Flourish Even More in 2024… in Purity – A Summary

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3 NKJV)

What is Pure?

    The text above tells us unequivocally that God is pure, and from other Bible verses we learned that all that comes from Him is pure; God is the very source of purity:

• His words are pure, very pure; every one (Psalm 12:6, 119:140, Proverbs 30:5-6)
• His commandment is pure (Psalm 19:8)
• His instruction is pure concerning baptism (the waters of baptism, Hebrews 10:22, consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 3:15 and Mark 16:15-16, it is part of righteousness and necessary for salvation)
• His wisdom (James 3:17)

 

What Needs to Be Pure?

    We learned that every part of us needs to be pure, because every part is linked – and we with each other – so we must give constant attention to:

• Ourselves (1 John 3:1-3, Psalm 24:3-5, 51:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 1 Timothy 4:12) and our example so we can properly teach younger women (Titus 2:3-5)
• Our souls (1 Peter 1:22-23, also read and consider John 3:1-8, 1 John 1:8-10)
• Our religion (how we put God’s instruction in action, James 1:27, 2 Corinthians 9:8)
• Our conscience (1 Timothy 5:2, 2 Timothy 1:3, Hebrews 10:19-23, 1 John)
• Our hearts (Acts 15:9, and consider Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 5:8, 2 Timothy 2:22)
• Our words (Luke 6:43-45, Proverbs 15:26, Ephesians 4:29-32, Proverbs 25:11-12)
• Our minds (2 Peter 3:1, Proverbs 16:2, 30:11-14, John 8:43-45, Matthew 7:15, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Galatians 1:6-10, and Philippians 4:8)
• Our eyes (Luke 11:34, read and consider Psalm 101:3-4)
• Our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Romans 12:1-2, consider Matthew 5:27-30, Ephesians 5:1-7, Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:13-18, also read and consider Colossians 3:1-17 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

 

Why do we purify ourselves?

    We purify ourselves because God is pure and He has told us that we must also be pure, if we hope to see Him (1 John 3:2-3, Matthew 5:8). We purify ourselves because we have come to understand and appreciate that we were purchased with Jesus’ blood; we are not our own, we belong to God, and anything belonging to God is to be pure. Jesus’ sacrifice granted us cleansing and when we are baptized our sins are washed away and our souls became pure and spotless (Acts 22:16). From that point on we do all that is necessary to maintain our purity before God because we look forward to seeing Him and being found by Him without spot and blameless (2 Peter 3:10-14, 1 John 2:28).

…we were purchased with Jesus’ blood;
we are not our own, we belong to God,
and anything belonging to God is to be pure.

     Without Jesus’ sacrifice we would still be held helpless in bondage to sin (Ephesians 2:11-13, Romans 6). Jesus died to redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people – Christians – who are zealous for good works ---> people using their purified hearts, minds, eyes, words, and bodies for good (Matthew 25:34-46, Titus 3:1, 8, 14)! God has told us what practices cause impurities (with command to remove them) and has graciously told us what good and pure things we must practice instead – He has provided all we need to maintain our purity – it’s up to us to make proper use of His provision of both time and instruction!      

    Denying self, taking up our crosses, and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24, 1 John 2:3-6) won't always be easy, but it sure will be worth it! When we consider what awaits us, what God holds out for us in both blessings and in hope for eternity, what He asks of us is small (Romans 8:18-19) – it is worth our every effort and our every sacrifice!

    Are you ready to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (Matthew 22:37)? Are you preparing yourself to flourish even more in 2024 in purity?

You can do it! So can I!! 

Flourish Even More in 2024… in Purity – What Needs to be Pure?

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3 NKJV)

    As children of God we all hope to see Him as He is, so we take this passage seriously and work on purifying ourselves daily, so we can look like Him who is pure.

    Last week we learned of all that is pure:

• God (1 John 3:3)
• God’s words (Psalm 12:6), every word (Proverbs 30:5-6), they are very pure (Psalm 119:140)
• God’s commandment (Psalm 19:8)
• The waters of baptism (Hebrews 10:22)
• Wisdom from above (James 3:17)

    Pure means clean, untainted by impurities/evil, without fault so that means that God, His words, His commands, and His wisdom are all pure, clean, untainted by evil, and without fault. Think on that again for a moment: no sin can be in God’s presence (Psalm 5:4), His words and commands are for our good always (Deuteronomy 6:24-25), and His wisdom is a tree of life from which we will obtain unsullied guidance that will lead us home to eternal life with Him (Proverbs 3:13-26). It also means that the waters of baptism (Hebrews 10:22) are without fault and it is there that we are washed and made pure from all our sins; it is there that we become children of God and begin maintaining the purity God granted us.

    This week, let’s look at what needs to be pure:

1. WE DO! If we are children of God, we need to be pure (1 John 3:1-3, Psalm 24:3-5, 51:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 1 Timothy 4:12) and we need to be teaching younger women, by word and example, to be pure and chaste (Titus 2:3-5).
2. Our souls. We purify our souls by obeying the truth and being born again (John 3:1-8, in the pure waters of baptism) of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:22-23) and we maintain that purity by confessing our sins to God whenever we stumble (1 John 1:8-10).
3. Our religion. How we serve God day to day is visible to others. Do we prove by our words, choices, and actions that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect? (Romans 12:12) We can, by loving and helping widows and orphans in their troubles – doing all we can for those who need help (James 1:27, 2 Corinthians 9:8).
4. Our conscience. We, like Paul, can serve God with a pure conscience (1 Timothy 5:2, 2 Timothy 1:3). When we trust that God has washed away our sins when we were baptized, we, too can serve Him with a pure, untainted conscience (Hebrews 10:19-23). If you need reassurance, please take time to carefully read the letter of 1 John –  when you sin, confess it to God and He will forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1:9), if you practice righteousness you are righteous (3:7), etc. You can know, you can have confidence, and you can have a clear conscience!
5. Our hearts. Our hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9, and consider Hebrews 11:6) and only the pure of heart will see God (Matthew 5:8), and loving one another as God commands is only accomplished when it is with a pure heart (1 Peter 1:22, think about Matthew 5:44-48), we cannot be double-minded and hope to be a benefit to God’s work (James 4:8, Romans 12:9). A pure heart is necessary to be a real help to our brethren who, alongside us, are fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace – we need to be showing them what it looks like to call on the Lord (wholly reverence Him, lean on Him, and learn from Him) out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).
6. Our words. Our words show others where our hearts are focused; we need to keep our hearts pure so our words will be too (Luke 6:43-45). The words of the pure are pleasant to the LORD (Proverbs 15:26) and we are to use our words to build others up (Ephesians 4:29-32) – pure words of love and humble help, showing sincere consideration for their souls (Proverbs 25:11-12).
7. Our minds. Our minds need to be pure (2 Peter 3:1) so we do not taint God’s pure words and commands, tweaking them to suit our impurities (Proverbs 16:2, 30:11-14) and so we aren’t led astray by the lies of the devil (John 8:43-45) or by teachers and preachers who don’t tell us the Truth (Matthew 7:15, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Galatians 1:6-10). We need to fill our minds daily with God and His pure words of guidance and instruction and keep our minds pure by being mindful of what we listen to, watch, read, and scroll (consider the things we are to think on, Philippians 4:8).
8. Our eyes. Our eyes need to be pure (Luke 11:34). Our eyes will always be open to find what we keep our mind focused on – for example: if you keep thinking about white vehicles, you’ll begin noticing them everywhere. If we keep thinking on evil desires our eyes will find opportunities to fulfill it (read and consider Psalm 101:3-4).
9. Our bodies. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, you are God’s, and not your own (1 Corinthians 6:18-19), we are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and use our bodies (every part of them, as seen above) to glorify God, not to pursue lusts (consider Matthew 5:27-30, this applies to women toward men as well, whether in reality, on screen, or in books/magazines). We need to be alert to our thoughts, words, and actions, being careful that there is not even a hint of impropriety (flirtations, lewd speech, etc.) or immorality (lust, fornication, etc.) in them (Ephesians 5:1-7). Our bodies are not for sexual immorality but for the Lord. Sexual relations are a blessing within marriage (Hebrews 13:4) and anything outside of the bounds of marriage is sin (1 Corinthians 6:13-18, also read and consider Colossians 3:1-17 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).

    God is pure, His Word is pure; this includes, of course, Jesus (John 1:1-5, 14) – we need to know God the Father so we can imitate Him as dear children (Ephesians 5:1), we need to know the Son and walk as He walked (1 Peter 2:20-24, 1 John 2:3-6). We need to learn of their purity and conform ourselves to it (Romans 8:29). We need to study and know God’s pure commands and abide in them, asking Him for wisdom when we are lacking (James 1:5, 3:13-17) so that we can easily see what is pure (good) and what is impure (evil, Hebrews 5:14).

    Are you ready to flourish even more in 2024 in purity?  Our pure and holy God has provided us with all that we need to be wholly pure in His sight – let’s reverence God and His provision enough to inspect our hearts, minds, and habits, and to make the necessary changes to maintain our purity each and every day!  

You can do it! So can I!!  

Flourishing Even More in 2024… in Purity – What is Pure?

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3 NKJV)

    We need to be purifying ourselves because God is pure. This action is ongoing; it is a continual effort put into learning and doing what is necessary to be pure and to maintain purity. Jesus granted us access to purity by His sacrifice (Titus 2:14) and we become pure when we are baptized; having our sins washed away (Acts 22:16, Romans 6:4, 1 Peter 1:22-23), but now what?

    First, let’s learn what is pure:

• God (1 John 3:3)
• God’s words (Psalm 12:6), every word (Proverbs 30:5-6), they are very pure (Psalm 119:40)
• God’s commandment (Psalm 19:8)
• The waters of baptism (Hebrews 10:22)
• Wisdom from above (James 3:17)

    As we continue (or begin) our practice of purifying ourselves, we need to learn of God's purity so that we comprehend that He is in every way worthy of our whole faith and trust. We need to learn to keep our eyes on God (Colossians 3:1-2) and imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1) because He is pure. We need to read His words and obey His commands (James 1:21-25) because they are pure. If we have not already, we need to recognize our need and wash in the pure waters of baptism. And we need to ask God for wisdom because He will liberally give us the purest form (James 3:13-17)!

    As the Lord wills, spend time each day this week with God in prayer and in reading His word - think on the hope you have to one day see Him as He is. Determine to put His commands into practice and ask Him, in faith, for wisdom – He won’t be upset if you ask for it daily! Doing these things will develop a desire in your heart and mind to be pure just as He is pure! Are you ready?

You can do it! So can I!!