Pure in Heart: Lesson 3

Purity of Heart: 100% Satisfaction from God alone

Sexual Purity is 100% satisfaction from our spouse

Genesis 2:22-25 God and Adam were alone for a while with a complete spiritual relationship. Adam is giving a spouse God took a bone from next to his heart. Eve was created to be enough for Adam. Eve and Adam were enough emotionally, physically, and spiritually. He didn't need anyone else. She was enough to complete him sexually.

Ephesians 5:1-4 100% of our sexual gratification should be from our spouse. No place for jokes or improper thoughts because we are God's holy people. Sin doesn't belong with us. We are to be set apart from sin. Ephesians 5:7 Do not partners who do not hold the standard.

Matthew 5:27-29 Jesus takes away the look. Impurity is even looking at a woman. It is serious. How serious do we take the long look or the second look that brings the sexual fantasy?

1 Timothy 5:1-2 No sexual gratification going until it is a husband and wife.

Hebrews 13:4 Rules out sexual fantasy, pornography. Sex should be 100% about your spouse. Rules out masturbation. It is selfish, does not unify with anyone, and does not involve the spouse.

Mark 10:17-27 Living a pure life is possible with God.We become who we are with training with God. It is doable and a joy, not a burden. A beautiful life God gives to his children. The best sex are reserved for disciples who are living this pure life.

2 Timothy 2:22 Will I flee evil and will I pursue righteousness?

Exercises: Get an pencil and write out how I am getting sexual pleasure, sexual hits outside of marriage. Am I willing to hold to God's standards?

Pure in Heart: Lesson 2

Matthew 5:8
No greater promise than to see God.

Pure by definition

Pure honey has the only ingredient honey.

If I have a pure heart the only thing in there is the desire to please God and love God.

The Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:7-9. It is a pure place undefiled by sin. God's first son, Adam, gets to take walks with him, name creatures, and did all sorts of things with God. Adam was 130 years when Seth was born. Adam and God were alone for years attending the Garden for possibly years naming animals and having God to himself. Purity equals God alone.

Would I be fine with God alone, with everything stripped away? Would I be fine with just God and no ESPN, no Texas Rangers, no house, no friends, no family, no car... just me and God. Would I be full of joy? Am I drawing complete satisfaction from God?

Psalm 62:1-7

Sexual sin is the lie that God is not enough. God will not satisfy my desire. Addiction is the refusal to cling to God as the only person who can fill our deepest longings and ease our relational pain.

Blessed at the pure... if we are blessed, we can have our fullness in God alone.

Exercise: Take some time and picture when I was innocent before sexual sin had polluted my world. Try to reconnect with this time. Try to reengage what was going in my life in this time. I may need to create a place.

#2: Make a list of things that may compete with God for where I find my sole satisfaction. What do I look forward to on a daily basis. Fast from these things.

Psalm 63:5

Everywhere I look I will see God.

Pure in Heart: Lesson 1

Ephesians 4:19

Decision: to do whatever it takes to break free from sexual sin.

Restoring purity is a process - it will take time

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7Christians struggling with purity>

Don't Call It Love by Patrick Carnes
10 year process of recovery

Development of character!!! I need to develop character to overcome sin.

Romans 5:4

God is patient... God is not tolerant. God did not call us to be impure. He will not tolerate us with a life of sexual sin.

Am I willing to be honest over and over and over again?

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)

*****
How many times have I seen this passage.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." is the NIV translation, so determining the course of your life, your heart guides the way. It should be noted that in Old Testament times, the heart was considered to be in the abdomen. It was thought that when you got nervous, it would have an affect upon your heart, thus you would get 'butterflies' in your stomach, your heart was uneasy.

Just knowing where the heart was considered to be in that day and age, it really changes how being nervous affects a relationship with God. It also shows that if you are doing something wrong and don't feel nervous, how far gone you've delved into a sin. One other thing, if you 

"Pure in Heart" - Post #1

Monday, August 20^th, 2007 to Tuesday, August 21^st, 2007

“Pure in Heart”

Sexual Integrity

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

“Blessed” has the root of happy. It comes from the island Cyprus where it was so rich, it provided everything to make “perfect happiness” (blessed). To have life to the full, get to know these QUALITIES.

• Why
• Principles
• Learn More
• Vision

I was created for relationships.

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-25

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Man’s gift to God is purity - single focus. God ALONE is enough to meet my needs. That is purity and that is focus.

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

John 4:34

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Sin shows that God is not enough, not good enough, for me. So, is God enough, or do I need something else?

Eve was it for Adam. God did not make Eve and Yvette! Unity is between a husband and wife. It is an unselfish act and a loving act. Missing the target is sin.

Why Struggle: (Why do I struggle?)

• Trained and conditioned (objectifying)

I need to train to be righteous

• No training in intimacy

I was never trained in how to deal with emotions, so I search for comfort in unrighteous ways. I then resort to “false intimacy” or in general “anything”. False intimacy never lasts.

The “BIG” Myth: women want impulsive sex (from me). Are struggles due to “Biology”? When the brain experiences a good feeling, the brain will want more pleasure. EX: a rat pushes a button that causes pleasure in its brain and continues till it falls over exhausted. Frontal Cortex “disappears” on brain waves and person becomes unable to make decisions. This is what causes an addictive personality.

The Cycle:

• Emotional Pain
• Disconnection
• Searching Mode
• Acting Out Mode
• Regret Mode/Progression/Out of Control and Out of Body Experience

Other Factors:

• Deception (stretching the truth, lying, leaving something out when confessing)
• Compartmentalized (meaning to say “I’m OK in all these areas but just this one, so I’m good.”)
• Entitlement (I deserve it because…)
• Superficial vs. Intimacy

There is more to come with this. On a good note, I have a job in the bag, my first job since Mackenzie was 6 months old or so. Of course, it is having me work at 2:30 in the morning. Yowzah! Oh well, it is just a couple of hours long, so prayfully things will go well. I guess it calls for plenty of COFFEE and caffeine. Johnny Out.