Thinking about purity?

I'm sure trying to live purity by God's grace, that's for sure. Here are some thoughts:

“SANCTIFICATION”

Topic: Sanctification
2 Elements of Sanctification:
1. purity
2. being “set apart”

Opening Text: I Thessalonians 4: 3-4
“Know how to possess his vessel in sanctification”: As Christians, we have been called by Jesus to live a pure life--one that is separated from the things of this world.

What are the things of this world?
Some examples are drugs/alcohol, sexual sins, unclean language, ungodly entertainment, pride, anger, idolatry, rebellion, violence, and any thing that is something Jesus would not have partaken of.

So: sanctification is living our lives in a way that distinguishes, or makes us look different from the world.

Jesus looked different from the world:
a) At 12 yrs. old, instead of being out playing with the other kids, he was preaching in the temple.
b) He chose to go out into the desert and not eat anything, but pray to God for 40 days/nights.
c) He chose to live a life that eventually had him killed by crucifixion.

2 Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Ways to Become Sanctified (A Good Witness):

1. Read the Word. Ps. 119:9 says that young people can become pure by obeying the Word. You must read to know what is says and obey it. See also John 17:17.
2. WWJD? 1 Pe. 2:21 speaks of the fact that Jesus left us an example to follow through his own life. What he does we should do, and what he doesn’t do, we shouldn’t do.
3. Talk to Him--get to know Him! John 16:24 tells us that we haven’t prayed to Him, and therefore we haven’t received anything from him.

“Heart Guard”

Purity involves many different things. We have to watch our actions…abstain from unclean stuff, sin. But the place where purity starts is in the heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life.”

The biggest component of purity, especially emotional purity is purity in the heart. This involves not allowing sin and attitudes to creep in that would defile our hearts.
The heart is the seat of the emotions…it guides our lives…it is who we are.

Mark 7:15, 18-23

Here the Bible explains that our purity can be lost because of what we allow to live in our hearts…cause what is in our hearts will eventually come out as sin.

Bad stuff contaminating our hearts can include…premature romantic relationships, pornography, premarital sex, abusive language, gossip, anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, bitterness, grudges, and hatred.

A “biggie” is attitudes that we allow to develop in our hearts. Often anger our holding a grudge against someone can grow and take over parts of our heart. Jesus doesn’t dwell in these parts, so this prevents us from serving Him with all our hearts.

Ways to maintain a pure heart:
• Pure relationships—Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.” True agape love will not prefer itself or seek self-gratification…
• Diet of the Word of God—Psalm 119:9 “How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
• Personal relationship with Jesus…
• Be careful what we see and hear…when impure thoughts, feelings, and attitudes show up, cast them down immediately, confess them to God, repent, and ask for his help.

Keeping our hearts pure ensures that our actions will be pure and allows our lights to shine.

“Losing This Life”

Yes, purity involves freedom from sexual sin, pure thoughts, pure heart, and honor in relationships.

But another aspect of purity is surrender. “Losing our own lives.”

Main text: Mark 8:34-38
Esp. v. 35 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.”

I John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

John 17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”

If we’re going to have eternal life, we’ve got to lose our desire to live for ourselves. There has to take place this new attitude in us, like “God, I’m living for you and not for myself.” That’s what purity is about. It’s about being separated. It’s laying down what we want so Christ can be exalted.

There are instances where we have to sacrifice things we want to please God.
iNTERACTiVE: What’s a time you have had to sacrifice something for God?
In the daily grind, it’s easy to forget God. What are some things that distract us, take our attention off God, get us emotions wrapped up?
Jesus Freaks: “Unwilling to Pay the Price” : What would we have done?

“HOW MUCH IS JESUS WORTH TO YOU?”

Open with dcTalk quote and “The Thundering Legion”, from Jesus Freaks
And then summarize

Questions:
• --Have you ever encountered a time where you had to choose between Jesus and something else…between obedience to Him or doing what you want to do?

• --What is a martyr?...Someone who is willing to die for his or her belief. In Christianity, it means “one who chooses to suffer death rather than to deny Jesus Christ and His work.”

• --Can anyone guess how many martyrs there were world-wide last year? Estimated 170,000! Martyrdom is not just something that happened in the Roman times!!
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In America, we are not forced with the hard decision of having to die for our faith. But would we be strong enough to stand for God if someone threatened to kill us if we didn’t deny Jesus Christ was our Savior?
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Main Text: 2 Corinthians 4:10-11
That’s an earful: We must die to what we want to do and let God take over. When we live our lives the way we want to (in sin), then we don’t have eternal life. But if we “kill” whatever stuff would keep us from God, our spirits will come alive.

WAYS TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH JESUS MEANS TO YOU:
• --Your friend invites you over for a video games tournament on a Sunday morning. You have the choice of hanging with your friends or giving God his due time on HIS day on Sunday at church. What do you do?
• --You’re sitting at lunch chilling with the in-crowd and somehow the topic that you’re a Christian comes up. You have the choice of just blowing it off or affirming that you ARE a Christian and love Jesus.
• -- (big one) You’re on a date or with a friend of the opposite sex and he/she says, “Come on, let’s have sex. God doesn’t mind us having a little fun, right? He knows we’re human…and like they say, boys will be boys!” You have the choice of having sex and ignoring God’s word not to or taking a stand because you don’t want to displease the God you serve.

WAYS TO LEARN TO VALUE YOUR RELATIONSHIP W/JESUS MORE:
1. Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
2. Learn who God is, so you’ll appreciate Him. Do this by spending time w/Him.
3. Ask Jesus to help you prioritize so that He is first.
4. Ask God to help you to not be selfish. Time permitting: Matt. 25:41-45

FOR MORE GREAT STUFF ON PURITY THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST, VISIT THE WEBSITE OF THIS AWESOME YOUTH GROUP I'M A PART OF: www.passion4purity.com