The Lie of the Leaven | Bible Study Notes

I. Christians are called to holiness

1 Peter 1:13-19
Begins with sober minds and disciplined lives
Since we were ransomed with the blood of Jesus and desire His return, we should forsake the futility of this world and live as those who will be judged by God for their deeds.
The foundation of our holiness should be a desire to be holy like God
1 Peter 2:11
As a holy nation we must live as people who are not citizens of this world
The passions of the flesh wage war against our soul to draw us back into the world
Reminds me of a quote: “Just as a ship is safe as long as it is in the water and the water is not in it, so the Christian is safe if he is in the world and the world is not in him.”
1 Peter 4:1-5
The world thinks it is strange that we follow the example of Jesus and serve the will of God, not the passions of the flesh
Any time spent living in immorality is too much time spent that way.
The Danger of the Occasional Indulgence
I’ve noticed a dangerous trend over the past few years among some brethren that I describe as an occasional indulgence or special occasion indulgence
I’ll describe it by examples:
It is the Christian who does not condone gambling but will allow an occasional night out with some other Christians (or just friends) to play poker for cash as long as they agree to a certain amount. This was popular when the Texas Hold ‘Em version of poker was popular.
It is the Christian who does not smoke or encourage smoking but has a cigar on a special occasion such as a birthday, New Year’s Eve, or the birth of a child.
It is the Christian who does not regularly drink alcohol or encourage it but will have a drink on a special occasion or will gather with some other Christians to drink for the occasion.
The idea is that if they are doing these things with other Christians that they will not be influencing non-Christians negatively and that it is only an occasional indulgence in something otherwise avoided.
I had a denominational neighbor that took it to the next logical level: she and several of her girlfriends from the church would get a hotel one night out of the year and get drunk. They felt that since they were doing it with one another, they weren’t going to bars or influencing others directly, and were doing it out of the sight of their kids, and they were only doing it once a year that there was no problem with this once a year indulgence.
Someone with this attitude must ask, what is the real desire for this behavior?
Is it to blend in with others in the world, including those who claim to follow Christ, who dress immodestly, participate in modern lustful dances, indulge in drinking, smoking, and recreational drug use, gambling, and partaking of immoral entertainment?
Is it a desire to enjoy sin for a season for old time’s sake?
Is it a desire to not look like a Bible-thumping, oversaved, goody-two-shoes, closed-minded, narrow-minded, Pharisee zealot?
Do they think that by compromising their behavior that they will be able to reach others for Christ? See you can be a Christian but you don’t have to give up your behaviors for good.
Those who do this consider themselves strong Christians who will not allow the behaviors to take root in their lives and think that since one cigar or a few drinks will not destroy their body that an occasional indulgence is not wrong.

II. The Lie of the Leaven: I can control it

I am afraid that these brethren are listening to the most harmless of lies: the lie of the leaven
The New Testament uses leaven to symbolize how corruption and evil can spread quickly through a person and a church from such a small start
Matthew 16:6, 11-12: Jesus warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees after they demanded Jesus show them a sign.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2; 6-8: There was danger that allowing this sin to persist would infect the group and introduce other immorality
Galatians 5:7-9: The false teaching that the Christians must be circumcised according to the law of Moses was separating them from God and leading them to be disobedient.
The lie of the leaven is that these little indulgences seem harmless and well contained so they cannot get out of control.
People say “I can control myself” and “I won’t let it develop into a habit or addiction.”
It reminds me of people who bring home lion and tiger cubs then have to deal with ferocious beasts when they grow up.
Such an attitude is bound up in confidence in one’s ability to not be ensnared by sin: an attitude called pride which leads to destruction:
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride comes before the fall
Proverbs 11:2 – Pride comes before disgrace but the wise avoid it.
Many people have become addicts and developed bad habits who claimed to be in control.
Think of it as the Devil’s chess game: he is glad to take a few defeats now and again as long as he beats you in the end.
The Lie of the Leaven: It is a small indulgence
Phrases like “a little bit won’t hurt” and “we shouldn’t make a big deal about it” characterize this thinking.
The idea is that since one only partakes of the behavior occasionally that there is no harm
Problem 1: The authority that permits occasional indulgence allows regular indulgence
Why is once a year fine but not twice a year? Quarterly? Monthly? Weekly? Daily?
If a behavior such as drunkenness is wrong, it is wrong every day of the year.
Problem 2: The authority that allows us to indulge in one sin permits us to do any sin
Galatians 5:18-21
If I can get drunk once or twice a year, why not one of the other sins that might be more desirable to me?
Problem 3: A small indulgence still pollutes the purity of the Christian
Purity is known by what is not in something; the things that are removed.
Purified water analogy:
Purified water has been filtered so that all impurities are removed, thus purified.
What if you knew a distributor had a problem where one drop of sewage was allowed into each bottle of water?
You can’t see it since it is diluted. Would you purchase it?
Even though the amount is small, we would not want that drop because of the disease it could spread to the rest of the water and the disease it might bring.
Likewise, allowing small impurities into our lives will pollute our souls
Mark 7:20-23 – These things can defile us when we allow them in our lives
S. Lewis: “It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the light and out into nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft under foot, without sudden turnings, without signposts.”
Doctors who work with addicts will tell you that there are introductory drugs that lead to the major drugs. These seemingly small sins pave the way to more sinful behavior.
The leaven is small and seems powerless but it will affect us completely in time.

III. The Lie of the Leaven: It will not affect anyone else

Those who allow these indulgences will reveal its practice in private to those perceived to be equally wise Christians but not revealed to other Christians who they perceive as weak or narrow minded because ” they won’t understand.”
Some believe that the behaviors are not wrong but have gotten a bad reputation; therefore, they cannot participate in these behaviors all the times but if other Christians were equally as knowledgeable then all Christians could participate in the behavior openly.
If the behavior is not wrong, teach and defend with Scripture why Christians should participate in the behavior!
Eventually those who practice such things share their practice with others and it could persuade someone to do something they consider to be wrong.
This is opposite of the attitude Christians should have:
1 Corinthians 8:1-3; 7-13 – Paul would rather go without meat than weaken a brother
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 – Paul denied himself to prevent giving offense to others
If an affected brother or sister becomes enslaved to alcohol or gambling because you shared in the behavior with them when you both considered yourself strong, you encouraged their destruction.
Mark 9:42: “” Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

IV. Do not listen to the lie of the leaven: I can control it, it is small, and it will not affect anyone else less it spread throughout your life and infect the life of others. Strive for holiness

V. When you commit to God and holiness, you reject the world

We fight on God’s side alone
We would think it foolish if a football team decided that 1 or 2 plays per half they would just give the ball to the other team.
Why would we give the enemy a couple of chances a year to ensnare us?
Hebrews 11:24-26 – Moses gave up the passing pleasures of sin to commit to God
We are committed to God for life
What would we think if our spouse told us that one night a year they wanted to be intimate with another person and then come back to us?
Would we think it’s fine since the rest of the year they are with us?
Would we not question their loyalty and love?
Would we not ask why he or she doesn’t love us enough to forsake all others for us?
In the Old Testament God called such behavior harlotry.
We are the bride of Christ and should remain faithful to Him.
Luke 9:61-62: We have to remain focused on our walk with God and forget sins of the world
We live a changed life that is holy and godly anticipating the return of Jesus
2 Peter 2:9-15
We must live lives of holiness and godliness as we wait for the new heavens and earth
We should use the longsuffering of God as occasions to live righteously and avoid sin.
2 Corinthians 4:1-2: We have renounced sinful things to live faithfully to God
Titus 2:11-15: we were called to holy lives