Using Negative Commands is Not Legalism - Tim Conway

Sometimes people -

you can never please anybody,

and with James throwing
everything out on the Internet,

we get attacked from both sides.

We get people that say

that we don't deal with sin

and we're antinomian.

But then we get charges
that we're legalists.

And brethren, I want to tell you this,

using negatives is not legalism.

Paul repeatedly tells these Christians

throughout these verses

not to do things.

Notice, Ephesians 4:26,

"Do not let the sun go
down on your anger."

V. 27, "Give no opportunity to the devil."

V. 28, "Let the thief no longer steal."

You know what it's saying?

Stop letting the sun go
down on your anger.

Stop with unrighteous anger.

Stop giving opportunity to the devil.

Stop stealing.

V. 29: Stop with the corrupting talk.

V. 30: Stop grieving the Spirit.

Ch 5:3 - Stop looking at pornography.

Stop with the sexual immorality.

Ch 5:4 - Stop with the filthiness.

Stop with foolish talk.

Stop with crude joking.

Ch 5:7 - Stop being partners

with people that are sexually immoral

and impure and covetous.

Ch 5:11 - Stop taking part

in the unfruitful works of darkness.

Ch 5:15 - Stop being unwise.

Ch 5:17 - Stop being foolish.

Ch 5:18 - Stop getting drunk.

Brethren, there's a place
to say to Christians:

Stop it! Stop!

Stop that life!

That's what he's saying to these people.

You say, wow, that's all pretty negative.

Yeah, there's a lot of positive in there.

But what I'm saying is this:

When you tell people,

"you need to stop doing that,"

and you tell people these kind of things,

that's not legalism.

That is encouraging the
same kind of godliness

that the Apostle Paul

under the inspiration of the Spirit

is encouraging us with.

Brethren, when you no longer live

the way you used to live,

you're going to stop doing
a whole bunch of stuff

that you used to do.

That's just a reality.

We need to stop.

We need to say to Christians: No longer!

No longer! Quit it!

Brethren, there's a place for
Christians to say to themselves -

speak to yourself -

That's it!

I'm done with that.

Stop it.

Where are the Christians

like I talked about years ago

in a message that I
preached from Psalm 119,

but where are the Christians

who like David are going to say:

"I promise to keep Your words."

The sermon Tim just referenced is called:

Deliberate Holiness.

And this excerpt that you just heard

was taken from the full sermon:

No Longer Perishing in Futility