Purity Principles Series

“PURITY PRINCIPLES” Prov. 2:16-19; 5; 6:20-7:27

FBCF – 5/26/24

Jon Daniels

INTRO – The Bible:

- Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

- Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

- Isaiah 55:10-11 – “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

SERMON #1: PURITY PRINCIPLES

“Proverbs states its theme right at the books beginning: its goal is to describe & instill ‘wisdom’ in God’s people, a wisdom that is founded in the ‘fear of the Lord’ & that works out covenant life in the practical details of everyday situations & relationships…

“wisdom” – “The word can have the nuance of ‘skill’…‘skill in the art of godly living.’” (ESV Study Bible, p. 1130).

Are you & I “SKILLED in the art of godly living”?

- “I got skills!”

o On the athletic field & court

o In the woods (hunting) & on the lake (fishing, skiing, wakeboarding)

o In the kitchen

o With my musical instruments

But what about skills in the art of godly living? Like any skills you acquire, acquiring skills in the art of godly living is not easy, but it’s worth it.

- Takes commitment & dedication, & some folks just don’t want to be that committed & dedicated.

- It takes hard work & discipline, & some folks just don’t want to put in the work to discipline themselves.

- It takes a willingness to change – our thoughts, desires, ambitions, direction - & some folks just don’t want to change.

And when you get to the end of your life, you’ll be remembered as someone who was skilled in many different areas in life except the one that truly mattered – skill in the art of godly living.

The specific area of godly living that we are talking about today as we continue this “HomeWork” series in Proverbs is the area of sexual purity.

APPLICATION – “To live a life of purity, you must immerse yourself in the wisdom of Proverbs.”

Not going to give a “birds & the bees” talk but give some Biblical principles that you must build your life on – principles that you should share w/ your children as you teach them the unchanging truth of God in this critical area.

So WHY immerse yourself in the wisdom of Proverbs in the area of sexual purity?

IT WILL SAVE YOU FROM DESTRUCTION

- Proverbs 2:16-19; 5:5

IT WILL SHOW YOU THE UGLINESS OF SIN

- The progression of temptation – Proverbs 7:6-21

o “All at once…” – v. 22-23

IT WILL STRENGTHEN YOU & YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

When you see the stark reality of the devastation that sexual impurity brings to your life, you’ll find yourself drawing close to the Lord & your spouse again afresh & anew. You’ll realize what a blessing he/she is to you.

- Proverbs 5:15-20

Or if you’re single, you’ll realize your need to stay focused on Jesus & have godly friends who’ll hold you accountable & encourage you to stay pure & faithful to the Lord, even though the world is screaming at you from every direction.

- Proverbs 4:23-27 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

So, this book – the Bible – speaks to EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIFE. And in the middle of this book is the book of Proverbs that gives us so much practical advice on living out a Godly life. It’s all about LIFE – Life that God has given to us to be used for His glory alone.

- We’ve only got one shot at this.

- Pic of sign behind my desk: “Only one life, twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd, missionary – late 1800’s-early 1900’s)