October 17, 2001

Psalm 119:9-16

Tonight as we continue with our study in Psalm 119 I would like us to consider how to live clean in a dirty world.

In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives a little animal called the ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would make it dirty.

Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait in the ermine. They don't set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward home but doesn't enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he’s trapped by the dogs and captured while trying to preserve his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.

The Lord wants His people to keep themselves separated from the filth of this world at all cost.

A man was asked to dinner by a new friend. When he sat down at the table, he noticed that the dishes were dirty. "Were these dishes washed?", he asked the hostess as he rubbed his fingers over the surface. She replied, "They're as clean as soap and water can get them". The man felt a little apprehensive, but started eating anyway. Dinner was delicious, despite the dirty dishes. When dinner was over, the hostess took the dishes outside and yelled, "Here Soap! Here Water!"

Is cleanliness important to you?

In a September 10, 2001 survey conducted by pollster George Barna it was revealed that three-quarters (74%) of adult Americans are concerned about the moral condition of our nation. But that’s where the similarity ends.

When asked the basis on which they form their moral choices, 44% of all adults cited their desire to do whatever will bring them the most pleasing or satisfying results. Seventeen percent of the adult public bases its moral decisions on what they believe will make other people happy or minimize interpersonal conflict. Another 17% credits the values they were taught by their family as the dominant influence on their moral considerations. And about one out of four or 24% lean primarily upon religious principles and teaching or Bible content when making moral decisions.

While many religious leaders say that the Bible should be the basis of people’s morality, the survey showed that only four out of ten (40%) born again adults relies upon the Bible or church teachings as their primary source of moral guidance.

So, what’s the pathway to purity?