A Blueprint for Purity
Psalm 119:9-11
Jeff Hughes
I. Introduction
a. Good evening guys, it is always a pleasure to come and share from God’s Word. When Lynn gave me this chance this evening I was excited to come and speak to you guys on this topic. It is a subject that is near to my heart. Because when you think about it -
b. The lack of sexual purity in our society today is a plague that has flourished into a full-blown epidemic. The free love message of the sixties has degraded into outright hedonism in the late nineties. As Christian men, we seem to be awash in a world filled with sensuality. You can’t drive down the freeway or watch a baseball game on television without being inundated with provocative imagery. As a society we have become de-sensitized to provocative and sexually explicit images. Lust, sensuality, pornography, whatever you want to call it has a death grip especially on men from 11 year olds to men married with children.
c. If you don’t think that my last statement was true, let me give you a few statistics.
d. Pornography is a $13 billion dollar a year industry. More than all revenues generated by Rock-n-Roll and Country music, more than America spent on Broadway productions, theater, ballet, jazz and classical music combined."
e. In 2000 pornography web-site revenues were 2 billion dollars.
f. There are 200,000 porn sites on the web - with an estimated 200 new sites
Everyday. In e-commerce or business transacted over the internet, porn is by far the largest grossing. Christianity Today reported recently that online stock trading, one of the few profitable e-commerce sectors, has typical profit margins of about 0.2 percent. It pales in comparison to porn site profits, which often reach 30 percent.
g. Make no mistake - pornography is big business. Like any other business they are trying to expand their profits, and break into new markets. The new market that is opening up to them is our children.
h. 25% of porn sites have brand names (Barbie, Disney, Nintendo, nba...) in their metatags (these are hidden keywords to make the pages pop up in search engines) they are designed to attract hits from younger viewers using search engines like yahoo or google.
i. According to a study by NetValue, children spent 65 percent more time on pornography sites than they did on game sites in September 2000. Over one quarter (27.5%) of children age 17 and under visited an adult web site, which represents 3 million unique underage visitors. Of these minors, 21 percent were 14 or younger and 40 percent were female.
j. Where are these kids’ parents, you ask? They are watching TV, reading a book, and just basically ignoring what their kids are doing online. They are being quiet right?!? They are out of your hair, so why bother? A different study said 62% of parents of American teenagers say they’re unaware their children had accessed objectionable web sites.
k. What is even more troubling to me, than the pornography industry targeting our kids is how widespread it is in the church.
l. Forty percent of pastors have visited a porn site; more than one-third have done so in the last year. Christianity Today, 2001.
m. Fifty-one percent of pastors say online porn is a possible temptation; 37% admit it is a struggle. Yet only 25% of pastors use filters on his or his family’s computer. Christianity Today, 2000.
n. At least 20% of American adults (Christian and non-Christian) have looked at a sex site online. The ratio is the same for Christians: one in five people in the pews have looked at web porn. The same study shows one in every three men have looked at a sex site; close to half for men under the age 35. Focus on the Family, 2001.
o. I am confident that there are people in this room tonight that are struggling with sexual purity right now. Maybe you’re not looking at web sites or pornography, but what’s going on in your thought life?
p. Science tells us that a man’s sex drive is visually stimulated. That’s the way God made us. When used in the proper context of a marriage relationship, it is a beautiful thing, it works just like God designed it. When we let our eyes and our mind run wild though, we have just fallen into sin.
q. You know, we have this code language for sin in the church. You’ll ask somebody – “How’s it going Bob?” If Bob has been falling into sin, he may say, “Well, man I have been struggling lately.” Why can’t we just come out and say it – “I’ve fallen into great wickedness!”
r. For many years I was caught up in this trap. I thought there was no hope for me. My older brother introduced me to pornography at age 8. I got older, and got more caught up. I got into college and got into an illicit relationship with a girl I’d met. We lived together for two years, and I lived a lifestyle of sin. We also were reaping the harvest of that sin. But, God is merciful. We decided to get married. The only person I knew to marry us was my old Youth Pastor. He counseled with us, and pulled me aside and told me flat out that I was living in sin, and that he would not marry us unless I agreed to re-commit my life to the Lord. Which I did. So, I broke free from the yoke of sexual sin right there, right?!? I got married, that cured me, right? Unfortunately, no.
s. I continued battle my sensual thought life; I watched whatever I wanted on TV, and I looked at porn sites on the net. I was still caught up in big-time wickedness.
t. I am a Christian though. I was saved. I wanted hope. I wanted out of this trap. I decided to seek the counsel of a pastor of mine at another church about my problems with sexual purity several years ago. This former pastor of mine told me that it was something that I would struggle with for the rest of my life as a man.
u. I was not happy with that answer. I began to search for a way to break free. It took some time, but I began to gain some insight.
v. 2nd Peter Chapter 2, verses 3 and 4 tells us:
w. 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
x. From this verse we see that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. So, a Godly life is possible. He has given it to us already, the issue is – have we laid hold of it?
y. Let’s take a look in God’s Word tonight to discover how we can lay hold of godliness and purity. When I am through here tonight, if you pay attention, you will find that it is not impossible to break free from lust. It is what God wants for each of our lives.
II. PRAYER
a. We thank you and praise you Lord, for your goodness. We pray for your guidance and wisdom tonight, Lord. Help us to hear this message and open our hearts and minds to your Word. Help us to become more like you, Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
III. Illustration
a. Let me start by quoting a passage from David Hocking’s book, The Moral Catastrophe, it was published in late 1990 -
b. It was reported in the news in July of 1990 that former PTL leader and TV evangelist Jim Bakker, now jailed for various fund-raising improprieties, makes eleven cents an hour cleaning toilets in the penitentiary. And a federal judge ruled that the little money he has accumulated could be seized to pay penalties he owes of over $500,000. His empire crumbled when he had an adulterous relationship with Jessica Hahn.
c. This probably doesn’t surprise many of you. It happened ten years ago. This is not any front-page news. But what may surprise you is that the man who wrote that book, had to step down from the pulpit of his church in 1992 because of admitted sexual sin in his own life.
d. David Hocking repented publicly of his sin and was later restored to ministry by the grace of God. But the point that I am trying to make is that we are all vulnerable to sexual sin. Statistics tell us that 9 out of 10 men struggle with some kind of sexual temptation. It is only by the power of God working daily in our lives that we can overcome sexual sin.
IV. Study
a. So tonight, I want to take a short look at God’s blueprint for sexual purity. We are going to look three points - the importance of Heeding God’s Word, the importance of Seeking God wholeheartedly, and the importance of Hiding God’s Word in our heart. Our text comes out of Psalm 119. Turn there with me if you will. It’s near the middle of your Bible – Nehamiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs…We will be looking at Psalm 119 verses 9 through 11. Mark this place if you have a bookmark, because we will be jumping around some, but we will keep coming back to Psalm 119. Follow along with me as I read.
b. Psalm 119:9-11
c. 9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
d. Heeding God’s Word – 119:9
i. Let’s start by looking at verse 9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
ii. The New American Standard translates this verse 9 this way : 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping {it} according to Your word.
iii. Some of us here aren’t young men any more. In November, I will turn 30, transforming me from a young man to a middle-aged man. Regardless of your age though, I think this verse is very fitting for our study on purity tonight.
iv. We see that the verse starts off with a question, and ends with an answer from a wise man. Scholars tell us that it is very probable that Ezra wrote this Psalm around 450 B.C. So, it’s safe to assume that sexual purity was a problem in Israel at the time of Ezra.
v. Sexual purity can be defined as getting sexual satisfaction from no other source but your wife. Let me repeat that - Sexual purity is getting sexual satisfaction from no other source but your wife. Those of us who aren’t married don’t get any source. That may seem rough, but that’s the way God designed it, and we are expected to live up to this standard by God’s Word. This is the only way to keep our lives pure, by keeping according to God’s Word, as the Psalmist writes.
vi. In 1 Peter 1:16, God tells us this: be holy, for I am holy.
vii. Paul tells Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:22: Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
viii. Paul tells us here to flee youthful lusts. But what does that mean? How can we apply that to our lives today?
ix. St. Augustine once said, "Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."
x. Our sensuality and lustfulness is a habit we have made over time by making bad decisions in our walk. If you are struggling in this area, it is just like any other sin – somehow, somewhere, you are feeding this sin. Like when a pretty girl walks by, it is your habit to take that second long look at her. A lot of people are shocked to find out that impurity is a habit, they think it is a dreadful curse we are stuck with as men. That’s what the enemy wants you to believe!
xi. The good news is that if sexual impurity lives as a habit, it dies like a habit. So, what can we do to do that? How can we defeat that habit?
xii. Well, we know from scripture that Job was a righteous man. The Bible says he feared God and shunned evil. In Job 31:1, we find a key to walking free from sexual impurity. Job says, 1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
xiii. The key there is that Job made a covenant with his eyes. If you want to walk free from impurity, you need to make that choice right now. Repent and make a covenant with God right now, that you will no longer steal a lustful look at another woman from your wife. Make that commitment to God right where you are sitting. Believe me, you will be tested on this shortly. That’s how the enemy works. Do not be surprised gentlemen if you get tested in this tonight, before you go to sleep.
xiv. When you get into that position where you have that choice to sin or to not, tell yourself, “I can’t do this, I have made a covenant with my eyes.” Pray, ask for God’s strength.
xv. If you are a Christian, you don’t have right the right to decide to sin anyway. You gave that up when you were saved. Turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 with me, starting in verse 18:
xvi. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
xvii. Because we were bought at a price, we are to glorify God in our body and spirit, in other words, we are to seek Him and serve Him wholeheartedly. This brings us to our next point in God’s blueprint for purity, which is found in Psalm 119:10. Turn back there with me if you would.
e. Seeking God Wholeheartedly – 119:10
i. 119:10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
ii. In verse 10, the wise man continues to expound truth to the young man concerning a pure walk with the Lord. What is so vital in this verse, is that it is necessary to seek God with our whole heart.
iii. Listen to the Words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. That word mammon can mean riches, but it also can mean the worldly system.
iv. The question I am going to ask each one of you, and this is going to hit you right where you live is “Who are you serving?” If you are serving the Lord, you should be walking in purity. If you are walking in impurity, who are you serving?
v. 1st John, chapter 1, verse 5 and 6 tells us, 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
vi. God is calling each one of us in this room to serve Him with a whole heart, and not try and walk the tightrope between the world and His will. You, may ask, how can we know God’s will? The answer is simple - God’s will is revealed to us through His Word.
vii. But, how do we process God’s Word? How do we synthesize it into our lives, so that it can make a difference in our walk? Well, we do it primarily by getting His Word in us, which brings us to our final point concerning God’s blueprint for purity, found in Psalm 119, verse 11. Psalm 119:11 says
f. Hide God’s Word – 119:11
i. 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
ii. C. H. Spurgeon summed up verse 11 in one sentence. He said verse 11 tells us about The best thing, in the best place, for the best of purposes.
iii. Let me repeat that. This is really important. Verse 11 is the best thing (meaning God’s Word), in the best place (in our heart), for the best of purposes (to keep us from sinning against Him).
iv. So, as I said before, God’s will is revealed to us through His Word.
v. So, what is God’s will for our lives in relationship to sexual purity?
vi. We can thank the church at Thessalonica for needing some help in this area. Paul gives us some great insight into God’s will for our sexual purity in his first letter to the Thessalonians: Turn with me to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, starting in verse 1 – It’s toward the end of your Bible, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. 1st Thessalonians 4:1 -
vii. 1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
viii. Now, pay close attention to verse 3 -
ix. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
x. Clearly, as we see in verse 3 here, it is God’s will for us to abstain from sexual immorality. You may think, well, that’s easy for the apostle Paul to say, he didn’t have TV, the internet, topless bars, and a myriad of sensual images coming in from everywhere he turned.
xi. You may think that, but let me tell you a few things about the Roman Empire that existed in Paul’s day.
xii. In the famous history, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," the author, William Gibbon gave the following reasons for Rome’s fall:
xiii. (1) Excessive spending by the central government.
(2) Unwillingness of young men to bear arms in defense of their country.
(3) Overindulgence in luxuries.
(4) Widespread immorality which destroyed the integrity of family life (family values).
(5) The spread of gender confusion and homosexuality — men acting like women, and women acting like men.
(6) Disregard for religion.
xiv. Sadly, these same symptoms are the ills of our own society, and most Christian leaders believe that unless there is a revival of moral values in our nation, like Rome, it will corrupt from within and will die as a nation.
xv. I want to repeat that - unless there is a revival of moral values in our nation, like Rome, it will corrupt from within and will die as a nation.
xvi. Gentlemen, I want to tell you - that revival starts with you. It is your choice. Joshua makes this declaration in chapter 24, verse 15 – He said, “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”, and he goes on to say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
xvii. The 19th century evangelist Charles Finney said, “Revival is the renewal of the first love of Christians resulting in the conversion of sinners to God. It assumes that the church is backslidden, and revival means conviction of sin and searching of hearts - among God’s people. Revival is nothing less than a new beginning of obedience to God.”
xviii. Your purity comes down to one question – will you begin that new obedience to God’s will, or not? Will you heed His Word? Will you seek Him wholeheartedly? Will you hide His Word in your heart that you might not sin against Him?
xix. Make a choice tonight, make a stand. Right here. Right now, before you leave tonight. Your family is worth it, your church is worth it, and you walk with the Lord is worth it.
xx. Lynn is going to come up after me, and expound a little more, and offer prayer if you are struggling with purity in your life. We want to pray with you and encourage you. It’s not hopeless. God wants you to be free!
V. Conclusion
a. I’d like to close with a story. In the forests of northern Europe, and Asia a little animal called the ermine lives. He is mostly known for his snow-white fur. The ermine has a peculiar pride in his white fur coat. At all hazards he protects it against anything that would spoil it.
b. It is said that the fur hunters take advantage of the ermine’s care to keep his coat clean. They don’t set a trap to catch him, but instead find his home, a cleft in the rock or the hollow of a decaying tree, and dab the entrance and interior with mud. Then their dogs start the chase. Frightened, the ermine flees toward his home, his only place of refuge. He finds it unclean, and he will not spoil his pure white coat. Rather than go into the unclean place, he faces the yelping dogs and preserves the purity of his fur at the price of his life. It is better that he be stained by blood than spoiled by uncleanness. The ermine is right - purity is dearer than life.
c. Thanks you for letting me come out and share with you all tonight, I’d like to turn the podium back over to Lynn, and let’s learn more about God’s desire for us to be pure.
