The Spiritual Man

Bro Koay Kheng Hin

I actually prepared this some time back wondering what the Lord had for us. And as usual you do one and then decide on another along the way. And I have changed my sermon several times and this is my third message which I think is the message for this season.

I title the message "The Spiritual Man" and this includes the ladies.

When I work on the spiritual man I want to say that in times like ours religion is getting a bad name. Some say it is the religious people that commit the worst atrocities. A friend of mine say I have a Christian in my office and he is a hypocritic. Sometimes we just brush it off but if you think of it, there is some truth.

In the Middle East now we have the ISIS and the atrocities committed by them is in the name of religion. You may say that's not us. But the church at one time has a special department called the Inquisition. It has evolved and today it is known as the Department of Doctrinal Truth. Referring to the Roman Catholic Church. At that time in the name of God they are arrested and charged and subjected all sorts of torture. Just to get a confession. If you see their instruments of torture, you'll see how terrible they were.

And the worst part is that it is committed in the name of God.

The other end of the extreme are people who confess to be the children of God but the life they lead are worst than the atheist. Sometimes those who confess a certain faith live a life worst than an atheist. What had this got to do with today's message?

I'm looking at the stumbling blocks of spiritual maturity. You may see spiritual extremes. Those who may say you break the Ten Commandments for most things you do in life. Or the other extreme where a Christian does what he does because he believes once saved always saved. Already going to heaven so why worry and they do terrible things as a Christian.

Today I'm going to address this issue. Let's see who the apostle Paul is like.

Acts 7:57-58

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Saul is the Roman name of Paul.

Acts 7:59-60

59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen died a terrible death being stoned. It's horrible, as each stone hits you until you finally die. But look at Stephen. He sort of couldn't care less. He looked to heaven and asked the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit and do not charge them with this sin. What a spiritual man.

Who was looking on? Saul!

Acts 8:1

Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout othe regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 8:2-3

2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

Compare what these godly men did compared to Saul. Saul was terrible.

Acts 9:1-2

​1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Then came verse 3, the most important for us Christians.

Acts 9:3-4

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Here I am going to do some forensic studies, like CSI. You know that TV Series? They will be at a crime scene and they'll look for clues and evidence. They'll look at the tyre tracks and determine the make of the car. I remember there was also a local version of CSI. The police examine tyre tracks and told the inspector this is the track for the murderer. "Itu tair saya la bodoh!". (laughs)

If you look at Saul, most commentators believe as they run through the narrative that he was the Pharisee of Pharisees. He was trained and is someone following the mosaic law to the letter. Then he see Stephen and it's something that confused him. Stephen had the face like that of an angel and finally when he says do not hold this sin against them, it probably struck a chord in him. Saul is not a coconut. There must have been a spiritual struggle. His Pharisitic walk compared to that of Stephen, he could probably see something he does not have. That was most likely his spiritual struggle. This is of course my view and many other commentators.

He was primed for Jesus to reveal to himself to him and Jesus did. Sometimes when you share to someone and he didn't seem to be open and one day you just felt it's right to talk to him and he is ready to accept the Lord. That person have probably gone though a struggle that prepared him. God does a work where he is ready to open up to you at that point of time.

This man who puts people in prison and subjected them to torture wrote this.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

What a change. A changed man after his conversion. A man full or love and grace. A man who believes love never fails. No wonder after many years when the Judais tried to bring the Christians back to the old ways. Paul said this to the galatians.

Galatians 5:1

​Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

They were saying they have to circumcise in order to be saved. They must be a Jew before becoming a Christian. It would mean you cannot be saved by faith alone but that a certain work is needed.

Paul is saying don't feel guilt. Don't feel the penalty of sin. And that you are free from the power of sin. And that was the freedom that Paul was talking about. Don't go back to the law because he experienced it, the bondage of the law. Going back to legalism. To do the works of the law in order to be saved. Paul says don't go back.

Galatians 5:2-4

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

This legalistic spirit relating in works manifest in a different way in the church. We all do ministry. Some of the signs of works coming in is this.

You run a ministry with 5 persons under you. You run it well and the church compliment them for a job well done. But the 5 says in future they don't want to work under you. This is work. You are relating to duty rather than to God.

The other would be you are in a specific ministry. You may have critics that say you didn't do the ministry well. It doesn't feel good. I can say this because I have been in ministry. And you get upset and you say you think you can do better? That is a hint of works in the ministry.

If Sis Grace cannot worship and Jacob is also not around and so I am called to do worship. Majesty! Worship his majesty…I think half the congregation will faint. After that you tell me my worship leading is terrible. I will not feel offended. I'm not in my element.

But I'm a teacher by nature and preaching is probably on the side and when I do Bible Study and you come and tell me that my Bible study is boring and I feel offended then it's a better test of my spirituality. It's my Achilles heel. This I may say "if you think you can do better you teach lo!". It's a test of me in relation to my ministry and it'll show it is works rather than as unto the Lord. That is religiosity.

Jesus does not accept you based on your works. Jesus accepts you by basis of grace. The law of Moses has its bedrock on the Ten Commandments. So you may say if you are saved by grace you are free from the Ten Commandments? Free from the law. These are asked by the church. You are free but is it a licensed to sin?

When Paul writes that you are free it's not a 007 licence. That is a licence to kill. I am saying you are not free to sin.

Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Paul is saying don't take this freedom to sin and become a worldly man.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul warned them. And the like…because there are just too many to list. You are not free to sin. The warning is you will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I always say this; An act of sin does not disqualify us from heaven but a life of sin qualify us for hell.

Life of sin can be described as how people look at you. They see you a "puak keow kui" (gambling devil), "chiu kui" (alcohol devil), or "584" (pervert) then gone already.

These are extremes that hinder us from our walk with God. You will not grow as a Christian. At best you'd be a baby in Christ and at worst you may not even be a Christian. If you practice religiosity.

Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

The first part is legalism and the second part is a faith that expresses in love. This love is not found in any other faith because it's agape love. Unconditional love. A love that does not look at the person. 

There is this difference of like and love. I like you but I may not love you. If I were to go on a tour, I'd like to go with people I like. Or in a boy girl relationship. You need to like the person first. But a time may come when that like turn to love. If the person says I like you got chance. If the girl say I don't like you, habis! We start with like and then love. That is not agape.

Agape work like that. I don't like you but I love you. I don't like you but I agapao you. I love you with the love of the Lord. You may not like the person but you still love the person.

That's why the Bible says love your enemies. Not like them. If you love them you do wish well for them and pray for them.

We have three "L"

1. Legalism
2. Licentiousness
3. Loving Spirit

Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

That's why it says serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:14

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

These were where the Pharisees argued concerning which is the greatest law in Matthew.

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Agape love cannot be forced. It only comes when first and foremost you love the Lord.

I was a young Christian. I have changed much as a person. Maybe I'm older too. I am not a very expressive person. I don't even often hug my children. Even my parents know I love them but I don't often express it. One day my mom was cooking and I was praying in another room and I was so drenched with the love of God that I came out and gave her a hug. My mom nearly fainted. My mom must be wondering what's wrong. You cannot churn out agape love. The agape love comes from God.

It is a love that is not found in man. It is a love of God. The word love is the most relational word for man. And this is what Paul is telling us. Walk the way of love and be a spiritual man. The way of having Christ close to you. Jesus is crying in his heart "come to me". That is when his love is poured out in us and that is when a person who is unlikeable or unlovable can be loved.

It took a miracle for Stephen to say what he said because the agape love of God came upon him and he could say forgive them.

Sometimes when we cannot love someone to heaven we can scare someone to heaven. Of course better if we can love someone to heaven.

Some tell me that with grace the Ten Commandments is no longer valid. Where stand then the Ten Commandments if we have this freedom. It is actually all compressed into this.

Galatians 5:14

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Without going into doctrinal arguments you can answer it this way. Start all the Ten Commandments with "If you love God…".

If you love God, will you worship other gods? If you love God will you take his name in vain? If you love God will you commit murder or steal? etc.

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:21

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

Grace does not change the moral law of God. They are unchanged. God is holy then he is holy now. What grace does is remove legalism where salvation is by works.

That is the spiritual man. The religious man is defined by his judgemental spirit, the spiritual man is defined by his grace. 

An example is the woman caught in adultery. They wanted to catch Jesus. If he lets her go then he is licentious but if he stone her then where is love? No one can trap Jesus because he is the perfect man and God. He ask the person who has not sin stone the woman.  Slowly one by one they moved away. Here is spirituality vs religiosity. When Jesus didn't condemn her he also addressed licentiousness by asking her to go and sin no more. A spiritual man is not a worldly man.

Here is when we look at what we said about religious people making the worst atrocities. I want to restate that it is religious fanatics that make the worst atrocities. It is the religiosity that plant the seed for fanaticity.

I want to encourage all of us as we walk with Christ, let us not detour to religiosity or licentiousness. Let us walk in his love.