Purity
1 Timothy 5:22
God says we are to keep ourselves pure. To be pure means to be unmixed with any other matter, to be free anything that would taint. God expects us to be holy – separated from anything that would defile us. We are to be like Him. We are to have pure minds, pure hands, and pure hearts.
The problem is that we live in a time in which Christians as the Bride of Christ have allowed their wedding garments to become soiled and allowed themselves to be defiled. Our three great enemies – the world, the flesh, and the devil have amassed their attacks seeking to defile us and make us dirty. Dirty is that which is not clean or pure; contaminated with impurities; that which is inappropriate.
I. Purity of Mind - We are to have a Clean Thought-life
A. Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he...”
B. If I were to ask you, “Do you have a dirty mind?” how would you answer? Before you consider what your answer would be remember the definition of dirty. Dirty is that which is not pure.
C. Genesis 6:5 “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
D. A dirty mind is a mind that has been tainted by and entertains thoughts that are inappropriate in any way for a Christian.
E. Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”
F. Psalm 10:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”
G. Watch what you fill your mind with. Watch what you watch. Watch what you listen to. Watch what you expose yourself to.
H. It’s amazing how much people love dirt; that’s why so much of the news is about dirt. You hear it, you see it, take it into your mind, you picture it, you imagine it... Now your own mind has become dirty as well. And from a dirty mind spring dirty acts. Imagine your mind as a washtub. If you fill it with dirt the water will be dirty. If you fill it only with that which is pure the water will be clean. - adapted
I. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
J. Watch you thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. [Frank Outlaw]
K. Let the mind of the Master be the master of your mind. – source unknown
II. Purity of Action – We are to have clean hands
A. Psalm 24:3-4 “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
B. John Gill points out that the hands are instruments of action. The actions can be holy actions or unholy actions. Clean Hands or Dirty Hands. To have clean hands is to be morally, ethically, spiritually upright. To do right. To do no wrong. It is not being perfect but striving always to do that which is right.
C. 1 Timothy 5:22 “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”
D. 2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
E. How many of you have washed your hands at least once this morning? Everyone. Of course you have. It’s a matter of hygiene, isn’t it? Getting rid of germs, microbes so that we don’t catch or spread diseases. - copied
F. How many spiritual infections do we spread by having unclean hands? How many blessings are we holding back because we have dirty hands?
G. Psalm 18:21-26 “For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful ; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright ; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself forward.”
H. 1 John 3: 3 “And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.”
III. Purity of Heart - We need cleansed hearts
A. Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
B. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
C. The Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as "the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity.
D. Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
E. The dirty heart does its own thing. It may present a beautiful exterior but inwardly care less or be tainted with idols of its own making. It’s the root of the problem. Jeremiah reminds us that the heart is deceitful and wicked.
F. One Sunday a man sat through a church service and then on the way home he fussed about the sermon, he griped about the traffic, he complained about the heat, and he made a big fuss about how late the lunch meal was served. Then he bowed and prayed, giving God thanks for the food. His son was watching him all the way through this post-church experience. Just as they were beginning to pass the food he said, “Daddy, did God hear you when we left the church and you started fussin’ about the sermon and about the traffic and about the heat?” The father blushed and said, “Well, yes, son, He heard me.” “Well, Daddy, did God hear you when you just prayed for this food right now?” And he says, “Well, yes, son, He … He … He heard me.” “Well, Daddy, which one did God believe?” - copied
G. It doesn’t matter how good you look on the inside. How’s the heart? Scientists have discovered that every snowflake has a tiny piece of dust at its core. Yes, every snowflake has a "dirty heart"
H. Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
I. No matter how pure and white new fallen snow may look its heart is unclean. Likewise, no matter how good we may look to those around us and ourselves, God looks at the heart. When the blood of Christ is applied to the heart, it cleanses from all sin. Not a speck of defilement remains, for God removes every stain and washes him even whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7).
J. Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
