Call to Purity and Faithfulness

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: I Corinthians 6, 7; Lord's Day 41
Psalters: 71, 67, 427, 260
  1. What God has done.
    1. God created man pure (holy) so that he was naked and not ashamed (Gen. 2:25) with sexual desires which were good.
      1. Man’s experience of the fall into sin was their being ashamed (Gen. 3:7) and wanting a covering (this is man without grace).
      2. Satan constantly works to destroy the foundation of good order in the marriage and family with selfishness.
    2. God, in Christ, provides for every one of His people to have the real marriage with Christ (Gen. 3:21; Eph. 5:25b-27,32).
      1. God is faithful and maintains the loving relationship by constantly giving and forgiving.
      2. God gives Jesus to restore spiritual and physical purity (sanctity), making us devoted to our faithful Husband.
  2. God condemns adultery, all unfaithfulness and every uncleanness.
    1. Adultery is unfaithfulness on the part of a husband or wife, and it is sexual impurity before marriage (e.g. friends with benefits).
      1. God condemns all selfishness:  whether in desiring to satisfy lusts or in refusing to pay the debt.
      2. The command boldly brings out selfish thoughts and desires from their hiding place and proclaims them as evil.
    2. Adultery/fornication violates covenant, severely damaging relationships.
    3. Jesus was angry when the physical temple was violated; much more so when the temple of the Spirit is defiled (I Cor. 6:15ff).
  3. Gratitude for God’s faithfulness to us constrains and restrains.
    1. Look up and see yourself in the real marriage with Jesus, which is only mercy and always undeserved.
    2. When we, through weakness, fall into sin, we must not despair of God’s mercy and grace.
    3. Everyone who is married to Jesus is called to reflect Jesus in grateful purity and faithfulness.
      1. We must be willing to restrain ourselves as self-denying followers of Jesus.
      2. Learn to detest what God detests and love what God loves (unconditionally).
      3. Each spouse must labor (in gratitude to God, not to their mate) to do their part because so abundantly forgiven.