Sexual Immorality

Colossians 1:21-23

COL-177

2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

1 Peter 1:23: "For you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable. That is, through the living and abiding Word of God."

2 Timothy 4:2: "Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."

2 Peter 3:18: "But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

We are studying Colossians 1:21-23. Our subject is "Reconciliation of the Colossians," segment number 22.

To people who reject the literal authority of the Bible as the mind of God hold in contempt those of us who do use the Bible in that way. If you have not learned that yet, it is because you're not identifying yourself too well. If you make it clear to people that the Bible is the Word of God, and that it is literally true, and that what it says has to be obeyed, and it's not optional, they will hold you in contempt. The rejecters feel that they are intellectually, morally, and compassionately superior to the fundamentalist, Bible-doctrine-believing Christian. He is viewed as ignorant, and out of touch with the wise men of Satan's world.

The homosexual society of God in Sodom and Gomorrah scoffed at Lot's biblical morals with no fear of God. The human jungle of evil and violence in Noah's day rejected his preaching of the gospel, and they labeled him a nut for building his ark so far from the water. Joseph refused to engage in sexual fornication with Potiphar's wife, and she had him cast in into prison for being so goody-good. Pharaoh, in Moses day, wanted to know who the God of Israel was, to presume to tell him what he could do with his Jewish slaves. The Lord Jesus Christ was true to Scripture, and to His divine mission, and was murdered for it, as a blasphemer and an enemy of God. And certainly, the apostle Paul knew what it was to be treated like a fool, and to be viewed as scum for living true to biblical teachings, and for serving God in doing good works.

In 1 Corinthians 4:9-13, we have Paul saying: "For I think God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death, because we have become a spectacle on the world, both to angels and to men. For we are fools for Christ's sake. But you are prudent in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are distinguished, but we are without honor." Now, if this sounds like sarcasm, it is. This church held Paul in contempt. Those were a powerful series of churches in the city of Corinth, the good time city of the ancient world. And Paul was someone that was an irritant to them. This church was so filled with sin that people weren't even uncomfortable with it, or upset by it. And the apostle Paul here is exercising sarcasm. They were looking down on him, and he was the one who was nothing, and they were everything. And it was just the opposite. That's the way with people who do not take the Word of God seriously for what it says, and for what it is, and who have not understood that the world system of Satan is against the Word of God, and it is wrong.

Verse 11: "To this present hour. We are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless. And we toil, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we try to conciliate. We have become the scum of the world, and the dregs of all men, even until now."

The Apostle Paul

When he wrote to this series of churches in Corinth, again, in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, he added this: "Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day-by-day. For a momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Why could Paul take this kind of abuse, and be treated like scum, and be treated as a fool? Because his eyes were on the Lord. He knew where the real riches lay. It was not here. And he knew what the real issues were. It was not how he was treated. For when he was abused, it was contempt for Christ. And he understood that. Therefore, his eyes were on the things of eternity.

This is such an easy passage. It is so easy to read. But, friend, it is so hard for us to live unto it, and so hard for us to let go of all the things that are precious to us, and go all out for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why did he do this? In 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul gives us the bottom line: "For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

So, whom will you follow? Satan; the world system; the devil; and, his ideas? Or will you follow the Word of God? Well, you won't follow the Word of God if you're not sitting in a church service where somebody is explaining that Word to you. If they are, then you have a chance to follow it. Then you can come to grips with it. But at the same time, you have to understand that the enemies of our God are your enemies. And the world of Satan is the enemy of God. That makes the world our enemy. Yet, we get so comfortable living here, and thinking that this is where it's all at, instead of going day-by-day, one more step toward that eternal destiny that lies before us.

So, what should we as Christians do? Well, we should obviously stand firm on the Word of God. We should not be intimidated. We should not be saddened. We should certainly not be silenced by those who oppose doctrinal teaching – a Bible that we treat as literally the Word of God.

In Luke 6:22, this admonition is pointed out to us: "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy. For, behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way, their fathers used to treat the prophets."

Some of you young people need to learn this: "Blessed are you when men hate you and ostracize you." If there's anything a youth does not like to be, it is ostracized. So, a young person will go along with all the evils, with his heart ill-at-ease, and his stomach churning. But he wants to be accepted by the other guys and gals. But the Word of God said: "When they ostracize you for your integrity, and for your stand for the things of God, all of heaven is applauding you, and great will be your reward in heaven." They may spurn your name, and they may blow you off. But in heaven, they're recording a great reward for your stand for Christ.

You parents have to keep reminding your youngsters that this is their mission. You fathers have to become aware of the fact that you are building a part of the body of Christ by creating a family unit, and taking your sons and daughters, and bringing them into a position where they will create family units. It is appalling what parents, and especially fathers, do today in teaching their sons and daughters horrendous toleration of things that are entirely out of the world. We have fathers who do not view themselves as the gatekeepers of their daughters: "You don't come to my daughter unless you come through me. I'm the Father. You don't ask my daughter for associations unless you come through me, and I approve you to have that association.

Instead, what do we do? We go right along with the world. We open everything up. We give them cars. We let them drive by themselves. We let them be off by themselves. And we wonder why the kids just go along, real comfortable in the world. And the next thing they do is they live like the world. More about that later.

Right now, it's the issue of learning to be separated from the world system. And this is the will of God.

John 15:18-19: "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world will love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you. The world hates you because you are not part of them. You don't go along with them. And that means that you're going to be ostracized. Are you a manly enough young person, or a womanly enough young person to have the intestinal fortitude to be ostracized from the world? Just remember that when you're ostracized from them, Jesus Christ has come up and put His arm around you. That's a pretty good exchange.

2 Timothy 3:12: "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." You might say, "Hey, I don't have any persecution. I get along just great with the world. Everybody likes me." Well, maybe we have some problem there with your godly living being public knowledge.

1 Peter 3:14-17: "But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify (set apart) Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a difference to everyone who asks you, and to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. Don't stand there like a ninny, wringing your hands, and saying, "Well, the reason I don't do these things is because our church doesn't do this. My parents taught me not to do this." It's because it's against the Word of God. You should say, "I don't do this because it's against the will of God. Yes, my parents taught me, and they protect me, and they restrain me. They won't let me do things until I am old enough." If I'm a daughter, I don't get to do things until my father hands me off to the man that he has approved for me to marry. Now that man takes over, and I'm under his authority. As His Son, until I'm married, I'm under his authority, and I have to honor him. And he supervises my life, less as he becomes an adult. But he never turns me to the wolves on my own. Put Christ aside in your life, and understand the Scriptures to be able to give a defense for the reason of your separation from that world system, so that they cannot hold you in contempt, as some mindless ninny.

It's time that Christians started going for the jugular vein of the world system that is so arrogant; so confident; and, so assured that it's in the know.

However, we do it with gentleness and with respect. Verse 16: "And keep a good conscience so that in things in which you are slandered, those who revile your good character in Christ may be put to shame." It's terrible. Your conscience is not clear, and people are accusing you, and ridiculing you for something. And in your conscience, you know they're right. I'm guilty as sin about this. That is not the Christian way.

Verse 17: "For it is better if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right, rather than doing what is wrong." People who hate the Bible as a literal authority from God will treat you that way.

1 Peter 4:12ff: "Beloved, do not be surprised that the fiery ordeals among you, which come upon you for your testing, as though some strange things were happening to you. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also, at the revelation of His glory (the rapture), you may rejoice with exaltation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rest upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or a troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed. But in that name, let Him glorify God. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."

Yes, we take the flak, and we suffer, and we should not say, "Why should God be doing this to me when I'm so faithful to Him? I stand by Him, and I work for Him, and I serve Him, and my all is at His disposal?" Because the devil is going to come after you because you are standing under the glory and the favor of God. But that is a great honor. The one thing you do not want to do is to be friends with the world system. You want to be a testimony and a lighthouse to them.

People hate, therefore, including some Christians, any church ministry where expository preaching from a literally true Bible is the technique used. Those people will separate themselves from such a church when they find that it condemns their ways. They do not have the spiritual good sense to know that what is making them uncomfortable is the mind of God. If it's expository preaching, it's not the mind of the preacher. That kind of a preacher does not say, "It seems to me. . . I believe. . . I think." He just says, "Here's what the Word says, and here's what it means. I explained it to you in the context of the totality of Scripture." These people condemn themselves when they separate from an expository preacher. And where do they go? They go to some place where the preaching is fun. They go someplace where the preaching is shallow, and where the preaching stays clear of those controversial things that you know is going to make people start hyperventilating because of their indignation.

Well, the next time you meet those people, they won't be very nice to you. They'll look the other way, and they'll look grimly upon you. Why? Because, as Jesus did, He opened peoples' eyes to the realities of God. And for that, they hated Him.

So, you people who are serious about the Word of God as the mind of God – don't expect to be kindly treated in this world system. And above all, don't be intimidated. They're wrong, and you are right.

Capital Punishment

We have had a recent example of a prominent television preacher, Pat Robertson, to illustrate all this, who has been challenging the death penalty of the state of Texas. And he's a classic example of non-expository preaching of the Word of God. I've been watching him for the whole week. I got fascinated by his approach to the imminent execution of Karla Fay Tucker. Pat Robertson went all out to get the state authorities to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment. The reason that he gave was that this brutal murderess was now a born-again Christian, and that she is no longer a threat to society, and that she, therefore, should be shown mercy. Now, there's a nice, emotional word: "mercy." And that was his whole argument. . .

Cal Thomas hit it right on the button. It would have been interesting had she converted to Islam, or to Buddhism, or to Shintoism, or Bob Shortism, or whatever – whatever culture she goes for? Would he have been as zealous then to have said, "She should have mercy?" Well, yes, God does exercise mercy, but He exercises mercy on the basis of the penalty being paid for the evil that was committed. He doesn't exercise mercy like a good old grandfather who looks the other way, and ignores what the kids deserve for what they have done. Pat Robertson said early in the week that he had trouble because he favored the death penalty. And as the week went on last day, he said, "I'm against the death penalty." I said, "Whoa, wait a minute. You didn't explain that to us. I heard you on Monday say you were for the death penalty, but for mercy for this nice lady, etc. Now you're telling us that you're against it? By the end of week, he opposed the whole thing: "I'm in favor of the death penalty at the beginning of the week, but not in this case. And by the end of the week, not in any case."

His sidekick, the lady, said, "Oh, yes, I'm for that." And a phrase rang in the back of my mind. I couldn't remember where I had heard this thing. I got to thinking. It kept ringing in my ears. Has God said this? I can't remember where I heard that or who said that. Genesis 9:11: "And I establish My covenant with you." The flood is over. God is setting up a new condition on earth, so that it never turns into the moral jungle of violence that it was before the flood.

Genesis 9:6: "Noah, from now on, whosoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For the image of God he made man." You can kill animals. And from now on, as a matter of fact, you can eat animals. You don't have to just restrict yourself to a vegetarian diet anymore. You can eat animal meat. You can kill animals. But you cannot kill a human being, without proper constituted authority for reasons that I will give you, for which you kill them, which is murder-one (first-degree murder). This is where they take a person's life willfully by premeditation – deliberately: "Whosoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed." Has God spoken?

Exodus 20:13: "You shall not murder." This is the moral code of the Mosaic Law. Hath God said?

Leviticus 24:17: "And if a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death."

Numbers 35:16-18: "But if he struck him down with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he struck him down with a stone in the hand by which he may die (and as a result he died), he is a murderer. The murderer surely be put to death. Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand by which he may die, and as a result, he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death."

Drop down to Numbers 30:31: "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, he shall not take ransom (he shall not take payment – he shall not take an excuse) for the life of a murder who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. You should not say we must exercise mercy or pity. You will do that which is required for taking the life of someone who is made in the image of God.

Numbers 30:33: "So, you shall not pollute the land in which you are, for blood pollutes the land, and no explanation can be made for the land, or the blood that is shed on it, except the blood of him who shed it." Now, the Mormons take this first, and they twist it into saying that there are some sins that are so heinous that you cannot receive God's forgiveness. They say that you must shed your own blood in order to cover that sin, so you can be executed by firing squad in Utah. But here it is clear that first-degree murder, which does not receive the just penalty of the laws of God, places the whole nation under moral guilt, and the land cries out for blood to be satisfied.

Abortion

How about all those babies, that are in heaven now, whose mothers have murdered them? This nation and those seven evil men (some of them – maybe all of them now are in God's presence) arbitrarily said, "Yes, you can go ahead and kill our unborn children. We don't consider them persons. Oh, yeah, they're human beings, but they're not persons. So, the 14th Amendment doesn't protect their life, liberty, and property. What do you think they feel like now? Hath God said?

Deuteronomy 17:6: "The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So, you shall purge the evil from your midst." And you will notice that the previous Scripture says, "You can apply the death penalty, which was instituted under Noah, and has never been rescinded, but you have to have at least two, preferably three, eyewitnesses of the person's confession. You cannot execute a person on the basis of one witness. That witness may be a false witness. You have to have corroboration. Therefore, it is not proper, and wise, and right to put a person to death for circumstantial evidence. Yet, our society does it. God has built in that protection that you do not murder an innocent person on the basis of circumstantial evidence, which can happen, and has happened. If it is circumstantial, you don't apply the death penalty. You may think it is so compelling that you may apply prison (maybe life imprisonment), but you do not take a life unless there is eyewitness to the crime. And then it has to be two or three.

I'm going over this because I told you at a prayer meeting: "Don't ask me what I know you want to ask me," which was all about this because I'm putting it out now. But you would be surprised at the remarks I've received, and the ugliness toward Christians who believe that God really did say this. It's just like Satan slithered up to Eve, and said, "Has God really said that?" And she should have said, "Yes, He did." But no: she said, "Well, let me see. Did He? Gee, you're smart. What university to go to, snake? Surely you must know." And all of a sudden the Word of God was nothing.

1 Peter 4:15: "By no means let any of you (you Christians) suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, and so on." Do not let any of you suffer as a murderer. Oh yeah? Has God really said this?

Now, Pat Robertson came to this whole issue as a charismatic. A charismatic finds his truth and guidance through his emotions and through the miracle experiences that he has – not from Bible doctrine. And he was a classic example of this, as he gradually came down from favoring God's position to favoring his emotional, miracle, experiential orientation for finding truth. And he keeps talking about getting the Word of knowledge from God – direct communications from God on these subjects.

Well, there used to be the Word of knowledge. It's one of the existent spiritual gifts now. It was one of the gifts for communicating God's mind before the Scriptures were written. Now that the Scriptures are written, nobody is getting direct communications from God. And if Mr. Robertson is hearing voices from God, he needs to see somebody.

Now, his lady psychic agreed with Pat Robertson. She pointed out that if Karla Fay Tucker had been executed earlier, since her 14-year-old crime, she would not have been saved before death. Well, so much for the doctrine of election and the will of God. It's like who somebody said, "If you don't testify to this person, they won't be saved. No, idiot! If God has called that person, and chose him out of the human race, he's going to be saved. And if he tells you to give the gospel, you want to do it because it'll be to your eternal reward. If you know, Jim, come over here and take over. This idiot didn't do it for me." And somebody else will give the message, and that person is going to be saved.

When you don't act on the basis of what God says in Scripture, you'll be the real fool, not those of us who act upon the Word of God.

When she said that, I wondered about the two people who've been pick-axed to death, and who had no mercy extended to them, and they had no further chance to have 14 years of opportunity to get saved. From the sound of things, they didn't sound like the Christian type, but perhaps they were. But in any case, they didn't have any more time like Karla Faye Tucker did.

Can you see how far afield you can go when you start letting your emotions and your supposed miraculous experiences with God guide you? And you young people have to know that. You can get yourself into a group that is jumping and jiving with the emotions, even though they believe in the Bible. And pretty soon you think you're on track with God, but you're not – not if it's incompatible with the firm rock of doctrine.

King David

One person tried to argue to me the times that God did not apply the death penalty – that He exercised mercy under the Mosaic Law. An example was David. He did two things that the Mosaic Law said were capital crimes: adultery, under the theocracy; and, murder. But God did not apply that penalty to David because God made the rule. It is God's justice which is going to be satisfied by the death of Christ. And God, in His judgment and sovereignty, chose not to apply that penalty to David.

Now, there were four things that happened to David that were horrible as a result of those crimes, and that was bad enough in itself. But the sovereign God has the right, because He's going to protect His integrity, to act upon these rules. So, that's no argument at all.

The Woman Taken in Adultery

For the woman taken in adultery – the same thing applies. Jesus Christ, as God, had the right on how He was going to apply His own rules, and His own laws. He is Sovereign. Man is not.

The Thief on the Cross

Another person pointed out to me: "Well, here's where you're wrong. Jesus forgave the man on the cross – the thief on the cross." And I said, "Oh, thank you. That's exactly the argument I needed." This thief was on the cross. He was condemned to death for a capital crime under the legitimate authority of the Roman Empire. And he was up there as an unbeliever, and suddenly, God the Holy Spirit opened his understanding, and he realized that Jesus Christ was the Messiah Savior. So, He trusted in Him. And he turned to Him and said, "Jesus, remember me in Your Kingdom? And he was born again. And what did Jesus say? Jesus said, "Oh, I'm so glad that you believe now. Please get off this cross, and you may go home." No. He said, "Today you're going to be with Me in the paradise compartment of Hades – the place of the saved, and all this is going to be behind you. And I'm glad you trusted in Me. You're going to be with Me in paradise. I'll take you home." The man still had to die for the crime that he had committed under Roman law. Why did Jesus do that? Because that is the procedure that God has ordained, and He did it that way. So, the thief on the cross is indeed a very good example.

The Other Man on the Cross

How precious indeed is the Word of Bible doctrine which saves our souls and elevates us to living in the image of God. Please smart up. Never depart from it. In our lives, it is the Word, and the Word, and the Word. But it is not just the Word that you have learned, and indeed been positive to accepting it as the Word of God. It is what James says, "The Word" – the Word that you apply: "Be doers of the Word, not just the learners and the hearers of it. Listen to the genuine teachers of doctrine. Do not be listening to the clowns out there in the religious world – the religious leaders who are tiptoeing through the tulips to avoid the confrontational and the things that are going to get people upset because it will put them downwind of themselves. And they will discover that, compared to the Word of God, they're not everything that they think they are cracked up to be, in their human viewpoint blitheness.

The Colossians Christians had been saved by God's grace through the death of Jesus Christ, and were reconciled to absolute righteousness. And there were qualified for heaven because they believed that the Word of God was literally true. They turned a deaf ear to all those false teachers that were saying, "Hey, wait a minute. We have more information. It's not in the Scriptures. It's information that we have because we are especially in the know with the spirit world." The purpose of their reconciliation was to be presented before God the Father in His heavenly throne room. They would stand before God as holy ones, separated from eternal death in the lake of fire, to eternal life in the new Jerusalem.

Holy

We pointed out these 35 wonderful, awesome things that God has done for the church believer, signifying his separation from the old life to the new life in Christ. The word "holy," we also pointed out, possesses the absolute righteousness of God, and the divine justice satisfied against one's moral guilt. Therefore, we are called to be holy.

Sanctification

So, we pointed out to you, if you'll turn your back once more to 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 verses, which deal with sanctification in terms of sexual sanctification and purity: "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, you may excel still more." Paul says, "I'm pleased with you, Thessalonians. I only spent six weeks with you. Most of the time that I was in Thessalonica, I talked about prophecy, and the coming of the Lord, and the life that is going to come upon this war with the antichrist. But I told you to live the godly life; to mind your own business; to work with your own hands; to earn your own living; and, to pay for your own things as God will supply for you." And he says, "Now you're doing this. And I don't mention this because you're not. I want you to do it even more.

Verse 2: "For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus." Now Paul says, "I'm speaking on the basis of the authority of Scripture: "For this is the will of God – your sanctification." It is the will of God that you be characterized by holiness: "that is.: And then we have three "thats" that indicate the will of God relative to sexual sanctification.

Sexual Immorality

Homosexuality and Lesbianism

Control the Lusts of the Sin Nature

Now, each Christian has to develop that kind of personal character (spiritual maturity). That is what we mean by the spiritual maturity structure of the soul. And that is why most Christians don't ever have a chance. Nobody is teaching them doctrine. Nobody is giving them summaries of doctrine. So, even fathers don't know how to act in control and the authority over their sons and daughters. So, they get in big trouble. And young people who sit, and are instructed, are sitting there, ignoring it. It's going in one ear and out the other. All they have to do is have a little titillation attraction from Satan. And suddenly, they haven't stored the Word of God. Now they are helpless before the onslaughts of Satan.

How many times have I heard Christians say, "Suddenly, I found myself in this position, and I knew that I had heard you talking about it in church, but I wasn't paying attention? I just didn't take it serious. And all of a sudden, I realized: here I don't know what to do. And yet I know that this is not right, but I don't know what the answer is. So, they come rushing back: can you give me some tapes to remind me and to refresh my memory?" Each Christian has to handle his own sexual drives in a manner which is holy and honorable for God.

1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation is overtaking you, but such as is common to man. And God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation, He will provide a way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it." So, don't tell us that this was just overwhelming. No, it's not overwhelming. There's nothing in temptation of the moral code of God which is overwhelming. It is only overwhelming when you have not learned the Word of God (the principles of doctrine) and taken them with positive elements, so that they're stored in your human spirit, and you're not in temporal fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If you do not feed on the Word of God, you're a helpless little ninny.

So, what is he saying here? Each of you know how to possess your own vessel in sanctification, not in the lustful passion like the gentiles who do not know God. You don't take your clue from those people. You do not respond to the barnyard sex passion of the unsaved, who know not God personally, and they are driven by Satan. But any Christian who's out of temporal fellowship – he's a barnyard morality candidate: like two dogs sniffing at one another in an alleyway.

Christians who lack sexual sanctification have no functioning spiritual maturity structure in his soul. So, he has no active relationship with God. He is carnal; he is cold; and, he is helpless.

Kissing

Verse 6 gives us the third "that:" "That no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also hold you before, and solemnly warned you." Oh boy: "That no man transgress." Here it is something even less than actual sexual relations. It is prelude. It is raising the desire. It is touching the trigger points of the body, and the relationships of one human being to another so that you defraud. "Defraud" means that you raise desires of a sensual nature that you cannot righteously and properly satisfy outside of marriage.

So, you raise something within a person. The chemicals start churning, and the emotion is there, and you cannot satisfy it. Or else, you break the rules. Physical caressing is designed by God to arouse sexual desires. It begins with hand-holding. And then it goes to one very tricky, dangerous area: kissing.

In the days of my youth, it was called "necking." And now it's called "making out." But it's the same thing, and God brings discipline upon sexual immorality. So, the point is here: don't trigger it, which you cannot maintain your sanctification, and to satisfy this outside of marriage. Physical caressing and intimacy which stirs sexual desire, is off limits for sanctification to exist in the believer.

Now, I'm going to have to stop at this point because now we have to go into the subject of kissing. There is a lot of kissing in the Bible, and lots of very important information. That is one of the major key features of undermining your personal sanctification (your personal setting aside) to your calling as a prince or a princess in the royal family of God. And tonight, we will not kiss off that subject, but we will get into it. Please join us.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1995

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