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“Being Morally Pure In A Morally Impure World”
Moral Purity is the subject for us to look at today. Webster defines the word
purity this way: “unmixed with any other matter; spotless, stainless; free from
pollution; free from moral fault or guilt; chaste.”
I’m wondering today, is there anybody in our world who cares about
defending moral purity? Is moral purity in our world today non-existent? Is it
really possible to live a morally pure life in the midst of such blatant
immorality? Has the church given up on being the advocate for moral purity?
Let’s try to answer these questions:
First, there is no doubt that Christians must be defenders and advocates of
moral purity, because Jesus, whom we are following, still has the power to
take a life and clean it up.
Jesus is still involved in rescuing people from sin and immoral filth. And
because we are followers of Jesus, we need to be involved in the same
cleansing and healing ministry that He is involved in. We are to be examples
of purity in a world that is rapidly losing all its moral values. And we can live
pure lives, because Jesus will give us all the power we need to walk in purity.
Our world needs to see what purity is and it seems that the responsibility for
displaying purity is resting solely on the shoulders of those of us who know
Jesus as personal savior. No one else is defending purity so we have to.
But it seems that more and more Christians today are opting for a lower
standard when confronted with the choice of living in moral purity as set
forth in the scriptures. Many people are compromising the standards of
scripture and then they are rationalizing away the guilt. If you have eyes and
ears it isn’t hard to miss this fact:
Moral purity is no longer the important standard that it used to be.
In case you are not ready to accept the idea that morals are on the downward
trend, think back to 1939. That was the year “Gone With The Wind” was
released. Included in the script was a four-letter swear word that produced
quite a bit of scandal. Has there been much change since 1939? Do four-letter
swear words create scandals today? What a joke!
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“Gone With The Wind” was just the beginning of a decline in moral purity.
Since then we have degenerated beyond control. Porno shows are in almost
every American town and city. X-rated films are now available on cable T.V.
The internet is full of pornography. Child pornography is one of the biggest
money makers there is. And even much of prime-time T.V isn’t worth
watching anymore. In your own living room you can watch intimate bedroom
scenes, verbal explosions of profanity, innuendos regarding sexual
intercourse, homosexual relationships, nudity, and the list goes on. We have
drifted a long way since 1939.
Now it is true that our world never has been pure as snow. There has always
been a lot of moral impurity, but today there is a boldness, a brashness about
it that we have never had before. We are faced with this immoral filth every
day and it is constantly bombarding our senses. Because it is so openly
displayed we need, now more than ever, all the power God can give us to
walk in purity. And the good news is that we have the power. God is able to
give us the power to live pure lives. He has already given us His sanctifying
power through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. But his power is not some
magical potion we rub on. His power is something we need to be drawing on
and asking for everyday as we meet with Him. And we need to take His
power and use it. We have to put it into action.
People, here is the truth: Moral purity is an attainable goal!
Even though we live in an immoral, filthy world, purity is still attainable.
Purity is attainable because the Bible says it is.
We are commanded to live pure lives, and God would not require something
from us if we could not live up to it.
Let’s look at what scripture says about moral purity: Let’s start by looking at
Paul’s words on the subject in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8:
“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 sanctified;
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that you should avoid sexual immortality; 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”
In verse 1 Paul is encouraging us to “work more and more” in the area of
maintaining holiness and moral purity. Then in verse 3 he comes right out
and commands us to be sanctified and to “avoid sexual immorality.”
Paul’s world was a lot like ours today. Impurity was the lifestyle of the
majority. Christians were like islands in the midst of a sea of immorality. And
in this world full of temptations Paul challenged the Thessalonians, and he is
challenging us today, to “avoid or abstain” from immortality. He is saying to
us that as Christians we are to be above reproach.
The clear truth here is that if we are to live sanctified, holy, pure lives we
must abstain from sexual immorality.
Now some would say okay that means no pre-marital or extra-marital affairs.
But it means much more than that. Paul is saying we are to abstain from all
types of immoral sin including lustful thoughts, pornography, homosexuality,
fantasy, etc.
After Paul emphasizes this command to live in purity, he then goes on in
verses 4-8 to talk about the process of maintaining a pure lifestyle.
In verse 4 Paul is emphasizing the fact that each of us needs to know how to
control our own body in a holy way.
We are to get a grip on our bodies so that we can live a pure, holy, sanctified,
honorable lifestyle.
Paul’s emphasis on the “body” here in Thessalonians is not an isolated
emphasis. Throughout his writings he singles out the “body” as something
that we need to take control of.
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And really it is impossible to live a morally pure life without dealing with our
bodies’ cravings for satisfaction.
Paul says a lot about the body. Let’s look at some of what he says:
In Romans 12:1 he tells us we are to “present our bodies as living sacrifices
holy and acceptable to God.”
In Romans 6:12-13 we are told “not to let sin reign in our body.” We are not
to expose our body to sin, but we are to present it to God.
In 1 Corinthians 6:15 Paul tells us our bodies are actually “members of
Christ.” Our bodies belong to Him.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19 we are told that our bodies are “temples of the Holy
Spirit.” He actually lives in us.
In 1 Corinthians 6:20 we are told to “glorify God in our body.”
And again back in 1 Thessalonians 4:4, we are instructed to know our bodies
well enough that we can control them and possess them “in holiness and
honor.” (NASB)
It is easy for our bodies to lead us off course if we let them. Our bodies are
not evil in themselves, but they do possess a number of appetites and desires
that are constantly screaming to be satisfied. And with all the surrounding
sinful temptations that our bodies are exposed to it can be a very difficult
thing to control.
To control our bodies and stay pure we need to know our bodies. We need to
be aware of the things, the temptations, which weaken the control of our
bodies. We need to consider the danger zones and how to stay away from
them or at least pass through those zones very quickly.
In my own experience, controlling my body hasn’t always been easy for me,
but with the Lord’s help over the years I have made it a practice to not let my
body be exposed to the moral filth that confronts me every day. When I am
watching T.V if an immoral scene or innuendo comes on I turn the channel.
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And it just takes common sense to look at the channel guide before turning it
on. If I can see that the subject matter of a show is going to bring temptation
to me then I just don’t watch it. I have also learned that some cable channels
have very little acceptable programming and I never watch those channels.
Now there will be some garbage that is hard to avoid, like scantily dressed
cheerleaders during a football game. I just turn my head. And the same thing
goes for looking at magazines or newspaper, I just don’t let my mind stay
exposed to the danger zones. Now if I did not start my days with the Lord in
a personal meeting time with Him, I would never be prepared for these
temptations. But I do start my day with Him and so when the temptations
come along He is there to give me the power to say no. This kind of
abstaining and avoiding takes discipline, but it works.
My whole point in sharing my experience with this controlling of my body is
to emphasize that personal moral purity is an attainable goal. I’m not perfect
by far and I still have to work on it every day to stay pure, but people we can
live pure lives, it is possible.
If it weren’t possible then God would never have instructed Paul to write that
it is in 1 Thessalonians 4:7.
Moral purity is not some out of date, yesteryear concept that is unattainable.
And to further emphasize that it is attainable, God instructed Peter to write
about it. Let’s read 1 Peter 2:11-12:
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain
from sinful desires, which war against our soul. Live such good lives among
the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
There is no question about it! God wants us to live pure lives and the Holy
Spirit is ready to help us.
Before we leave this vital subject of moral purity it is important for us to
think about another body that is affected by moral impurity and that body is
the church, the body of Christ.
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Satan tries to tell us that our giving into immoral sin will only affect us. But
the truth is that when a Christian willfully and deliberately chooses to walk in
impurity the whole body of Christ suffers. A person’s decision to walk in
impurity brings reproach to the whole body of Christ. And since we are
members of one another we are accountable to one another even when we
may not want to be accountable. And because we are accountable to each
other we are not to respond with casual indifference when one of our fellow
members slides into immoral sin.
The Bible is strong on the responsibility we have at this point of maintaining
moral purity in the church.
Let’s read some scripture along this line. Galatians 6:1-2:
“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore
him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each
other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
James 5:19-20:
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error
of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
Matthew 18:15-17:
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the
two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will
not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen
to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church;
treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
The Biblical instructions of what we are to do are very clear, but how many
congregations do you know who have followed this plan to rescue those who
have sinned. This is where the church has really failed! We have not loving
and gently with grace, disciplined the sinner in our midst. Nobody seems to
really care enough to set the wayward member straight. We just aren’t willing
to risk being misunderstood or criticized and so we sit on our hands and we
let the sin go on.
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As pastor I am guilty of not confronting when I have needed to and I need to
change.
Now I’m not saying we are to go around and point the finger at every little
sin that a person in the church commits. What I am saying is that we need to
confront, in love, those who need to repent and be restored. If we don’t we
are not fulfilling our biblical responsibility to one another.
In case you don’t think this is a problem in the church let me read you a letter
that someone wrote to a prominent pastor:
Dear Pastor,
During the past several years the Lord has been putting me into a number of
situations involving accountability between Christians. I have and continue
to struggle. And I want to share what I am learning.
Two couples in my Sunday school class began living with other partners
before their eventual divorces. We didn’t know how to respond, especially to
the one woman who brought her boyfriend to class. So we ignored them. Just
great, huh?
Sometime later two of my friends started living with guys. And that stirred up
lots of things for me. About the same time a friend dropped by on a business
trip and discussed a current case regarding a rather well-known pastor in his
locale who was sleeping around. And where I worked (a certain Christian
school) students came to me for help with sexual involvements with married
employees.
Talk about a thickening plot! In response I have been grappling with biblical
and psychological concepts of relationship, confrontation, accountability, etc.
Here are some of my observations to date:
…in a total of nineteen years in the church I have neither experienced nor
heard of any church level confrontation. It is as though the progressive
confrontation of Matthew 18:15 was not in Scripture…I cannot help but
conclude that the trend among Christians to divorce, to sin sexually, etc., will
increase unless Scripture is taken seriously in the church in this area of
confrontation…
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I believe that if our relationships in the church are not sufficiently developed
such that others can see and respond to trouble brewing in our marriages,
then we are in big trouble. Who will help us?
From this letter we can see that moral purity is not just a personal matter
when Christians are involved. If one person is sliding down the sin ladder
then they are affecting the whole church.
And when we attempt to help a fellow brother or sister we are not just
restoring them, we are helping out the whole body of Christ.
Now we need to keep in mind that this responsibility of ours is to be one of
restoring fellow believers, in love and with grace.
If it becomes a legalistic campaign to seek out the unclean then we are
missing the intent of the scriptures. We are to help those caught up in sin to
get back on their feet and help them get free from the guilt and shame of their
disobedient lifestyle. We are not to condemn them, punish them, or
demonstrate ungrace toward them.
Sometimes the restoration of a believer will take an initial jolt of upfront
confrontation through speaking the truth in tough love. Or it may take the full
process of church discipline. But if it is handled correctly in a spirit of gentle,
loving humility this difficult encounter can bring about a beautiful restoration
of a wayward believer.
One congregation of believers did get bold and carry out a confrontation that
was biblically necessary. They decided not to ignore the impure lifestyle of
one it is members. The man they confronted was a Christian who was
engaged in a series of illicit sexual relationships that began to bring shame to
the name of Christ, not to mention the negative impact it was having on the
local church that he belonged to. Two of this man’s close friends in the
church followed Christ’s guidelines from Matthew 18 as they tried to rescue
this man from his sin. But their efforts went for not. He refused their counsel.
So finally with heavy hearts and humble hearts they brought the case before
the leaders of the church.
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(I believe that when Jesus said to bring the case before the church He was
talking about the leaders of the church and not a public humiliation in front of
the whole congregation.)
It was really a heartbreaking experience for the leaders of this church, but
they loved the man too much to let him continue living a lie. The only way
they were able to carry out this disciplinary action was with the attitude that
they were acting in obedience to God, hoping that someday the man would
repent and he would be restored. But they were determined to preserve the
purity of the church, no matter what the sacrifice or cost was.
Well years went by before the silence between the man and the church was
broken. But eventually God honored their obedience. He used their words
and actions to bring the man to his knees. When he had repented before God
he then wrote an open letter of confession to the church affirming the leaders,
acknowledging his wrong and asking for forgiveness.
In his letter he said these words: “I cannot reverse history and relive the
events that led to my downfall. I have harmed many people and brought sin
to myself…I am in need of your forgiveness, for I have wronged you all. I
earnestly desire your prayers for wholeness…It is impossible for me to
retrace my footsteps and right every wrong. However, I welcome the
opportunity to meet and pray with any individuals who have something
against me that needs resolution…I know your actions were done in love for
my own good and that of the Body of Christ.”
People, this letter is a classic example of how sin can be crushed with the
word of God. The restoration of this man was accomplished because a group
of individuals who stood for purity were obedient to God. Because of their
courage a man was saved from an eternal hell.
In closing today I feel I need to ask some fairly blunt questions for you to
consider.
Are you a Christian who has started to slip into moral impurity? Are you
harboring impure thoughts in your life? Are you exposing yourself to
dangerous temptations? Have you been involved in an immoral relationship?
If so, would you begin to deal with it today?
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Would you be willing to get close to another Christian, possibly a counselor,
and openly admit your weakness and gain their help? Maybe you are close to
someone who is a Christian who is compromising. Would you pray about
being God’s instrument of gracious reproof and correction?
As Christians we must be defenders of purity. We must be the example of
purity for our world today. Let’s work together with God’s help to keep
purity an attainable goal for every person.
Let’s Pray!
Closing Song: “Refiners Fire”