Sample sermon notes

“Faith Overhaul: #4- Purity”

Psalm 101:1-6

Key Text: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8)

Key Thought: Because our sinful habits grieve God and strain our relationship with Him, we should strive for purity in our lives.

  1. Intro & Context
  2. Our identity and relational strain with God
    1. Holy and blameless in Christ (cf. Rom. 8:1; Eph. 1:4) “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:22)
    2. The effect of continuing in habitual sin (cf. Rom. 6:21-23; Heb. 10:26-31; 2 Pt. 2:20-22) “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” (Rom. 6:21)
  3. Striving for Purity
    1. Of heart (cf. Ps. 24:3-4; Mt. 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:22) “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10)
    2. Of mind (cf. Ps. 139:23; Jer. 4:14; Titus 1:15) “… But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16)
    3. Of eyes (cf. Ps. 101:3; Isa. 33:15; Mt. 6:22-23) “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Mt. 6:22)
    4. In relationships (cf. Ps. 101:3-4; 1 Cor. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14-15) “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers” (Ps. 1:1)
  4. Conclusion

Questions for Reflection:

  • What would improve in my life if I were to strive for purity? What would suffer?
  • What do I value more? My sinful habit, or my relationship w/ God? If my sin grieves God, and strains my relationship with Him, what will I do to uproot that sin?