Pastor Mike wrapped up his final sermon on What's Your Problem: A Study of the Sinfulness of Sin this weekend. Amazed at the utter grotesqueness of our sin I have to share the exhortation that comes from Romans 1:29b-32
"They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Sin does not come to us in a gross package but rather an alluring one...it is like a hook that snags its prey. Sin comes in the form of temptation and we as humanity need to realize that we all have our weaknesses. Sin, although alluring at first, brings toxic and corrupting trouble to your life and even to those around you. Sin is sin and we need to declare war on it!
1. IDENTIFY YOUR TEMPTATIONS (v 29b-31)
-Romans 1:12 reminds us that sin easily entangles us
-Listed in these verses are 12 sins:
a. GOSSIPS- someone who whispers...when the volume goes down on your conversation we need to ask ourselves why?! We are to be truth-speakers
b. SLANDERERS- intentional, an evil-speaking, defaming, maligning the truth
c. HATERS OF GOD- hated by God, things that express hatred to God
d. INSOLENT- rude, disrespectful actions and behavior, impolite
e. ARROGANT- me first attitude, I am the most important
f. BOASTFUL- bragger, its always about me
g. EVIL WAYS- do all kinds of evil, even things you couldn't think about
h. DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS- that is manifested in a rebellious attitude toward all authority in our lives
i. SENSELESS- behave without a conscience
j. FAITHLESS- don't keep their word
k. HEARTLESS- uncaring
l. RUTHLESS- lack pity, hold grudges, unforgiving
Long enough list for you? Lets group them into three groups:
1. GOSSIP/SLANDER/BOASTFUL- Sins of my words
-James 3:3-12 encourages us to control our words because they corrupt our life
2. FAITHLESS/HEARTLESS/RUTHLESS- things we don't do that we are supposed to, sins of omission
- James 4:17
3. ARROGANT/BOASTFUL/DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS- sins of thinking too highly of oneself
- James 4:1-10 reminds us of how destructive pride is
-We need to identify the weaknesses in our lives and fight those temptations
- Be encouraged by 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." You are not alone and God is faithful..He has something governed in that temptation for you and he will always provide a way out of it. We are not victims here.
2. ALWAYS RESPOND TO GUILT (v 32a)
-That guilt feeling you get when you are about to sin or afterward is God's work in our heart; don't ignore guilt!
- That guilt is actually a blessing teaching us to say o
-Romans 2:14 talks about the conscience and also reminds us that every bad feeling is not guilt but guilt is always a bad feeling...you have to ask yourself if your conscience is accusing you.
-If you feel guilty...you are!
-2 Corinthians 7:8-10 teaches us that God wants us to feel bad about sin so that we repent and either come to Salvation or salvation.
-What does real repentance look like? Earnestness- got to fix this, Anger at what you did, Alarm at it, Longing to get it right, concern for the issue, and wanting justice done. If we repent, truly, there is reconciliation.
3. DON'T APPLAUD SIN (v 32b)
- Or sinners
- Applaud repentance and those that live righteous lives
-We might think "I don't applaud adultery, theft, lying, etc." but do we subtly applaud those who do?
- If we have the attitude "God loves you just the way you are" we are applauding sin in ones life
- If we treat God's grace as a license to sin we are sadly accepting the very thing God hates
- Who are our heroes? In Psalm 15 we read that the one who dwells in the Lord's sanctuary is the one who despises a vile man. Yes, God wants us to despise the wicked and their deeds. Our heroes need to be those who fear the Lord. If we have heroes, those we look up to, acclaim or praise who treat God as a mockery, who spit on His Son's work, and who laugh at sin we are applauding the very thing God detests and sent His Son to die for.
SIN IS DISGUSTING AND GOD TAKES IT VERY SERIOUSLY, MAY WE DO THE SAME AND FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR WEAKNESSES ARE AND WHAT SATAN KEEPS TEMPTING US WITH AND LET US FIGHT!!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
What Are You Thinking?
As humans we are thinking beings...from the moment we wake up in the morning to the time we lay our heads down on that soft pillow there are countless thoughts swarming in our mind. So if this thinking is what much of our lives consists of then we should be on guard to what our minds are dwelling on wouldn't you think?! In Prov 4:20-23 we read about "guarding your heart for it is the well-spring of life". What does that even mean? Remember that thinking precedes doing and you are what you think, you do what you think. This weekend Pastor Mike preached a powerful message from Romans 1:28-29a and reminded us all of the critical battle we must be fighting daily.
Romans 1:28-29a
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity."
Here are two practical ways in which we can begin guarding our minds/hearts so that we can live lives that are pleasing to the one who created us.
1. RECONSIDER THE BATTLEFIELD (v28)
Christians and non-Christians alike have a mind, and the mind is everyones battlefield. When you are saved that doesn't change. Genesis 6:5 teaches us that the since the fall every inclination of a man's heart/mind has been evil and wicked...that is their natural inclinations. We need to realize that we are going to need the faith in a Savior to give us the strength from careening into compromise in any area. Matthew 15 is a perfect example for us Christians who on the outside seem to be living lives that are "sinless" or "always pleasing" to the Lord. Here Jesus says in verse 8 "These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me." We must remember that as Jeremiah 17:9 says, "our hearts are wicked". Yet for the believer there is hope. Ephesians 4 teaches us about our new character and promises us the renewal of our minds...but just because we have now gained the ability to not sin so to speak we are still trapped in a fleshly body that is going to become the source of much of our weakness and falling. Therefore we need to realize and reconsider the many obstacles in living out our new mind in order to be holy. We must first make sure we are genuinely saved...that there has been an internal regeneration and not merely some external conformity of behavior modification for our own gain. If that is the case...you are truly saved then we can recognize the three main problems an enemies in this fight:
1. The World- Ephesians 4:17-20
2. The Flesh- Romans 8:5-14, James 1:14, Galatians 5:16-17
3. The Devil- Luke 8:12
These three enemies are going to make it hard for your new mind to marshall your flesh. So what do we do then once we have reconsidered this battlefield?
2. REPLACE BAD THOUGHTS WITH GOD THOUGHTS (v29a)
Colossians 3:5-11 talks about renewing our mind in the knowledge of the image of our creator. We need to...
1. Talk to God (1 Peter 4:1-7)- On a regular basis. He is our first love and therefore we need to in submission come before Him and pray pray and PRAY.
2. Sing and Be Thankful (Colossians 3:15-16)Look around and realize how blessed you are and give thanks to the one who has blessed you!
3. Reread and Discuss the truth (Deut 11:16-21)- If you really love someone you are going to talk about it all the time, you are going to want to learn everything about it right?! Well if you love the Lord and want to be transformed read His Book and talk about it!
4. Focus on Christ's Example (Heb 3:1-3)- Christ is our standard and our perfect example of what we should be striving after.
5. Think about Good and then DO IT! (Phil 4:4-9)-Retrain your thinking!
So the time is now, Christ is our heao and our perfect example and we need to open our hearts up and apply these practical tools to our lives. What are we thinking about? You may be the only one initially who knows but the Creator sees every thought, intention, motivation and desire and He will bring that into His understanding when the day comes and eventually it most likely will be displayed in your life today. Think about holy things and you will begin to be holy!
Romans 1:28-29a
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity."
Here are two practical ways in which we can begin guarding our minds/hearts so that we can live lives that are pleasing to the one who created us.
1. RECONSIDER THE BATTLEFIELD (v28)
Christians and non-Christians alike have a mind, and the mind is everyones battlefield. When you are saved that doesn't change. Genesis 6:5 teaches us that the since the fall every inclination of a man's heart/mind has been evil and wicked...that is their natural inclinations. We need to realize that we are going to need the faith in a Savior to give us the strength from careening into compromise in any area. Matthew 15 is a perfect example for us Christians who on the outside seem to be living lives that are "sinless" or "always pleasing" to the Lord. Here Jesus says in verse 8 "These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me." We must remember that as Jeremiah 17:9 says, "our hearts are wicked". Yet for the believer there is hope. Ephesians 4 teaches us about our new character and promises us the renewal of our minds...but just because we have now gained the ability to not sin so to speak we are still trapped in a fleshly body that is going to become the source of much of our weakness and falling. Therefore we need to realize and reconsider the many obstacles in living out our new mind in order to be holy. We must first make sure we are genuinely saved...that there has been an internal regeneration and not merely some external conformity of behavior modification for our own gain. If that is the case...you are truly saved then we can recognize the three main problems an enemies in this fight:
1. The World- Ephesians 4:17-20
2. The Flesh- Romans 8:5-14, James 1:14, Galatians 5:16-17
3. The Devil- Luke 8:12
These three enemies are going to make it hard for your new mind to marshall your flesh. So what do we do then once we have reconsidered this battlefield?
2. REPLACE BAD THOUGHTS WITH GOD THOUGHTS (v29a)
Colossians 3:5-11 talks about renewing our mind in the knowledge of the image of our creator. We need to...
1. Talk to God (1 Peter 4:1-7)- On a regular basis. He is our first love and therefore we need to in submission come before Him and pray pray and PRAY.
2. Sing and Be Thankful (Colossians 3:15-16)Look around and realize how blessed you are and give thanks to the one who has blessed you!
3. Reread and Discuss the truth (Deut 11:16-21)- If you really love someone you are going to talk about it all the time, you are going to want to learn everything about it right?! Well if you love the Lord and want to be transformed read His Book and talk about it!
4. Focus on Christ's Example (Heb 3:1-3)- Christ is our standard and our perfect example of what we should be striving after.
5. Think about Good and then DO IT! (Phil 4:4-9)-Retrain your thinking!
So the time is now, Christ is our heao and our perfect example and we need to open our hearts up and apply these practical tools to our lives. What are we thinking about? You may be the only one initially who knows but the Creator sees every thought, intention, motivation and desire and He will bring that into His understanding when the day comes and eventually it most likely will be displayed in your life today. Think about holy things and you will begin to be holy!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Better is One Day
We are all familiar with the song "Better is One Day" often sung in many evangelical churches today. Yet as we sing or browse over those lyrics are we really meaning what we are saying? Today I was reading in Psalm 84 which is the passage of Scripture that that song is derived from and I was encouraged by many of the verses...
v2a "My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD"
Does our soul "long and yearn" to be in the presence of the Lord? Do we desire it with everything that is within us. The Hebrew meaning for the word yearn is "failing with desire, longing". That means that the desire never ceases and it is ever increasing. Are we passionate about where we are going? Does it burden our hearts to be in His presence?
v5a "How blessed is the man whose strength is in You"
Where do we find our strength? In our weakness what do we turn to to be filled up and endure? Here we are promised to be "blessed" which translated means "happiness". If we want to be happy we must find our strength in Him and Him alone.
v10a "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside"
Is that true of you? Could you say that you would rather be in the presence of the Lord for a day than a thousand dwelling on this earth? Where is your joy found? Our joy should be found in Him...as well as our hope and excitement.
v11c "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly"
Wow! What an encouragement. If we follow Him and His commands and walk in a way of righteousness He is not going to withhold "good" from His kids. That should be a motivation to live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him!
v12b "How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
Trust in the Lord. When we try and put our trust in ourselves or in others we are going to be disappointed and unsatisfied time and time again. God promises happiness to the one who trusts solely in Him.
In Chris Tomlin's song we sing the following:
One thing I ask,
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells
Let that be our prayer today and always. Let the only thing our heart is seeking be Him. Let our motivation in life be our eternity spent with Him and let us continually pray MARANATHA (O, Lord Come!)!!
v2a "My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD"
Does our soul "long and yearn" to be in the presence of the Lord? Do we desire it with everything that is within us. The Hebrew meaning for the word yearn is "failing with desire, longing". That means that the desire never ceases and it is ever increasing. Are we passionate about where we are going? Does it burden our hearts to be in His presence?
v5a "How blessed is the man whose strength is in You"
Where do we find our strength? In our weakness what do we turn to to be filled up and endure? Here we are promised to be "blessed" which translated means "happiness". If we want to be happy we must find our strength in Him and Him alone.
v10a "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside"
Is that true of you? Could you say that you would rather be in the presence of the Lord for a day than a thousand dwelling on this earth? Where is your joy found? Our joy should be found in Him...as well as our hope and excitement.
v11c "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly"
Wow! What an encouragement. If we follow Him and His commands and walk in a way of righteousness He is not going to withhold "good" from His kids. That should be a motivation to live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him!
v12b "How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
Trust in the Lord. When we try and put our trust in ourselves or in others we are going to be disappointed and unsatisfied time and time again. God promises happiness to the one who trusts solely in Him.
In Chris Tomlin's song we sing the following:
One thing I ask,
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells
Let that be our prayer today and always. Let the only thing our heart is seeking be Him. Let our motivation in life be our eternity spent with Him and let us continually pray MARANATHA (O, Lord Come!)!!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Do Not be Deceived, Bad Company Corrupts Good Character
If anyone has had the chance to sit down with me and talk about relationships you would be quick to say that I am nothing short of passionate about those we are in relationships with...whether it be friends, dating etc. In fact relationships are so important in our spiritual walk with the Lord. As we see throughout Scripture there is no "lone-ranger" walking around but rather there is a displaying of teamwork. For example look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-6 where verse 4 says, "...they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints". In 1 Corithinians 12 we read about how we are all members of one body and in order to function properly we must work together. Now with that said many of you might be nodding your head in agreement as to the fact that two is better than one. But here comes the twist for the Christian...two is only better than one if that two glorifies the Lord. What I mean to say here is that unless you are partnering in "close" relationships with those who are like-minded and children of God then you are not in the kind of relationships God wants you and designed you to be in.
Now before I explain let me make sure to express the fact that as Christians we are to love non-Christians. In fact our command is to go and make disciples (Matthew 28). We should have interaction of some sort with them. I am not advocating an isolation from the world and from non-Christian interaction, but I am saying that having a close relationship with one a non-Christian (best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend etc.) is not okay. They should not be the ones you turn to for encouragement, advice or consistent fellowship. Let me explain.
2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" What does that even mean...to be yoked? Well to be yoked means to be joined with, to be bound together. That means that Christ is telling us that we shouldn't have any close relationship with a non-Christian because they are completely different than you...you are not going to grow together and move forward. You see in 1 John we read that those who live in the light are children of God and everyone else is a child of Satan. That means that if you are yoked together with someone who is not a child of God, who has not repented and put their faith in Christ you are in fellowship with a child of the devil. Think about that for a moment. Now you might still not believe what I'm saying, you might try and justify it by saying "but I am being a missionary to this person" or "but how are they supposed to know what a Christian looks like if I don't spend time with them"? Well here is your answer to those and many other justifications: 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Short sweet and to the point huh?! It does not say that it MIGHT lead to corruption it says it DOES lead to corruption. Therefore think about that for a moment...if you are in a relationship with a non-believer you are slowly being influenced and corrupted day after day. Remember that this corruption is gradual and subtle as we see the warning here of not being mislead or deceived.
Back to this idea of God's kids and Satan's kids. Does God want his kids hanging out with Satan's? Absolutely not! Who do we love more? Do we love God more or do we love the world and all that is in it more? James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." If you are friends with this world, and the prince of this world is Satan, then you are enemy of God. If you are thinking right now that you can't give up some relationship with some non-Christian because your heart is so attached to it, you have to ask yourself why is it is so attached to something that is not of God?! Evaluate where you stand...who do you love more? Jeremiah 3:12-15
So what kinds of relationships should we having and looking to have then? This is where the heart of what I want to say begins. There is no such thing as a superficial relationship in Scripture. There is no "well this person is just fun" type of friendship. Every relationship we see that honors God in Scripture is one that spurs on, sharpens, encourages, rebukes, exhorts, and comforts. There is a uniting within Christ in these relationships and because of that God strengthens and blesses them. The kinds of relationships we should be looking for are ones that are ultimately going to point us to Jesus Christ. Friends that are going to make us fall more in love with Him, teach us how to fear him more, teach us how to live lives more set-apart (holy) and more humbly. They are relationships that are going to love us enough to call us out when we are in sin, relationships that are going to hold us up in prayer and love us when we are hurting, and remind us of God's character when we are in the midst of despair. They are the friends that are going to sharpen us with His Word daily, who are going to challenge us to grow in our holiness, and model to us what it means to be a servant and to live as Micah 6:8 says, "To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
We need to realize that as we grow in the Lord and are made more and more into His likeness we are going to need the encouragement and support of those fellow, like-minded believers. We are going to need to unite together in Him to live this counter-cultural life. If our desire is to magnify Him wouldn't we want to be surrounded by those and built up by those whose goal is the same?
We need to evaluate our relationships and see if they are ones that are encouraging or corrupting. We need to stop with our prideful attitudes thinking we somehow are strong enough not to be brought down or discouraged by those in this world and realize that God has commanded us not to be yoked with those in darkness, those who are not saved, because we will be deceived and corrupted...it will happen (think back on any non-Christian friendship that you may have had or have now and think of how you have compromised thoughts, words, actions because of it). You may loose friends because of this but our good God is faithful to encourage us and to bring you alongside those who are running the same race so that you may glorify Him together.
Pray that the Lord would bring you relationships that honor Him!
Now before I explain let me make sure to express the fact that as Christians we are to love non-Christians. In fact our command is to go and make disciples (Matthew 28). We should have interaction of some sort with them. I am not advocating an isolation from the world and from non-Christian interaction, but I am saying that having a close relationship with one a non-Christian (best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend etc.) is not okay. They should not be the ones you turn to for encouragement, advice or consistent fellowship. Let me explain.
2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" What does that even mean...to be yoked? Well to be yoked means to be joined with, to be bound together. That means that Christ is telling us that we shouldn't have any close relationship with a non-Christian because they are completely different than you...you are not going to grow together and move forward. You see in 1 John we read that those who live in the light are children of God and everyone else is a child of Satan. That means that if you are yoked together with someone who is not a child of God, who has not repented and put their faith in Christ you are in fellowship with a child of the devil. Think about that for a moment. Now you might still not believe what I'm saying, you might try and justify it by saying "but I am being a missionary to this person" or "but how are they supposed to know what a Christian looks like if I don't spend time with them"? Well here is your answer to those and many other justifications: 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Short sweet and to the point huh?! It does not say that it MIGHT lead to corruption it says it DOES lead to corruption. Therefore think about that for a moment...if you are in a relationship with a non-believer you are slowly being influenced and corrupted day after day. Remember that this corruption is gradual and subtle as we see the warning here of not being mislead or deceived.
Back to this idea of God's kids and Satan's kids. Does God want his kids hanging out with Satan's? Absolutely not! Who do we love more? Do we love God more or do we love the world and all that is in it more? James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." If you are friends with this world, and the prince of this world is Satan, then you are enemy of God. If you are thinking right now that you can't give up some relationship with some non-Christian because your heart is so attached to it, you have to ask yourself why is it is so attached to something that is not of God?! Evaluate where you stand...who do you love more? Jeremiah 3:12-15
So what kinds of relationships should we having and looking to have then? This is where the heart of what I want to say begins. There is no such thing as a superficial relationship in Scripture. There is no "well this person is just fun" type of friendship. Every relationship we see that honors God in Scripture is one that spurs on, sharpens, encourages, rebukes, exhorts, and comforts. There is a uniting within Christ in these relationships and because of that God strengthens and blesses them. The kinds of relationships we should be looking for are ones that are ultimately going to point us to Jesus Christ. Friends that are going to make us fall more in love with Him, teach us how to fear him more, teach us how to live lives more set-apart (holy) and more humbly. They are relationships that are going to love us enough to call us out when we are in sin, relationships that are going to hold us up in prayer and love us when we are hurting, and remind us of God's character when we are in the midst of despair. They are the friends that are going to sharpen us with His Word daily, who are going to challenge us to grow in our holiness, and model to us what it means to be a servant and to live as Micah 6:8 says, "To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
We need to realize that as we grow in the Lord and are made more and more into His likeness we are going to need the encouragement and support of those fellow, like-minded believers. We are going to need to unite together in Him to live this counter-cultural life. If our desire is to magnify Him wouldn't we want to be surrounded by those and built up by those whose goal is the same?
We need to evaluate our relationships and see if they are ones that are encouraging or corrupting. We need to stop with our prideful attitudes thinking we somehow are strong enough not to be brought down or discouraged by those in this world and realize that God has commanded us not to be yoked with those in darkness, those who are not saved, because we will be deceived and corrupted...it will happen (think back on any non-Christian friendship that you may have had or have now and think of how you have compromised thoughts, words, actions because of it). You may loose friends because of this but our good God is faithful to encourage us and to bring you alongside those who are running the same race so that you may glorify Him together.
Pray that the Lord would bring you relationships that honor Him!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Purity in Heart, Mind and Body
To say that I'm passionate about purity is an understatement. It is something that as God has sanctified me I have realized is crucial to the Christian walk. In fact it is in our pursuit of holiness that a passion for purity should develop and begin to control the way that we live.
The disgusting effects of sin and the marring characteristics if it should motivate us to live lives above reproach. Ephesians 5:1 commands us to be "imitators of God as His children". If you think about that for a moment you are quick to realize that in every area of our life therefore we should be striving for perfection. Jesus Christ is our standard, the world is not! So often in today's culture there is a desensitizing of what purity is. In fact even Christians have lowered the bar on what God has commanded of in Scripture. Comparing oneself to the world or even to fellow Christians has caused many Christians to compromise their purity of heart, mind, and body.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 we read, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...". Therefore if it is God's "will" that you remain sexually immoral it is not an option. Controlling our bodies in a way that tis holy and honorable is a large responsibility. But ask yourself for a moment, do you? Could you honestly say that the way that you live is not like that of the world...in any way! Is there anything that distinguishes you from those around you? Or would someone looking in have a difficult time figuring out whether or not you live a life for Christ or for yourself?
Think about purity for a moment. What is purity? Many Christians think of purity only in the physical aspect. But purity goes much deeper then that. Yes there is a physical aspect. Our attitude should not be "how far can I go without going "all the way" " but rather "how holy can I be before a righteous God". If our mindsets were like that we would see Christian relationships radically changed. They would look so different and counter-cultural it would blow people's minds. In fact it would make people look to Christ in many cases. The ability to have a pure relationship would confuse the world. Remember being holy means being "set-apart" and being "set-apart" means exactly that...SET APART from this world. Here are some verses to motivate you in your pursuit of physical purity..
Colossians 3:5-10 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
1 Cor 3:16 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
2 Cor 7:1 "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
Now as mentioned above purity involves more than just our physical beings. It involves our hearts and minds as well. Jeremiah explains to us just how evil the desires of our own hearts are and because of that we are called to "guard our hearts" (Proverbs 4:23) from ourselves...in fact it is often misquoted that we should guard our hearts from others or in relationships but what this is actually warning against is of our selves. We are to guard against ourselves. In our own sinful nature we are quick to deceive ourselves into thinking or believing things that are so contrary to the truth of Scripture. Being pure in mind involves disciplining ourselves. We must take guard against the enemy and pray for self control because as 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The enemy wants us to stumble, to trust our own hearts and to sin and the sin of impurity begins in the mind. Jesus even explained this to the crowds saying that if a man lusts after a woman in his mind it is just as if he already committed that sin physically. So if as believers we learn to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and learn to be self-controlled we will begin with God's strength to win this battle of purity.
Christians, we need to remember that God has a perfect designed plan and that His plan is not to rob us of "having fun" as the world would promote but rather protects us and causes us to be refined and made more like His son. Remember as 1 Cor 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." God knows that in a fallen world we are going to be susceptible to sin but He is good and faithful to enable us to "NOT" sin.
Be passionate about purity...God commands it. And in that God will be glorified and honored and you will be a testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ because your actions and thoughts will be imitations of Him.
The disgusting effects of sin and the marring characteristics if it should motivate us to live lives above reproach. Ephesians 5:1 commands us to be "imitators of God as His children". If you think about that for a moment you are quick to realize that in every area of our life therefore we should be striving for perfection. Jesus Christ is our standard, the world is not! So often in today's culture there is a desensitizing of what purity is. In fact even Christians have lowered the bar on what God has commanded of in Scripture. Comparing oneself to the world or even to fellow Christians has caused many Christians to compromise their purity of heart, mind, and body.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 we read, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...". Therefore if it is God's "will" that you remain sexually immoral it is not an option. Controlling our bodies in a way that tis holy and honorable is a large responsibility. But ask yourself for a moment, do you? Could you honestly say that the way that you live is not like that of the world...in any way! Is there anything that distinguishes you from those around you? Or would someone looking in have a difficult time figuring out whether or not you live a life for Christ or for yourself?
Think about purity for a moment. What is purity? Many Christians think of purity only in the physical aspect. But purity goes much deeper then that. Yes there is a physical aspect. Our attitude should not be "how far can I go without going "all the way" " but rather "how holy can I be before a righteous God". If our mindsets were like that we would see Christian relationships radically changed. They would look so different and counter-cultural it would blow people's minds. In fact it would make people look to Christ in many cases. The ability to have a pure relationship would confuse the world. Remember being holy means being "set-apart" and being "set-apart" means exactly that...SET APART from this world. Here are some verses to motivate you in your pursuit of physical purity..
Colossians 3:5-10 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
1 Cor 3:16 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
2 Cor 7:1 "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
Now as mentioned above purity involves more than just our physical beings. It involves our hearts and minds as well. Jeremiah explains to us just how evil the desires of our own hearts are and because of that we are called to "guard our hearts" (Proverbs 4:23) from ourselves...in fact it is often misquoted that we should guard our hearts from others or in relationships but what this is actually warning against is of our selves. We are to guard against ourselves. In our own sinful nature we are quick to deceive ourselves into thinking or believing things that are so contrary to the truth of Scripture. Being pure in mind involves disciplining ourselves. We must take guard against the enemy and pray for self control because as 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The enemy wants us to stumble, to trust our own hearts and to sin and the sin of impurity begins in the mind. Jesus even explained this to the crowds saying that if a man lusts after a woman in his mind it is just as if he already committed that sin physically. So if as believers we learn to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and learn to be self-controlled we will begin with God's strength to win this battle of purity.
Christians, we need to remember that God has a perfect designed plan and that His plan is not to rob us of "having fun" as the world would promote but rather protects us and causes us to be refined and made more like His son. Remember as 1 Cor 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." God knows that in a fallen world we are going to be susceptible to sin but He is good and faithful to enable us to "NOT" sin.
Be passionate about purity...God commands it. And in that God will be glorified and honored and you will be a testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ because your actions and thoughts will be imitations of Him.
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