WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY 30TH
NOVEMBER, 2016.
THEME: PERSONAL PURITY
TOPIC: PERSONAL PURITY
TEXT: MATTHEW
5:8, 1 TIMOTHY 5:22, PSALM
119:9
DEFINITION OF TERMS
PURITY
According to Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary PURITY is the state or quality of being pure.
PURE-NOT MIXED-not mixed with anything
else; with nothing added. Clean and not containing any harmful substance, clear,
perfect.
Purity is also
defined as freedom from adulteration or contamination. Lack of pollution, untainted wholesome, natural, sterile.
PERSONAL- Not belonging to or connected with
anyone else.
BIBLICAL DEFINITION
In the Old
Testament, the basic sense of the Hebrew word for purity is probably an
emptying out or being clean. The verb appears about forty times, most
occurrences with an ethical or moral sense. Furthermore, in Old Testament
before they engage in any ceremonial activity, God's people must be consecrated
or had to sanctify themselves. Exodus19:10,14, Joshua 7:13, 1 Sam. 16:5, Job
1:5
When we speak of purity from a spiritual perspective, we are talking
about a topic which the Bible holds in great importance. Personal purity is
that which can be described as a life that is free from that which contaminates.
There are several verses which speak to this idea of purity: Psalms 24:3-4, Matthew
5:8, 1 John 3:3, Lev. 11:45.
Purity for a
Christian is keeping our hearts, minds and bodies holy, without blemish or
stain for the purposes of God.
WHAT MAKES A
MAN IMPURE
According to
Matt.15:11 what goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean’, but what
comes out of his mouth that is what makes him unclean. Man becomes impure by
his sinful acts.
Sin
Contaminates Man-Rom.
3:23, 1 John 3: 8, Isaiah 59:2
WHAT IS SIN
Sin as defined
in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark."
It is therefore safe to say any action that falls short of God’s mark/ standard is sin.
Billy Graham
once gave the definition of sin as any thought or action that falls short
of God’s will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His
perfection is sin.
The Bible describes three aspects of life in which
we need to maintain purity in order to please God.
1.
Pure deeds - Luke 6:46; 1 John 5:3; James 1:21-25.
2.
Pure words - 1 Peter 2:1; Matthew 12:34-37; James 3:2-8
3.
Pure thoughts - Matthew 5:8; 1 Chronicles 28:9, Prov. 4:23.
Many
believe their thoughts do not matter, so long as they do not actually practice
evil deeds. But pure thoughts are essential to a pure life, because our
thoughts determine what we say and do. Pure thoughts lead to pure words and pure deeds. Guard your thought
life. Do not let Satan control it. Phip 4:8
Can we
lose our purity forever with unrighteous deeds?
Let’s take a look at some scripture passages: Isaiah 1:18, Psalm
103:12, Isaiah 43:18-19,1 Cor. 6:11
PURITY CAN BE REBUILT- our purity, even if defiled
by our actions or thoughts, or after bad
choices are made, can be redeemed by the
cross!
STEPS TO
MAINTAINING PERSONAL PURITY
1-
Accept God’s
plan of salvation
–The only remedy for sin is to accept God’s way out (Salvation) Rom. 5:22. God sent His son
to redeem man from sin. John 3:16, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 Tim. 2:5.
No man can attain
personal purity without the help of God 1 Sam. 2:9b. Purity is God’s
nature and only, whosoever is born of God has the ability to overcome sin. 1 John
5:4-5, John 3:3
2-
Daily
Christian living - James 4:8
Prayer - Keep your
prayer life active and continue in it. This is one of God's great privileges to
us. Pray without ceasing.1 Thessalonians 5:17.
The Word - Feed daily
on the Word of God and never leave it until God has warmed your heart. Do not
let a day go by without reading some portion of God's Word. Psalms
119:9,11, Job 23:12, 2 Timothy
2:15.
3-
Guide the gate
of your heart–
Every action is a product of the heart therefore keep your heart with all diligence.
Prov. 4:23. Your EYES and EARS are the gates to your heart therefore watch what
you feed them with.
4-
Vision of
Heaven-
“you cannot overcome the trails and temptations of life if you have not caught
the vision of heaven” – Pastor E.A. Adeboye.
Focus
on the price. Phil. 1:22. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ,
set your sights on the realities of heaven.
CONCLUSION
PURITY IS
NOT ABOUT WHAT WE DO, IT IS ABOUT WHO WE ARE.
·
It
is looking heavenward in all we do.
·
It
is realizing that living the Surrendered Life means that every part of my life
is under the authority of God’s
direction.
Our purity must
be total, complete; God’s standard is 100%. God’s eyes are too pure to behold
evil Habakkuk 1:13
Living in purity is NOT a burden, it
is freedom! Shalom!
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