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INTENTIONAL CHRISTIANITY
PURITY

1) Titus 2:1-8 "You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5. to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8. and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (NIV) Mark 7:20-23 “He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.” (NIV) Boy, what a subject to start out on for the new year! Well, it's definitely one we all have to deal with, so here goes!
1) How do you personally define purity? For a pretty good list of things that are unpure, look at Mark 7:20-22 and Galatians 5:19-21!
2) How does the matter of self-control reflect upon your relationship with Christ Jesus?
3) Self-control (Titus 1:8). How does the failure to control our wills, our tongues and our fleshly passions (Romans 8:6; 8:8; James 1:26) reflect upon our relationship and witness for the Lord Christ Jesus?
4) As "mature" women in Christ, how can our daily actions influence and motivate younger women in the body of Christ? Are you, or have you ever been a younger woman's spiritual mentor. Describe your experience.
5) Hey, what's up with this keeping a good house stuff ? (Titus 2:5)
6) Are "older" men exempt from setting this same type of godly example? What example are they to show other men?
7) What constitutes “older”?
8) Where do we get much of the information from which we base our morality on? What messages are we receiving through television, magazines, radio and the internet? What are some positive steps we can take to correct the signals that we and our families are bombarded with? Do we have a Christian responsibility to let our voices be heard? How?
9) Paul is quick to point out that sexual sins are the only type of sin that we commit against our own bodies. What makes this sin different? How is Christ in us effected?
10) God created sex when he made Adam and Eve and as Genesis tells us--everything God made was good! Marital sex brings with it joy and commitment. What most people do not realize is that when a man and a woman join their bodies, "oneness" occurs that brings deep and lasting consequences. Paul explains this "mystery" in Ephesians 5:32 as being closely related to how Christ and His church are “one body.” Sex outside of marriage can have a negative effect within your present marriage or can carry over to any future relationship you enter into.
11) This brings up the subject of "soul ties." Have you ever heard about this subject? Women are far more vulnerable to this happening in our lives because most women rightly associate sex with love, belonging, acceptance, etc. It is definitely more bonding for us. Have you ever considered that some of the negative responses you have toward relationships and marriage, even your own self-image, may be the direct result of negative and uncommitted previous relationships? Can you see how tenderly God is looking out for our well-being by commanding that we flee fornication and adultery? A great book on this subject is "Keys to Understanding Soul Ties, Soul Power & Soulish Prayer" by Liberty Savard. You can go online to Christianbook.com and find this for $5.49. Worth reading!
12) No one wants to carry around with them the guilt of sexual sin. So, what do we do if we have a past that isn't exactly perfect? I want to quote something that Linda Dillow said while speaking to Nancy Leigh DeMoss on the "Revive our Hearts" program. (You can get transcripts from this wonderful program by going online to reviveourhearts.com) Linda stated, "...in reality, maybe single women have already erred in this area. I talk with many of them who push off dealing with the guilt of their past. I'd just encourage any single [or married] man or woman reading today that today is the day that you need to confess that sin to the Father. You need to cut those soul ties with the person or persons that you have been intimate with...We need to confess to the Lord Jesus every one of those sins. He will give forgiveness. A single woman can become “virginal” once again. No, she can't restore her physical virginity, but the word virgin means “pure-like”. Though Christ, every person can become pure, or virginal, in thought, word and deed."
13) So what if a single or man or woman has a "past?" So many of us have been abused, physically and or mentally. What happens if this person cannot or does not view sex as a good and a precious, precious gift from God? If anyone has a problem believing sex between a husband and wife is meant to be a sensuous and intimate gift from God and is blessed in His sight, they should read Song of Solomon 4. In 5:1, a third person enters the love scene between Solomon and his bride. That third person is God Himself and of all things He tells them “…drink, drink and have your fill.” God is encouraging his children to feast in their sexual love. If you have not given yourself “permission” to enjoy God’s great gift, or feel your past may be getting in the way, see what God promises in Joel 2:25a and Isaiah 61:3. “He is faithful who has promised.” (Hebrews 10:23)
14) 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 speaks of our responsibility to lead sexually pure lives. You have to realize that the apostle Paul was speaking to Christian believers. The church of was located in Corinth, a city know for its sexual promiscuity. Just the temple to Aphrodite alone had over 1,000 prostitutes and believers were participating in all manner of vile practices, including homosexuality. They had misinterpreted their "freedom in Christ" (1 Cor. 6:12) as a license to sin! See what Galatians 5:13 and 1 Peter 2:16 has to see about our Christian freedom. What does 1 Corinthians 9-10 tell us about people who continue in their practice such things? Note the key words here are "continue” and “practice."
15) Many of the Corinthian believers were going right back into the very sins from which they had been saved and delivered! What is the difference between a Christian falling into sin and "practicing" sin?
16) Can a Christian be a habitual sinner? Is it sin to be tempted in different areas? What does Mark 7:20 tell us about how sin enters into someone's heart and life?
17) According to Titus 2:11, what enables us to say "No" to our fleshly desires. If this is so, can any of us boast if we are able to overcome temptation? Remember, we are “new creatures” in Christ Jesus—In Him, “Ye are washed, sanctified and justified!” (1 Corinthians 6:11)