Practical Principles for Progress

Last week, we finished studying Hebrews 2. And the final verse of that chapter told us that since Jesus suffered under temptation, He is able to help us who are being tempted. There is an assurance and an encouragement in knowing that Jesus knows what we’re going through, and He will help us in our temptations. We can go to Him any time.

At the same time, there is grief and frustration in recognizing our constant weaknesses and repeated failures. We could have asked Christ for help; we could have made a different decision, but we didn’t. So we fail over and over again.

We get mad with our spouse. We lose our patience with our kids. We gossip about a coworker. We’re lazy at home. We go places we shouldn’t go. We click on stuff we shouldn’t be clicking on. We say things we shouldn’t say. We do things we shouldn’t do. We think things we shouldn’t think. And we know it's wrong, but we do it anyway.

That experience is not only for young Christian; every Christian knows that frustration and pain. The Apostle Paul expresses it in Romans 7 when he says—I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

That’s the life of every Christian. We love God, and we want to honor Him. But we can’t do that perfectly. We mess up over and over again. That’s my life, and that’s your life. We all look nice and holy on Sunday morning, but all of us are messing up in some way or another. We can’t attain to the standard God has given us in His word and placed in our consciences.

So, how is it that we can gain victory over the sins in our life? For starters, you need to know that victory over sin doesn’t necessarily mean that temptation goes away. It’s a wonderful thing when God removes a temptation from your life, but that’s not always going to happen. Victory over sin means that you know how to respond to temptation, and over time, the power of sin is being broken in your life. That’s part of sanctification, which is growing to be more like Christ.

You and I, in the purest sense, can’t sanctify ourselves. We can’t directly and automatically change the condition and desires of our heart. But, that doesn’t mean we have no part in it. There’s a mystery to sanctification because God is the one that changes your heart, and yet you are called to be obedient. Philippians 2 tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Second Corinthians calls us to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

So, how do we do that? And how do we do that especially with sins that seem so stubborn in our hearts?

Today, I’d like to talk about some practical principles for that. I don’t just want to give you a list of “dos and don’ts, ” as important that that might be. But in some way, I assume the Holy Spirit is convicting you, and I want to help you make progress.

The prophet Jeremiah said that the human heart is deceitful. The Proverbs tell us that the heart is like a deep well which takes wisdom to search it out. So, I want to point you in the right direction for diagnosing your own heart, training your heart, and also shepherding the hearts of others.

I want to give you six different areas to consider in your own life as you think about your own weaknesses and failures and how to grow in them. For some of our men, these will be familiar because I recently taught this at a Men’s Conference. So, yes, I am recycling a sermon this Sunday, but usually it’s the other way around. I preach it here first, and then I might preach the better version somewhere else. But now, you get the better version.

Before we begin, I want to know that since this is a topical message, I’m going to be citing a lot of passages. I think you’ll benefit most, not from jotting down every citation, but from listening with your heart. Listen for your own life. You can jot down the points if that helps, but focus most on what sticks out to you, and then you can hear the recording or see the notes later on our website if you want to see a specific reference.

The first area I want to address, with regard to making progress in your walk, let’s call “Pitfalls.”

Pitfalls

A pitfall is a trap you fall into.

You should have some idea of the ways that you fall and fail in the Christian life. How is it that you mess up? What kinds of temptations are you most susceptible to? What is it that, if left unchecked, will destroy your marriage, your family, your ministry, your reputation. Those are your pitfalls. How are you, specifically, messing up?

In thinking about that, then, think about whether or not there are specific things that give expression to that sin. What is it that opens up possibilities for you to sin in a particular way? Don’t be generic, and say “Well, I’m struggling with lust.” Be specific about how it’s manifesting in your life. How are you failing?

Is there a specific place? A relationship? An app on your phone? Your laptop? A specific route you take to or from work?

These items don’t cause sin. James 1 tells us that temptation comes because of our own desires. But there are clearly external things in this world that appeal to our sinful desires, and as a spiritual precaution we can separate ourselves from those things.

Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 18:8-9—If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Jesus is speaking metaphorically, but the point should be obvious. Take drastic steps against the sin in your life.

If you want to fight for purity, that could mean implementing a curfew with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or adding restrictions to your relationship until you’re married.

If you’re addicted to shopping, you don’t walk around the mall with a credit card, right? You need to take steps to avoid the sins in your life.

God calls His people to make war with their sin. There’s a huge difference between how a pet shop handles rats, and how an exterminator handles rats, right? Sin is not a pet to be controlled or kept in a cage. It’s an enemy that needs to be killed.

The Apostle Paul says we are to put the old man to death. We are to make no provision for the flesh. We are to discipline ourselves. Peter says that the desires of our flesh wage war against our soul.

So, think about your own pitfalls, and take strategic actions to protect yourself from danger. Fight for purity.

A second area you should think about is one step behind the external manifestation of sin. And let’s call this “Precursors.”

Precursors

A precursor is a preview of something that is coming.

We know that sin begins in the heart. We can’t, ultimately, blame things outside of us. But we can think about some of the precursors in our life that either lead us to sin or serve as warning signs. Before sin manifests itself externally in a severe way, there are going to be warning signs.

Many of you know the story of David and Bathsheba. The king took a woman who was not his own. But in the opening verses of that story, 2 Samuel 11, we read that David’s adultery took place in the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle. But David, we’re told, remained at Jerusalem. And before calling Bathsheba to his palace, and before seeing her from the roof of his house, the Bible tells us that David was on his couch.

The adultery was a result of his own laziness as a leader. He put himself in that position by not taking care of other things.

How can that happen today? Well, if you stay up late, and wake up in a rush, you might skip breakfast and forget to pack your lunch. And then when you’re getting hungry in the middle of the day, you might start getting cranky too. That’s just one example. A disordered life opens us up to problems.

If a man isn’t loving his own wife, if he is undisciplined as a husband, that’s going to create a distance, or some tension, between him and his wife. And that distance can lead to sexual temptation. Paul even alludes to that possibility in 1 Corinthians 7. If a man and his wife aren’t coming together, Satan brings a temptation.

Jesus says in Mark 7 that our hearts are what defile us. There is nothing good in our sinful flesh. And the effect this world has on us is like the effect hot water has on a bag of tea. It draws out that sin. The wickedness gets extracted.

So, we can’t blame the circumstances, ultimately, but we can recognize the state of our own hearts leading up to more grievous sins. If you’re behind at work, or your boss is mad at you, you should deal with that before you blow up at home. So, you don’t just work on anger; you work on discipline and on fear of man.

Over 50 times in the Psalms, there is a reference to God as a refuge or a hiding place. He is the One we should go to for comfort and security.

Well, you need to identify the false refuges in your life. Life gets good or bad, and we will turn to something other than God for relief. And that leads to more sin. Some people turn to shopping or sex. Some people turn to sports or food. These can be blessings of God if we approach them correctly, but they are not a true refuge. If you feel stressed, and you turn on a game, and then you get mad because your wife is asking you a question during the game, that anger is not your wife’s fault. You have made the game your refuge, instead of God. And if you had recognized that earlier, you might have avoided the outburst of anger.

I hope that example helps you in your own life. What are the precursors in your life? What are the false refuges? What are the warning signs you need to be aware of?

So, we’ve got your pitfalls and your precursors. The third category on my list is your posture.

Posture

This is talking about the mentality you have as you battle sin in your life.

Your main goal cannot be to simply sin less or to stop feeling guilty. That’s not the right mindset. What is a biblical posture?

First, as I already mentioned, you should have a posture of war. This is not a picnic. But in addition to that, we also need a posture of worship. Our bodies are to be living sacrifices to God who made us and loves us. True worship includes an element of fear toward our heavenly Father who will discipline us if we stray from His path. We need a posture of war, but also a posture of worship.

Third, we need a posture of love. Jesus said the summation of life is to love God and love others. There’s a difference in my marriage between the times when my goal is to love my wife and the times when my goal is simply not to make her mad. In both cases, I will do more chores around the house, but the posture is very different. Behind our desire to be holy needs to be a love for God.

One final posture that’s important is a posture of dependence or humility. We can’t do this alone. We can’t do this in our own power. So we need to be praying all the time. When you get in your car, when you park at home, when you get into work—say a prayer asking for God’s help. Psalm 25 prays—Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth. That’s a posture of dependency.

If you want to make changes in your life, for the glory of God, if you want to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, you need the right posture.

Let’s move on to category number 4, which is Patterns.

Patterns

If you want a true picture of the direction of your life, you need to look at your patterns. Your patterns are the visible expressions of what you pursue. This is where your energy is going. This is one simple way to evaluate your own heart and your own motivations.

What does a typical morning look like for you? What does an evening look like? What does your drive look like? What does time on your phone look like?

The patterns of your life are what expose your values and also shape your heart.

For example, personal hygiene and bodily care is important. We are all stewards of our bodies. But if someone is obsessed with fitness or makeup, either in practice or in theory, if that takes up an inordinate amount of time and attention, what does that communicate?

Well, that’s not easy to answer, but at least the question has been asked. Is it fear of man? Is it vanity? Is it the praise of man? Is it a desire to feel strong and in control? The motivation might vary person to person, but the pattern exposes the need to ask the question. And those motivations can then be addressed and turned toward God in a healthy way.

In thinking about patterns in our lives, especially in connection to holiness, we also need to think about the good and healthy patterns for our souls or for our families.

What does Bible intake look like in your own life? What about prayer ? What about church connection and ministry? What about sacrificial giving? What about evangelism? What does shepherding your family look like?

If you say you value these things, how is that value being expressed in the time and attention these things get every day or every week?

Your life has patterns built into it. You generally eat at certain times. You watch TV at certain times. That has a physical and emotional effect on your body. What about the effect on your soul?

For most of you, if you don’t eat breakfast or drink your coffee, you don’t have energy for the day. Well, if you’re going to war with anger or lust or laziness, you need spiritual energy which comes through prayer and God’s word and connection with others.

Think about what your life patterns tell you about your own soul, and think about the patterns you need to adjust to be strong spiritually.

Category number 5 is Partnerships.

Partnerships

The question to think about is which relationships do you have that can help you in your fight for holiness.

There are so many passages that talk about the value and the importance of connections with others.

Ecclesiastes 4 talks about how two people are more productive in their work than one man. When two people walk, one can help the other who has fallen. Two people keep warm better than one. And together, they can fight off an enemy.

Proverbs reminds us many times of the value of a good friend. Iron sharpens iron. Faithful wounds bring growth.

Hebrews tells us to encourage one another every day so that we’re not hardened by sin. It tells us to spur one another to love and good works.

Who does that in your life? And who are you doing that for?

If your answer is “no one,” or “I don’t know,” then take steps to change that. Find a trusted friend. Find someone you can minister to. Find someone who will minister to you. Find someone you can confess your sins to.

It’s such a tragedy that digitally we live in the most “connected” generation of all time, but relationally, people are so isolated. That’s not God’s design. He wants you connected. He wants you to find and develop partnerships for holiness and the glory of God.

Husbands and wives, your spouse is your partner. You need to learn to fight together against a common enemy instead of fighting against each other. Satan is the enemy, not your spouse.

This principle of partnerships seems simple, but I recognize it’s not easy, and it’s not automatic. People are going to let you down. No one else can take the place of Jesus. Be careful of that. But we need others in our lives who will remind us of the truth, and of our weaknesses, and of the right mindset we need to have. We need people fighting with us through prayer.

Developing those kinds of relationships takes time and effort. There’s no shortcut. And we all need to learn and to grow in finding good friends and in being good friends and in making good use of our friends.

What good is a friend in the battle for holiness if you never call him or ask for prayer? What use is a friendship is they don’t make room in their lives and their calendars for one another?

Along this idea of partnerships, you should also think about the part you play in the health and strength of the church. How do you contribute to this local body of Christ? What role do you play?

It could be a formal role with a badge and a tile. It could be an informal role as you encourage people throughout the week or invite them into your home.

Those who belong to Christ are a part of the body. And we all need to be working properly so that the body stays strong.

Your primary role in life is not your job; it is the way you serve with and in the body of Christ. And if you can reorient the way you see yourself, you will take a big step in your battle against sin. Because now there’s more at stake. You identity, your connections and your partnerships affect your actions.

If you want some simply but practical ways to gauge your church connection, think about how you regularly serve with others. Think about your own church attendance. Think about your attendance to meetings outside of Sunday morning, like our Sunday evening lessons and our prayer meetings and our Family Life Groups. Think about what your connections with others in the church look like outside of Sunday. Think about the level of connection your family as a whole has with another family.

If you want to make progress in the faith, but you’re unwilling to connect with others, you’re sabotaging your own growth. Our connections with others shape and sharpen us. They grow us in the fruit of the Spirit.

The final principle to think about in connection to personal growth is perseverance. Pitfalls, precursors, posture, patterns, partnership, and perseverance.

Perseverance

This is the part where you need to put this into practice. Simply sitting in a sermon isn’t going to make anything happen. You have to do something, and you need to keep at it.

How are you going to persevere in the fight against sin? What specifically has stood out to you and what steps can you take? Is there a specific plan you need to put into practice?

As you think about the common pitfalls and failures in your own life, one good starting point is to study what the Bible says about that. Find good resources like a brother or sister in the church to help you, or get a trusted book.

For example, there’s a website called GotQuestions.org, which I have found very helpful in studying the Bible. I may not completely agree with every theological stance they take, but in general, it’s a simple place to start a search. You can also use trusted ministries or radio programs.

But that you’re looking for are specific passages that will help you understand the battle and understand God’s heart. You need Scripture in order to fight.

Psalm 119:9, 11 say—How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word… I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

In thinking about the pitfalls and precursors in your life, ask yourself: are there some freedoms that you need to lay down in order to fight sin? Are there any steps I can take to fight against some unhealthy motivations in my heart?

Ask yourself, what can I do to cultivate new patterns of thinking and behaving? How can I develop a great love for God and for others?

In thinking about partnerships, is there someone you need to talk to today or this week? Maybe you need to have a conversation with your spouse or with a friend, or with an elder. When is that conversation going to happen? It won’t happen unless you ask for it and schedule it.

As a personal recommendation, I’d say that you need to schedule at least two meetings. The first one is to talk about the problems. To let the person ask questions. The second meeting is a longer time to talk about how to move forward. A lot of people stop after the first meeting because they feel better that it happened. They feel the blessing of friendship and they confuse that with substantive change.

This battle for holiness is a lifelong war. We need perseverance. We need to keep at it.

Sometimes in our own human zeal, we feel like something has been conquered, but it may not actually be gone. It may never be gone. You are going to falter and fail, in some way. And while we grieve over sin, don’t let sin discourage you from getting back up in confession and repentance and faith, and turning to Jesus Christ.

We don’t want to be flippant with sin. At the same time, you need to learn to faithfully confess and then continue in the battle. Don’t listen to the lies of Satan that say: “It’s time to walk away. It’s time to stop fighting. Life is hopeless. God is done with you.”

No. Jesus Christ cares more about your holiness than you do. Jesus Christ is jealous for our hearts. He gave us His Spirit empowering us to obey and granting us the willingness to do it. Jesus Christ, our great and merciful High Priest, takes us back when we come in confession and repentance. He walks with us in this battle. He knows we’re weak, and He helps us.

So, persevere in the battle. Don’t lose heart.

Galatians 6:8-9 and tells us—The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

And a personal favorite verse of mine is 1 Corinthians 15:58—Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Persevere, man of God. Persevere, woman of God. God is with us, and there is a heavenly reward awaiting us.