1.
We must
truly repent and confess impurity.
All of us are sinners, and each one of us no doubt at
some point has cherished some impure thoughts, if not
engaged in impure activities. Although the title of
this lesson refers to men it equally applies to
women.
There's not a teenage boy, or a man, who does not have
a problem to some degree in dealing impure thoughts. If
a man tells you he does not have a problem with that,
he is either abnormal, lying, or dead. We must admit we
have problems in that area and be truly sorry by
changing i.e. repenting. Until we do, impurity is going
to have a headlock on us that simply will not let go.
So the first step is to repent of it and to confess our
impurity to God.
2.
Make every
effort to keep yourself pure.
No one has the power to fight off Satan all by himself,
or herself, because Satan is too strong, he's too
devious and deceitful. We are far too weak. As we try
to conquer impurity in our own lives without relying
upon God, we will fail time and time and time again.
Only God has the power to help us overcome impurity and
evil in our lives. However, God is not going to make us
pure without some effort on our part. He is not going
to override our lack of effort in trying to be pure
people. We must:
a. "Keep yourself pure." (I Timothy 5:22)
b. "Train the younger women to love their husbands
and children, to be self-controlled and pure so
that no-one will malign the word of God." (Titus
2:4-5)
c. "Every one who has this hope in him, purifies
himself, just as God is pure." (I John 3:3)
d. "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed---not only in my presence, but much more now
in my absence---continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in
you to will and to act according to his good
purpose. Do everything without complaining or
arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault in a crooked and
depraved generation, in which you shine like stars
in the universe." (Philippians 2:12)
So Paul says, God works in you, but he begins that
passage by saying, work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling. God is going to work in us if we're
trying, but we've got to make that effort in
conjunction with the power of God.
3.
Be
accountable to another Christian.
Most of us don't like to be accountable to anybody.
Maybe it's pride or arrogance that makes us want to do
things our own way. We really don't like the idea that
someone is watching us, or that someone is checking up
on us. But Satan knowing that we don't want to be
accountable to anybody else is able to exploit that
very weakness on our part. The truth is, behavior that
is observed, changes.
People, who voluntarily will give some sense of
accountability to another individual who's a trusted
friend, or to a group are people who are really serious
about changing their behavior. If you know about my
faults, and I have asked you to hold me accountable,
and if I have asked you to check with me on a regular
basis and to pray with me about that particular
weakness in my life, then I am much more likely to
monitor my thoughts and to monitor my behavior; and in
effect, to end up changing my behavior. "Confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other that you may
be healed. (James 5:16)
4.
Pray for
yourself. Pray for your spouse if you're
married.
Pray for your children. Pray for others whom you love.
Many Christians underestimate the power of prayer to
help us overcome temptations in our lives. Even Jesus
taught in the model prayer: "Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." You and
I will never ever be able to live lives of purity
without depending on prayer and asking God to help
us.
Consider David, King of Israel. After he had sinned so
grievously in his adultery with Bathseba and then the
murdered Uriah, he finally confessed his sin to God and
he prayed "Create in me a pure heart [clean heart
(KJV)]." O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within
me." (Psalm 51:10) So David is praying for himself,
God, create in me a clean and a pure heart and restore
me after the sin which I have committed.
But then Paul in many places, but in this particular
passage, models for us how we ought to pray for others.
Philippians 1, verses 9 and following, Paul says, "And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and
more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may
be able to" (now listen to this word) "discern what is
best and may be pure and blameless until the day of
Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ---to the glory and praise of
God." So we pray for ourselves, and others to help us
discern the difference between what's right and what's
wrong and to be pure and blameless.
5.
Avoid even
the hint of evil, flee from it.
We say we want to be pure, but if we constantly engage
in off color jokes, look at the wrong kinds of movies,
read the wrong kinds of material, and watch the kind of
television. We constantly fills our minds and thoughts
with all kinds of impure thoughts and behavior, we're
fooling ourselves. We've pulled the wool right over our
own eyes. We can't play with fire and not be burned by
it. How foolish to think that we can taste just a
little bit of evil and not be intoxicated by it.
I'm reminded of the difference between the way that
King David and young Joseph in Egypt handled the
temptation that came their way. David saw a beautiful
woman bathing on her roof, and he lingered, lusted and
pursued his desire which led to tremendous sin. Joseph,
on the other hand day after day, was tempted by a woman
who kept saying to him, "Come to bed with me." But
Joseph fled and found deliverance.
Paul says, "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." (II Timothy
2:22) "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..." (I
Corinthians 10:13) One of the translations says, "He
will also provide a way of escape so that you can stand
up under it." And it comes to us to find that way of
escape and to take that way.
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in
the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage
war against your soul." (I Peter 2:11) "But among you
there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or
of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are
improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out
of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can
be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person---such a
man is an idolater---has any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God." (Ephesians 5:3-5) So Paul says,
don't even let there be a hint of sexual immorality
among you.
6.
Avoid
relationships that tend to pull you down.
We all influence other people, and other people
influence us. That's just the way society works.
Healthy associations with good people always have a way
of pulling us up, encouraging us, and making it easier
for us to live godly lives. Paul said, the flip side of
that coin is, "Evil companions corrupt good morals."
That if we run with people who engage in all kinds of
impurity, then we shouldn't be surprised if somewhere
along the line, we don't end up getting corrupted right
along with them. "Do not be yoked together with
unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with
darkness?"… "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.") "'Therefore come out from them
and be separate, Touch no unclean thing, and I will
receive you, I will be a Father to you, and you will be
my sons and daughters.'" (II Corinthians 6:14…
7:1…17)
Being yoked with unbelievers applies in many areas of
life. Why would a Christian want to be yoke with
someone whose behavior and attitudes and beliefs that
are not characteristic of Christ. You're going to get
yourself in trouble. Therefore let us purify ourselves
from everything that contaminates us.
7.
Avoid
fornication and adultery.
Our society has become so preoccupied with sex that it
oozes from all the pores of American life. Our society
seems to have an insatiable desire for things that are
sensual. Every large city certainly in this country,
has its porno shops, its hard-core X-rated films, it's
really hard anymore even on the major channels to turn
on the television at night and not see some sort of
intimate bedroom scene, or to turn on the radio and
hear some so-called humor about sexuality. There's so
much of it that we're almost made to feel abnormal if
we're not engaged in some sort of affair. God has
always desired purity over promiscuity. "Finally,
brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to
please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you
and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and
more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the
authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you
should be holy: 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; and that in this matter no one should wrong his
brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish
men for all such sins, as we have already told you and
warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but
to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this
instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you
his Holy Spirit." (I Thessalonians 4:1-8) "Marriage
should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept
pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the
sexually immoral." (Hebrews 13:4)
8.
Say no to
ungodliness.
Long before Nancy Reagan was telling us to "just say
no" to drugs, God has been saying for centuries for us
to say no to sin. "For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say
'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age..." (Titus 2:11-13) So God says, "Say 'No'
to ungodliness."
9.
Take control
of your body.
Our bodies can easily lead us off course. It's not that
the body in and of itself is evil. It's just that our
bodies possess appetites which are all too ready to
find satisfaction in many ways that are temporarily
satisfying and terribly appealing, but wrong.
Do you know your body? Are you aware of the things that
weaken your control of your body? Have you stopped to
consider the danger zones and how to stay clear of
those zones, or at least to rush by them as quickly as
possible. It's impossible for us to really deal with
the whole issue of purity if we don't come to terms
with the practical facts related to our bodies. Paul
says, "We are to present our bodies as living
sacrifices to God" (Romans 12:1); "Do not offer the
parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness
(Romans 6:13); "Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you" (1
Corinthians 6:19); And "each of you should learn to
control his own body in a way that is holy and
honorable." (I Thessalonians 4:4)
10.
Draw near
to God.
If we're not careful, we may leave the impression that
we by our own efforts, can become pure. Make no mistake
about it, much does depend upon your efforts to make
your own life pure. Purity is not just automatic when
you become a Christian, we almost also must say that we
must draw near to God if we want to be holy and pure as
we seek his face relying upon him then God will give us
the strength to live lives of purity. "Submit [yield to
God's authority] yourselves, then, to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and
he will come near to you." (James 4:7-8)
11.
Fill your
heart and mind with good things.
It's not enough to simply deal with the exteriors of
our behavior; it's like putting a Band-Aid on a skin
cancer. No healing ever really takes place, it covers
the disease for a little while. Living a pure life
really is a job from the inside out. Jesus condemned
the Pharisees because they tried to look so good on the
outside, while on the inside, he said they were full of
all kinds of impurity and uncleanness. We will fail if
we merely try to deal with the symptoms. Saying: "I
will not lust, I will not deal with this temptation..."
is like saying over and over again, "I will not think
about a pink elephant. I will not think about a pink
elephant." That never works. The only way to get rid of
that stuff is to replace it with something that is
good. Set your hearts on things above, not on earthly
things. Paul instructs us to put to death whatever
belongs to our earthly nature and he mentions
specifically: sexually immorality, impurity, lust, and
evil desires. (Colossians 3:5)Then he tells us in
verses one and two, how we're supposed to do that. And
notice, "...set your hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God."
Fill your heart and your mind with good things., Paul
says, "...brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things."
(Philippians 4:8)
12.
Live up to
your calling.
Personal purity is an attainable goal. It doesn't mean
we're perfect, but it is an attainable goal. In our day
of moral decline, it's easy to think that purity is
some sort of unachievable, outdated standard of
yesteryear, but that's not so. Living a life of purity
is a high calling, but it can be attained. "For God did
not call us to be impure, but to live holy lives." (I
Thessalonians 4:7) Then listen to II "Dear friends, I
urge you as aliens and strangers in the world to
abstain from sensual desires which wage war against
your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that
although they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see
your good deeds and glorify God." (Peter 2:11)