Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Living in Victory Over Sexual Sin | 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

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Living in Victory Over Sexual Sin | 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Yesterday was our first ever relationship conference and it
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was a tremendous blessing to me and I hope it was a blessing to
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all who were there. It was a full day event, but
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considering the theme of the message this Sunday, we can
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actually think of it as an unofficial 1 1/2 day conference
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because what has been prayed about concerning today, the
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message that will be shared intersects with many of the
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truths in the conversations that we did have yesterday.
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And it does apply to each of us. Regardless of your relationship
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status, I want to speak to you today about living in victory
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over sexual sin. Living in victory over sexual
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sin. And I want us to turn to 1st
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Thessalonians chapter 4 in our Bibles and consider the 1st 8
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verses of this chapter to see the mind of God concerning this.
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Finally then brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus
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that as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please
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God, just as you are doing, that, you do so more and more.
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For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord
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Jesus. For this is the will of God,
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your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,
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that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness
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and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do
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not know God, that no one transgress and wrong his brother
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in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger.
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And all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly
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warned you. For God has not called us for
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impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards
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this, disregards not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit
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to you. Lord, we ask that you fill our
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hearts with holy love, love for you, love for the truth, love
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for your precepts, your rules, your commands, your warnings.
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And we pray, O God, that everything that would be shared
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in the next few moments would be delivered in the wisdom of the
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Holy Spirit, the love of the Holy Spirit, the power of the
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Holy Spirit. We ask that hope would arise.
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We pray that energy from heaven would be our portion, and that
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we would know victory over this particular sin.
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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These are pretty remarkable verses, but I think what makes
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it even more astounding is when you and I consider the caliber
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of Christians that Thessalonians were and the way that we can
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discover that is by doing a brief survey of some of the
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commendations that the apostle Paul makes to this particular
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church. So hopefully you still have the
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book of First Thessalonians there with you.
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And look at chapter 1 and verse 8, Paul says in his
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introduction. For not only has the word of the
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Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and IKEA, but your
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faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not
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say anything. For they themselves report
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concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and
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how you turned to God from idols and serve the living and true
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God. According to Paul's words, this
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group of believers were widely known for their conversion.
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There was something about their radical repentance and their
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allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ that made them famous to
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the neighboring Saints. And he commends them for this.
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So inspiring was the response of of the gospel and to the gospel
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that they were praised, they were recognized.
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They were a means of encouragement to other bodies,
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other churches, and we read earlier, we don't have to turn
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to that. They received the gospel in much
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affliction, but in this paradox away also with much joy.
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And that affliction and joy caused them to turn away from
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all these vain things and all these sinful practices and to
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give themselves completely over to Jesus Christ.
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So their example motivated others to stay the course.
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And even if you look at the book of Acts and see the Jewish
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opposition to Paul when he was in Thessalonica, you understand
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that this cluster of believers must have known a great cost to
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follow this Messiah. But there's more.
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Look at chapter 2 and verse 13. Paul says, and we also thank God
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constantly for this, that when you receive the word of God,
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which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of
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men, but as what it really is, the word of God which is at work
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in you believers. So Paul praises them for another
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thing. Now he highlights how this group
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of Christians had a high regard for the word of God when they
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were approached with the gospel, when they understood the the the
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truths about who God was and what God has done for them.
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They didn't, they didn't hear sermons as mere intellectual,
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emotional or entertaining subject matter.
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They upheld it for what it really was, the Word of God.
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They trembled at it, they rejoiced in it, and when they
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learned from it, they sought to apply it.
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You can know a lot about a professing Christian based on
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this one simple thing. How do they view the Bible?
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That tells me almost everything I need to know about a person's
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walk with Christ. And I say that because for Paul
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to make this particular commendation says something very
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special about this group of believers.
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But there's even more. We read from verse 1 to 8 of
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chapter 4, but look at verse 9 quickly.
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And he says now concerning brotherly love, you have no need
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for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught
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by God to love one another. Wow.
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You know, the Lord Jesus said many things about love in the
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Gospels, and one of the most profound statements that he made
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was in John 1335, that all people would know that you are
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my disciples. Based on what premise?
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Based on the fact of how you love one another.
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The Thessalonians had that vibrant love, so much so that
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Paul just mentions it, and he doesn't even expound on
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practical ways to love because it's as though they've been
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directly taught by God how to love the brethren.
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The only thing he really adds in the following verses that they
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do this more and more. OK, I bring this to your
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attention to hopefully conclude with you that this is a
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motivating, impressive group of believers.
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So how strange is it, then, that to this church, Paul takes a
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whole section in his letter to warn about sexual immorality?
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That seems a little awkward, but it's not.
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What actually seems uncomfortable, questionable is
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deeply insightful. Because, you see, for Paul to
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write to this church and to warn them about this particular sin
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means that sexual immorality is a real danger to any church, for
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any believer, for that matter. So this is telling.
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This is sobering because the persistent and deceptive danger
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of sexual transgression is so relevant that we learned that
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Paul did not just mention it for the first time here in this
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letter. Look back at chapter 4, verse 2
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again, for you know what instructions we gave you through
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the Lord Jesus. Scroll down to verse six that no
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one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter because
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the Lord is an avenger and all these things as we told you
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beforehand and solemnly warned you.
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So Paul is essentially saying here look, I know we've talked
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about this before, but we got to talk about it again.
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I know that I brought this before you in the past, but it's
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good for you. It's essential that you be
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reminded of these things. Here's what this means for us.
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No matter the wonderful testimonies of salvation in this
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place. No matter the high view of
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Scripture, you may have as important as a Spirit LED love
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for other Christians may be, what Paul has to say here
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applies to every person sitting in this place, standing in this
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place and where the Holy Spirit wants us to do.
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What he beckons us to do is for all of us to lean in and to
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humbly accept what he is saying in these verses and how we can
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actually know to live in victory.
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So what is it that the Lord wants us to know exactly?
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Well, let's take it step by step, shall we?
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Let's revisit verse one finally then, brothers, we ask and urge
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you in the Lord Jesus, that as you receive from us how you
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ought to walk in to please God, just as you are doing that, you
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do so more and more. Listen, everybody lives their
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life pleasing someone. You're either pleasing yourself,
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your spouse, your children, your your friends.
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You're living to please your spiritual leaders, perhaps your
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employers. There isn't anybody who is not
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living to please someone. But if you're born again, if
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you've been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, if you
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are resting in His salvation work, then you have this new
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found desire that your aim in life is to please God.
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That is your holy ambition. That is the spirit energy that
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motivates everything that you do.
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I want to bring pleasure to my God.
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I want to make Him happy. I want to bring the light to Him
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and though this determination, this level of devotion is
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becoming increasingly rare, it was true for this early church
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and Paul already commended them for that.
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How do we know that they were living to please God?
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Because look back at verse 1. He says in the middle of it,
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just as you were doing so, he says you receive from us how you
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ought to walk and to please God just as you are doing so.
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They were walking in this, but we see here that he follows it
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up with something so crucial. Do it more and more.
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Do it more and more. You would think that if you were
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to tell a believer or a church, Hey, you receive from us how you
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ought to walk that please God and you're doing it that there's
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nothing more to follow with that gleaning affirmation, but he
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does follow it with go further. And what I think he means by
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this, what it reveals is that this God word objective can
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easily become static. That is not difficult for us to
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push aside the pleasure of Christ in our ambitions in life.
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And So what Paul's saying here by saying do so more and more is
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you have a duty to protect this ambition.
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You have to shield that. You have to be mindful of it.
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You have to be conscious. You have to be, you have to be
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calculated. Do so more and more because it
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can dissipate at various phases of life and it can easily be
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overlooked in certain areas of life, including how it governs
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our sexuality. And that's why Paul from this
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point forward wants to speak on that particular issue, because
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there is a potential danger with this church that though they
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were doing so much, though they had a wonderful history with
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God, that some were disregarding how the pleasure of God governed
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their impulses, their desires, their lusts, saying where do you
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get that from? Go back to verse 8.
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He says, therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not
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man, but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
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So it's possible that there were some in this church who are
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tempted to not take God's standard for sexuality
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seriously, but there are some in there who are actually making up
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the rules, their own rules regarding it.
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So Paul wants to talk about it and so we move on.
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In verse two he says what for you know what instructions we
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gave you through the Lord Jesus, for this is the will of God,
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your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.
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So you heard in verse one what the priority of the Christian is
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after he has given his heart to the gospel to please God, not to
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win his favor, but because you've been favored in the
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gospel. But in the following verse, we
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now know one of God's priorities, one of his strong,
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his will really for your life. You know what it is your
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sanctification. There's a lot of questions.
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We even received some questions yesterday about the will of God.
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How I know the will of God. What, what, what?
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What's the recipe to discovering his step by step blueprint for
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my life? And though there are answers for
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that, this is important to grasp, that one thing you can be
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certain of is that no matter where the Lord leads you, how He
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leads you, what He permits, what He prevents, how He accelerates
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when he delays, there is this one goal in mind.
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And all of that, your holiness, that in every movement you make,
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every plan that you might have, everything that you're seeking
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God for, God has this goal through that, that you become
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more sanctified. And that word sanctified is very
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simple, simply means to be set apart unto something, and in
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this case is to be set apart unto him, that your convictions
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and your conduct becomes a court in accordance to his desires.
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That's all it is. It's this conformity, the inner,
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the outer, everything in between to his will and his good
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pleasure. And he says this is the will of
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God for you. And The thing is, when you bring
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up holiness, I know that word has been abused in evangelical
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circles in the past. And so some people feel uneasy
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with a message that I'm about to present.
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And some people might even be very tense right now.
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We haven't really started yet, but hopefully this helps.
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You have no reason to fear holiness.
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Do you know why? Because what holiness is to your
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spirit is what health is to your body.
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I don't think there's anybody here who says they're afraid of
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perfect health. Many people pay money sacrifice
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time to have greater longevity in their physical state and
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rightfully so. That's what holiness is to your
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inner man I I want you to train yourself to view holiness in
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that way. It is soundness for my spirit.
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It's the vigor of my inner person.
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It it's what will make me the the most clear and understanding
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and hearing God and position me to be the most useful to God.
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Holiness is good and I'm afraid that good hearted believers have
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this strange understanding of holiness and they throw around
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statements. Maybe you've said it, maybe
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you've heard it. I certainly have heard it.
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Things like God is not concerned with your happiness, but with
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what your holiness, as though they're at odds with one
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another. When people say things like
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that, it proves to me that they don't really know what holiness
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is about because holiness will lead to happiness.
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Holiness is the means of knowing wholeness.
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And so this is good. It's not scary, it's not
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judgment. It's an invitation into the
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state of your soul that will make you the most vibrant, the
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most ready, most strong, most prepared.
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And so this is what Paul wants to remind him of.
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God is concerned about your holiness, and included in your
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holiness is sexual immorality. What constitutes sexual
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immorality? I don't need to get into
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details, but here's a general summary.
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Sexual morality is any sexual activity or intention outside of
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a monogamous heterosexual marriage.
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And these days you have to emphasize heterosexual It's any
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activity, any intention. Because remember, Jesus even
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talks about the meditations of the mind and what we do with our
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looks. It doesn't necessarily need to
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be an act, though it includes many acts.
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It's any activity or intention outside of the confines of a
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marriage between a man and a woman.
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And as a messenger of Christ, the apostle Paul leaves no room
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for managing sexual sinful impulses with mere moderation,
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complete abstinence. So here's what that means, that
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for those who are not yet married, you by the power of the
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Holy Spirit will abstain from all sexual activity and
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intentions until the Lord brings a spouse into your life.
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And what that means for those who are married is that you are
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to enjoy the gift of sex with the person that God has brought
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into your life and exclusively with that person.
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And I believe that Paul, even in writing this in his day,
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anticipated rolling eyes, size of disbelief, maybe even some
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criticisms, clever ones. So you know what he does.
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Maybe you noticed it. But in those eight verses he
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makes appeal after appeal to the authority of Jesus Christ.
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Look back at verse one. We ask and urge you in the Lord
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Jesus, verse 2. For you know what instructions
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we gave you through the Lord Jesus, verse 3.
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For this is the will of God, verse 7.
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For God has not called us for impurity.
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Verse 8 Whoever disregards this disregards not man, but God.
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This is God's decree. This is his standard.
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This is not coming from Paul's mind.
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It's not coming from the preacher who's faithfully
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preaching God's words, ideas. This is God, this is the Lord,
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and to pursue anything that contradicts it means that we are
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outside of His will. In fact, to engage in habitual,
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unrepentant sexual immorality is an indication that you may not
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be a part of his Kingdom at all. And if that troubles you, that's
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a good sign. And if you are in disbelief that
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I encourage you at your own time to look at First Corinthians 69
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and 10, where Paul provides a catalogue of those who will not
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inherit the Kingdom, and one of them is those who are sexually
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immoral. But a true child of God,
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however, who desires to be in the complete will of God, will
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take heed to what Paul says here in verse 4.
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Let's look at it again, that each of you know how to control
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his own body in holiness and honor.
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There are two very important things, imperative things, that
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we have to draw from this number One, when Paul says this in
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verse 4, he's showing that controlling our sexual impulses
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is possible. The Bible doesn't tease us.
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The Bible doesn't lie to us. The Bible doesn't provide
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imaginary potential. He expects that believers can
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know how to control their own bodies in holiness and honor.
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So whether it be pornography or you flirting with a woman's
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husband, you can by the power of God, abstain from all impurity.
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And that's what else he says in verse four, he says that you
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abstain, right? But in verse four, he says that
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each of you, that each of you each read your Bible slowly,
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that each of you, he doesn't leave anybody out.
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He say, all right, for you, woman.
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But you know, man, we have testosterone, we struggle.
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So no, each of you, young and old, seasoned in Christ, fresh
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in Christ, man or woman, that each of you know how to control,
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which means that self-control is attainable and maintainable for
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all of us. There should be resounding amens
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hearing that truth. We're not left to these
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seductions. We're not left to the power of
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these afflictions and these allurements and enticements.
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We're not helpless in the gospel.
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There's hope. Which brings me to the second
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point that although victory is possible, although that path has
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been paid for us, we have to learn how to walk on it.
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Go back to verse four, that each of you know how know how to
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control his own body, Meaning it's not automatic, meaning it
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requires some training. More specifically, there is some
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kind of knowledge that I must acquire, then apply in order for
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me to have access to this strong control.
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So there's an invitation for us to learn because the thing that
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you can break free from sexual habits without any strategy,
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without any mindfulness, without doing warfare in your mind is
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foolish. It's a recipe for perpetual
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bondage. And here's where we have hope in
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the remaining verses here, I believe that Paul beautifully
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lays out motivations, insights that can enable each of us to
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know victory over sexual sin, no matter what that sin is.
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So I have three points here with these verses that remain, and
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they're absolutely important, imperative for you to know and
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then apply. Are you ready?
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Number one, you must, you must know God experientially.
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Look at verse 5. Not in the passion of lust like
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the Gentiles who do not know God.
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I'll tell you how most people interpret this verse.
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They simply see it as a contrast between believers and how they
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ought to conduct themselves, and unbelievers who are slaves to
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their lusts. Look deeper.
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What is Paul under score as the primary cause for those who are
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in bondage to this particular sin?
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They don't know God. So then now you have the right
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to do this because it is consistent with the rest of the
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Bible. Look at it from the positive
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aspect. If not knowing God is what makes
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Gentiles another word, a synonymous term for those who
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don't believe in Christ in many contexts, if that shows that to
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not know God means that these unbelievers are in bondage, then
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knowing God must be the secret to being set free from these
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bondages. And Paul is not speaking about
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simple data. He's not talking about
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information about God. He's not even talking about
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believing in his existence. He's talking about a personal,
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individual, experiential understanding of God, and the
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moment you lose touch with the personal and experiential
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element of your relationship with God, I can assure you that
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cheap substitutes like sexual sin will become more alluring in
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your life. How does that work?
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It's quite simple. Please pay attention to this.
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So many people miss this because they have reduced their
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Christianity to just mere performance and just
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disciplinary acts. A vibrant walk with God truly
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satisfies that. When you regularly interact with
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God through the means that He is provided, you will know sincere
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gratification to the degree that it will subdue strong desires,
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including that of sexual seduction.
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That's how powerful satisfaction in God is in your victory over
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sin. It's actually essential.
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And whenever the attraction to an illegitimate or illicit
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pleasure becomes real to me, more real to me than anything
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else more real to me than my covenants with with people,
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covenants with my spouse, my ministry.
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When that desire pulls on you, you can know one thing about the
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state of your soul even in that moment you have lost sight of
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the beauty of God. Your your soul in that moment
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has not been captivated by his glory.
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There's an interesting verse that is so packed with meeting.
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You can have a whole conference on Psalm 7325, whom I have I in
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heaven, but you and there is nothing I desire on earth
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besides you. Here's what that teaches me.
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Because we we limit our pleasure in God to a future expectation
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that once I'm clothed my resurrection body, I'll have the
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capacity to enjoy God forever and ever and ever.
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That's not what the psalmist said.
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He does talk about heaven. Whom have I in heaven but you?
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Heaven is not heaven without you, but he follows it with
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this. And there is nothing I desire
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not in heaven on earth besides you.
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Evidently there's something that this God, the true God, can
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offer me in this life that so satisfies me that any other
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desire can't even compete with it, or else the Bible is not
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telling the truth. There's something that God's can
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so do in my soul that there is no rival.
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So it's not just me. You know, I believe this.
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And you know, checking all the theological boxes as a Christian
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satisfaction, real satisfaction, to the point where it makes
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everything else look cheap. That doesn't mean that you don't
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know temptation, because as long as we're in this flesh,
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Galatians 5 tells us there's this war between the Spirit and
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the flesh. Yes, but you can know victory
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and you will never know it until you know how to enjoy God.
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If God is just a moral standard in your life, if God is just
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some supervisor for your well-being and for your
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children's thriving in society, you're missing the depths of the
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power of the gospel. Who am I in heaven about you?
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And there's nothing on earth I desire besides you.
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This is my go to counsel all the time, all the time.
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You can only go so far with security measures and cutting
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things off in your life. If you want to know a real,
28:13
real, real investment to strengthen this area in your
28:15
life, you have to come before God.
28:18
And I actually even encourage people to pray like this.
28:20
And you need to begin to get desperate before God.
28:23
And here's how I'd encourage you to pray.
28:25
Lord, if you don't make yourself so real to me, and me so happy
28:33
in you, I'm not going to survive.
28:36
Pray like that. I'm not going to survive.
28:39
I will give in to the sin over and over and over again.
28:42
I know what the gospel is. I, I've told people the gospel.
28:45
I know many verses, I memorize them.
28:47
But I need you to satisfy my soul in you or else I am doomed.
28:56
You must know God experientially, see.
28:59
But what does that look like? Some things can be explained,
29:03
other things can only be experienced.
29:06
And all I can tell you is that it's there in the Bible that
29:08
there's all this language that denotes true joy, true tasting,
29:14
an anchoring that comes with a relationship with God.
29:18
And all I can tell you is that when you begin to pray like that
29:20
and approach the Bible in that way, the truths that God reveals
29:23
to you, how he manifests his presence in your life will
29:26
provide this source of joy. And with that joy, this ability
29:31
to pin down urges of the flesh. Why and how?
29:37
Because you're not willing this this experience with God, this
29:40
knowledge of God through the means that he's provided is so
29:43
good to you that you're not willing to throw it away for
29:45
something that you know is going to bite you back.
29:49
You must know God experientially and you must stay there and you
29:53
must understand that when my soul is pulled in that direction
29:56
or that direction or when this temptation is so real in that
29:59
moment, my inner person, the, the eyes of my heart have lost
30:04
sight of how glorious God is #2 You must you must keep in mind
30:16
the consequences of sexual sin. Let's look at verse six that no
30:24
one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter because
30:28
the Lord is an avenger and all these things as we told you
30:31
beforehand and solemnly warned you.
30:35
So Paul in his pastoral letter did not hold back from warning
30:41
the people about the consequences of sexual sin.
30:45
He did not refrain from using consequence as an incentive for
30:50
holiness. People throw around the word
30:54
legalism all the time. They don't even know what it
30:56
means anymore. Anything that is a command or is
30:58
a direction is legalism now. And as one preacher said it,
31:02
legalism to most people are things in the Bible they don't
31:04
like. Now Paul as a pastor looked at
31:10
his people with great love, with a throbbing love, and he warned
31:13
them, and he's warning them here.
31:15
He's warned him actually again and he's telling them, listen,
31:19
consequences are not the only incentive, but it is an
31:21
important one. And he he highlights horizontal
31:28
consequences as well as vertical ramifications.
31:32
And out of all of the potential gut wrenching horizontal
31:37
potential problems that can it can sue out of sexual sin, he
31:41
brings up one that is often not really considered.
31:47
Look at it again, that no one transgressed and wronged his
31:49
brother in this matter. The Spirit of God describes
31:54
sexual sin in this place as defrauding someone.
32:00
He sees it as taking advantage of a trusting relationship, as
32:05
stealing something that belongs to another.
32:08
And this applies both to married people and unmarried and married
32:11
people. Think about it.
32:12
For one to engage in premarital impurity strips that person's
32:15
future spouse of the purity of that union that is not yet
32:21
realized. You're wronging your brother in
32:26
this matter. And that's possible for people
32:29
who are not yet married. How much more for those who are
32:31
that to have an affair with someone who is married is a
32:35
violation of the prerogative in the exclusive right that belongs
32:40
to the spouses who are connected.
32:42
You are giving yourself some to something as someone that
32:46
belongs to someone else and vice versa.
32:50
So here's the overarching message that Paul is trying to
32:52
convey. Sexual sin in all its variety
32:57
does not only impact the parties that are involved.
33:03
There is almost always collateral damage.
33:07
It destroys trust. It shatters friendships, it
33:11
stains reputations, it severs fellowship, it breaks up
33:17
families, it devastates children, and it dismantles
33:21
ministries, among other things. And in case some may not be
33:26
convinced of the potential devastation that comes from
33:29
sexual sin, I want you to hear how Solomon puts it in his own
33:32
words. So meet me in the book of
33:34
Proverbs chapter 6 and look at verse 32 with me.
33:40
Proverbs 632 I'll wait for you. He who commits adultery lacks
33:46
sense. He who does it destroys himself.
33:52
He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be
33:56
wiped away. For jealousy makes a man
33:59
furious, and he will not spare. When he takes revenge.
34:03
He will accept no compensation. He will refuse though you
34:07
multiply gifts. You know what question I had
34:11
when I stumbled upon this passage?
34:13
How do we reconcile something like what we read in verse 33
34:18
where his disgrace will not be wiped away with all the
34:22
comforting promises of God's complete forgiveness like we
34:25
heard last week, which I hope liberated so many of us.
34:29
But then you come to this kind of passage, you go, I thought he
34:32
did wipe away everything. Now you come here and it says
34:35
they actually will never be wiped away.
34:38
Here's the distinction. Solomon is not speaking about
34:41
how God will regard our record of sin.
34:44
We are comforted in proverbs and beyond proverbs that the Lord
34:47
will never hold our scandal against us if we truly repent.
34:52
But that doesn't mean man won't. Man might.
35:00
And this is what he is describing the horizontal
35:04
possibilities and even talks about how jealousy makes a man
35:10
furious. He will not spare when he takes
35:12
revenge. Thankfully God in his mercy does
35:18
not count our sins that are repented of in eternity.
35:24
But man is not so merciful. There are people who have been
35:30
killed for stuff like this. We see it on the news, we watch
35:37
it on documentaries. The Bible is so accurate.
35:43
That being said, Paul teaches that the Lord is though he is
35:48
merciful. He is also ready to get directly
35:51
involved if we sin in this matter.
35:54
So now we go to the vertical ramifications.
35:56
So go back to First Thessalonians 4 and let's
35:58
complete the verse. In verse 6, he says that no one
36:02
may transgress or wrong his brother in this matter, but
36:05
that's not the end of the thought.
36:08
This is because the Lord is an avenger and all these things, as
36:11
we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
36:14
What does that mean? Well, primarily means that the
36:19
Lord alone has the right to execute vengeance.
36:23
It is not your prerogative if you've been offended.
36:27
You cannot seek revenge for the harm that's been done to you or
36:30
to others, But because the Lord is a perfect judge, only He can.
36:34
And when someone sin sexually, we are warned that the Lord may
36:38
discipline us directly for it. We don't have the liberty to
36:42
determine how He will do that, but the ambiguity of it should
36:45
be enough to instill the fear of God in each of our hearts.
36:50
It's a case by case thing, and in His perfect sovereign will,
36:53
He knows what to do and when to do it.
36:55
He may afflict somebody physically for it.
36:59
He may expose the sin to humble that person.
37:03
He may withhold blessings because of it.
37:08
We're not here to try to determine the level of
37:10
punishment. All we are trying to understand,
37:13
and what Paul wants us to understand, is that just because
37:16
we have been saved by grace and that we've been sealed with the
37:18
Holy Spirit, and that yes, we have heaven as our home, does
37:21
not mean that we can't experience severe consequences
37:25
for sin, even sexual sin, especially sexual sin.
37:32
And so you have to keep in mind the consequences of sin.
37:34
Isn't it funny that when you and I are tempted, we never consider
37:37
the consequences of sin? You're only thinking about what
37:39
good you're going to get out of it.
37:42
If you want to get really good at doing spiritual warfare with
37:45
temptation, train yourself. Deposit in your heart, inform
37:51
your mind from experiences in your own life, but primarily
37:55
what you see in the Word of God of the damage that follows these
37:59
kind of pursuits, so that when that temptation arises, you'll
38:04
recognize it for what it is. You're a mirage and you're lying
38:08
to me right now. You're promising me a dump of
38:12
ecstasy, a fantasy, but in reality, you're poison.
38:17
You're here to destroy me. You're here to ruin my witness.
38:20
You're here to destroy my family, my ministry.
38:24
See it for what it is. Nobody goes into this kind of.
38:30
So nobody gets involved with any kind of habit thinking that this
38:34
will do this much damage. And so that's why Paul brings it
38:39
up. And again, I have to say
38:42
something. Notice again that he he says at
38:45
the end of verse 6, as we told you beforehand and solemnly
38:48
warned you, Paul, as an apostle, yes, but as a church planner, as
38:54
a pastor, you know what I want to get from this?
38:56
He regularly talked about sexual temptation with his church.
39:01
How much do we hear about sexual sin in churches today?
39:05
How much warning do we hear about?
39:08
Paul did it more than once with one congregation.
39:13
And so it's important for us to discuss this and to again have
39:17
holiness as our hope, not as this far reaching thing that can
39:20
never be attained. Which brings me to my Third
39:22
Point. If we want to know victory over
39:24
sexual sin, any kind of sexual sin, yes, you must know God
39:27
experientially. He must become sweet to you,
39:30
real to you. And if you seek God for it,
39:32
he'll give it #2 you have to keep in mind the consequences of
39:35
sin #3 you must rely on the power that God has provided you
39:42
to prevail. Let's look at verse 7 and 8.
39:46
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
39:52
Therefore, He's wrapping it up. Whoever disregards this
39:56
disregards not man, but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
40:02
Think deeply. Meditate.
40:06
If you don't, you'll see verse 8 simply as just a wrap up
40:09
warning. Hey, if you disregard this,
40:11
you're disregarding God, not me. And then you'll move on with
40:14
this letter. But there's something tucked in
40:16
here. There's a promise and it is
40:19
packed with power. Who gives His Holy Spirit to
40:25
you? Did you see it?
40:29
So Paul is saying, do not, don't you dare disregard this teaching
40:34
about holiness. Why?
40:35
Because God is ready to supply you with the grace to experience
40:39
it, His Holy Spirit. Don't swat it away.
40:44
Don't get so caught up with your past.
40:46
Don't think about how you can ever even imagine the
40:48
possibility of being a perpetual purity.
40:51
Don't let yourself get there. God has supplied a power for you
40:55
to know it. It's not theoretical.
40:57
It's real power and has been granted to us through the
41:00
gospel. He can sanctify your sexual
41:04
appetites. He can strengthen your spiritual
41:07
muscles to wrestle and to win. When you're up at night and
41:12
everybody else is sleeping and there's this urge to pick up
41:16
that device, or when you go into that workplace and that woman is
41:20
giving you more attention to perhaps your spouse is in that
41:23
season, You can know a real force in your soul that helps
41:28
you move ahead and not get caught in a trap.
41:34
You were waiting for marriage and feel like you can't get out
41:36
of a cycle of sin with your significant other.
41:39
You can know it. You can know a purity in a way
41:42
you never thought was possible. May I remind you that this
41:46
church believes in the power of the gospel over the power of
41:49
sin. We're not here just celebrating
41:52
the fact that our penalty has been erased.
41:54
We're here regarding the fact that the power of sin can lose
41:56
its clutch because of the precious royal blood of Jesus
42:00
Christ. But you know what?
42:04
This is me. And maybe you're like me.
42:05
When I come to verses like this or promises indirect directly, I
42:11
don't want to just know the general promise.
42:12
I don't want to just memorize it.
42:14
I want to know the mechanics of it.
42:16
OK, if the Holy Spirit's been given to me, then what?
42:22
What do I do with that? Well, there are other places in
42:26
the Scriptures that give us wonderful guidance.
42:30
Go to the Epistle to the Galatians in chapter 5, and
42:34
we're concluding in these final verses.
42:38
I'm sure many of you know where I'm going in verse 16, but I say
42:46
walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the
42:50
flesh. OK, so we're a step closer, no
42:54
pun intended, walk by the Spirit.
42:57
I learned in verse eight of First Thessalonians 4 that the
42:59
Holy Spirit's been given to me. Great my go to Galatians.
43:03
Now I learned that if I walk by the Spirit, I not, may not, will
43:08
not gratify the desires of the flesh.
43:10
But I still got some questions. What does it mean to walk by the
43:12
Spirit? And I believe the ESP does a
43:14
wonderful job elaborating on this in the very same passage a
43:18
few verses down. So you're there in chapter 5.
43:21
Go to verse 25 if you have the ESV.
43:24
This will be especially helpful if we live by the Spirit.
43:29
Let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
43:34
OK, now I've seen where you're talking about Paul.
43:38
Walk by the Spirit and if we live by the Spirit in the
43:43
Spirit, then I'm going to keep in step with the Spirit.
43:48
Now going back to verse 16, to walk by the Spirit, if you look
43:51
at the original, the verb, there is a present continuous thing,
43:55
meaning it's a daily choice. You don't just Once Upon a time
43:58
walk by the Spirit. It's a thing that you do moment
44:00
by moment. And then when you go to verse
44:02
25, he says keep in step with him, keep in step with him.
44:06
The imagery there is one of motion mirroring motion, oneness
44:14
and motion, consistent motion. So I believe what this is saying
44:21
is remain dependent, remain near, remain under His guidance.
44:26
Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are to be conscious.
44:30
You are to be aware of His presence, of His near power.
44:37
You're supposed to take His word with you in your heart.
44:39
You're supposed to develop this reflex of an inner turning to
44:44
Him, seeking his grace, even spontaneously when you realize
44:49
you need it. But even as believers, this
44:54
rhythm is not immediately developed.
44:57
It's something that you have to adjust to, something that you
44:59
have to train yourself for. Now, I had a brother, you know
45:04
who you are, I'm not going to mention you by name, who asked a
45:06
wonderful question not too long ago about marriage.
45:08
And he asked me, brother, if you have one thing that you would
45:12
provide in terms of preparation for marriage, something that I
45:15
should expect that I may not be expecting, what would it be?
45:18
And what came to mind very swiftly was the word adjustment.
45:23
I said, brother, be prepared to adjust.
45:25
It's going to be a different way of life.
45:27
You're living under one roof with a person that you never
45:31
lived with before, who has a different history and
45:33
upbringing, who's done things differently.
45:35
So prepare to adjust. And every married person knows
45:38
this. Prepare to adjust in ways you
45:40
never thought you would have to adjust.
45:42
Now, what about the same may sound funny to you, but it's
45:44
true. One of the ways in which I had
45:46
to adjust after I got married was in how I walked.
45:50
Not spiritually, physically. What are you talking about?
45:56
Well, let me explain. Naturally, when I walk, I take
46:00
long strides. What if I'm when I'm with my
46:02
group of friends, I'm always ahead.
46:04
And that has been a great advantage to me whenever I'm
46:06
late for anything. But it's not helpful when you're
46:09
holding your wife's hand. Now you see where I'm getting
46:12
at, right? So once I got married, once this
46:14
person came into my life, the greatest gift apart from
46:18
salvation in this life, I did not automatically change in how
46:23
I walked. And so while I'm holding her
46:26
lovely hand and we're making our way somewhere, I had the
46:28
tendency to get ahead. And there was that gentle
46:30
squeeze. And I look back and there's that
46:32
reminder I don't walk as fast as you.
46:36
And So what happened? Well, thankfully for her
46:38
patience, it didn't change right away.
46:40
But I had to remind myself. I had to change my thinking.
46:46
I had to be mindful of her as I walk myself because I'm no
46:52
longer walking by myself. It's no different with the Holy
46:56
Spirit. So many when it comes to living
47:00
life in the Spirit think that means you just read your Bible
47:02
certain minutes in a day, say some prayers, get up and go
47:05
about your day and you fail to keep in step with the Spirit.
47:12
The Spirit filled life is not you waking up a little bit
47:15
earlier so that you started your day right though.
47:18
That's a wonderful starting point.
47:20
It's walking with him moment by moment.
47:23
It's including him wherever and whatever you do that looks like
47:28
you going to the gym and saying a brief prayer.
47:31
Lord, I know that I might see some things because people don't
47:33
live holy. And so I'm asking that you guard
47:36
my mind and my heart. Help me have a fruitful and
47:38
beneficial workout that might look like you going to work or
47:41
having an appointment somewhere. Lord, bestow wisdom, wisdom, I
47:44
need your mind. I need, I need your ability to
47:48
be able to not react to unfavorable news or situations.
47:51
Help me just just throwing those things out there as you keep in
47:56
step with him, being sensitive to his convictions, not ignoring
48:00
it, not not thinking that you can just move ahead without
48:04
inquiring, without waiting. It's this wonderful rhythm, but
48:08
it's not automatic. And let me tell you this, if you
48:12
know, if you grow, if you mature in keeping in step with the
48:15
Spirit, including a moment by moment, day by day, plan by
48:18
plan, it's much more difficult for the devil to knock you off
48:22
your feet with temptation because I've set the Lord always
48:27
before me, therefore I will not be easily shaken.
48:31
He's at my right hand. The same verse says keeping in
48:35
step with the Spirit, and it's possible to lose touch with
48:39
that, to get ahead, so to speak, saying what do you mean?
48:43
Well, look back in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 7, you were
48:50
running well, Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
48:55
In other words, you had that pace of walking in the Spirit,
48:58
walking by the Spirit, keeping yourself with the Spirit, but at
49:01
some point you got ahead. He began to do life
49:06
independently from him. It's there in chapter 3 as well.
49:13
Look at chapter 3, verse 3 of Galatians.
49:18
Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit?
49:22
Are you now being perfected by the flesh?
49:25
Same idea you started with walking by the Spirit, keeping
49:30
in step by and with the Holy Spirit, and somewhere along the
49:34
way you begin to trust in yourself, became independent of
49:38
his influence. So let me remind you, keeping in
49:42
step with him is if I can use this, taking Him with you.
49:48
If you do that, you will know greater success in private and
49:55
in public. I thought about Joseph pre and
50:01
filling of the Holy Spirit pre knowledge of the gospel of Jesus
50:05
Christ, pre law, Mount Sinai actually, and yet this man was
50:09
able to overcome his managers consistent seduction.
50:16
Potiphar's wife. You think how is this young man?
50:21
We're told that he was handsome. How was he able to do it?
50:26
How did he not take advantage of his looks to satisfy these
50:30
desires? And he tells us, he rebukes the
50:35
woman, He says, how can I do this great evil against God?
50:39
You know what that tells me? That every day when Joseph went
50:42
to work, he brought an awareness of God with him every day.
50:50
Don't make drinking coffee in the morning a greater priority
50:53
than that. So when he was in that room
50:58
alone, you know what he believed?
51:00
I'm not alone in this room with this woman.
51:02
God is in this room. That changes everything.
51:08
You know when I'm alone in this room by myself, with access to
51:13
an endless menu of filth, I'm not by myself.
51:21
God is with me in this room. You know, somebody can give me
51:25
with a resource or a power tool, but it can remain in the box and
51:30
I can keep using my hand with a screwdriver and never access
51:33
that. You got to do something with
51:35
this resource. You got to unbox it, so to
51:37
speak. You may have a person in your
51:39
life, but you got to engage with that person to know the
51:41
privileges of that relationship. It's no different with the Holy
51:44
Spirit. You and I can know holiness, not
51:50
temporary holiness, not sporadic holiness, but real holiness
51:56
until we see him face to face. That's my desire for you.
52:00
Now, I'm aware that this subject, even being brought up,
52:05
has probably ripped open some scabs of personal wounds that
52:11
you've inflicted upon yourself or wounds that others have
52:13
inflicted upon you. The past is the past.
52:18
Remember last week's message. Let today be a new day.
52:23
His mercies are new every day, and so today can be a new
52:29
chapter. Today you can.
52:32
If you've never experienced God supernaturally, experientially,
52:35
today can mark the beginnings of a new depth with your walk with
52:39
God. If you've never taken seriously
52:41
the consequences of sin, don't believe the lie that just
52:45
because you evaded something in the past that there can't be
52:48
something that comes in the future if you continue in that
52:50
sin. And lastly, don't ever believe
52:56
the lie. Your hope, your cue doesn't come
53:01
from statistics. X amount of men in the church
53:05
struggle with sin, this particular sin.
53:07
OK, that's great. You did statistics.
53:09
I read my Bible. That's where I get my hope and
53:11
my news from. And my Bible tells me that if I
53:14
walk by the Spirit, I can live in victory over this sin.
53:19
Believe in that power. It's going to be an adjustment
53:22
though. Can God do something overnight?
53:25
Absolutely. But oh, this flesh is pretty
53:28
strong. And sometimes we can get ahead
53:29
of God. Often times we can get ahead of
53:31
God even after a message like this Monday can look very
53:33
different than how you feel today.
53:35
So it's going to be an effort. Lord, help me to pray without
53:41
ceasing. Lord, help me take this word.
53:44
Not just OK, I read my few verses today and just go about
53:47
and no Lord I'm going to put this here.
53:52
Help me enjoy Your Word. Help me put the word in here as
53:56
I go. Whatever free time I have, let
53:58
me just immerse myself. Keep in step with the Spirit.
54:02
He will guide you and if and when you stumble, He will
54:06
forgive you. Don't stay there, don't load
54:09
there. Get up and walk again with Him.
54:14
Let's pray. Well, we ask that even with a
54:35
somber message like this, that it would not be interpreted as
54:40
so, that we would realize the rays of hope that come with a
54:44
section of scripture that we've just interacted with.
54:47
We pray that there would be a special infusion of grace from
54:51
heaven, that there would be incredible testimonies following
54:57
this time of people who can say, I know what it's like to delight
55:02
in God more than anything else. I know what it's like to live in
55:06
the power of the Holy Spirit. I know what it's like to, in a
55:10
holy way, fear sin because I love my God more than my sin.
55:18
So, Lord, we pray for divine strategies for every person in
55:23
their situation. If there's any struggle in this
55:25
place, we pray that for those who are standing strong, that
55:30
they would take heed lest they fall, that we would always be on
55:34
guard, that we would be prepared, that we would never
55:38
allow ourselves to slip into complacency, but we would keep
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in step with the Spirit. When things are going well, when
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things are going wonderful, help us to still be dependent on you.
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We ask that you break any bondage here, that you liberate
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people from captivity, that the power of the gospel will be
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known in the freedom of these shackles.
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We trust that you're able to provide it.
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And we want to even be able to sing now with joy as the
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shackles fall from us. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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If the praise team can come. When we stand, let's worship the
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Lord. My friends, this was good news
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today. This is good news today.
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Here's what the word of the Lord is.
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You can be free and you can stay free.
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This is not the Lord looking at you saying, oh, look at you
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struggling and messing up. I have some surprises for you.
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You just wait. That's not God's heart.
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God's heart is, this is serious, but my love is serious, this is
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serious, but my power is serious.
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This may be serious, but you can know true freedom if you believe
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it. Permit me to give you 2
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anecdotes before we close. I heard of a very blessed
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preacher. I heard him say this in his
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sermon, that when he was a young minister, very effective in his
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preaching. A lot of fruit people were
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getting saved. The presence of God would
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manifest when he spoke the word of God.
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He was one day invited to a conference.
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He was put in a hotel room by himself, and after one of the
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meetings he was just sitting up there at the headboard, and he
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turned on the TV and something inappropriate came on the
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screen. He watched for a few seconds.
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A rush of conviction came. He turned it off.
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He threw the remote, put his shoes on.
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In the middle of the night, he walked out into a field.
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And he sensed the Lord speaking to him, not oddly, just in his
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conscience. Son, if you keep this up, my
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hand will not remain on your life in your ministry.
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I will no longer bless your preaching.
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I cannot have you indulging in something that grieves my heart
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and bless your ministry at the same time.
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And praise God, that minister heard the consequence of his
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sin, heard the ramifications, the potential trouble, the loss
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they would have if he continued in this path.
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And he never looked back again. And he had an incredibly
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fruitful, powerful ministry that touched the world.
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Here's a personal story. I met with a young man after a
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meeting. He came up to me.
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They didn't preach on anything to do with this, but he
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expressed one of his struggles, particularly in the sin, self
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gratification, watching things that he shouldn't have watched.
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And he asked me, do you have any counsel?
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And I believe in precautions. I believe in what Jesus said.
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If your right hand causes sin, cut it off.
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If your right eye, pluck it out. I believe in preventative
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measures, wise, simple, basic things that you got to do.
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But I, I love to get quick to that point.
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Listen, brother, your soul is hungry.
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You're looking for satisfaction and you're, you're after cheap
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substitutes. You got to diagnose yourself
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honestly. And you need to get before God
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and you need to ask God to satisfy you or else you will not
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survive. I gave him a few verses, prayed
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with him there, left the conversation at that.
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A few months later I get a text and this is what I received.
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Brother, it worked, it worked. I'm free.
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I never knew that I can enjoy God like this.
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I never knew that it could deliver me like this.
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And I thought, yes, it does work because it's God's word now.
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Maybe a fight, maybe you struggle, but you can't afford
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to give in. You can't afford not to fight.
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He's there with you if you fear him, He'll give you everything,
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including victory over sexual sin.
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Let's pray. We do.
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Thank you for this day, Lord. We sense your grace.
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We feel equipped even now as we fellowship.
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May we fellowship with hearts that are full, believing that
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you loved us so much that you have given us this warning.
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You've reminded us of this. And so, Lord, we will not
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disregard this, We will not disregard you, but we will
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realize that you've given us your Holy Spirit, and you've
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given us your people filled with the Holy Spirit to also help us.
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So Lord, even at this place as a church, may purity reign, may we
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respect boundaries. May we honor one another.
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May we honor each other's spouses.
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May we live in holiness. May we see even your wisdom in
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the fact that you call us to call one another brothers and
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sisters for a reason. So we pray that in this place we
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would not excel merely in the Word and having testimonies of
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transformation, Lord, that we would also excel in the will of
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God, our sanctification and sexual purity.
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We ask for that. Bless our fellowship, bless the
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food that we are going to eat, and bless our lives as we try to
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keep in step with Your Spirit. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.