Moral Purity (6 sessions) - 4 — Romans 12

0:00 Open with prayer here. Father God, we thank you for your love to us. We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that he died for us and that that we we look forward to that moment when he's going to come back and call us up to be with himself. We ask that you'd bless our time today over the word.

0:18 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay. So so, yes, last week, we talked about sanctification being set set apart for God. We we used the verse from Titus.

0:32 Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous of good works. And this matter of of the Lord having his own special people zealous of good works, we're set aside for God. There's a practical side of sanctification in which God works in us through his holy spirit to conform us to the image of Christ, and this this continues throughout our Christian experience here. We've mentioned how this seems to lead into the idea of of our being a a living sacrifice to God, and we use the verse of Romans twelve one and two. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable or perhaps intelligent service.

1:37 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So so in this in this verse... In this place, it talks about the living sacrifice, and I think it's Denzel used to make a comparison. I think it was Denzel that that said, well, the problem with the living sacrifice is it's always climbing off the altar. And...

2:09 Yeah. So so he says that that's not original. So so that's true. The fact that it says it's it's a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, that that speaks to the moral character of this of this offering. And the fact that it says...

2:33 Is your reasonable or intelligent service shows that it... It's not gonna be done in ignorance, and we know where we where we have an understanding from God is in his holy word. Okay. We we talked about the fact that the mind is the is the battleground of the spiritual battle, and and we talked about how we're we're to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So it says be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

3:10 And and the... Being conformed to the world is picking up the eyes, ideas of this world, and and the way of of thinking of this world, which is in contrast to being renewed in being transformed by the renewing of your mind, which which I can't think, but what that's referring to the idea of our of our quiet times, those daily times that we spend with the Lord, refreshing times of of renewal that that we have with the Lord. Important for us to remember. We need to remember in this in this in this process of of of sanctification. We need to remember that with...

4:25 We live by faith. Second Corinthians five seven says, we walk by faith, not by sight. And then first John five four says says, this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. So faith is an important element there in in being able to to grow in the Lord. Our two great resources...

4:56 We already mentioned this. Our two great resources are the word of God and and the the spirit of God. Are you recording? K. Okay.

5:10 Okay. So so we're told that we should be strengthened with mind, that we can be strengthened with mind through his spirit in the inner man. That's Ephesians three sixteen. Strengthen with all might through his spirit in the inner man, and and we've been granted sanctification of the spirit for obedience. That's first Peter one two.

5:39 The word of God is is our source of of of spiritual knowledge. We we read sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth, And we're told that that all scriptures given by inspiration of God, it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Second Timothy three sixteen and seventeen. Okay.

6:20 So so one of the things that's given to us to motivate us is is a knowledge of the future, and and we we had read yesterday about the blessed hope. And we said that was probably referring to the the rapture, that moment when the Lord Jesus will snatch us all the way. And isn't that indeed a a blessed hope, a a a thought that that that, wow, soon the Lord might just... Might be today. He might just snatch us snatches away.

6:57 There'll be this call and will be pulled pulled away. Now I I had a... I found a number of verses that that are are, like, really helpful verses. Just summarize them like, walk worthy of the Lord, run the race, and be strong in the Lord. And this...

7:24 In my mind, I'm associating this with that expression that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Now now I I wonder about the the wording of that, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So there's a a pathway to life. It's described in the scripture that's that's good and acceptable and perfect. It's God's will.

7:52 And we're we're not talking about every little step. I... There's a kind of a funny story. My my mother was really, really, at one point, just so taken up. The Lord Lord has a way for us to do everything.

8:04 And she was standing by a busy street corner, and she looked across the the crosswalk, and she says, why the lord has a way that he wants me to walk across this this this crosswalk. And she said she she she just had this thought that read through her mind, and she said, it might have come from the lord. It says, yeah, Pat. Just put one foot right in front of the other, and you go right across. So we we don't wanna be foolish about about about things, but but the Lord does have a will for us.

8:52 That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is Colossians one nine. Paul's prayer. That you will... That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

9:22 Strengthen with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long suffering with joy that you might walk worthy of the Lord. Then in Philippians one twenty seven, it says, let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. We're we're we're representatives of the Lord. Let it... Let our conduct be worthy of it.

9:47 Now the the I... The idea of the of the race that we run is is kind of a neat analogy, perhaps a metaphor. Our lives are like running a race. There are several things about a race. Number one, you you gotta you gotta follow the rules.

10:08 So what... There's certain rules to that race. You can't start early. You you can't, can't, plunge into the other person's lane. You have to...

10:17 So there's certain rules to the race. You have to obey those rules or you can't win. Okay? If a person's going to run-in in an athletic event, they need to they need to have have lived their lives in in in a disciplined way that is they need to, you know, you have to watch your diet. There's a lot of things you have to do if you want to win the race.

10:44 Okay? And then in addition to in addition to that, there's the discipline of exercise that you have to go through, and these are all captured in this verse. So let's listen to it. Do you not though... Know that...

10:58 This is first Corinthians nine twenty four through 27. Do you not know that those who run-in a race all run, but one receives the prize, run-in such a way that you may obtain it? So it's almost... It's not like there's only one person that's gonna get this prize in heaven, but you... We need to run it, so that's true.

11:18 We need... You need... We need to do that. Okay. In other words, put your everything into it.

11:24 Everyone who competes for a prize is temperate in all things. They get enough sleep. They do what they need to to make it work. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I I run thus, not within uncertainty.

11:45 Thus, I fight not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. That's apostle Paul speaking. The next one is from Hebrews 12, and it... It's right at the end of the long list of the men of faith in chapter 11. It says, therefore therefore, we also...

12:14 Since we're surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. And it has more in there, but I I... Keep your eye on the goal. It says what they used to they used to say in the old days... Probably it's true still with the...

12:40 With tractors too. But they said, if you wanna if you wanna plow a straight line, keep your eye on on the... On an object the other side of the field. And so we're looking unto Jesus. Okay?

13:24 Okay. So so we want... I want to quote a verse that comes from Psalm 34, and it's quoted by Peter. Old Testament verse is quoted by Peter in first Peter three ten through 12. He that would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from seeking...

13:47 From speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.

14:02 So so carefulness in our walk. Now there's one last verse in in that... This series of verses that I want I want us to pay attention to, and this has to the fact of of of seeking seeking to purify our our own lives. And this is this is how it reads. Search me, o God, and know my heart.

14:25 Try me and know my anxieties and see if there's any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm a hundred and thirty nine twenty three and twenty four. Searching words. Might as well pun on it. Search me, oh god.

14:44 Okay. So the the next thing I wanna talk about is is the idea of vessels. So, like, a a clay... Piece of clay pottery, maybe. We could we could use, for example, this this verse from Isaiah 64.

15:03 O Lord, you are our father. We are we are the clay, and you are our potter, and all we are the work of your hand. So it's God working in us. God is the potter who works in our lives to sanctify us and... Unto holy living so that we are useful to the master.

15:26 Now I want to read a verse that kind of... We're we're... That kind of brings out this thought of the vessel. And and before I get into the verse, I wanna... I want to explain that the vessel is it...

15:43 It's a... It's it's it's... We're told to possess this vessel, but the idea is that it really belongs to God and we take possession as stewards of this vessel, but it really belongs to God, and and we're responsible to him. This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor. How to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor?

16:27 It's like it's like we're able to sort of step apart from ourselves and say, this is this this life that I live here, this is God's, and I am I am in possession as a as a steward over this, and I'm responsible for how this life is lived. You should know how to possess your own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God, that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger of all such as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God who has also given us his holy spirit. First Thessalonians four three through eight.

17:28 In the next chapter, says, now may the god of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our lord Jesus Christ. Uh-huh. Now the next one, we're gonna talk some more about the subject of sexual immorality. So it says here... It says, flee sexual immorality.

17:56 I'm... We're reading from first Corinthians six eighteen through 20. Flee sexual immorality. It it really brings before my mind this picture of Joseph in Egypt and the... Potiphar's wife grabbing hold of his arm and trying to trying to tempt him into into doing evil to sin...

18:21 Sinning sexually, and and and we... We've see Joseph just slipping out of his coat and leaving the coat in her hand. Doesn't make any difference. He's just getting out of here. Flee.

18:33 He's fleeing away from it. And I think that's a good picture for us to keep in mind and some pretty practical advice too because we all, at one time or another, in the course of our life, are going to be tempted, and we need to we need to realize that that you you need to flee flee temptation. Okay. Every sin that a man does... This this is first Corinthians six.

18:59 Every sin that a man does is outside his body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit? Don't you know this, he's saying? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit who is in you, whom you whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you have been for you have been bought at a price.

19:27 Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods. There's there's that. He... They they belong to him. We're simply stewards of these these bodies.

19:39 K? Now I thought it was interesting. I I thought it was interesting that immediately following after this... So this is right at the end of the sixth chapter. So in...

20:14 To avoid sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. And and in Hebrews 13, we find another, interesting verse. It says, marriage is honorable among all in the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. Now the next one I really like. So listen to this one.

20:42 He that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord. Can you go along with that? He that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord. Proverbs eighteen twenty two. Well, first, let's discuss this, from the standard of...

21:02 Stat... From the standpoint of creation. Okay. So God said, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and then God gave man the sexual drive to energize him to accomplish that project. Consider this.

21:19 Sexual desire, sexual roles, the sexual act, conception, pregnancy, and birth are all part of the creation of god of god, which he himself called very good. Because god said be fruitful and multiply, we know that it was the will of god for man to participate in sexual procreation within the moral constraints of one man, one woman marriage. Because marriage is ordained by God, it is sacred. It is holy matrimony. The fact that the sexual act is forbidden outside of marriage shows that god wills for society to develop according to the god given more...

22:07 Moral principle excuse me. The god given pattern with the family as the basic unit of society. An orderly family provides a means for god given moral principles to be passed on from generation to generation. Furthermore, as man fills the earth in submission to god's pattern, god is glorified. This was all planned by God.

22:42 Now in addition to this, we have some additional information that's given to us in the New Testament in Ephesians five. The relationship of the husband and wife is used as as an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church. In order to fulfill this picture, the wife must submit respectfully to her husband. The husband must unselfishly love his wife. The greater responsibility actually rest upon the husband for he must love his wife with the same sort of sacrificial love that Christ has demonstrated toward the church.

23:25 Here's our verse. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself more that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. I believe it adds the the the statement, so men should love their wives. Okay. To God, this is an exceedingly important paradigm.

24:02 He commands it to be so that that we should have orderly marriages. Maybe just a little discussion at this point. So what's wrong with this picture? Is that what we see going on around us? What's wrong with this picture?

24:15 What went wrong? Sin. Right? Sin sin has come in, and sin sin has spoiled everything pretty much. And even those of us that love the Lord and really would like to do this, we don't perfectly fulfill this pattern at all, do we?

24:34 And and God God help us to do that. But but I think I'm going to close with that and and