have it.

Spiritual good health and hygiene; pure milk to start out, and then good strong food to grow on.

Strict cleanliness, avoiding things that are unhealthy and nasty, things that will defile and spoil us in our spiritual health.

And finally, the right spiritual exercise. Spending time before the Lord in prayer and in His Word.
Trusting Him when He sends us out to run five more laps around that same tiresome track that we've already been running all week.
Christianity is not a 50 yard dash, it's a marathon, and we're all going to be running it for as long as we live.
We need to stay spiritually healthy, spiritually clean, and stay in shape. The prize is worth the run.