Path to the Promise: Purity Still Matters
Genesis 39:6-12 (NKJV)
6 …Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife (Potiphar’s wife)cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NKJV)
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
#1 Impurity Affects Your Family
2 Samuel 11:2 (NKJV)
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
2 Samuel 13:1-16 (NKJV)
1 After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, (She was lovely to look upon) whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. 2 Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab (Be careful who your friends are. They can influence you in a really bad way) the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father (David) comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ” 6 Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar, my sister, come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” 7 And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, “Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom. 11 Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! 13 And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!” 16 So she said to him, “No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
#2 Impurity Causes Deceptions
James 1:14-16 (NKJV)
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires (the KJV says Lusts) and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Proverbs 7:18-23 (NKJV)
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. 19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey; 20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.” 21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him. 22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, 23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.
Proverbs 7:24-27 (NKJV)
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth: 25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths; 26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men. 27 Her house is the way to hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
#3 Impurity Starts With the Eyes and the Ears
Genesis 39:6-7 (NKJV)
6 Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife (Potiphar’s wife)cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
Genesis 3:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Pslam 101:1-4 (NKJV)
1 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises. 2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; ( why?? Because I have set guard over my eyes. I am filtering what comes in)
I will not know wickedness.
Matthew 11:15 (NKJV)
15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Mark 4:9 (NKJV)
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Luke 14:34-35 (NKJV)
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Revelation 2:7 (NKJV)
7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches……”
Jeremiah 6:10 (NKJV)
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NKJV)
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.