Virtue or Vice - Kevin Brechbill

All right, so I have a short message. I won't keep you long this morning.

I want to talk about virtue. Now, I don't know if you've ever heard a sermon on virtue or not, but I've been doing this thing that our church likes to do, at least the smart ones in our church, read the early Christians. And it does have a way of inspiring me. And there's something about that. Like when you hear people talk today, there's not a lot of discussion on virtue. Like I hear very little about it. But when you read the early Christians, like they talk a lot about virtue. And so that's kind of the inspiration behind my talk this morning. And I'm hoping to inspire you to start that process of being inspired as well.

I don't know if you have three daily Christians getting inspired or not, but hopefully not. So I kind of have my work cut out for me this morning because when you're just learning about something, it's a little dangerous to talk about it. And that's what I seem like I like to do. So I talk about something before I when I just start to wrap my head around it.

And you know I was thinking about I used to play basketball, a little short guy like me. I liked to play basketball when I was young. But if you see my hand, I was never able to palm a basketball. So I would try, right? And you kind of, well, that's how I feel about understanding what virtue is. About the time you get a hold of it, it kind of wants to get away from you.

But I'm hoping that I can inspire you to build a picture around what virtue is and the connection it is and the value is in the kingdom of God. I really hope to be able to do that this morning.

And I'm going to talk about it by a couple of two ideas. So the one way is unlocking the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And the second is knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of God. And I want to try to connect these two.

I think I don't know if I've ever connected virtue to the keys of the kingdom of heaven and the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

So let's just read a couple of verses to start with so that I can kind of build this out and where I'm going. In Matthew 16:18, it talks about the keys of the kingdom. Now, this is a big verse, right? Who understands this verse? It says, "And I tell you, you and Peter and on this rock, I will build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Now, what are the keys of the kingdom? Let's go to another verse. And I want to just show you some verses in the scriptures to build this out. Here it talks about the mysteries of the kingdom. And this is Luke 8:10. And he says, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables, that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand." So God wants us to have keys to the kingdom, and he actually wants us to understand these mysteries. What are one of the ways that we can actually do that?

What are mysteries and what are the keys?

I want to explore the symbolism, what I see between the keys of the kingdom, the mysteries of the kingdom, and virtue. I want to try to connect this. And I'm not saying it's encompass what the keys of the kingdom is a reference to Peter. I'm not trying to connect all them dots. I'm just putting this out here of what I think there's a symbolism between this.

So the next question I have is, what is virtue?

I think I believe that for us to understand virtue is in large part in order for us to be successful as a Christian.

To me, the thing that I have started to understand is what's intriguing about virtue is it's not its narrowness, but it's what it encompasses. It's its breadth. And when you read the early Christians, like they go into many, many lengths to try to explain and communicate what virtue is. It's actually difficult to communicate. Like it is a big picture because of what it brings.

And so I want to try to kind of step back and share what virtue is in a big picture and then bring that down to, at the end of my message here, what you can do each day to develop your virtue in your life.

So here's a definition, and I forgot to write down who I got this from. I can't remember. Virtue is knowledge cannot be virtue because it is not with us, but it comes to us from without. But that which is about to pass from, but that which is about to pass from one to the other is not virtue because virtue is the property of each individual.

So we can't be passing this around. It's not knowledge where I can bring knowledge to you. So I'm bringing knowledge to you about virtue, but you have to become virtuous, and that's your virtue. You can't share that with anyone else. And so it builds on itself.

Another definition of virtue is this. It's the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. I really like that in its simplicity. It's the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. Now, we talk a lot about obedience here in this church, being obedient to Christ.

That's important. Like we need to walk in obedience. But I would like to, I think as you walk in obedience, I think virtue is the result. That's what it makes you. That's what you become. You become virtuous in your obedience. That's the result.

It's moral excellence. It's virtuousness. It's a type of goodness, moral excellence. Like it's all these words to make this up. So let's look at some verses next about what the scriptures that speak about virtue. There's actually not tons of verses, and I'm only going to have, I think I got five or six here.

So in 2 Peter 1:3, it says, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." All right? So he calls us to glory and virtue, which is interesting.

Did you know that that's one of the things you're called to as a Christian?

Another verse, "And besides this, giving all diligence and to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge." That's in Peter where it builds the case out how we're to grow and develop. Virtue is in that list.

Here's another verse, "Finally, brother, and whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, pure, lovely, good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things." The result of these things, you're to become people of virtue. Okay?

Now, I want to move to, I think I got two or three more verses here of what we read about Jesus and virtue. And it's interesting. It says, "The whole multitude sought to touch him, and there went virtue out of him and healed them all."

So if he didn't have virtue, I don't know what that entails. But here's another two verses, which is really interesting. It says, "The whole multitude sought to touch him, and there went," I'm sorry, next verse says, "And Jesus said, 'Somebody hath touched me, for I perceive that virtue is going out of me.'" He could actually fill it. Like I don't know what that meant, but it's a combination of who he was and power.

Because he was virtuous, it was why he could actually give, I think, give the power to heal. I don't think you have the, I don't know, power to heal if you're not virtuous. I think it would be difficult. Here's another verse, Mark 5:30, "And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned about him in the press and said, 'Who touched my clothes?'" So we think of what virtue is, and this is virtue in action.

Okay? And I think it's just an interesting connection. So what does virtue in its entirety look like?

So this is a picture that I want you to understand. This is virtue. And I put 30 virtues on here to try to create a picture of all the virtues. So I'm not going to read them all, but faith, love, hope, wisdom, humility, compassion, patience, justice, integrity, obedience, temperance, gratitude. And the list goes 1 to 30. These are all virtues that we as disciples of Christ are to practice that they become a part of us. And each one of these has, so it's the picture that we see. But as we think of each of these, I want you to think of these as a key to a gate into the kingdom. Because I think it's really, I think it's a powerful concept.

So if we think of presenting virtues as keys to the kingdom, and we examine how each virtue corresponds to a key with a gate, unveiling and opening up what each of those virtues are, and that is virtue when you, I guess, walk in them, when you become each of these virtues, then you're virtuous, right?

It's a difficult thing to wrap your head around because I think virtue is one of these, is what sits inside the kingdom of God. I think that's what Jesus came to give us, these virtues that sit inside. This is the kingdom of God.

Now, not too long ago, I was talking to a gentleman, and he was talking about his health. And it was funny.

Some of you probably know my story, but I tell everyone I'm having a midlife crisis. So I have these extreme things that I'm doing. And he heard I was feeling really good, so he called me up and wanted to know what I was doing. And the first thing out of his mouth after he heard, he was like, "Wow, you mean you got to do that the rest of your life?"

And I about laughed because I was like, "Oh wow, I'm 51 the rest of my life. I mean, if I'm lucky, I got 50 years. I'll happily do what I'm doing the rest of my life." But his mind, he thought the exact opposite. "Oh wow, you mean you got to do that the rest of your life? I mean, you got to eat healthy and you got to eat good and you got to exercise and you got to take supplements and whatever else you add to that."

I think that's how so many people look at virtues.

Their reaction is, "You mean we got to do that the rest of your life?" And I'm like, "Yeah, that's the only way. What's the alternative? Not to do it and miss the kingdom."

So to me, I'm delighted and I want to learn to become virtuous and work on all these things.

So think about that the next time God, or you think about scripture or something new comes to you, and you say, "Oh boy, do I have to do it the rest of your life?" What's your response? I think as you develop a love for God, I think it should change, "I want to do it the rest of my life." And then you actually have the willingness to do it every day and the fortitude.

And then you actually will finish well. You're not going to finish well if the attitude is, "Do I have to do it the rest of my life?" Like I think that's the problem. People just don't want to. So my goal is to help each of us become lovers of virtue today. I hope you leave here and you have an inspiration to become lovers of virtue.

So just thinking about virtue again, and I have some more, a couple of things here written down. It says, "Therefore, as knowledge of good and evil is not virtue."

So doing that which is good and abstaining from evil is virtue.

And yet knowledge is so united with virtue that virtue precedes virtue and virtue follows knowledge. I know that's a lot to wrap your head around, especially when you don't see it.

So in the next couple of slides, I want to try to communicate, and I put a list together of what virtue and vice is, just to try to create a picture in our minds. What is virtue and what is vice?

And as I said before, I think virtues are the keys and the mysteries of the kingdom of God. I think it's what actually opens us up to become, gives us freedom, if you will, and vice is this idea that it actually restricts us. So I think following God, being a disciple, you're either virtuous, you have the freedom to do that, or the other alternative is you're in vice. You're in a vice.

So let's go down through here. Oh, another thing I found, an origin said this. I really like this. This was Daniel. I think it was last Sunday. I can't remember. He talked about false doctrines. An origin says this, "Every sin, every false doctrine is a gate of the Hades. It keeps men locked up."

Okay? So vice is sins or false doctrines. It's a gate of the Hades, which I found interesting. So let's look at, give you some comparisons here. Virtue is perpetual and constant without any intermission. Vice, in contrast, are temporary and of short duration.

Virtue is characterized by mildness and tranquility of the mind. Vices are described as commotions of the soul. I love that one. Just a bunch of commotions. There's no rest. The uninterrupted duration of virtue indicates that the soul, when possessing virtue, remains permanent. It's this idea of stable. It's permanent. And there's an element of eternal that goes with it.

A virtue fortifies the mind with a perpetual guard against vices. It's what keeps us from going into vices. Vice is being contrary to virtue. It's like water and oil. They don't mix. Or commotions and disturbances of the soul.

I think it's really important. The two do not mix. The fruits and reward of vices, such as pleasure, are short-lived and temporary. I don't think we understand how short-lived vices are.

The fruit and reward of virtue is described as everlasting, while vices provide immediate advantages and benefits of virtue are future.

Virtue, once acquired, does not withdraw or leave its position. You talk about something stable. If you can get a hold of virtue, it does not withdraw or leave its position. And I think this is why when you find a disciple of Christ and he becomes virtuous, there's no withdrawal and there's no leaving his position. They become virtuous and they consistently respond the way Jesus would without hesitation because there's no withdrawal. There's no leaving the position.

Whereas vices, they're temporal and they're moving and they're commotions of the soul and they're all these things.

The reward of virtue is said to occur after death, as virtue is never ended except by death.

The highest office of virtue is in undergoing death. So we're virtuous all the way, even through death itself.

So just three quick ideas when you think about virtue is this. We need to approach God with virtue. I don't think we're going to stand in his presence without virtue. I don't think that'll work too well.

The pursuit of virtue is a way to avoid approaching God in unworthiness and impurity.

Virtue and wisdom are portrayed as essential conductors and priests for approaching God.

So I think it's the way we can actually be in his presence. The pursuit of virtue, I think we as disciples of Christ need to pursue virtue with everything we have. I think it's the connection. It's how each virtue opens up is the keys that God gives us. And it's the mysteries of the kingdom.

And we're to grow in virtue.

So when we think about growing in virtue, I'm going to circle back to this. So this is the homework that if I was able to create the bigger picture that surrounds virtue and connecting it to the keys of the kingdom and the mysteries of the kingdom, it's how we break through and understand the kingdom.

So my homework for 2024 is this. There's 30 of these up here. If you do one each day for a month, that's one a month. If you do it 12 times, that's 12 times a year. You have the opportunity to grow and pursue virtue.

It's very easy, right? It's simplistic. And there's probably many more virtues. These are the ones that I come up with. But if we would actually make this an annual goal individually and learn to become virtuous in each one of these, Origen has this comment to say. He talks about that each one of these virtues is a kingdom. It's a heaven.

And he talks about the key of this virtue opens up the heavens. And virtue as a whole is then the kingdom of the heavens. And I thought that was really amazing thought. Virtue as the kingdom of the heavens.

It's what Christ brought to us that we could actually become virtuous. And I think that's an amazing thing.

You can become a virtuous person just like Jesus wants us to become.