Purity of Mind and Body

Transcription

1 Purity of Mind and Body by Bonnie Merkle Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:12-13 Why is purity important? In order to draw near to God James 4:8 Because we are related to God as His children I John 3:1-3 Impurity is improper for children of God Ephesians 5:3 Impurity brings judgment Ephesians 5:5

2 Purity of the Mind Ephesians 4: in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Examples of influences on the mind Our minds have been affected by our society more than we suspect. Mark Minnick Written materials Audio/visual materials Stores in the mall Internet Positive Uses of the Internet Communication, research, education, financial transactions, real-time updates, leisure, Ecommerce The spread of the Gospel, communication with missionaries, Bible study tools, audio sermons Downsides of the Internet The Internet is not just another delivery system. It is creating a whole new mental environment, a digital state of nature where the human mind becomes a spinning instrument panel, and few people will survive unscathed. Is the Internet Making Us Crazy Newsweek, July 2012 Promotes compulsive behavior Affects our thought processes o Alters our cognitive abilities to think and to memorize o Promotes a lack of focus due to multi-tasking 2

3 Jumbles our priorities o The urgent things crowd out the important o Righteous obligations are forsaken o Time is wasted Fosters negative emotions o Pride o Rejection and jealousy o Resentment o Discontentment o Greed Alters our worldview o Abundance of knowledge can lead to skepticism Alters communication skills o Fosters miscommunication o Dilutes meaningful conversation Presents a distorted perception of reality Symptoms of Internet Addiction As of 2012, Internet Addiction Disorder is a clinical psychology diagnosis. Preoccupation with the Internet Use of the Internet in increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction Repeated, unsuccessful efforts to control Internet use Feelings of restlessness, moodiness, depression, or irritability when attempting to curtail internet use On-line longer than originally intended Jeopardized or risked loss of significant relationships, job, educational or career opportunities Lies to family members, therapists, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet Use of the Internet for a way to escape from problems or to relieve a dysphoric mood 3

4 Biblically combatting the negative effects of technology Be sober about the technology o Satan is a roaring lion I Peter 5:8 Christians cannot afford to regard their lusts as petty: lusts are the beginning of susceptibility to temptation from without, and sin, and ultimately death. Self-deception is to be expected from sinful hearts. Rand Hummel Realize its ability to defile your mind and conscience Titus 1:15 Make no provision for the flesh Romans 13:12b-14 Stay in control o Self-control is a fruit of the spirit Galatians 5:22 o Don t be mastered I Corinthians 6:12 o Know your triggers , social media, chat rooms o Schedule your internet time Make the most of your time Ephesians 5:15-16 o Every or message does not have to be answered o Disable unnecessary notifications o Plan a technology hiatus regularly Create an accountability structure o God sees all your browsing history Hebrews 4:13 o Install an Internet browser filter o Consider accountability software o Consider a shared password with your husband 4

5 Be discerning o Examine everything carefully I Thessalonians 5:21-22 We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of it, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to it, will not long keep from doing sin. Matthew Henry o God s grace instructs us Titus 2:11-12 Think on right things o Whatsoever filters Philippians 4:8 Purity of the Body From all that I had read of History of Government, of human life and manners, I had drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women were the most infallible barometer, to ascertain the degree of morality and virtue in a nation. The manners of women are the surest criterion by which to determine whether a Republican Government is practicable, in a nation or not. The Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Swiss, the Dutch, all lost their public spirit, their republican principles and habits, and their republican forms of government, when they lost the modesty and domestic virtues of their women. President John Adams Create a Culture of Appropriateness Definition: especially suitable or fitting Arenas of Appropriateness o Outward appearance o Private and public behavior 5

6 Appropriateness in Outward Appearance Key Verses o I Timothy 2:9-10 Modest appropriate, orderly, well-arranged Shamefacedness a blushing response toward impurity Sobriety self-control, moderateness, discretion Applications Modesty in apparel is an application of a sense of shame that governs our selection of clothing. Mark Minnick o Adjust your sense of shame o Be discerning about the principles of design o Strive to be unobtrusive o Allow your husband to weigh in on your fashions Appropriateness in Public and Private Behavior Key Verses o Ephesians 5:3-4a Filthiness, silliness, inappropriate jesting o I Peter 2:12 Keep your behavior excellent Discretion Preserves o Proverbs 2:11 Godly people can, as it were, smell the depravity of an act before they can explain why it is evil. There is a spiritual sense that something is amiss. It does not fit in a world permeated with God. Jonathan Edwards Appropriate behavior in private o Consider the power of your own example Think not that your children will practice what they do not see you do. You are their model picture, and they will copy what you are. J. C. Ryle o Encourage modest dress for all family members o Create an atmosphere of privacy 6

7 Appropriate behavior in public o Overarching principle love for one another I Peter 1:22 o Among the general public The spirit of appropriateness should reign o Among the opposite sex Strive to be above reproach Avoid physical contact Avoid being in private Guard against over familiarity, jesting Walk as candles among straw And though it be their sin and vanity that is the cause [of lust], it is nevertheless your sin to be the unnecessary occasion... You must not lay a stumbling-block in their way, nor blow up the fire of their lust... You must walk among sinful persons as you would do with a candle among straw or gunpowder; or else you may see the flame which you did not foresee, when it is too late to quench it. Richard Baxter Cultivate the mindset of aliens and exiles I Peter 1-2 1:1 identified as aliens and strangers 1:2 chosen to obey 1:5 protected by the power of God 1:14 not conformed to former lusts 1:15 holy in all your behavior 1:17 conducting yourself in fear 1:18 redeemed from your futile way of life 2:9 chosen to proclaim the excellencies of Him 2:11 abstain from fleshly lusts 2:12 keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles 7

8 We must cultivate the mindset of exiles. What this does mainly is sober us up and wake us up so that we don't drift with the world and take for granted that the way the world thinks and acts is the best way. We don't assume that what is on TV is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the priorities of advertisers are helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the strategies and values of business and industry are helpful to the soul. We don't assume that any of this glorifies God. We stop and we think and we consult the Wisdom of our own country, heaven, and we don't assume that the conventional wisdom of this age is God's wisdom. We get our bearings from God in his Word. When you see yourself as an alien and an exile with your citizenship in heaven, and God as your only Sovereign, you stop drifting with the current of the day. You ponder what is good for the soul and what honors God in everything: food, cars, videos, bathing suits, birth control, driving speeds, bed times, financial savings, education for the children, unreached peoples, famine, refugee camps, sports, death, and everything else. Aliens get their cue from God and not the world. John Piper Sources Books DeMoss, Nancy Leigh. The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear? Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Hummel, Charles E. Tyranny of the Urgent. Hummel, Rand. The Dark Side of the Internet. Mahaney, Carolyn. Feminine Appeal. Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brain. George, Elizabeth. A Woman s High Calling. Pollard, Jeff. Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America Ryle, J. C. How Should a Child Be Trained. Spinney, Robert G. Dressed to Kill. Sermons Minnick, Mark. Characteristics of a Christlike Mind Minnick, Mark. Restoring Scripturally Defined Modesty 1 & 2 Piper, John. The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God Produced and distributed by: Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 2014; Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright, 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 8