Abstaining from Sexual Immorality - 05/22/2022

Romans 1 and the Human Rebellion Against God

The ESV English Standard Version. Romans chapter 1. Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh, and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of the faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because of your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may mutually be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you, but thus far have been prevented, in order that I may reap some harvest among you, as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish, so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek.

For in the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made, so they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For the women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving themselves their due penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.

They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they knew God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.

Prayer for Help in Hearing and Applying the Word

Sober words. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, for the glory and the grace that has opened it to us and revealed yourself to us, Lord. We thank you for your mercy and grace that's brought us to you.

And Father, we bless the proclaiming of your word, that you would bless Pastor Jason as he brings the word, anoint him, help him. And as that word goes forth, Lord, we pray that it would fall on ears that hear and hearts that listen.

Father, bless us who sit under the teaching of the word. May you speak to us. May we hear. And when we take what we learn and apply it, we pray that your spirit will be upon us, guiding us, empowering us for victory over sin and victory in walking with you.

Father,.

Bless us and help us to that end in Jesus's name. Amen. Over the last couple.

Of weeks, we've been addressing the reality of the spiritual battle in which we find ourselves. Our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. In this life, the battles that we face are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.

The battles that we face are against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Even though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. In this life, amid this spiritual battle, believers are called to fight.

We are called to fight the good fight of the faith. We are called to wage the good warfare. We are called to hold faith in a good conscience. We are called to be sober-minded and watchful. The Lord God has generously equipped us and prepared us for this battle.

We have been given everything we need for a triumphant victory. Everything that we need. The Lord has given us the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, and one of our most powerful weapons, the weapon of all prayer.

These weapons are absolutely necessary because our adversary is a formidable opponent. Our adversary uses all manner of trickery, deceit, and guile to surprise, confuse, and confound us. He will appeal to your eyes.

He will appeal to your flesh. He will appeal to the boastful pride of your life. He will present you with delicious bait, but he will hide from you the hook. He will paint sin with the color of virtue.

He will assure you that right is wrong and that wrong is right. He will deceive you into thinking that his way is the best way and God's way is the worst. He will convince you that obedience to the Lord God will lead you to unnecessary difficulty, unnecessary hardship, and unnecessary suffering.

In all of his varied schemes, wiles, and devices, your adversary's hope is that you will surrender to his strategic plan. The Lord God has a plan for your life. Amen? So does the adversary. Thus, it is our responsibility to withstand the devil.

We are to oppose the devil. We are to stand in direct opposition to the devil. Our responsibility is to dig in. It is to stand firm, to be strong in the Lord, and to resist the schemes, the wiles, and devices of our adversary.

However, in certain battles, there is a time and a place for retreat. In certain battles, a tactical withdrawal may be necessary. Even though there are many passages that command us to stand firm and withstand our adversary, there are also many other passages that command us to flee from certain attacks.

For example, in the book of 1st Corinthians, Paul commands the church at Corinth to flee from idolatry and to no longer provoke the Lord God to jealousy. In the book of 1st Timothy, Paul commands Timothy to flee from the love of money and from the things that accompany the love of money.

In addition, he was also called to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. In the book of 2nd Timothy, Paul commands Timothy to flee from youthful passions. Timothy was to be set apart as a useful vessel to his master and to be ready for every good work.

In addition, he was also called to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. In the book of 1st Corinthians, Paul reminds the church at Corinth that he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with the Lord.

And thus, the Corinthians were commanded to flee from sexual immorality. Beloved, in certain battles, the sober-minded, the watchful, and the fully armored Christian should not dig in nor stand firm, but rather we are exhorted to flee.

In the battle for moral purity, we are not to withstand sexual immorality, but rather we are to flee from sexual immorality. It's a vast understatement to say that the culture in which we live is exceedingly immoral.

Sexual immorality has thoroughly permeated our culture and our world so that we are drowning in a sea of sexual sin. But far more disturbing than this is that this exceedingly immoral culture has influenced and contaminated the people of God.

Sexual immorality has crept into our thinking, it has dulled our convictions, and it has left us impaired and misguided. Over the past few decades, the church has been sitting in a pot of hot water, and the flames of sexual immorality have been slowly heating this water.

Today, the water is at boiling point, and there are many professing believers and churches who have not noticed the temperature change. Instead of the church influencing the culture, the culture has influenced the church to our great shame.

The state of the church must greatly distress the Lord Jesus Christ. In writing to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul remarked that one of the primary concerns that the Lord Jesus Christ has for the church is that she remain pure.

Ephesians 5, 25 through 27. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

It's really important to understand the meaning of this passage. The Lord Jesus Christ desires to present to himself a glorious church. The Lord Jesus Christ desires to present to himself a church of intense splendor.

The Lord Jesus Christ wants to present to himself a church that has no spot, no stain, no wrinkle, no flaw, or any such thing, but that the church might be holy and without blemish. The Lord God's desire is for his church to be holy.

The Lord God's desire is for this church to be holy. First Baptist Church of Leominster, Massachusetts is to be holy and without blemish. 1 Peter 1, 15. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Even though we live in grossly decadent times, the Lord God has called his people to live in holiness. Even though we live in a society that is perverse and depraved, the Lord God has called us to be holy in all our conduct.

Even though we live in a society that accepts, approves, and applauds sexual immorality, the Lord God has called us to be like him. You shall be holy for I am holy. The culture and society in the New Testament times were not much different from our culture and society today.

For example, the church in Thessalonica was living amidst a people who were equally as perverse and depraved as those today, if not more so. At this time, prostitution, owning concubines, having multiple mistresses, and pursuing other married individuals were all socially acceptable practices.

There was no shame attached to any of these practices. Sexual immorality was just a normal part of everyday life. Prostitution was not only legal, but it was also a very prominent part of religious life.

The worship of certain Roman and Greek gods involved the use of temple prostitutes. To commune with the gods, you needed to have a physical relationship with one of the gods' priests or priestesses, a temple prostitute.

The temple at Corinth, which was about 50 miles west of Thessalonica, had an estimated 3 ,000 temple prostitutes to get people in contact and communion with the local deity. These aforementioned practices were only the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to all of these heterosexual sins, you also had all sorts of other perverted and twisted practices. And it was in this cultural setting that Paul and Silas decided to return and proclaim the word of the Lord.

It was in this depraved and immoral setting that the Thessalonian church was established. In Acts 15, Paul and Silas were in Antioch, and Paul decided to return and visit all of the brethren in every city in which he had proclaimed the word of the Lord on his first missionary journey.

In Acts 16, Paul had a vision of a man saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. So Paul concludes that this vision was the Lord God calling them to go to Macedonia. And along the way, they experienced many trials.

They were beaten. They were jailed. But eventually, they made it to Thessalonica. And upon their arrival, Paul goes straight to the synagogue, and there he opens up the word of God, and he reasons with them from the scriptures.

The gospel is proclaimed. Many are persuaded. Many believe. And many are saved. And their success infuriates the Jews, who then form a mob and run them out of town. So Paul and Silas flee to Berea by night.

And when they arrive, they go straight to the synagogue and again proclaim the word of the Lord. But the Jews of Thessalonica were determined. They found out that Paul was preaching the gospel in Berea, and they go there to agitate and to stir up the crowds, so much so that Paul again has to flee.

This time, he flees to Athens. And while he is in Athens, he preaches in the synagogues, he preaches at Mars Hill, and it is here that he sends Timothy back to Thessalonica to bring him news of how this infant church was faring.

First Thessalonians 3, 1 and 2. Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith.

One of the reasons why Paul had such a great burden for this church was its age. The Thessalonian church was a baby church. It was not established. Remember back in Acts 17, Paul had only spent three weeks in the synagogues proclaiming the word of the Lord before the Jews ran him out of town.

So from the founding of this church to the first letter that Paul had written to them, we're talking only a matter of months, not years. And given the immorality of the culture that these people were called out of, you can see why Paul had such an intense longing and burden for them.

So Paul sends to them Timothy. And then Paul travels to Corinth. And in Corinth, Timothy returns from Thessalonica and he gives Paul a favorable report about the Thessalonian church. And it is here in Corinth that Paul writes his first letter to the church in Thessalonica and he mails it to them using Timothy as a courier.

The primary reason for Paul writing this letter was to encourage these new believers to persevere in their faith. Despite the hard opposition that they had been facing, Paul reminded them that hard times are a part of the Lord God's plan for his people.

He reminds them of the instruction that they had received and how they should live in order to best please the Lord God. First Thessalonians 4, 1 and 2. Finally then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you were doing, that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. So, in this letter, Paul reiterates the commands of Christian living. He wants them to excel still more and more in their walk with God.

So, Paul is building upon what he has previously taught them. Please turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 3 through 8. Let's look at this text together. 1 Thessalonians 4, 3 through 8. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God, that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

The Will of God Is Your Sanctification

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not man, but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to be answering three questions from this passage.

What does the Lord God require? Verse 3. How do I accomplish what the Lord God requires? Verses 4 to 6. And why should I accomplish what the Lord God requires? Verses 7 through 8. What, how, and why? The first question that this text answers, what does the Lord God require?

Verse 3. First Thessalonians 4, 3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality. Paul here gives us a very clear and very concise command. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Now, something important to note. Again, this was a brand new church, only months old in the faith, and these believers had come out of a grossly immoral culture. And I'm sure that some of the original readers of this letter would have been prostitutes, concubines, mistresses, adulterers, maybe even some temple prostitutes.

These were people who participated for years in the gross immoralities of that day, with no shame and no remorse. And Paul proclaims to them the will of God. This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Beloved, it does not matter what the culture is doing around us. It does not matter what the rest of society is doing around us. It doesn't matter what they deem as acceptable or permissible. The church is to be sanctified.

The church is to be holy. The church is to be set apart from the rest of the world. We are to be different. James 4 .4. You adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Friendship with the world is hostility towards God. The Lord God does not want us to live like the world. There should be a clear distinction between the world and the church.

And just because the world is falling deeper and deeper into moral depravity, this does not mean that the church is to follow. This does not mean that the church should be influenced by it in any way.

Sexual immorality may have permeated the Thessalonian society. It may permeate our society, but not the church. This is the will of God, your sanctification. You know, these days people spend a lot of time and mental energy trying to figure out the will of God.

Go into any Christian bookstore and you will see multiple book titles describing methods to determine the will of God. As believers, where do we find the will of God? The will of God is found in the Word of God.

God's will is found in the scriptures. And there are many times in the scriptures, like here in 1 Thessalonians 4 .3, that the will of God is clearly revealed. For example, Romans 12 .1 and 2. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. It is the will of God that our lives are given as a sacrifice to Him.

It is the will of God that we present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. The Lord God wants us to surrender and to yield ourselves to Him and to live lives for His glory and His honor. This is the will of God.

Another verse, Ephesians 5, 17 through 18. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

It is the will of God that we are filled with the Spirit. The Greek word translated filled is pleru, which is more literally rendered as be being kept filled. This is a command that includes the idea of conscious continuation.

This word was often used to describe wind filling a sail and thereby carrying the ship along. So to be filled with the Spirit means that we will be moved along in our Christian life by the power and the presence of God's Holy Spirit.

This is the will of God. First Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. Why? For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Our joy, our prayers, our thankfulness should never fluctuate on our circumstances or on our feelings.

Obeying these three commands, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and being thankful in all circumstances often goes against our natural inclinations. However, they do represent the will of God in Christ Jesus for his people.

This is the will of God. First Peter 3, 17. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Believers will suffer for the cause of Christ. Believers will suffer for the gospel of Christ.

Believers will suffer for doing good. This should not surprise us. This should not discourage us. But what it should do is it should drive us into the arms of our Heavenly Father who has willed it. This is the will of God.

It is the will of God that we are living sacrifices and that we present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. It's the will of God that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It's the will of God that we rejoice always, that we pray without ceasing, that we give thanks, and that we suffer for doing what is good.

These are all the will of God. In addition, our sanctification is also the will of God. 1 Thessalonians 4, 3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Well, what is sanctification? What does it mean? This is one of those theological terms that we often hear, but sometimes it can be difficult to explain. In our Statement of Faith, which is the London Baptist Confession of 1689, Article 13, Paragraph 1, those who are united with Christ, effectually called and regenerated, having had a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are then further sanctified in a very real and personal way.

Because of the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, and by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them, the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed. There it is. The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed.

The different lusts of the body of sin are increasingly weakened and mortified, and Christ's people are increasingly quickened and strengthened in all saving graces to practice true holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.

In other words, sanctification refers to the process by which we are brought into greater spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness throughout our lives. In the Greek, sanctification means to set apart.

It means to consecrate. It means to dedicate. It means to be holy. For those who are united with Christ, effectually called, regenerated, having had a new heart and a new spirit, the era of sin's total control over you is ended.

In other words, you are no longer enslaved to sin. You are no longer under sin's power. Why? Because the Lord God has set you apart. He has sanctified you. He has set you apart from sin to the Lord God for his purpose.

Second Corinthians 3 .18. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The Christian life is a continual process of conforming to the Lord God. The image of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the continual process of growing into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to the next.

It's a process. This means that you should look more like Christ today than you did yesterday. You should look more like Christ today than you did a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. You should look more like the Lord Jesus Christ today than when you first believed.

Our sanctification, our process of being conformed into the image of Christ is the will of God. The will of God is for you to be set apart from sin and to be set apart to God. It is his will that you be continually transformed from glory to glory into the image of Christ.

This is the will of God. Hebrews 12, 14. Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Beloved, we must strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

We must strive to be separate from sin and set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ. We must strive to change, to be transformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, practically speaking, how do we do this?

How do we strive and pursue sanctification? Well, look again at verse 3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality. One way to pursue sanctification is to abstain from sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality refers to all kinds of sexual sins, immoral thoughts, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and anything other than a monogamous relationship within the confines of marriage. Marriage being between a biological man and a biological woman.

Any other sexual relationship is considered immorality in the eyes of the Lord God. Ephesians 5, verses 3 to 6. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper among the saints.

Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking which are out of place. But instead, let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, that is, an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Hebrews 13, 4. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Beloved, the Lord God is very serious about our purity, and it is His will that we abstain from every kind of sexual sin. To abstain means to avoid or to keep far away from. The literal meaning is hold back, to keep off, to be distant.

The implication that Paul is calling for is total abstinence. Stay away from every form of sexual immorality. Steer clear of every form of sexual immorality. Flee from sexual immorality. Do not go anywhere near it.

This is a very clear and succinct command. Abstain from sexual immorality. Now as those who possess a serious sin problem, which we all do, what do we often do with a very clear and succinct command? We look for the loophole.

We try to find a way around it. The Lord God commands that we abstain, avoid, and keep away from sexual immorality, but how far back do I really need to stay? Is it okay to read a graphic romance novel?

Is it okay to look at a lingerie catalog? Is it okay to watch an R-rated movie? Is it okay to watch a movie that is rated mature? Is it okay to watch a sexually suggestive TikTok? If I'm courting or dating someone, is it okay to hold their hands?

Is it okay to hug? Is it okay to cuddle? Is it okay to kiss? In terms of physical contact, how far is too far? Well, these types of questions can really be boiled down to one overarching question, which is, how close can I get to what I want to do without actually sinning against the Lord God?

If you've ever asked yourself these types of questions, then I have a few questions for you, questions that I find far more helpful to ask. Is what I'm about to do going to please the Lord God? Is what I'm about to do going to glorify the Lord God?

Will it make me more like Christ? Will it conform me to His image? Will it encourage me? Will it build me up? Will it build others up? Or will it tear me down? Will it tear others down? Is reading that graphic novel, viewing that lingerie catalog, or watching that movie going to please and glorify the Lord God?

Will it make you more like Christ? Will it conform you to His image? Will it encourage you? Will it build you up? Will it build others up? Or will it tear you down? Will it tear others down? If you're in a relationship, these are questions that you should be asking.

How can I be more sanctified in this relationship? How can I be more separate from sin and more holy to the Lord God? How can I best glorify the Lord God by my actions? How can I conduct myself in a way that pleases the Lord God and gives Him all glory, all praise, and all honor?

How far is too far? How far can you go? Let me give you the answer. Beloved, you need to stop short of the impure thought. You need to stop short of the lustful intent. You need to stop short of committing sin.

Sin does not begin with the things you do. Sin does not begin with the acts that you perform. Sin begins in the heart. James 1 .14, but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire, when it is conceived, brings birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Sinful desires come from within. Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire, the desire of the heart.

Sinful desires come from thoughts and motives of the heart. The Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly spoke to this truth. Matthew 5 .28, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away, for it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. On this particular passage, one pastor remarked, Jesus said that heaven and hell are at stake in what you do with your eyes and with the thoughts of your imagination.

If you don't fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, then you will go to hell and suffer there forever. He then goes on to say, there are many professing Christians who have a view of salvation that disconnects it from real life and that nullifies the warnings of the Bible and puts that sinning person who claims to be a Christian beyond the reach of biblical threats.

This doctrine is comforting thousands on the way to hell. Did you catch what he said there? Does your view of salvation disconnect it from the warnings of the Bible? Do you feel that the warnings of the Bible do not apply to you because you profess to know the Lord Jesus Christ?