Colossians Part 3

Now, then, the word holiness has been kicked around; there are denominations that won’t even speak to one another over the doctrine of holiness. And it is always on an individual basis. And you have always thought of holiness on an individual basis. Is that not true? Now, brothers and sisters are in this room right now, daily sweating it out. They don’t ever tell anybody because they can’t because Gene told them they were holy, and they don’t want to admit that they don’t feel holy, and they’re wondering if they are holy. And Pablo walks around sometimes saying, “I wonder if Gene’s wrong. He has no idea what I did.”

Now, every once in a while, a brother or sister here in the fellowship really pulls a big one, and everybody knows about it. You understand that? He goes out and he does something really terrible. In a moment of real weakness, he tells somebody that he’s not a Puerto Rican. (laughter) I mean, this is bad, folks, this is terrible. Now, or he gets drunk or worse. I don’t want you pointing any fingers this time, but have you ever had to bail one of the brothers or sisters out of jail here? But you have some serious problems with individuals.

This passage is talking about the holy ones, not the holy one. Are you in the church of Jesus Christ? Are you part of Christ? Has it ever occurred to you that you’re also, and that’s one of the things that makes you holy? But have you ever come to understand that you’re part of a girl who is holy? That’s why you’re called holy ones. She is holy; you are simply part of her. That does not give you an excuse to sin, but then, who among us needs an excuse to sin? I’ve never heard of anybody having even a fairly good answer as to why they sinned. We’re talking about really outward carnal things. Do you understand that you belong to a girl, a person who is always holy? She has been reconciled through the death of Christ. She is holy. Because you are part of her, and she is part of Christ, you are one of the holy ones. But Gene, I pulled a really big, bad one; that does not make her any less holy.

Can anybody quote a verse of scripture that will prove to me, it’s not in Colossians, that will buttress or back up what I’m saying? Anybody? I have just said that there’s a girl, you’re part of her, she’s part of Christ, who is always holy. Anybody got a verse? You are perfect in Christ. You’re perfect in Christ, that would be an individual or a people. But I want one that says “she.” I want a “she.” You don’t know. Do y’all ever read your Bibles? Okay, how’s this for a passage? And remember, you are a holy one, and you are holy ones, in her, in Christ.

Listen to these words. She’s a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. She’s washed in the blood of the Lamb. She’s a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. She has no spot, she has no wrinkle, and she’s glorious, and she’s washed in the blood of the Lamb. She is holy, and you’re just part of her.  So, brothers and sisters, if somebody in the church pulls a big one, I just want you to remember that that does not make her any less holy. And you, brother, when you have finished pulling your big stunt and you’re repentant, and do you know why you’re repentant? Do you know why it makes you so miserable to sin? Because Christ dwells in you. I heard someone give a very simple testimony, he said, “Before I found the Lord, I enjoyed sinning. Then I found the Lord, and I’m miserable when I sin.” Have you ever had that experience? That’s the only experience I’ve ever had. It sure does take the fun out of sinning, and when you’re in the church, it makes it even that much more miserable. Brothers and sisters, she’s holy, and you are in her, and we’re going to read this. Hold on to the word “holy ones,” would you? Okay.

In His death, that He might present you holy, present you blameless, and present you beyond reproach before Him. Brothers and sisters, that is a plural “you;” that He might present you holy, present you blameless, and present you beyond reproach, standing in His presence. I’m going to go over it again. She’s a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, washed in the blood of the Lamb. She is without blame; you cannot rebuke nor reproach her. Have you ever been reproached? You can’t reproach this girl, this person, and she’s holy. You as a people are holy, you as a people are blameless, and you as a people are beyond reproach in the presence of Jesus Christ. Neither he nor anyone else can say you’re not holy, cannot say you’re blameless, cannot say you’re blamable, and cannot say that you need to be reproached. Now then, I give you this incredible mystery: if she is holy and blameless without reproach as she stands in His presence, then you, as part of her, are blameless, holy, and without reproach. Praise the Lord.

Try to remember that she has a holiness, will you? Things are really bad, but she’s holy. Things are really bad, but she’s blameless. Things are really bad, but she’s beyond reproach. I’m going to tell you something really interesting you’ve never heard of, I don’t think. Are there a bunch of sinful people in the Old Testament? Absolutely. David pulled a big one, right? King David and Lot. Boy, did he pull a big one. Correct. Moses pulled a couple of big ones, too. No Old Testament person is ever referred to in a negative way in the New Testament, not once. Is any Old Testament individual, a believer, if we can call him that, Pharaoh gets it kind of in Romans 6 or 7, but I’m talking about those Bible characters you’ve known all your life and heard about. Not one of them is ever referred to as sinful or a failure or anything. They are always exalted.

Now listen to this: There is not a bonehead in the Old Testament, there is not a sinner in the Old Testament who can get worse off than Lot. Do you remember Lot? He pitched his tent toward Sodom, and his tent kept getting pitched closer to Sodom, and he kept following his tent until he was in Sodom. And then he became one of the leaders in Sodom because he was one of those who sat at the gate, and that’s where the leaders sat.

And listen to this statement concerning Lot in the New Testament. Two words: …and righteous Lot…Book of James, I think. Help me, I hope it’s James. “Righteous Lot.” Now, if they belong to the old covenant, how much more? That’s a New Testament phrase that appears several times. If they belong to an old covenant that was temporary, how much more? If Lot, who belonged to an old and temporary covenant, if Lot is righteous in the eyes of God, how much more does Christ see you as righteous? Now, don’t just sit there and say, “Praise the Lord.” Did you know that? Has anybody ever told you that? You never heard that before? Has anybody ever heard that before? Isn’t that amazing? Sometimes when you pull a big one, you go around muttering, “Righteous Lot. Righteous Lot. Righteous Lot.”

Will He not do this, if you continue in faith and continue firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the good news that you heard? That has got to be an individual reference, unless, and now I’m going to talk to you for a minute out of my heart. I’m going to talk to you out of a heart that I hope is not too dissimilar from that of Paul’s. I’ll read it again and explain why. Will he not do this if you continue in faith and continue firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you heard? This is a hint that you can move away from the faith. It is, in fact, a question, and it could be just as easily translated, “Is it not true that in continuing in the faith firmly established, the good news which you heard?” But it is written with a condition to it. If you continue in the faith firmly established, I doubt that there is an exegeter or a Bible scholar living who would agree with what I’m about to say, but then he doesn’t live in my world. I’m going to tell you something you may find very hard to believe.

You remember Paul’s words? I’ve been shipwrecked, beaten, starving, and cold. I’ve been lied about, cheated. False brethren have been after me; I was a night and day in the deep, and I am even to this hour poor. Do you know what he adds to that and, in so doing, presents something that has more pain in it than all of those combined? Does anybody know? Don’t we have a Bible scholar among us? Doesn’t anybody know? And on top of all this, I carry daily the burden of the churches. I want you to say, “Oh, will you say, oh.”

We just heard read to us, I am not there with you in body, but I am there with you in spirit. Now, brothers and sisters, some of this gets mysterious and mystical. I don’t really know what the word “metaphysical” means, and that doesn’t fit, but this gets way out there. All right, I kind of hate to confess this over video. I carry a burden for the churches, not even my wife knows, nobody in the world knows the concern I have for the churches. And I’m also going to confess that I am not all that greatly burdened when I hear that a brother has dropped out or he’s pulled a big one. But I carry an incredible burden for the churches.