The Purity of God's People

Order of Service

• Announcements
• Call to Worship — Matthew 11:28-30
• Hymn
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Belgic Confession, Article 1
• Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 15
• Pastoral Prayer
• Hymn
• Offering
• Hymn — Trust and Obey
• Sermon
• Hymn — God Be Merciful to Me
• Benediction — 1 Thessalonians 5:23

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Sermon Title: The Purity of God's People

Scripture: Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27-32

I. The Protection of Purity Through the Protection of God's Name

A. Israel was called to be a distinct and holy nation among the pagan nations

1. Exodus 19:5-6 — Israel is God's treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation
2. Sexual purity was one of the primary ways Israel showed its distinctiveness from surrounding nations
3. Leviticus 18:3 — Israel was not to follow the sexual practices of Egypt or Canaan

B. Unlike pagan law, the seventh commandment applies equally to men and women

1. Pagan nations held only women accountable for adultery; the commandment makes no such distinction
2. Matthew 5:32 — Jesus holds men equally accountable

C. Sexual sin within the covenant community soils God's name and the church's witness

1. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 — Paul calls the church to discipline the sexually immoral member to keep the body pure
2. A little leaven leavens the whole lump — unrepentant sexual sin of one member stains the entire body
3. Sexual sin is not merely a private act; it carries corporate ramifications for the body of Christ

D. There is hope for the repentant adulterer

1. 2 Corinthians 2 — the church is called to forgive and comfort the restored sinner
2. Christ came not to bring excessive sorrow to the adulterer but to purify them with his blood

II. The Protection of Purity Through the Protection of the Heart's Desires

A. Jesus internalizes the seventh commandment, as he did the sixth

1. Matthew 5:27-28 — lustful intent constitutes adultery in the heart
2. Just as anger breaks the sixth commandment, lust breaks the seventh

B. Defeating lust requires active engagement — pray and act

1. Jesus is extremely practical: cut off the eye and hand — destroy the paths and avenues that lead to lust
2. Merely praying and hoping for change without removing occasions of temptation is foolishness
3. God's regenerative Spirit is essential, but Jesus does not call us to passivity

C. This is a heaven-or-hell matter

1. John 10:27 — Christ's sheep hear his voice; a true sheep heeds the shepherd's warning about where lust leads
2. Failure to destroy the paths to lust gives reason to question one's standing before God
3. Today is the day of salvation — pray and act now

III. The Protection of Purity Through the Protection of Man's Body

A. Man is body and soul; the body must be committed to the Lord along with the soul

1. The seventh commandment governs how God's people are to use their bodies
2. Sex is not about selfish pleasure but about selfless obedience

B. The institution of the sexual union in Genesis establishes its selfless nature

1. Genesis 1:28 — "be fruitful and multiply" — the sexual union considers the offspring, not selfish pleasure
2. Genesis 2:24 — a man shall cleave to his wife and become one flesh — a selfless act considering the spouse

C. The body belongs to God and is to be offered to him in obedience

1. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 — the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; glorify God in your body
2. Ephesians 5:31-32 — the marriage union displays Christ's union with the church; Christ gave his body for his bride

D. Christ is the only perfectly pure man, whose sinless body and blood cleanses our sexual impurity

1. He who was pure in heart and deed from birth to death sheds blood that purifies the sexually immoral
2. His Spirit pours out to transform and sanctify the lustful heart
3. Turn off every screen and avenue of temptation — cling to your spouse and commit your body to the God who owns it