Someone Must Address The Problem

A man went to a town that was on the river, and he went to a restaurant that was right on the river. As he walked up to the river, he looked out over the river and a guy was fishing. While he was fishing, an alligator came up and just chomped the guys arm right off. The man was absolutely shocked as anyone would be, and so he ran up and said, “Are you alright?! That Alligator just ate your arm!” The other guy said, “What? What are you talking about?” The man responded, “Your arm! Remember you were casting with it and reeling with it and now it isn’t there anymore?” He responded, “What are you talking about my arm? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The man was disturbed and he looked across the way and saw a man that was missing part of his leg. He walked into the restaurant and saw people all over the place with parts missing out of their side, backside, limbs, and they were scarred all over the place. It was obvious that they had been attacked by alligators. As the man walks into the restaurant he says, “Hey, what’s going on? We’ve got to get rid of these alligators.” Then someone responded, “Wait a second, we don’t talk about alligators in our culture. We’re just not allowed to talk about them. We just don’t cross that bridge. We don’t go there.” But he said, “But they’re destroying people.” They said, “Listen, we just do not talk about alligators here. We let people figure it out all on their own.”

Unfortunately, this parable I heard from Pastor Chris Chadwick describes so well a mentality that exists in Christianity today. This is very much what it is like when it comes to the topic of sex in local New Testament churches. It feels like if you bring up sexuality in any sense, the response is, “we just don’t talk about that here!” If not there, then where do we talk about it? I must be honest, in regards to that subject I learned most of what I know in two places: the boys locker room, and the bench of my little league baseball team. Sadly, the first time I was introduced to pornography was at a friend’s house in 6^th grade. This is not an uncommon story. If something does not happen, sexual education will continue to be promoted only through sources like Hollywood, television, public schools, locker rooms, little league benches, dirty magazines/websites, and any other means you can think of that won’t teach what the Bible says. My friends, something must be done.

Pornography, adultery, fornication, and lust are destroying lives everywhere. Youth, adults, singles, couples, homes, and churches are being affected by immorality. The Bible has a lot to say about sex and sexuality. It is time to stand up and address it. I believe that a biblical understanding of sex, and teaching what the Bible has to say about it would solve and prevent many problems in the lives of Christians. If you would like to learn a little more about some ways that the Bible addresses sexual purity, please read the post titled “Purity” from Tuesday, July 21st, 2009.

Purity

Ephesians 5:1-4
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

In the last article that I wrote, I discussed holiness. It would be very good if you would read that article before reading this one; it would give you a good foundation to understand what I will discuss here.

We are to be followers of God. As his children, we are called to a life of holiness. I want to discuss the idea of sexual sin. Fornication has been defined by some as any sexual relation before marriage. Adultery has been defined by some as any sexual relation with anyone but your spouse after marriage. The Word of God makes it clear that God has a plan for sex, and, as all good gifts come from Him, we know that sex is a gift from Him. His plan for sex is between one man and one woman in a marriage relationship for life. Along with many other areas, man has corrupted this beautiful relationship that God created for man and woman. Fornication, adultery, and lust are perversions of God’s perfect plan for sex. God’s commandment is that we would not allow these sings to even “be once named among” us. Why? Because that is what God expects of His saints. A saint is a holy one. The word for saint and the word for holy in the Spanish language is “santo”. Christians are saints. These perversions of sex should not even be allowed to be named among the saints. One important area of holiness in the life of a Christian is sexual purity. That means that we should clean our lives of filth like pornography, immoral relationships, and lust. The opposite of living in these sins is living in purity. The Word of God gives much practical help for purity in the life of a Christian.

Before I try to give some practical help on being pure, I want to challenge you with five things.

1. Have a biblical understanding of holiness, and your calling to be holy.

2. Do not blur the lines of what is sin and what is not sin. Admit that pornography, lust, and all forms of sexual relations outside of God’s plan are wrong. They are an offense to Him

3. Sin has a way of deceiving us into thinking that if we are in the dark or if we are alone, then our sin will not affect anyone. Don’t be fooled, the end of sin is death. Know that you are not alone; the Word of God says that His eyes are in every place beholding the evil and the good.

4. Confess your sin and forsake it. The Bible says that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

5. Commit to do what it takes to be pure, for the glory of God.

Here are some practical truths from the Word of God than can help the Christian with purity. I pray that they’ll be a blessing and a help to you.

A. Identify areas of struggle and eliminate them

Matthew 5:27-30
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I am not suggesting that you pluck out your eye or cut off your hand, but I would suggest the following. If you know that you struggle when you are alone, then try not to be alone. If you know that you struggle with the internet, then stop using the internet. If you know that movies cause you to struggle, then stop watching movies. If a boyfriend or a girlfriend is someone that causes you to struggle, then end that relationship. Don’t continue a friendship at work if it may lead to sin. If the mall or the beach are places where you struggle, then don’t go to either of them. If night time is a difficult time then replace whatever you would normally do with time in the Word of God and prayer. Fill your time with the Bible, prayer, and evangelism. Don’t leave your calendar open. Rid yourself of problem areas!

B. Don’t try to do this alone

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

We are better together. God did not intend for His children to live this life alone. That is one reason why we have the local church. Christ purchased the church with His own blood; if He loved it that much, then we ought not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. May we highly esteem the local church!

The national Redwood forest in northern California is home to the Giant Sequoia trees. These trees have undergone some of the most tremendous conditions and have survived them all. You name it; storms, lightning, time, and other adviersities…the sequoias have survived them all. Why is this? It is because what you see of the sequoias is not the whole story. Underground their roots grow deep and strong. This is not their secret either…their secret is that the roots of these massive trees link with the roots of one another. Underground you have a system of roots interconnected. Much like the sequoias, God has given us the local New Testament church to be connected with other believers. We are stronger with these relationships.

Accountability. Choose a spiritually mature Christian brother or sister of your same gender and ask them to hold you accountable to living pure. Go to coffee once a week and be honest and upfront with one another. Pray for one another. Hold one another accountable. Be faithful in this friendship. If the internet is one area that you struggle with then I would recommend a program like safe eyes that filters inappropriate websites. I also recommend a program called x3watch. X3watch is a free program that records questionable websites that you visit and sends them to the email of an accountability partner of your choice. Both of those programs are available here: www.x3watch.com

C. Do not flirt with sin, but flee from it

1 Corinthians 6:18-20
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

2 Timothy 2:20-22
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Notice that God’s Word does not say to “casually walk away from sin,” rather, it says to “FLEE” fornication and youthful lusts! That means that you are to turn and run from them! God gives us a tremendous example from the life of Joseph in His Word. When the temptation arose for Joseph to have an adulterous relationship with the wife of Potiphar (his master), here is what the Word of God says happened:

Genesis 39:12
And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

Joseph knew that to have sex with Potiphar’s wife would have been a grave sin, so when she tried to force him he ran! He got out of there! May we follow Joseph’s example and flee fornication and youthful lusts.

D. Make no provision for the flesh

Romans 13:13-14
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

This point is directly related to identifying areas of struggle and eliminating them. It is important that we understand our flesh and its propensity towards sin. Paul said, “Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” Our flesh is at enmity with God. It does not want to live for Him and according to His Word. Our flesh would rather indulge in carnal, or fleshly, pleasures. Sexual sins are examples of fleshly pleasures. Do not make provision in areas where your flesh will say, “I want that!” Because more times than not, in your weakness, you will give the flesh what it wants, even if you know it’s wrong. The Word of God commands us to walk in the Spirit, and it says that when we do we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

It is not uncommon to hear a teen ask a question like this one, “How far can I go with my boyfriend/girlfriend and not sin?” Often times older Christians have a similar mentality. Do not ask how close you can get to sin, but rather try to live as far from it as possible! One man said, “Why do you want to see how close you can get to Hell without falling in?” Do not make any provision for your flesh.

There was a king in an ancient land who was dissatisfied with his chariot driver. He decided to have a contest to find the best charioteer in the land to be his new driver. The contest ended with three finalists. The king decided how to find which driver was the best. He explained to the drivers that each of them would have a chance to drive him personally in a chariot for the final test. The driver would go full speed towards the edge of a cliff and stop; the driver who stopped closest to the cliff would be the winner. The first driver took off at full speed and stopped within 10 feet of the cliff. The king was impressed. The second driver took off also at full speed and stopped within 5 feet of the cliff. The king was very impressed. The time came for the third driver to have his try and he said, “Your highness, I would not dare get near that cliff, your life is too precious and dear to our people to jeopardize it in any way.” The king was astonished at this man’s wisdom and chose him as his new chariot driver.

May we treasure our purity like that charioteer. Please understand that our mentality should not be to see how close we can get to sinning without actually sinning. May we stay far from any wickedness and live holy lives for our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, please think over these truths again. Have a biblical understanding of holiness and your calling to be holy. Do not blur the lines or what is or what is not sin. Know that the eyes of the Lord are in every place. Confess sin and forsake it. Make a whole-hearted commitment to be pure for the glory of God. Identify areas of struggle in your life and eliminate them. Do not try to live a pure life alone; depend on God and others. Don’t flirt with sin, but, rather, flee from it. Do not make provision for your flesh. Stay as far from sin as you can. May God help you and me to live pure lives for His honour and glory.

Holiness

1 Peter 1:13-16

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

God has given us a glorious adoption in the Lord Jesus Christ. Before we were saved we were alienated from Him, but once we are born again, we are born into the family of God and we are His children. (To learn about how you can become a Christian, please read the post from 04-23-08 called “The Gospel”) The Word of God tells us to be obedient children. We should not live like we did formerly, like we lived before we were His children. Before we were God’s children we lived according to any and every lustful desire our flesh had. However, now we have a holy calling. We have been called by the Holy One of Israel. The Bible says,

Psalm 145:17

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

Isaiah 6:3

…Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Revelation 4:8

…Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The Lord our God is holy. But what is holiness? To be holy means to be set apart or different. A holiday is a day that is set apart from other days as a special day. When you sanction a portion of something, you are setting apart a portion from the rest. When the Lord declared the Sabbath day as holy, He was setting it apart from the rest of the days of the week. When the Bible says that God is holy, it is saying that He is different, He is apart. He says in His Word,

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

It is not that God is like us, but just better. It is not that we are like God, but just worse. God says that as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways. He is holy. He is different. When we become God’s children, we are called to be like Him. That is why in 1 Peter 1:15-16 it says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Our lifestyle should be holy. Our conduct should be holy. Our delight should be in that which is holy. God says,

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We are called to be separate. We are called to be set apart for God’s pleasure. We should not be like the world, but instead we should be different. In 1 Peter 2:9 the Bible says that Christians are to be “peculiar”. Here is an important passage that tells us how to live a holy life for God,

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In understanding holiness there is an important word, and that is sanctification. Sanctification is a Bible doctrine that can be taught in three basic parts; positional, practical, and permanent sanctification. The word sanctify means “to make holy”. The word saint means “holy one”. This is seen clearly in Spanish, as the word for holy and the word for saint are both “santo”. So, sanctification is the process of making something or someone holy. With Christians, sanctification occurs in three ways:

Positional: When a person gets saved, he is positionally declared holy before God. In the eyes of God, he is without sin. This occurs at the moment of salvation and is called positional sanctification.

Progressive: Each child of God is in a constant process of becoming more like Jesus Christ. He is continually being made more holy. This process is called progressive sanctification.

Permanent: God has promised that though Christians struggle with sin now, there is coming a day when their bodies will be changed into one like Jesus’ body. When Christ comes again for us, we will receive an incorruptible body that is without sin and incapable of sinning. This is permanent sanctification.

The passage in 1 Peter 1 is a passage that is referring to practical, or progressive, sanctification. God is holy, and so we are called to be holy. Holiness should be chief in every area of our lives; areas like entertainment, relationships, thoughts, clothing, philosophy, sexuality, education, and all others.

God says, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Loneliness

Loneliness is not a common topic in church. To my knowledge, I’ve never heard a sermon on loneliness. Loneliness is a real feeling that Christians must deal with. What do you do when nobody is around and you are lonely? What about when you don’t feel God’s presence? Sometimes we don’t feel His presence. However, we must not base our faith on feelings. If our faith is not founded upon the unchanging Word of God, it will always be changing. What help does the Word of God have for he who is lonely?

1. You are not alone.

“I am with you always” Matthew 28:20

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

No matter how you feel, you are not alone. Believe God’s Word, He is with you.

2. Your Saviour is empathetic.

Sympathy is a feeling of pity that one may have for another who is passing through a situation unknown to the sympathizer. Empathy is different from sympathy though. Empathy is a feeling of pity that one has for another who is passing through a situation that the empathizer has experienced himself. Jesus can empathize with you.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

One night Jesus shared his last Passover meal with his disciples before He would be crucified. These men had been with Him. These men had seen His miracles; healing the blind, casting out demons, turning water to wine, walking on water, healing the lame, calming the storm, healing the sick…these men had seen many mighty works. No doubt, this Passover meal was one of fellowship and companionship. Jesus then went with three of his disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. He went there with friends, but when He left He left alone. He was betrayed by Judas and then taken away by an angry multitude of people. He would then go through the most difficult time of His life on earth. He would be falsely accused, brutally beaten, and ultimately die the shameful death of a criminal on the cross. From a human standpoint, He did it alone. It is commonly known and thought of that Peter forsook Jesus, but the Bible says that all of His disciples forsook Him.

“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” Matthew 26:56

“And they all forsook him, and fled.” Mark 14:50

They all forsook Him, and yet Jesus knew that He was not really alone.

“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” John 16:32

Jesus knows, better than anyone, what it is like to face tribulation with none other but God with Him. Yes, He was God in the flesh, and He has perfect oneness with the Father, but He was also man. If anyone knows how you feel, please know that it is Jesus. He knows.

3. If you draw near to God, then He will draw near to you.

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:8

If you do not feel that He is near you then draw near to Him and He promises to draw near to you. Draw near to Him by reading His Word, by talking with Him in prayer, and by telling the glorious Gospel to others. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

So, in conclusion, if you are ever lonely, here is some help from the Word of God:

• You are not alone
• Your Saviour is empathetic
• Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you

Este artículo existe en español también, escríbeme si quiere una copia: kylepsheridan@aol.com

A Lesson on Construction

You are building a house...are you wise or are you foolish?

Matthew 7:24-29
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

There are two classes of people among those reading this:
A. Those that hear and do: “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them”
B. Those that hear and don’t do: “every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not”

1) We are all building a house “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine”
Here are some ways that we hear the sayings of the Lord:
Your friend's blog
Personal devotions
Parents
Pastor
Radio
Sunday School

2) Some builders are wise - Those that hear and do
“I will liken him unto a wise man”

3) Some builders are foolish - Those that hear and don't do
“shall be likened unto a foolish man”

You are building a house...are you wise or are you foolish?

James 1:22
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.