How Great our Salvation is part two
January 23, 2019
The last words uttered by the Savior just before He died on the cross were, “It is finished.” He was not referring to the end of His life or ministry, but of His substitutionary sufferings on the cross which He would complete by His death which occurred immediately following His shout, “It is finished.” He was declaring He had finished the special work of salvation which the Father had given Him to accomplish.
We speak of “the finished work of Christ” because there is nothing left to be done to provide man’s salvation. God has done it all in the person and work of His Son and He raised Him from the dead as the proof of that very fact. The work of God in Christ is a once-and-for-all work of God accomplished in total by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Christ’s death was distinctly a work accomplished for the entire world (John 3:16; Heb. 2:9) and, provisionally speaking, it provided redemption (1 Tim. 2:6), reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19), and propitiation (the appeasement or satisfaction of God’s holiness) (1 John 2:2) for every person in the world.
Salvation is a done proposition. Man’s responsibility is to accept this by faith, faith alone in Christ alone. The finished work of Christ includes not only deliverance from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. Faith in Christ for salvation means coming to Him as the source of salvation from every aspect of sin through trusting in the accomplished work of Christ.
When Christ cried out, “It is finished” (Greek, telesthai, the perfect tense of teleo, “to complete, finish” expressing completed action with continuing results), He was affirming the fact of the finished nature of what He had accomplished on the cross for the world. Regarding Christ’s work as a finished work, Lewis Chafer wrote:
The fact that Christ died does not in itself save men, but it provides the one and only sufficient ground upon which God in full harmony with His perfect holiness is free to save even the chief of sinners. This is the good news which the Christian is appointed to proclaim to all the world. (any book by Dr. Chafer is good to read)
In all the other religions of the world, salvation is a work that man does for God. This is what makes biblical Christianity distinct from all the religions of the world because in the Bible, salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:0); it is the work of God for man and Christ’s final shout of victory affirmed this truth.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Remember our prayer list, pray especially for Bill Warneke, chronic pain and depression. He has fallen several times over the last few years and his balance is getting worse.
Remember Steve H, and the hunt for a pastor.
How Great our Salvation
January 22, 2019
In spite of all man’s expectations of a new society in which he is able to bring about peace and prosperity, the world remains shattered and torn by the ravages of sin locally, nationally, and internationally. The Bible speaks, however, of God’s gracious plan to provide a solution to man’s problem. We call it salvation or soteriology.
Soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, must be the grandest theme in the Scriptures. It embraces all of time as well as eternity past and future. It relates in one way or another to all of mankind, without exception. It even has ramifications in the sphere of the angels. It is the theme of both the Old and New Testaments. It is personal, national, and cosmic. And it centers on the greatest Person, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation in Christ, which begins in eternity past according to the predetermined plan of God and extends into the eternal future, has three observable phases in the Bible. Understanding this truth can relieve a lot of tension from the standpoint of security and enable the believer to relax in the Lord and His grace while simultaneously moving forward in spiritual growth.
Phase I. This is the past tense of salvation—saved from sin’s penalty. Several passages of Scripture speak of salvation as wholly past, or as accomplished and completed for the one who has believed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This aspect views the believer as delivered once and for all from sin’s penalty and spiritual death (Luke 7:50; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; Eph. 2:5, 8; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 7:25; 2 Tim. 1:9). So complete and perfect is this work of God in Christ that the believer is declared permanently saved and safe forever (John 5:24; 10:28, 29; Rom. 8:1, 37-39; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
Phase II. This is the present tense of salvation and has to do with present deliverance over the reigning power of sin or the carnal nature’s power in the lives of believers (Rom. 6:1-23; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 2:19-20; 5:1-26; Phil. 1:19; 2:12-13; 2 Thess. 2:13). This phase of salvation in Christ is accomplished through the ministry of the indwelling Spirit, but it is based on the work of Christ and the believer’s union and co-identification with Christ in that work.
Phase III. This is the future tense of salvation which refers to the future deliverance all believers in Christ will experience through a glorified resurrected body. It contemplates that, though once and for all saved from the penalty of sin and while now being delivered from the power of sin, the believer in Christ will yet be saved into full conformity to Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29; 13:11; 1 Pet. 1:5; 1 John 3:2). This recognizes and shows that the Christian in his experience never becomes perfect in this life (Phil. 3:12-14). Full conformity to the character of Christ, experientially speaking, awaits ultimate glorification. However, the fact that some aspects of salvation for the one who believes are yet to be accomplished in no way implies that there is ground for doubt as to the outcome of eternal salvation because all three phases are dependent upon the merit and the work of God in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation as the saving work of God so completely provides for the believer that believers are declared “complete in Christ” and “blessed with every spiritual blessing” (Col. 2:10; Eph. 1:3). A fathomless source of blessings become the possession of all believers when they trust in Christ as their Savior. The Apostle Paul refers to these blessings as “the unfathomable riches of Christ” in Ephesians 3:8. “Unfathomable” is the Greek anexichniastos which means “past finding out, unsearchable, not to be tracked out.” The idea is that our blessings in Christ are “too deep to be measured.”
Thank God for this great gift, I mean literally thank God.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Pray for Kim Lee, a Korean Missionary, sent here to start a new church here in the hill country of Texas. Christians from Korea are concerned that America is lost and becoming to pluralistic.
Pray for Olivia, that she carries her miracle baby to full term. And the medicine she has to take for a life threatening disease won’t harm the baby. So we are praying for mommy and baby.
Remember the Perales family, Norma, Rick Sr. and Rick Jr, they all need salvation.
Pray for Barbara D, cancer and several back fractures.
Pray for Stan L, a wonderful Christian man, lost his wife of 54 years.
Remember Frank N. lost in dementia, a chemical engineer, he has suffered many years over the death of his wife, deep dark depression. Now he weeps and wonders why he feels this great sadness. It is tragic. Frank is a Christian and it is so sad to see him like this.
Pray for Bill Warneke, chronic pain and depression. New meds are helping a bit. Pray he will go to counseling.
Remember Steve H, and the church’s hunt for a pastor.
ALL OVER THE MAP
January 21, 2019
Coffee and theology; it was his first visit to our church, first he said he was Bapticostal, what that means is that he was somewhere between traditional Southern Baptist beliefs and what’s known as Pentecostalism.
In some respects at least, I can see myself somewhere in that range. As a youngster I was raised Lutheran, than in the military became Pentecostal, than Church of Christ, than independent and nondenominational. The last 3 churches I’ve pastored would be called “non denominational”. It seems most non-denominational churches in Texas have come out of either the Southern Baptists or from Pentecostalism, but, for one reason or the other, they no longer want to retain the name of being Baptist or Pentecostal. But much of their fundamental beliefs are founded in those of their basic foundation.
In church growth seminars I tell people to choose their church name carefully because of what people will read into it. I had one start up church that just by choosing a more vanilla name. double the attendance in 2 weeks; as people didn’t want to be labeled.
Most independent churches believe in being saved, born again, and in eternal life through the saving work of Jesus on the Cross. They believe that the Bible is the Word of God and most every Sunday you’ll hear in both Baptist and non-denominational churches a sermon preached which is based around the Bible. Another thing both Baptists, Pentecostals and most non-denominational churches believe is in sharing their faith with others, “witnessing” as it’s called.
Pentecostal churches usually are more or less in agreement with these things. But the Pentecostals lay a strong emphasis on the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. In fact, the reason it’s called Pentecostal is because of the place in the book of Acts where the presence of the Holy Spirit was first strongly manifested, in Acts chapter 2 and that all the spiritual gifts are in use and present in this current age.
So a major difference between Baptists and Pentecostals is in the way they worship, although that is changing. In the nondenominational church I pastor we will all sing some songs together before the sermon. And at the end of a song, everyone will applaud, rather like at a sports event or music event. In Pentecostal churches, they don’t do that; there will be a combination of clapping and lifting up their hands and verbal praising the Lord. In African American Pentecostal churches expect more noise, longer singing and longer services all together.
When I was an Evangelist on the east coast and was preaching in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the D.C. area I was always encouraged in these Black churches to “turn it up”. In one church, I preached my normal 27 minutes and when I told them I was done, I was forced (encouraged) to dig up more and go at least another hour. In another church the Elders came up and anointed me with oil, laid hands on me (vigorously) and “encouraged” to get a fresh anointing and ‘turn it up’ and keep on preaching.
This is like what Paul said, “I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and without doubting.” (I Thessalonians 2:8) It was very normal to worship this way in Old Testament times. The Psalms are full of things like “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” (Psalm 134:2). How many of you have been in church and had to do the “Jericho March in the Middle of a worship time?
I feel that the freedom and depth of worship that the Pentecostals have is what I need in order to have a closer relationship with the Lord. I feel the emphasis on the Bible, on winning souls, missionary work and being firmly rooted in the historical body of Christ are all positive, needful things that make up the nondenominational church. One thing that nondenominational churches often lose is the Altar call or what we used to call the Mourner’s Bench. A literal bench the length of a pew, one on each side. You would come to that bench for salvation’s call, healing services, deliverance services. There were times that a prayer time at the altar would last hours after the service ended.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN.
50% of the nondenominational churches do not have a Baptist background. They have a Pentecostal background. But left the denomination, mainly Assembly of God, when back in the 80’s the Vineyard (Toronto Canada) and Brownsville (Florida) quote revivals started. The worst form of heresy and the lie that God was doing a new thing and it may not fit bible standards. Lines were drawn and some pastors and churches were slaughtered by this cult movement.
There were many church splits. And many left the Assembly of God churches to find life in some other Evangelical church. Because of the confusion and betrayal, they felt their home church was no longer their home church. Many nondenominational churches started taking root as the backlash against the vineyard/Brownsville cult. This new church was Pentecostal in worship and flavor but stopped having healing services, deliverances services and “the moving of the Holy Spirit”.
Worship was Pentecostal, standing, hands raised, a mix of old gospel songs and some traditional songs. Then a biblical sermon and some had altar calls, others had a moment of recognition (head bowed, eyes closed, raise a hand) then the pastor would seek out those that raised their hands and delve deeper into the persons’ needs, or in larger church have care counselors or ‘pew captains’
But these new Pentecostals stopped the speaking in tongues and prophesying not as a formal rule but as a common assent. Because of all the abuse that had taken place under the vineyard/Brownsville movement.
The two biggest differences in the nondenominational church is if there is a practice of Holiness standards. If saved, born again, whatever term you want to use. You quit drinking, smoking, cussing, gambling, whatever. The other side was well I’m saved I can drink or smoke in moderation.
We’ve had bible studies for men in cigar lounges and called it the “Holy Smokes Men group”, these were all men that had never gone to church but the setting appealed to them. A few years later all these men are in church and growing spiritually.
Then we started men’s meetings in more nontraditional ways, shooting clubs followed by bible studies, archery bible studies, a man’s real picnic, bourbon, steaks and potatoes, no vegetables and then bible studies. And then the saint and sinner dinners, each man had to bring someone they knew that wasn’t a Christian to an all-male dinner, outdoors, maybe some shooting, axe throwing, whittling, arm wrestling and then a sermon, short and to the point about being a godly man. Our last dinner had over 100 people in attendance.
So the boundaries and definitions of nondenominational has morphed.
Now we have Cowboy Churches, jeans and boots, guitars instead of pianos. These have had great growth in Texas. The only problem I see is the pastor usually has no formal training and there is no emphasis on godliness. Salvation yes, but little transformation.
Today there is so many flavors of independent churches you can hunt for the right church for 20 years and never find the “just right” one. And in the end, you have no accountability. So, we have Christians with no depth and just when our country needs a revival, we are fighting amongst ourselves over to loud music, or singing off the wall, of no sermons ever about hell or damnation; or sermons so filled with sugar you’ll get a cavity before you ever get salvation.
And a new independent church has sprouted, the Social Conscious Church, where evangelism is really socialism. Where they think they are living the last part of Acts chapter 2, and you have to invite a homeless guy to live with you and bring a homeless person to church day.
Well I’ve got to stop there or I will unload some double ought buck shot into this and really go on a tear.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Remember Guy M, motorcycle accident, serious road rash.
Jim H, a couple a years ago he made a left turn and ran over a motorcycle, they were riding at dusk with no lights or helmets, both riders were killed. The police never pressed charges. But like PTSD, he is haunted by it and dealing with anger.
Randy S, pray for someone to encourage him and lead him to the Lord.
George K, 91 and still rides a motorcycle(trike) he called today and couldn’t remember how to get home from where he was.
Remember the Perales family, all in need of salvation
Remember Steve H, and his church looking for a pastor.
questions, comments, counseling, please use the email
our schooled life
January 20, 2019
Titus 2:12
Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, (NASB)
saving grace teaches its recipients to say no to sin and yes to godliness. In the present age stresses that this godliness is to be lived out in the here and now. It also sets up the reference to the future return of Christ (v. 13). Certainty about the future enables constancy in the present.
The same grace that saves us also trains us in the school of holiness. There are “No-No’s” in that school which we must learn to renounce. The first is ungodliness, which means irreligion. The second is worldly lusts—not just sexual sins, but also the lust for wealth, power, pleasure, fame, or anything else that is essentially worldly.
On the positive side, grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously toward others, and godly in the pure light of His presence. These are the virtues that should characterize us in this world, where everything about us is going to be dissolved. It is the place of our pilgrimage and not our final home.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Pray for Piasa, she lives in Tuscany, and is a new follower to our site, and a relatively new believer.
Pray for Raymond Reyes, a missionary to Argentina, he’s here in Texas for a furlough.
Pray for Danny F, he needs to learn to lead a godly lifestyle before it’s to late.
THE DESTINATION WE KNOW, IT’S THE JOURNEY THAT’S HARD
January 19, 2019
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain” (Phil. 2:16).
Many Christians are bogged down between the nursery and the schoolroom; between the playpen and the workshop. These resist the weaning period; but the spiritually hungry-hearted are eager to have their feelings replaced by faith.
It is true that the Father does take up those who are spiritually immature and permit them to speak His words years before they fully understand their import; but He does not wish any of us to stop there. We may go on that way for awhile, but is it not true that from the time when He begins in us His work of formation through discipline and chastening, it slowly dawns on us how little in fact we know of the true meaning of what we had been saying?
Our Lord intends that we should reach the place where we can speak, with or without manifest gifts, because we are that which we share. For in Christian experience the spiritual things of God are less and less outward, that is, of gift, and more and more inward, of life. In the long run it is the depth and inwardness of a work that counts. As the Lord Jesus Himself becomes more and more to us, other things—and this must include even gifts—matter less and less. Then, though we teach the same doctrine, speak the same words, the impact on others is very different, manifesting itself in an increasing depth of the Spirit’s work within them also.
Our Father’s hand is on the helm. We are being guided, even when we feel it least. The closed door is as much His Providence as the open, and equally for our good and the accomplishment of His own great ends. And one learns at last it is not what we set ourselves to do that really tells in blessing so much as what He is doing in and through us.”
“Thou wilt show me the path of life” (Ps. 16:11).
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Caliste is doing great and says thanks for the prayers
Bill W, new medicine is helping somewhat.
Paul K, pray for healing of the two cysts on his pancreas
Olivia is doing great, appreciates our prayers.
Pray for Barbara D, the list of her illness and the hosts of other physical problems is amazing she can function, her cancer is back and we need to keep her in prayer.
Pray for the Perales family, salvation for Norma, Rick Sr. and Rick Jr.
Remember Steve H, and the church’s search for a pastor.
Pray for me as I am seeking new employment.
NAME CALLING
January 18, 2019
“God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).
Resting in His glory there will manifest His humility in us here.
Our hearts have such a tendency to turn back to legalism, and to think it humility. The only real humbleness and strength and blessing is to forget ourselves in the presence and blessedness of the Father. We may be brought forth by a humbling process but it is not in merely thinking evil of the old man that we are truly humble; we have the privilege of forgetting ourselves in the love of our Father.
It is as knowing the Lord Jesus to be precious to our souls, with our eyes and hearts being occupied with Him, that we will be effectually kept from being taken up with the vanity and sin around. And this too will be our strength against the sin and corruption within. Whatever I see in myself that is not in Him, is sin. It is not in thinking upon my own sins that will humble me, but thinking of the Lord Jesus and dwelling upon the excellencies in Him. (there is a great old book called “Christ Precious” published by Klock and Klock, if you can find it buy it, it is not the new book put out by John Fawcett).
It is well to be done with ourselves and to be taken up with the Lord Jesus. We are entitled to forget ourselves—we are entitled to confess and forget our sins—we are entitled to forget all but the Lord Jesus. It is by looking unto Him that we can give up anything, and can walk as obedient children.
Many think that talking badly of ourselves is the ideal of humility; whereas the simplest and more real humility is to feel unaffectedly that we are too bad to be worth talking about. Only One is worthy of all our thoughts and words and ways, even the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).
“Humility, you can never claim to have it, it must be seen by others.” GW
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Praise from Caliste Burt she is doing well, continue to pray for 100% recovery.
Remember Bill Warneke, chronic pain and depression. Trying some new meds. Pray for healing.
Pray for Candy S, to walk the straight and narrow.
Pray for Sherrie, our prodigal church daughter
Pray for Paul K, found more cysts on his pancreas, a good Christian man and a good friend.
pray for Steve H, and a pastor for his church
SEXUAL PURITY PART ELEVEN
January 17, 2019
Finally, we must understand that we are not fighting to win the battle against lust. The battle has already been won by Christ. We are trying to walk in the victory that Christ already accomplished. This is important to understand because one of Satan’s greatest tactics is lying. After a failure, he tells a believer many lies: it is impossible to be free from lust and that he or she will never be a man of God or woman of God.
By accepting lies, we get caught in Satan’s trap, and it’s easy to become discouraged, defeated, and bound. Jesus said this in John 8:34-36:
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Christ set us free from slavery to sin, and we must understand and appropriate this to walk in victory. Romans 6:6 says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
On the cross, Christ did not just pay for our sins; He also broke the power of sin. He took our sin nature and crucified it so we no longer would be slaves to it. Yes, we can still submit to our sin nature, but we no longer have to because the power of sin has been broken. Like God delivering the Israelites, he not only took them out of Egypt but destroyed the power of Egypt in the Red Sea. Our deliverer, Christ, did no less. We are no longer slaves to sin. However, like Israel, we can still choose to return to Egypt.
How can we walk in this victory? In Romans 6:11, Paul says, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The word “count” is an accounting term. This means the debt has been paid, and we are no longer responsible for it. In the same way, Paul says that we are no longer slaves of sin—including our lusts. We owe it no allegiance, and we don’t have to obey its cravings. However, we must mentally accept this reality instead of accepting the lies of the devil and our flesh.
Therefore, when Satan tempts us or makes us feel like we have to fall or that we can’t get back up after falling, we must recognize that it’s all a lie. It’s not true! Christ set us free from sin and now we are slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). Our allegiance is now to God.
In my spiritual youth, I didn’t fully understand Christ’s work on the cross and the extent of what he had done for me. Therefore, I often fought without hope. But now, I fight because the victory has already been won—which gives me great confidence. Christ already defeated Satan and my lust (cf. Col 2:13-15). But, I must reckon this as true (Rom 6:11).
This theological reality is important for many reasons. (1) It means if we stumble, we can get back up. We don’t have to accept the lies and condemnation of the devil. Proverbs says the righteous falls seven times and gets back up (Prov 24:16). That’s what separates the righteous from the ungodly. They will not stay down. If you have failed in the past, if you failed today, you can start over now because you died to sin with Christ on the cross. Sin no longer identifies you—your identity is in Christ.
(2) But this doctrine is also essential in maintaining our victory. We are no longer slaves of sin but slaves to righteousness. My debt and allegiance is to God. So, I must strive to use the members of my body as instruments of righteousness leading to holiness (Rom 6:13, 19). First Corinthians 6:19-20 says it this way:
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
We have been bought with a price and are now slaves of God. Therefore, we must faithfully serve God in purity and holiness.
We see the importance of this doctrine in Augustine’s walk with God after his conversion. Before Augustine became a Christian, he was very promiscuous. However, at his conversion, everything changed. One day, he ran into a former fling. When he saw her, he turned and ran in the other direction. The lady saw him and was confused. She yelled, “My love! My love! Where are you going? It is I!” He replied, “I know! But it is not I anymore!” and he continued to run away. Augustine recognized this reality—he was not the same. He had been crucified with Christ and he no longer lived—Christ lived within him (Gal 2:20). He was no longer a slave of sin but now a slave of righteousness.
We similarly must reckon this a reality if we are going to walk in victory over lust. We must declare our victory in Christ and walk in it.
Have you declared victory? Or have you declared failure—that you can’t win or be free from bondage to lust? If that is you, then you have believed Satan’s lie instead of Christ’s truth. He who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Christ has set you free. Declare your victory and fight to walk in it. Don’t give up until your life represents your position in Christ—free from bondage to sin to serve God.
Reflection
How did Christ break the power of sin over our lives? Why is understanding this reality—our new identity in Christ—so important to walking in victory?
In what ways have you experienced the lies and condemnation of Satan in regards to battling lust?
How should we count or reckon our death to lust and freedom from its slavery a reality as Paul teaches (Rom 6:11)?
What are the primary strategies from God’s Battle Plan for Purity that you feel pressed to implement in your life and/or in mentoring others?
What other questions or thoughts do you have about this section?
In what ways can you pray in response? Take a second to pray as the Lord leads.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Praise from Caliste Burt, the surgery went well, they are now waiting to see how she heals up and some swelling goes down.
Pray for Cindy K. just became a believer, living on and off the streets. A nice Christian family has taken her in. what’s remarkable is she said she knew her grandmother was always praying for her and it stopped her from crossing a line.
Bill Warneke, says thanks for praying, he’s still resisting counseling. Chronic pain and depression.
Carl I, going away for college soon. Young Christian, first time away from home, asks that he will stay the course.
Continue to pray for Steve H, and the church finding the right pastor.
SEXUAL PURITY PART TEN
January 16, 2019
Confession of sin both to God and to others is crucial. One of Satan’s schemes is encouraging believers to hide sin, instead of confessing it. Through spiritual hypocrisy, strongholds are developed and fortified in a believer’s life. This is the kind of Christian that Satan will destroy. They have closet addictions—closet lusts—that they never share with anyone.
When Christians don’t confess before God and others, they become desensitized to their sin—opening the door for greater strongholds. Paul talks about false teachers who have a “seared conscience” and are deceived by demons in 1 Timothy 4:1-2. Listen to what he says:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
Paul called them “hypocritical liars”—meaning they professed godliness while living in unconfessed sin. Because of this, their consciences stopped working—making them more susceptible to demonic deception. Living in unconfessed sin opens the door for the devil in our lives.
This happens to Christians all the time. How does a pastor who preaches every week continually steal money from the church and live in an adulterous relationship? This type of stumbling doesn’t happen all at once. It’s typically a process of living in unrepentant sin while professing godliness. The hypocrisy slowly silences the conscience of the believer and further opens the door for the enemy.
This is what Satan aims to do in the area of sexual immorality. By continually living in unconfessed sexual sin. You lose the ability to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Believers quickly find themselves bound to pornography addictions, sexual fantasies, homosexual desires, illicit sex, etc. This is the pathway to destruction, and it typically begins with Christians walking alone—with no accountability and confession in their lives.
Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever live, said this:
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)
“Pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Who are your spiritual warriors who fight beside you? Who picks you up when you fall? Are there strongholds in your life that you haven’t confessed to anybody? He who walks with the wise becomes wise—they start to live a victorious, godly life.
In a battle, the one fighting alone is the most vulnerable and susceptible to attack.
Why do some fight alone? Some fight alone because of shame—the enemy makes them feel ashamed of their sin. They feel like nobody else struggles with it, and therefore, they never tell anyone. However, Scripture says, “There is no temptation taken you but that which is common to man” (1 Cor 10:13). This battle is something that we all share to various degrees. Don’t let the enemy lie to you and keep you from getting the support needed. Some fight alone because they think they can win the battle without help. However, 1 Corinthians 12:21 says, “The eye can’t say to the hand, I don’t need you.” God created the body of Christ in such a way that we are interdependent—meaning we need one another. We need one another to accomplish the works God has called us to do including gaining victory over lust.
Proverbs 13:20 says this: “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Find wise, godly soldiers to pray with, to confess to, and to gain wisdom from in order to obtain and sustain victory against lust. These wise soldiers will include those who are battle tested and successful in winning the battle against lust. As a college student, I didn’t really start getting victory until I began to be mentored and held accountable by an older, spiritually mature man. Previously, my accountability partners were primarily young men like myself who wanted to be pure but were losing the battle. This was not wrong, but it wasn’t enough. Find wise, godly soldiers to help you win the victory.
This is a strategy every soldier must employ: Find other godly soldiers to fight with—to confess your sins to, to pray with, and to encourage. Also, be willing to let go of those who are not calling on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Reflection
Why is it important to have spiritual accountability in the battle for purity?
How should one select and initiate an accountability relationship?
Who are your accountability partners and how have these relationships helped you?
In what ways do worldly friendships and worldly dating relationships lead to suffering harm, especially in the area of sexual purity?
What other questions or thoughts do you have about this section?
In what ways can you pray in response? Take a second to pray as the Lord leads.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
We are waiting to hear about Caliste Burt’s surgery, keep her in prayer
Remember Steve H. and his church is looking for a pastor.
The Perales family, mom, dad and son, all need salvation.
Bill Warneke is doing better, chronic pain and depression, pray he will go to counseling.
Remember Olivia, pray she carries to full term this miracle baby, and Olivia and baby do fine.
SEXUAL PURITY PART NINE
January 15, 2019
Many enter marriage thinking that lust will no longer be a problem; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Satan is even more diligent in attacking marriages because the consequences of failure are greater. Moral failure in marriage not only affects the husband and wife but also the friends, the extended family, the children, and the children’s children. The consequences are drastic.
As a pastor and counselor, I’ve lost track of the number of marriages that have been plagued with sexual problems. Almost all of them started the marriage out on a lie. The truth was not told about porn, prior sex habits, even not telling their spouse about a previous marriage. If the foundation is rotten right from the start then there is little hope of it ever correcting.
That’s why its so important to protect your virginity and your moral code.
First Corinthians 7:2, 4-5 says this about sexual temptation in marriage:
But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband…. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Paul teaches that sex in marriage protects from immorality. For that reason, married couples are called to faithfully serve one another sexually. When couples are not consistent sexually, it opens the door for Satan’s temptations.
Here, I believe we learn something about Satan’s strategy in the marriage union. Before marriage, Satan works overtime to tempt couples into “sexual intimacy,” but in marriage, he works overtime to keep them from “sexual intimacy.” The strategy changes. Often, right after the wedding, couples find it difficult to be consistent sexually. The husband and wife are often busy at work during the day, and in the evening, they are too tired to cultivate physical intimacy. Temptation to neglect the sexual union becomes even greater when children enter the picture. Couples tend to focus on their children to the neglect of marital relations. In some cultures, the wives co-sleep with the children for several years which also tends to hinder the frequency of sex.
This lack of consistency opens the door for Satan to attack the marriage in many ways. Sometimes, women feel unattractive and less desired by their husband, especially after having a baby. Insecurities begin to creep in and negatively affect the relationship. If the husband is neglected sexually, the enemy often tempts him to find pleasure elsewhere—whether through pornography or through an emotional or physical relationship with another woman.
One way for couples to be more consistent in the sexual union is to talk openly about it and plan for it. The fact that it is not spontaneous doesn’t mean that it is not romantic. Just as in any area of life, “to fail to plan is to plan to fail.” Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
If you’ve taken a time management course, you know if you don’t plan it’s not going to happen. I’ve found that having a regular date night, planning for sex, planning family trips, not answering the phone at dinner, which is be ate at the table with no tv on. Plan it and it does happen. (and if you’re married put a lock on that bedroom door.)
In marriage, couples protect themselves by faithfully practicing physical intimacy and closing the door on sexual temptation. In fact, Paul says if couples neglect physical intimacy, it should only be by mutual agreement for spiritual reasons—to fast and seek the Lord together.
Reflection
Why is it important for married couples to practice sexual intimacy?
What type of temptations does the enemy often bring when there is a lack of sexual intimacy?
How can married couples strategically cultivate sexual intimacy?
What other questions or thoughts do you have about this section?
In what ways can you pray in response? Take a second to pray as the Lord leads.
God bless from scumlikeuschurch@gmail.com
Bill is doing better and says thanks for all the prayers.
Caliste’s surgery is tomorrow at 6am.
Remember the Perales family and their need for salvation.
SEXUAL PURITY PART EIGHT
January 14, 2019
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THIS COUPLE IS HAPPY AND TOGETHER IN MARRIAGE BECAUSE THEY STARTED OUT THE RIGHT WAY.
