Good morning to all. Our discussion on the subject of purity today will combine two passages, Matt. 5:27-30 and Job31:1-12. Brothers and sisters, when it comes to sexual purity, it is obvious that both men and women are to be responsible. However, the proliferation of pornography in our nation primarily for men and the use of sensual and provocative advertisement to sell almost anything to men tell us what God already knew. The sex drive of men is very visually oriented. Thus, to help us maintain purity of mind, the Lord says, “…That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” He also makes it clear (with tongue-in-cheek hyperbole) that it would be better to pluck out our eyes than to be led by our eyes to lust. Job, a godly man, very much understood this problem and its cure when he said of himself, “1: I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” We men in the church do not want to talk about or admit that we can be so tempted. After all, we are supposed to be spiritually minded. But brothers, if our creator points out that this is a concern and the godly man Job admits it as a temptation, we cannot afford to be dishonest with ourselves.
Job went further to specify the problem. In verse 7, he talks about the danger of his heart going after his eyes. He says this would cause “his step to turn out of the way.” That is, we would not be walking in the light. When our eyes fall upon a pretty girl or woman and we then let our mind dwell on sexual thoughts as a result, we have let our “heart go after our eyes.” Jesus, in a general, but important principle said in Matt. 6:22: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Brothers, if sexual lust is your companion, you are walking in darkness, not light. Peter may have been talking about spiritual adultery in 1 Pet. 2:14, but the point is true sexually. There are those who have “eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin.” All of them are not in the world. Some are in the church.
There are some things we can do to help ourselves men. First, like Job, make a covenant with your eyes and with God. Decide not to look. Just because we catch sight of a pretty woman does not mean we have to dwell on a closer examination. Second, walk always with a realization of the presence of God at your side. He is always there – to help us in temptation – but eventually to judge us for eternity (Heb. 4:12-16). Pray a lot. Study what He has said to you. Third, do not put your self in situations that are sexually charged (except with your wife). Stay away from the beach and the pool. Pay attention to your own work at work. Don’t build a close friendship with a female coworker unless she might be a potential Christian wife. If you or she are already married, or if she is not Christian, you are treading a downhill path. You cannot rightly have intimate female friends if you are already married. Don’t watch sexually charged television. And be sure your wife can check your history of internet surfing.
Ladies, lust in the heart for someone other than your husband is wrong for you also. While women are not as visually oriented, you are not immune to sexual temptations. The above principles would apply to you also. In the next bulletin, we will address the ladies. And ladies, remember that your husband is visually oriented. He is not a lost cause when he improperly notices a pretty woman, but he needs to not form a habit. You might be able to help him turn his thinking away from sin. Certainly, you should not expect him to accompany you to the beach or pool and then not look. You need to keep your reading and watching clean also. Fathers and mothers, think of the responsibility that falls to us in training our children to be pure minded. Purity is as purity does.