Honoring God in Purity “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name” (Psalm 29:2)

Holiness and Purity “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:15-16; cf. Lev 11:44-47) It was a requirement for God’s people 3400 years ago (Law of Moses) It was a requirement 2000 years ago (Peter) It is a requirement for God’s people today Holiness is strictly connected to purity Purity is one of the building blocks of holiness

“For I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2) “holy” and “pure” used countless times in Law of Moses and instructions for Tabernacle Building of the temple is the same way 1 Kings 6:21; 2 Chron 4:20-22 Where God is, holiness is present and purity is required! Ex 3:5 – Moses to remove his sandals Ex 19:12 – Israel not to touch the mountain Dan 7:9 – The Ancient of Days Rev 4:8 – “holy, holy, holy”

Why Purity? Not a little less “filthy” than how the world lives Not walking one step behind everyone else We are to “walk against the flow” if necessary Matt 5:48 – Be perfect as your Heavenly Father… Purity because we are created in His image Gen 1:26-17 – Let Us make man in Our image Gen 3 – sin destroys mankind as it was designed The sacrifice of Jesus was necessary We can have a relationship with God We have been made to be like God!

How to become pure?

Realizing our impurity is a necessary first step! Job 4:17; Rom 3:23a Sin violates God’s purpose in creating us in His image Sin violates God’s nature through our unrighteousness God is too pure to look upon evil (Hab 1:13) Beware of the devil! Pursuing purity we become a target of Satan 2 Cor 11:3 He may try to tell us we are fine, discourage us, be happy with mediocrity or not even try 1. Realize our impurity

Purpose purity in your heart Purity does not come on its own, not in this world Ezra 7:10 – study, practice, teach… Prov 4:23a – Guard your heart with all diligence Get purity from its Source No need to look anywhere else but the Bible God’s Word reflects God’s character Ps 19:8b; Psalm 12:6 Col 3:1-2 – Set your mind on the things above… 2. Getting Purity

Necessary to pursue purity Col 3:5, 9-10 – A new self! “Bare minimum Christianity” does not exist! Matt 22:37 – with all your heart, soul, mind Fleeing immorality in and of itself is not enough! See 2 Tim 2:22 - Two distinct commandments! Fleeing immorality in an immoral world is tough 1 Cor 6:18 – Corinth was tougher! We do not have to flee immorality, we want to! (Lot in 2 Pet 2:7-8) 3. Flee Immorality

Remember, “bare minimum Christianity” does not exist! Cannot be satisfied with mediocrity – that is what Satan wants you to do! We will do whatever it takes to please God Matt 5:29-30 Keep working on it! We can be an example, too – 1 Tim 4:12 Purity is of crucial importance! 4. Keep working on it

The most important aspect of our growth towards purity Getting to know God is the start, the progress and the goal… the standard, what gives meaning to purity Blessed are the pure in heart… (Matt 5:8) How can a young man keep his way pure? Ps 119:9 Purity is one of the building blocks of holiness! We were made to be like God 1 John 3:1-3 Get to know God!

Honoring God in Purity “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name” (Psalm 29:2)