PURITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE - DIFFERENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE - MARK PETTUS

Main message: Followers of Jesus are called to be different so they can make a difference—chiefly by living a life of biblical purity (clean and unmixed) that honors God, resists the prevailing sexual and idolatrous culture, and points others to Christ.

Key points:

• Biblical purity = clean and whole, not polluted by sin and not divided by competing loves (Greek catharos, Hebrew tahor).
• Sexual purity: sex is a covenant gift for marriage (one man, one woman); the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and must be honored, not treated as a commodity.
• The modern sexual culture (pornography, easy access, sex trafficking) runs counter to God’s design and causes real harm—Christians should live differently and help the vulnerable.
• Practical filter for decisions: start by asking “Is this pleasing to God?”—use the Bible as the primary guide and refuse to be mastered by appetites (cf. 1 Cor. 6:12).
• Hope and response: no one must “clean up” first—Christ comes to us (Ps. 24; Rev. 3); there is forgiveness, cleansing, and a call to salvation, repentance, and public steps like baptism.

Scriptures mentioned: 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Corinthians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 6 (body as temple), Ephesians 5, 2 Corinthians 7, Psalm 24, Revelation 3, Romans 10:13, Psalm 51