"Purity"

Titus 1.15-16 a NASU 

“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him,…”

What is purity? Purity happens when profession and performance match up. A person consistent in word and action is pure, without inner conflict. He says what he believes and acts accordingly. A pure man is transparent, authentic, real. With the pure, what you see is what you get.

Jesus taught with great power because He was pure.

“…the crowds were amazed at His teaching;

for He was teaching as one having authority

and not as their scribes.”
Matthew 7.28-29 NAS

The scribes and the Pharisees were not pure. No one really believed what they said because they did not practice what they preached. They were hypocrites and Jesus nailed them:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!

You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but

on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In

the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous

but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 23:27-28 NIV

The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were phonies and posers. What they displayed on the outside was not what you’d find on the inside. These guys were not congruent within themselves. For them, life was a show to impress and control the multitudes.

“They say they know God, but their
actions speak louder than their words.”

Titus 1.16a "The Message"

In 423 Men we try to tell the truth. We don’t sugarcoat, pose, pretend, defend, excuse, over-explain, understate, dismiss, minimize, rationalize, or justify. We simply tell the truth about our sexually addictive behavior patterns. During meetings, members report on their previous week’s successes and failures with sexual sin and lust issues. Overgeneralized statements about “acting out” are not acceptable, nor do we tolerate graphic detail which could sexually arouse listeners. Group members are simply required to confess and take responsibility for their sins in the presence of empathetic and supportive brothers. This transparent and honest process has an immediate freeing effect, prompting some members to discover freedom from sexual bondage for the first time in decades. 

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5.14a, 16). We are tempted to paint our bulbs yellow to simulate the light. Ultimately, that hypocrisy won’t fool anyone. We may decorate our globes with glitter and fluorescent colors, but the light will not shine without an in tact filament on the inside. The pure light from heaven shines with the brightness of day through the clear glass of a transparent and authentic soul.

A legitimate 423 Men prayer: 

“Lord, make me a pure man. Help me make...

• my profession and performance match up.
• my actions speak just as loudly as my words.
• what I profess to be true and show to be true exactly the same thing.”