A call to purity

THE BELL WE KEEP RINGING

We want marriage to be held in honor among all (Hebrews 4:13)

We want you to view the marriage rightly, by what the BIBLE says, not your feelings, your thoughts, or the culture’s opinion….so that whether you’ve seen marriage done poorly or done well, you will leave honoring marriage and saying, “GOD’S DESIGN IS GOOD.”

It’s a gift.

It’s beauty

It’s mystery

AND It’s pointing to something much much bigger.

AND IF marriage is holy and a gift from God, pointing to much bigger eternal realities, than its components are too…

Specifically, Men, women (what we’ve talked about last 2 weeks) AND what they do together in that marriage

A husband's actions matter

A wife's actions matter

Their actions together matter.

They have the power to create life and ruin it. They have the power to bless and the power to curse.

On one hand, God is sovereign and doesn’t need us. On the other hand he’s invited us to play a role in his story. We are the characters. AND WE WILL, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BE A PART OF THE STORY. GOD WILL GET HIS GLORY.

THIS IS A WEIGHTY THING…THIS IS A BIG DEAL. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, THE STAGE HAS BEEN SET, THE CURTAIN HAS BEEN PULLED, THE SPOTLIGHT HAS TURNED ON AND THE CROWD IS WAITING…YOU’RE UP! WE’RE UP! I’M UP! IT’S OUR TURN! AND ALL OF HEAVEN AND HISTORY IS WAITING…THERE ARE LINES, AND WORDS, AND FIGHTING SCENES AND DANCING SCENES, LOVES SCENES, AND HEROS AND VILLANS, AND GOOD AND EVIL…

THE EXCITING PART IS, WE GET TO DETERMINE WHAT OUR ROLE WILL BE

NOW, AS A CHURCH, We’ve been focusing on marriage because by and large we live in a land that does not honor marriage by god’s design and we believe we’re reaping the fruit of that all over society.

So we we’re calling married folks to take stock & change paths if necessary, and we’re calling singles and youth to set their trajectory in the right direction

As far as it goes with us, we will serve the lord.

We want to play our role differently

WE AIM TO BE A GENERATION THAT RECEIVES GOD'S BLESSING…

WE AIM TO BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE THE STORY

AND BECAUSE OF THAT - WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM….BECAUSE WE WILL NOT RECEIVE GOD’S BLESSING IF WE DON”T GET THIS RIGHT.

This ONE issue might be the most important sermon of the year!

This one issue caused israel to lose her anointing time and time again in the chapters of scripture

The Offer of Life or Death

DEUTERONOMY 30 (moses gives his last sermon and plea to the people to live in obedience to god)

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Anchored listen to me,

What I’m telling you today is not new.

There have been many other characters in the story before you. You are facing the same enemy they did, and now you are hearing the same pre-game speech they heard.

How'd it go for them?

They lost the blessing of God because impurity swept through the camp. They bowed to worship other gods and they were led by the lust of their eyes.

They prostituted themselves

THE MAIN QUESTION:

Do you want God’s blessing?

Or do you want to curse?

TONIGHT IS A CALL TO PURITY.

PURITY IN IT’S WHOLE SENSE, and SPECIFICALLY TO SEXUAL PURITY.

We have gone astray, and it’s time to change the narrative

THE PURITY PRINCIPLE

Purity is smart and always leads to blessing.

Impurity is stupid and always leads to curse.

Purity is about keeping yourself for the higher calling of God’s design.

It’s about not settling for less than…

It’s about being smart.

It’s about pursuing your greatest joy, in Gods design

Purity defined (Simple enough for children, profound enough for the most complex and weighty realities of life):

WANTING WHAT GOD WANTS (and acting on it, by…)

FLEEING FROM WHAT GOD HATES.

whole. Clear. Sold out. All in. burn the ships. No exit strategy. Committed. Covenant. Promise. Without bending. Without stain, defect or blemish. One thing. Pure. clean. No defects. Integrity. Undivided. Holy.

SEXUAL PURITY

WANTING WHAT GOD WANTS IN THE AREA OF SEXUALITY

HE GETS TO SET THE BOUNDARIES…

Pg 27-28

“According to the bible, The boundaries of ….

The sexual union is intended as an expression of a lifelong commitment (marriage covenant - covenant renewal) apart from marriage, the lasting covenant is absent. So the sex act becomes a lie….”

SOME BIG IDEAS ABOUT PURITY:

#1 PURITY IS NOT PRIMARILY ABOUT SEX AND SEXUALITY - IT’S ABOUT WORSHIP. However, once your worship goes the wrong way your sexuality follows (read Romans 1) (sex has to do with commitment /unity /connection) you cannot separate sexuality from purity - so, your sexuality says a lot about your worship.

HERE’S WHERE THE BATTLE LIES…

#2 PURITY is connected to DESIRE, PLEASURE, SATISFACTION & EXPLORATION & JOY.

WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN LIFE.

AND YOU’ll BE TEMPTED TO RUN AFTER THOSE THINGS ON YOUR OWN, AND IN YOUR OWN WAY

BUT GOD CARES ABOUT THE WELL YOU DRAW FROM…& SO DOES SATAN AND HE IS CROUCHING IN WAIT AT THIS INTERSECTION

God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because god is most GLORIFIED IN US when we are MOST SATISFIED IN HIM.

When our DESIRE, PLEASURE, SATISFACTION & JOY are found IN HIM

Not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God himself is glorified by our being satisfied in him.

THEREFORE, OUR PURSUIT OF JOY IN HIM IS ESSENTIAL.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE SHOULD BE THE PURSUIT OF MAXIMUM JOY IN GOD

WHEN YOU PURSUE GOD'S DESIGN FOR YOUR SEXUALITY IT IS AWESOME!!

The sweet fruit of sex and intimacy in marriage is UNBELIEVABLE

It’s freedom,

it's’ in the light,

it’s celebrated (weddings)

It’s real (not a screen)

YOU’LL BE TEMPTED TO BELIEVE THE LIE THAT:

Pornagraphy is better

Masterbation is better.

The secret conversations are better

Innocent searching on the phone or internet

You time / Idle time

The boyfriend

The girlfriend

That your way is more fun

That instant gratification is what you deserve

I’m here to tell you that they are not. Let’s learn from the Characters who have been on stage before us…

#3 THE CALL TO PURITY GOD’S HIS PLAN TO MAKE YOU HOLY.

1 thessalonians 4:3-8

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.