Shining Light and Pursuing Radical Purity

Devotional

Day 1: Shine the Light of Jesus

As the world grows increasingly dark and ungodly, Christians are called to shine the light of Jesus even brighter. This means actively sharing the love and truth of Christ with those around us who are lost and deceived by the world. Instead of being discouraged by the darkness, we should focus on being the light that guides others to Jesus. Our actions, words, and attitudes should reflect the hope and love that Jesus offers, providing a beacon of light in a world that desperately needs it. [42:10]

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV): "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Reflection: Think of one person in your life who is struggling with darkness or despair. How can you intentionally share the light of Jesus with them today through your words or actions?

Day 2: Radical Purity

God calls us to radical purity, which means abstaining from all forms of sexual immorality. This includes not even a hint of impurity in our lives. Radical purity is about honoring God with our bodies and living in a way that reflects His holiness. In a world that often promotes and normalizes sexual immorality, Christians are called to stand out by living lives of purity and integrity. This requires vigilance, self-control, and a deep commitment to God's standards. [45:22]

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (ESV): "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God."

Reflection: What steps can you take to ensure that your thoughts, actions, and relationships align with God's call to radical purity? Identify one specific area where you can make a change today.

Day 3: Sex Within Marriage

Sex is a beautiful gift from God meant to be enjoyed within the boundaries of marriage between a man and a woman. Outside of these boundaries, sex leads to destruction and heartache. Protecting the sanctity of marriage is crucial for a fulfilling and God-honoring life. By upholding the biblical view of marriage, we honor God and experience the true joy and intimacy that He intended for us. [49:16]

Hebrews 13:4 (ESV): "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."

Reflection: If you are married, how can you invest in and protect the sanctity of your marriage today? If you are single, how can you honor God’s design for sex and marriage in your current relationships and future aspirations?

Day 4: Guard Your Mind

The battle with sexual temptation is won or lost in the mind. Our thoughts direct our actions, which define who we are. By focusing on things that are true, noble, right, and pure, we can guard our minds against the enemy's attacks and live in a way that honors God. It is essential to be mindful of what we allow into our minds through media, conversations, and our own thoughts. [56:18]

Philippians 4:8 (ESV): "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Reflection: What are some sources of negative or impure thoughts in your life? How can you replace them with things that are true, noble, right, and pure starting today?

Day 5: Repentance and Restoration

For those who have fallen into sexual sin, the message is one of hope and restoration. God offers forgiveness and grace, and He calls us to repent and commit to radical purity. Trusting God with every part of our lives, including our sexuality, leads to true freedom and fulfillment. No matter how far one has fallen, God’s love and grace are always available to restore and renew. [01:18:59]

1 John 1:9 (ESV): "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Reflection: Is there an area of sexual sin in your life that you need to confess and repent of? How can you take a step towards God’s forgiveness and restoration today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we celebrated the incredible mission trip to Cambodia, where our team ministered to over 2,300 children across 12 churches, public schools, and even a correctional facility. This trip exemplifies our church's commitment to spreading the love of Jesus globally. As we look forward to future mission trips, possibly to Africa, I encourage everyone to consider participating.

We then shifted our focus to the increasing ungodliness in the world, as prophesied in the Bible. Despite the darkness, we are called to shine the light of Jesus even brighter. This should motivate us to share the love of Christ with those around us who are lost and deceived by the world.

Today's main topic was about sexual temptation and how to avoid it. We discussed the importance of radical purity, as God calls us to abstain from sexual immorality and to control our bodies in holiness and honor. We are being targeted for immorality, and it's crucial to be vigilant and sober-minded. Sex within marriage is a beautiful gift from God, but outside of marriage, it leads to destruction.

We examined the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife from Genesis 39. Joseph's steadfastness in the face of persistent temptation serves as a powerful example. He recognized that sinning against Potiphar's wife would be a great wickedness and a sin against God. Joseph's story teaches us to flee from temptation and to maintain our integrity.

We also discussed the importance of guarding our minds, as the battle with sexual temptation is won or lost there. Our thoughts direct our actions, which define who we are. We must focus on things that are true, noble, right, and pure.

Finally, we acknowledged that some may have already fallen into sexual sin. The message is not to heap shame but to encourage repentance and a commitment to radical purity. God loves us and wants us to trust Him with every part of our lives, including our sexuality. For those struggling with same-sex attraction or gender confusion, the call is the same: trust God and surrender to His plan.

###

Key Takeaways

1. honoring life. [49:16]
4. Guard Your Mind: The battle with sexual temptation is won or lost in the mind. Our thoughts direct our actions, which define who we are. By focusing on things that are true, noble, right, and pure, we can guard our minds against the enemy's attacks and live in a way that honors God.

5. Repentance and Restoration: For those who have fallen into sexual sin, the message is one of hope and restoration. God offers forgiveness and grace, and He calls us to repent and commit to radical purity. Trusting God with every part of our lives, including our sexuality, leads to true freedom and fulfillment.

### [49:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:49] - Mission Trip to Cambodia
[41:10] - Increasing Ungodliness in the World
[42:10] - Shining the Light of Jesus
[42:49] - Introduction to the Main Topic
[43:37] - The Reality of Sexual Temptation
[44:41] - God's Call to Radical Purity
[45:22] - Understanding Radical Purity
[46:15] - Being Targeted for Immorality
[47:36] - Sex Within Marriage vs. Outside Marriage
[49:16] - Solomon's Wisdom on Sexual Purity
[51:07] - The Destructive Nature of Sexual Immorality
[52:32] - The Trap of Sexual Temptation
[54:30] - Defining Marriage Biblically
[56:18] - The Battle is Won in the Mind
[57:51] - Joseph's Story: Integrity in Temptation
[61:00] - Joseph's Refusal and Fleeing Temptation
[70:22] - The Lure of Temptation
[72:12] - Maximizing Consequences, Minimizing Benefits
[74:04] - Joseph's Wisdom in Avoiding Sin
[75:47] - Anticipated Consequences of Immorality
[78:59] - Repentance and Radical Purity
[80:43] - Trusting God with Every Part of Our Lives
[82:48] - Prayer and Commitment
[84:37] - Invitation to Pray and Surrender
[92:11] - Closing Remarks and Announcements

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What actions did Joseph take to resist the persistent advances of Potiphar's wife? (Genesis 39:6-12)
According to 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, what is God's will for us regarding sexual immorality?
In Ephesians 5:3, what does Paul say about the presence of sexual immorality among believers?
How did the sermon describe the current state of the world in relation to ungodliness and how should Christians respond? [42:10]

Interpretation Questions

Why is it significant that Joseph recognized sinning with Potiphar's wife as a "great wickedness and sin against God"? (Genesis 39:9)
How does the concept of "radical purity" as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 challenge modern cultural norms? [45:22]
What does it mean to "guard your mind" in the context of battling sexual temptation, and why is this important? [56:18]
How does the story of Joseph illustrate the importance of integrity and fleeing from temptation? [57:51]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you faced a moral or ethical temptation. How did you respond, and what can you learn from Joseph's example to apply in future situations? [01:01:00]
The sermon emphasized the importance of shining the light of Jesus in a dark world. What are some practical ways you can share the love and truth of Christ with those around you this week? [42:10]
Radical purity involves abstaining from all forms of sexual immorality. What steps can you take to ensure that there is "not even a hint" of impurity in your life? [45:22]
The battle with sexual temptation is won or lost in the mind. What specific thoughts or influences do you need to guard against to maintain purity? [56:18]
For those who have fallen into sexual sin, the sermon offered a message of hope and restoration. How can you support someone in your life who is struggling with sexual sin to find repentance and commit to radical purity? [01:18:59]
The sermon mentioned the importance of defining marriage biblically. How does understanding and upholding this definition impact your view of relationships and sexuality? [54:30]
Consider the idea of maximizing the consequences and minimizing the benefits of sexual immorality. How can this perspective help you make better decisions when faced with temptation? [01:14:04]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "I want us to focus on the fact that as the world continues to get darker and darker, it's important that we shine the light of Jesus more and more. It should motivate us rather than frustrate or discourage us, it needs to motivate us that there are people all around us that need to know Jesus. There are people all around us that are getting sucked into these false beliefs. They're getting deceived by the things of the world." [42:10] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "God calls us to radical purity, regardless of your circumstances, your needs, your temperament. This is God's call for your life. We talked about God's call last week, actually. This is part of God's call. God has called you to radical purity." [45:22] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "God is all for sex, sex, God is pro-sex, God is, is, it was his idea, he came up with it, he wants us to participate in it, sex between a husband and wife is awesome, and it's worth waiting for, and it is worth protecting, it's worth protecting, but sex outside of God's boundaries will ultimately destroy everything that's important to you, it will destroy everything that's important to you." [51:07] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Your thoughts are going to direct what you do. What you do defines who you are. You see why your thoughts are so important and you see why the battle is won there. Because what you allow to roll around in that mind of yours, what you allow to take root in that mind of yours is going to lead to your actions and your actions define who you're going to be, who you are." [56:18] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "For those of you here who you've already been outside God's boundaries, okay? The point of today is not to heap shame on you, okay? Hopefully, it's to help you see, okay, I need to repent of that and I need to never return to that. From this day forward, I'm going to live with radical purity. I'm going to guard my heart and my mind. I'm not going to be lured by the same thing again." [01:18:59] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "The reality is there are likely married couples in our church. That... That are struggling in this area. There are single adults, unmarried people, in our church, here in this room, online, that are thinking that, well, sex is going to solve their problems or enhance their life in some way. But they're beginning to discover that the context for their sexual experience is going to change. They're beginning to realize that their sexual expression is empty, unsatisfying, and even damaging." [43:37] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "We have to maximize the consequences and minimize the benefits. We tend to do the opposite. Even if the benefit list is this long, and the consequence list is this long, we like to maximize the benefits. We focus on those. We, you know, inflate those like, oh, this will be so great, and oh, those aren't. That's not, there might be a really long list, but those aren't that big a deal. We like to minimize the consequences, but instead, we have to maximize the consequences and minimize the benefits." [01:14:04] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Joseph called it right. Joseph saw it right. He said in verse 9, he said, if I do what Potiphar's wife wanted, it would be a great wickedness, not just a sin against the man who has been so good to me and has trusted me so much, but he said, more importantly, this will be a sin against God. It's not just about you. It's not even just about you and your wife or your husband. This is also about you and God." [01:14:04] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Randy Alcorn, he's a famous Christian author, and he has hanging in his office, he has a, what he, this is what he calls, it's a personalized list of the anticipated consequences of immorality, okay? A personalized list of the anticipated consequences of immorality. I'm gonna, I'm gonna give you the, the, the non-personalized, like his, his wife's name, and his kids' names aren't in here, but he put them in his, and he has it hanging on his wall, as just a constant reminder. These would be the consequences if I decided to step into sexual immorality." [01:15:47] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "We talked last week about getting off course. When it comes to God's call in our life, this is one thing that gets so many people off course. It is a strong temptation for so many people. And Satan has used it so strategically and unassumingly that we get caught up in it and it gets us off course maybe easier than anything else. Is it really worth it? Joseph didn't think so. You got to know when to run. You got to know when to run." [01:18:59] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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