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We go to meet the.
World.
Say a few words first. Yeah, go ahead.
I'd like to give an attempt to give a little help on a question that was asked yesterday here in this room. And Brother Jeff referred to a passage in Romans chapter 10. And I think if we look at that, we can get a better understanding of.
What? He was asking.
If we look at Romans 10 and verse six, and I'll read a few verses here, But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise say, not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above? Or who shall descend into the deep, that is to bring up Christ again from the dead? But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the Word of Faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. Well the question was had something to do with going down and and getting Christ or I'm not real sure of the question either. I think it was a little hard to understand but.
These things have already been done. God isn't asking us to do heroics.
Christ has already come down, He has already come up, and so you and I don't go there to get him.
And so this passage isn't talking about where he is now.
Or.
As the question was.
When the Saint goes home, is he violating this scripture to say that that expression?
I hope that's helpful.
If there's others that can clear it up better, I hope they will.
Shall we read 1St Thessalonians 4?
Especially the latter part, but we can read from the beginning.
First Thessalonians, chapter 4.
Beginning at verse one. Furthermore than we beseech you brethren.
And exalt you by the Lord Jesus.
And that as you have received of us how you ought to walk, and to please God the soul, you would abound more and more. For you know that commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence.
Even as the Gentiles, which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother.
In any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despises despiseth not man, but God, who has also given unto us His Holy Spirit, but His touching brotherly love. You need nod that I write unto you, for for ye yourself are taught of God.
To love one another, and indeed you do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more, and that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that you may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren.
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Concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow nod. Even as others which have no hope before we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Doubt. Don't sit down. Read the next 10 verses please.
Chapter 5.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you for yourself. Know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then suddenly, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of light and the children of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. What they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken.
Are drunken in the night, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
I think that was a good idea, Brother Chuck. The convenience of chapters we know, but they put in by men, and they often interrupt the thought, don't they?
1St Thessalonians 4 has often been termed the Enoch chapter and rightfully so. We were going to take verse 13 to the end, but I think it's good to just give a brief thought why it's called that. Turn to Genesis chapter 5 and I believe it's verse 24, although it's earlier too, verse 24 and Enoch walked with God.
And he was not, for God took him. Next comes Methuselah, which I was mentioning to someone in the hall. The longest life in being. And God chose the longest life in being to bring judgment. That's a very unusual thought, but that's God's grace, and he's still delaying judgment. We're here yet because one is still to be saved. At least one. If it was the last one saved, we're gone.
But anyway, Enoch walked with God.
And he was not. Now Amos, 33, says how can two be agreed? How can two walk together unless they be agreed?
Enoch was agreeable to God. That's what we should be one other here turn to Hebrews and.
Chapter 11, the faith chapter, because Enoch had faith and so here it says in spotlight this is Hebrews 11.
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All right, first five by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation.
He had this testimony that he pleased God. Now you know why you're here. You know why you were born to give pleasure to the Lord. Revelation 11, the last verse. That's why you were born for the Lord's pleasure. A Sinner can never give one ounce of pleasure to God. Never. And you were conceived.
In sin, born in sin, and your nature is sinful.
We have a sinful nature and you practice sin and you know some will die.
In their sins and then for all eternity, they will never give an ounce of pleasure.
To God for the purpose for which they were born. That's the terrible thought of eternal death. But at any rate, now to our chapter. You'll see first verse.
How you ought to walk and to please God enough walk with God and had this testimony before he was translated. He pleased God. What's the result? Abound more and more.
Fruit for God. Now if you look down at verse 4.
Everyone should know how to possess His vessel in sanctification and honor. The second thing is you're separated. This sanctification is not absolute sanctification. It's not the sanctification you have and can't get rid of. You're set apart for God forever. But there's a practical sanctification.
Enoch had that or he couldn't be said he pleased God. You separate from that which is dishonouring to the Lord. That's Nick and then comes with Enoch.
Verse 13, you'd skip the verse 13, and that's a shout called the rapture, which is not a scriptural term, but it's the closest to describing what's going to happen when the Lord comes. I like the rapture. They use it a lot, but that's enough. He was translated, He never died.
We don't expect to, do we? Well, that's the thought. Now one other thing.
Next we are given verse 8, the power to live this life. He says God, who has also given unto us the Holy Spirit. Of course, that comes in Romans 8, doesn't it? I think 13 and on so clear but touching brotherly love. If you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, divine love should be part of you, and that would also go horizontal.
Not just vertically, which is brotherly love and the verse I have in mind.
In first John.
Four, I believe. I'm sorry, I don't want to turn to it.
Hereby we know we passed from death unto light. What's the test? We love the brethren so. This is a beautiful portion. And it goes on to say.
12.
That ye may walk honestly towards them that are without, That ye may have lack of nothing.
That brings in course the Colossian truth. I will turn to it. And then comes the portion which we just all love. It goes with yesterday.
We read in first John that God is light chapter one, and then God is love in chapter 4. And these first verses would answer to God is light, He's holy, and our sanctification is to abstain from fornication to keep our bodies.
Separate from that kind of thing and that's that kind of thing only belongs. It's not called fornication. It belongs in the marriage tie and that's the only place that it's of God outside of the marriage tie. That kind of thing is sin. It's called fornication, sometimes adultery.
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Then it starts with verse nine is touching brotherly love and so then God is love. So we have God is light in the first part and God is love in the second part.
Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and how wonderful it is that.
We can fulfill the will of God by abstaining from things which are defiling and then going out in love to our brethren. There's a conduct that is in keeping and a character that is necessary as to those who are waiting for the Lord Jesus to return. And that's why He brings it out very clearly here before he explains in the last part of the chapter the details concerning how this event is going to take place.
He brings before the Thessalonians who had been saved from heathendom, that the things that characterized them in their unregenerate state and in heathendom ought not to characterize those who have been brought into the light and those who are waiting for the Lord Jesus. But I'd just like to make a comment that, if you allow me to go back for a moment, to give it just a general comment or two as to these Thessalonian believers and the truth of the Lord's coming that is brought before them.
If we were to go back to the first chapter, we read of these believers that they had turned from God to God, from idols.
To serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. They were really waiting for the Lord Jesus to come back and establish His Kingdom.
They were waiting for the Lord Jesus to come back from heaven, because the Lord's coming, as we speak of it, is really in two parts. And if we don't get ahold of this in our souls, brethren, there's going to be a lot of confusion as to our character, as to our conduct, as to our position in this world and our responsibility concerning this world and so on. And that is that the Lord Jesus, as is delineated later in this chapter, he's first of all going to come for his Saints.
And he's going to call us away from this world to meet him on the cloud and he's going to escort us to the Father's house. But then that goes on in Thessalonians to explain there's another part to his coming as well. And that is he's going to come back with his Saints. So if we can put it this way, as it's often been put, he's coming first of all for his Saints, and then he's coming with his Saints. And this was the confusion that Thessalonica because.
They were waiting for the Lord Jesus to come back and to establish his Kingdom and to be part of that Kingdom with the Lord Jesus. But as they were waiting, some of their number died, some of them passed away. And now these Thessalonians believers wondered what's happened? Have some of our number missed out on the Kingdom? They're gone now. And so the apostle writes to them by inspiration to explain very clearly that no, they haven't missed out on the Kingdom in any way.
But that before the Lord Jesus comes back in glory to establish the Kingdom, there's something that's going to take place that's going to raise those who have died in faith. And then as we said yesterday, and we'll get to it later in our chapter, we're going to rise with them to meet the Lord in the air. So that before he comes back to reign in righteousness and appear in glory in this world, the Saints, the heavenly Saints are going to be all with him so that they come back and that no one misses out.
Now just turn to Titus chapter 2 for a moment, because I think Titus chapter a couple of verses in Titus chapter 2.
Really sum up what we have in this chapter. I'll read from verse 11, Titus chapter 2, and verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly loss, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. I'm going to stop there for a moment because this 12Th verse is really the first part of First Corinthians 4 and what he's really telling us here is that grace.
I'm sorry, 1St Thessalonians 4. What he's really telling us here is that grace is a teacher that teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, denying the things that are ungodly and unholy. You know, when I see a brother or a sister who exhibits moral piety in their lives, I say there's a brother, there's a sister who has an understanding of the grace of God.
There is a brother or sister who appreciates the grace of God. Brethren, grace does not give us license to live as we please. It's true Scripture speaks of those who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. But they didn't really understand what grace was, and they took the thought of grace as licensed to live as they please and to use their bodies as they please. But I say again, grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly.
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In this present age. But it doesn't stop there. We find it says then in verse 13, and this is the end of First Thessalonians 4. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Now two things are brought out here. First of all, what we said was the Lord's coming for His Saints. We're looking for that blessed hope at any moment of being raptured away to meet the Lord in the air.
But there is the glorious appearing too, that time when he's going to come back with his Saints and appear in this world. And so there's two things that are going to give us the proper character of those who are waiting for the Lord.
An appreciation of grace in our souls and the an object before us. Because, brethren, our object forms our character. Our object forms our character. And if we're not looking for the Lord Jesus to come at any moment.
As well as, as he expresses it in Second Timothy 4, loving his appearing the day of glory when he's manifested in this world. If those things don't characterize us, we're not going to be walking in the true character of strangers and pilgrims and denying the things that are unholy and going on with the things that we ought to. And we often speak of our blessed hope as the Lord's coming for us. And that's true. But really the two things are part of our hope here. What is our hope?
To be caught up, to meet the Lord in the air, and then to come back when he has his full vindication here in this world and all see him and give glory to him. We ought to love that too. And that will help form our character now. So we can say Lord Jesus come, that's the rapture. And we can say thy Kingdom come, that's his appearance. Both are proper for the Christian.
I want to refer to.
Second Timothy. This question was asked me. No one commented on it. Second Timothy 2, Verse 16 Shun profane and vain babblings, they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat. As doth a canker of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have heard saying that the resurrection is passed already.
And overthrow the faith of some Now we saw in first Corinthians 15 that there were some that.
That said that there was number resurrection and he develops that and shows that if that's the case, then Christ is not raised because he died. And if there's no resurrection that everything is lost but here that the resurrection is passed already. What would be the effect of that? The effect of that would be that this present scene that we're living in is our final place if we're if we're living in a resurrected state.
Then that's that's where we then we can enjoy things down here that might appeal to an American or Canadian audience because we have it so nice, but it wouldn't appeal to Saints in other countries don't don't have it nice at all. And so it's a very destroying thing because it puts off of our hope. In fact, it takes away our hope, doesn't it? Our hope is to be taken out of this scene and to be with Christ in heaven. Our portion is heavenly. Now Colossians, one says.
If he then the Colossians 3 says verse one. If he then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. So there is a sense in which we are already risen with Christ, but that's not in our bodies. Our bodies are still here. They're still in the old condition of things.
And so to say that the resurrection is passed already would mean that our bodies are in the resurrection state. That's wrong, definitely wrong. We wouldn't be sick then if that was the case. We wouldn't have all the afflictions that we have down here. So we have to keep these Scriptures in their proper place. When it says we are risen with Christ, that's in a spiritual sense, isn't it? That's where our hope is. That's where our portion is, where a heavenly people. We're not to get engaged in all of the affairs of this world. It's politics. It's it's.
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It's everything. We belong to another world, but we're not there yet. And the resurrection of the body will place us there, but that's still future.
As we were speaking here I was thinking of something a little bit different. Hope you would allow me to say this. Last evening we had a young people him saying here and to my surprise there must have been over 200 young people here. I know we have lots of people here but I didn't realize we have that many younger ones and that's not counting children that didn't make it as opposed to as an age cut off.
But I was thinking more. Sometimes we speak at a level that some of them may or may not understand. I find often when I don't know something, I need someone to explain it to me over and over and over again before I get it. And then when I get it, sometimes I learn that I don't have the patience to explain to someone over and over again because I expected someone else to know it the same way. So I was thinking more of a young one here. Some of them may or may not have heard of some of the things that we talked about.
What prompt me to thinking of that was even the word sanctification and fornication. You know, sometimes we chuckle when someone say they don't know the word. And I remember there was a young man about 25 years of age after he was married, he said to me that's when he learned what the word fornication means. It doesn't know what he means. He didn't mean to say that he didn't know what what the act was. He just didn't know the word. So I think we may have to explain it a little bit for a younger one.
And sanctification fornication, we're to be sanctified. Last night I used that word with more than one because we know that we should be sanctified and be ready for the master's use and some sex to me. Well, I don't know what you mean to be sanctified. I know our brother mentioned that already to set apart and maybe someone else can expound on that even more so, but I was thinking more too here in our chapter, especially for young people here, the conditions before the Lord's coming.
Is very grave in this world. In fact, it's a lot like it is today. We talk about to be sanctified, to be set apart, to be different and live according to the word of God and not what this world is. This world expects a lot of things because it's accepted. We have to be very careful because we are influenced, aren't we, by what we see. Someone already mentioned about how we think we're determined or what we know.
Will determine how we think and how we walk. You know, when our hearts dwell with things of this world, then our actions leads us to it. And even simple thing is music that we listen to, the lyric we listen to could dictate how we walk. And this may even be stretching a little bit. And even what we see, You know, I haven't gone outside yet. We came here in the dark. And the only thing I've seen in California here so far is the mountain ahead of us.
When we're at home, we even have billboards all over the place. And I'm probably supposed that you have billboards out here too. And sometimes even the messages on the Billboard are defiling. So we have to be careful about things like that. And we know we're told in the last eight conditions are very great. But I like to turn to a passage in in second Timothy and these last days before the Lord comes. And so we see the conditions. I won't comment much on it, but just to read it and.
You see how we have to walk Second Timothy, chapter 3.
This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boastful, are boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent.
Fears.
Despises of those that are good traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power.
There are and so on. We find that in verse seven, ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. If we look around us, do we see similar conditions? The moral of this world degrades and sometimes.
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We even bring that into the Assembly. We know just because the world.
Things in the world are accepted. Do we bring them into the assembly? And that's why we need to be sanctified so that we can be ready for the masters Use. Be careful of what you do, you know. It was the other thing too. It's very difficult as we live in a world so full of corruption.
So we as young people, how do we get away with that? Well, you see, some people will say, let's isolate ourselves. We don't see any of that. I don't see the Word of God telling us to do that. I believe what the word of God will want us to do is the first thing is to learn that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good things. We have to learn that first. If we think we can overcome all this evil in the world, we can't. But we have to acknowledge that we have no power of our own.
Now what do we do instead to be filled with the Spirit? We have to spend time to learn. You know, this morning I was thinking, often you're asked to speak to the young people and you'll find that often the speakers will say to the young people and encourage them to read the word of God. And this morning in the shower, I was thinking, you know, sometimes we should actually say don't just read the word of God. But that would get people's attention, wouldn't it? Really? We shouldn't just read the Word of God. The reason I say that is this. You should be in prayer first because we just pick up the word of God to read as a knowledge book. Then that's when we get it into our head instead of our hearts. We need to be before the Lord on our needs, asking Him to show us.
Abortion from themselves, and then sanctified ourselves to be holy. Now, then we can be ready for the Master's use. Will we be used by the Master? We don't know that yet. But if we're not sanctified, then definitely you can use us. But we're sanctified and then we can wait. Now, why do I say all this? I say all this not to discourage us. I say this as we look around us and we can see all these problems, difficulties and corruption.
Our heart should rejoice, not rejoicing over the problems, but you know that the Lord's coming is so ever near. He's still going to come and rapture us out from this scene because there is nothing this world can do to correct the problems. What a blessed hope. That's why our brother pointed out that verse in their entire waiting for the glorious return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
As always, remember, there is an absolute sanctification.
And it can't be changed. You are sanctified. Everyone that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ has been set apart from this world for God. That's absolute, never changes. We're talking about practical sanctification here. And I'd like to just turn to the Lord's Prayer for that, because that's really how we can maintain it, the Lord's Prayer.
Of course, you all know it's chapter 17 of John.
And verse 1617, verse 16, I'm going to mention verse 21St because it applies to us neither pray I. This is the Lord for these alone, the disciples and apostles there, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. So you're included in this. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
That's absolute sanctification. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth. As Thou has sent me into the world, Even so I also sent them into the world for their sakes. I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified. How? Through the truth either.
The word of God will keep you from sinning, or sin will keep you.
From the word of God. That's it if you continue with the Word.
Satan has a harder time with you. I'd like to read a very important passage. It's in First Corinthians 6IN connection with what's been said, there's so many young people here and.
1St Corinthians 6.
Verse 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful unto me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Now notice verse 13 meets for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body they used to strike me so strange. Why does he?
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Mention these two things.
Needs for the belly and the other is fornication. What are the two most natural the strongest drives in men? The 1St is self preservation is if you had a choice to.
If you were starving and needed food, and you had a choice to either if they were, you were offered two things.
And that is food to sustain you, or sex to fulfill your natural sexual desires. You choose the food.
But if your food had already satisfied you, what's the next strongest drive in man? Sex. And that's why these two are put together. Notice how it's developed in this chapter. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Your bodies are the members of Christ.
Not just you in a general way, but your bodies.
Belong to Christ, They are members of Christ. Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot?
God forbid.
That's fornication, That's fornication. What know ye not that he which is joined to in harlot is one body.
The two shall be one flesh, for two saith thee shall be one flesh. That relationship is reserved for marriage, and engaging in that outside of marriage is sin.
Inside the institution of marriage, wonderful relationship that God has provided for men and women is very precious is nothing wrong with it, nothing unholy about it. It's beautiful. It's beautiful, but it has to be kept within that relationship outside of it. It is sinful. Marriage is honorable and all in the best story. Chuck, I'm not finished. I want to get to the end of this chapter.
What know ye not, that he which is joined to in harlots?
Is one body. Let's think of it.
One body with the two shall be one flesh that goes right back to Adam and Eve.
Shall be one flesh, but he that is joined to the Lord is 1 spirit. We sing that hymn 1 spirit with the Lord and we're united to the Lord by the Spirit in a spiritual way. But this thing fornication or the one flesh deal is something that has to do with the with the body. And we as we've had before us, we're not in our new body yet, not in our new body. That won't be a part of our new creation activity.
There are no, there's not going to be male and female.
Up there.
That's marriage is an institution of earth belonging to this scene, not heaven.
Not heaven. Remember when my son who lost in one day?
His family, his wife, his three children murdered.
And remember, he wrote a letter to me after that, and he'd been looking at Scripture where the Lord said to them that marriage is for now, not then.
And he said I finally said goodbye.
To Susie and Becky, Gracie and Benji forever. You'll never have that relationship again. You'll never have the joy of marriage up there, except the marriage of Christ and the Church. But that's an earthly institution. If you don't keep yourself pure in this time, you'll not have another chance for it in that time.
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Because it's only in firstly thing beautiful, the most beautiful thing that he's given to us. Keep yourselves pure.
Free fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body.
But he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body.
What? Here's another reason we're not to do it, because our bodies are the members of Christ. Now there's another reason we should abstain from fornication. What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Their body is not evil.
It can be used in a wrong way. That's called sin on fornication. I remember a young man said to me once, he said.
If I have sex with a young woman and then I go on to marry her, that that constitutes my marriage and I've I've consummated that act which belongs in marriage. And that's so that's not really sin because but it I said no, that's called fornication and scripture. It's not marriage. Marriage involves more than just that act. There are those the way the world thinks. There are those that you commit that act, you're married.
Or of course, the world is so loose in these things it's just terrible to even talk about them. But But no, that that in itself does not constitute marriage. There has to be a.
A recognition and a public thing in a way that the two are one now, they're married, they belong to each other, and they should only be in that way to each other and to no one else.
What know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and you're not your own. Your body isn't yours to do with as you want.
You belong. Your body belongs to Christ, just like you do.
You're not your own, you're bought with a price. What's the conclusion? Therefore, glorify God in your body.
And in your spirit, which are gods? I don't know whether that last part is even there. Glorify God in your body.
And that is so important. And that's really the first part of First Thessalonians 4, our sanctification. I think it's so important to stress this because the the whole attitude in the world that we're living in and the television and all that completely, completely contradicts what I just said. Just to give a verse, Chuck, to confirm what you said about marriage being a natural tie for this life when he takes up the relationship of the husband and wife in First Peter chapter 3 and verse 7.
He says being heirs together of the grace of life, that's this life here. I've heard people say marriage is a spiritual tie. Marriage is a tie, a natural tie given for this earth. There'll be nothing in glory to detract from that paramount relationship of Christ and his bride. That's what's going to be paramount there in the glory and if earthly relationships continued in glory the way they are now.
There would be something to detract from that. But I just want to say this too, as a follow up to what you say. Just turn to Proverbs 6 just to follow up the verses you read to us in Corinthians. Because I think this is so solemn, maybe I'll just preface reading this verse by saying this. I've been impressed in going through the epistles in the New Testament to realize how many times, particularly the apostle Paul warns not the world.
But the Saints of God as to the folly and consequences of moral evil, fornication and adultery, even to the Ephesian Saints who were able to take in that great and high truth, he warns them in the midst of it all of moral evil. But I want to read a verse or two here in Proverbs 6, verse 32. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman locketh understanding. He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. Now notice this next verse.
A wound and dishonor shall he get.
And his reproach shall not be wiped away. And I believe that one reason why Scripture warns so solemnly and frequently as to the sexual relationships outside the marriage tie is because it leaves a mark on a person for this the rest of their life. A wound and dishonor shall he get. Now it's true that one can be happily restored to the Lord David failed.
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We in connection with Bathsheba. It was a grievous moral sin, and David was happily restored to the Lord.
And even used of God, but a sword never departed from his house forever.
There was a consequence that continued on because of that evil, and a wound and dishonor shall he get. And young people, keep yourself pure. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. But don't fall into the trap of moral rune. It'll follow you the rest of your life. I'm not saying you can't be happily restored in your soul to the Lord, and maybe with circumstances, in some circumstances even to the Lord's table and your brethren and so on. But do be careful.
But the problem is today, not only has the line of demarcation in the world become blurred, it's become completely removed and obliterated. When I was going to school, we had to go out and look for trouble, and some of us found plenty of it. The difference between that and my young people is trouble is right there in front of us, in front of them. And there's no there was still a line of right and wrong when I went to school as a young person. But these things have become so accepted in our society and through the medium of television and all this kind of thing.
That we've become de sweet if we're not careful, we become desensitized to evil and we don't really realize how awful it is. And we don't realize that sin is is costly. Sin is.
Is is presented today as something grand and wonderful and something to fill your appetite and you're to go after the lusts of your heart. No one's to put restrictions on you. But sin is costly. Sin has its consequences. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. And I just plead with you young people, and all of us.
There's so many who've had great potential, so many who have been on fire for the Lord and they've fallen into moral evil and it has left us a wound and a scar. Oh, I beg you, keep yourself pure. God has a relationship for us on earth inside the marriage tie, which has been has been said is precious in itself. It's for the blessing of man on earth if we step out of what God has instituted.
For our blessing on this earth, we can expect nothing but sorrow and reaping what we sow.
I want to add just one more thing to what was said before, then I'll be quiet.
In first Corinthians 7 it just follows what we read. I just want to read the 1St 2 verses now concerning the things whereof He wrote unto me. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. But the husband render the wife to benevolence, and likewise also the wife to the husband, and so on.
I was in a wedding.
Those are my granddaughter.
And.
They got married and.
The one that married them says you may now kiss your bride. And I heard a voice behind me said He kissed her, the voice behind me said. And he was right. It's the first time he's kissed her.
They agreed that they would not.
Do anything that would be inappropriate because one thing can lead to another to another and so on, and sin can come in. So they they saved it for the marriage. And if you ever do that, if you do that, and I thought ever, if you do that, you'll never regret it. You'll never regret it.
There's too much looseness. It's good for a man not to touch a woman. Now that touch is a sexual touch that he's talking about.
Which leads to sin. But they had agreed, they got married and that's the first time he touched her. If you can put it in the language of scripture.
I'm just going to say for the day might be able to illustrate sanctification.
And because there's another aspect to it.
When we not all of us have dishwashers, so we have dirty dishes stacked on one side of the sink and as they're washed and dried, then the clean ones are on the other side. We don't mix them. We put the clean ones on the other side. We don't know whether they're clean or not. So we keep them apart. You might say sanctified. Now here's the the other part about that is.
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You might say, well, what can I do about my classmates? I have to sit in a school room with ungodly people. I might ride on a bus with ungodly people or eat in a restaurant and work with ungodly people. Well, you know, there was a time when some of the apostles were.
Taken into custody and it's like to read a verse in in Acts chapter 4.
It is verse 23.
Probably know this verse.
Acts 423 and being let go, they went to their own company.
Well, when you're forced together in places where you belong and you can't separate from the ungodly, you don't make deep friendships with those people. You can be friendly and then you have an opportunity with the gospel, but when you're let go, then who are your friends? Once you're free from those places where you're required to be, then who are your friends? They went to their own company.
And I don't have to explain who your own company is. You know that, Your other fellow believers.
There's a beautiful little poem that reads something like this. What has stripped this seeming beauty from the idols of the earth? Not the sense of right or duty, but the sight of peerless worth. I just like to say one little word of encouragement too, as to on the subject of marriage here, that we know that Scripture tells us that in heaven they're neither Mary nor are given in marriage. But isn't it wonderful, beloved brethren, that the.
Mate, the Lord has given us here on earth, We're going to enjoy in that scene too. Not as married, but in a richer way. There's going to be that sweet fellowship together as we enjoy Christ. But I was thinking too of something else in connection with this. If we could turn just for a moment to the third chapter of, of first John, and then I think we see something of what would lead to true sanctification. That's what we have.
In our chapter, the 4th chapter of One Thessalonians. But to read just a few verses here the 1St 3.
And how this will focus our attention.
On the things that will bring eternal blessing, that will keep us from the distractions that Satan wants to bring in. Because, beloved brethren, we have an enemy that wants to destroy us.
And he wants to discourage us. He wants to get our eyes off of Christ. He's our source of blessing. He's our place of safety. And you know, when the wolf comes in and destroys the the sheep, he scatters the flock. What which ones of the flock are?
Are safe the ones who are cleaving close to the Shepherd? Oh, may that be the subject of our hearts. But here we read the first verse of the first. John 3. Behold, oh, I look at that word. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him purify him by himself even as he is pure.
All beloved brethren, when our focus is upon him, just to tell a little story that I've enjoyed, I've heard it many years ago of this man who went into a jewelry shop and he wanted to buy. He saw this Pearl that was so beautiful, so lovely, and he asked the the shopkeeper, how much do you want for that Pearl? The shopkeeper said everything that you have.
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And he said, well, OK, he pull out his wallet.
And he had a few $100 there and he he gave it to the shopkeeper, the shop seek people said, well, I want your wallet also. And then he said, well then I can't, it's got my license and I can't drive my car. Oh, you have a car. I'll take that too. Well, if you take my car, how will I get my wife and my family around? And how can we go home? Oh, you have a wife and a family.
I'll take them to your home. I'll take it too. Old beloved brethren, just impress what has been said to us and how good. What a salvation, what protection it will give us if we could truly lay hold of the truth of the Word of God that tells us ye are not your own. You are bought with a price and all. What a price may our hearts, beloved brethren, be.
Taken from the things of this earth that so easily beset us, the sin that so easily beset us, beset us, the sin of unbelief and these things, and cleave unto the Lord with purpose of heart. Like Daniel of old, who purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the King's meat. We have such a Savior. And I think even this moment is that he's looking down with his infinite love. Oh, do we have a sense of that love?
That infinite love, beloved brotherhood, to walk through the day with a sense of God's love for me. And also it helps us to remember this, does it not? When I think of how much the Lord Jesus loves my brethren, oh, I want to be careful how I treat them.
I want to mention two things that will encourage the young people. I'm not saying you discouraged them, but you know, Satan does take advantage and get it at times. But the one thing, Tom, when you mentioned we should be friendly with those in the world, I remember Harry Hagel. I don't like to quote people like that, but he really affected me many times. He said we should be.
The best friends this world can have but not friendly with them. And I think that really sunk into me. I just not correcting you but I'm just saying we better be careful about being friendly with them because Demas name means popular if you find yourself popular with those of the world.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. That isn't what we're talking about. But on the other, on fornication and adultery.
You know, it isn't the end. I'm not. No, I'm not going the other way, brother. But I want to turn to Jeremiah, chapter 3 of Jeremiah. And this is so important because once we belong to Christ, always we belong to Christ. And don't let anything discourage you in that. You can always turn to Him.
In verse.
Three, therefore the showers have been withholding, and there have been no latter rain. This is on Israel. And thou hast a horse forehead then refuses to be ashamed. Now here of course, a horse forehead is one who isn't ashamed of what she's doing, but here it applies to spiritual fornication, which many times that comes up.
And that's the worst type of fornication. But what about?
Physical. All right, turn to verse 14.
Eternal backsliding children, says the Lord Jehovah. For I am married unto you, and I will make you one of a city, two of a family, I will bring you to Zion, and so on.
Malachi chapter 3 the Lord says the Lord hates putting away and don't remember don't ever forget. I mean, once you belong to him, you may go as far as David. It could happen, but as as.
As our brother said, David was restored. You don't expect to be restored, but don't ever shorten the hand of the Lord. He'll never give you up. And I'm just saying that not to encourage him in the act, but not to discourage him if Satan has taken advantage. Brother Bob, I was. I'm glad you brought that out in First Corinthians 5.
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Man was put away, put away from among yourselves, that wicked person. He had committed fornication and.
But the second epistle says restore him, forgive him, And he was. But was he the only case at Corinth? I'm going to read you some verses in 2nd Corinthians 12 verse 20. But I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would.
And that I shall be found unto you, such as ye would not, lest there be debates and beings, rats, stripes, backbiting, whisperings, swellings, tumults, and lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you. They were His children in the faith, He was their spiritual father. And when they didn't go on well and humbled him, that's when I come again my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already.
And have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and the assiduousness which they've committed. We have to realize that these Corinthians were Gentiles saved out of a a heathen world and that was common to Corinthian eyes was to fornicate. That was the reputation that they had. And this was and these early Christians, they had to learn that that is not Christianity. That's not right.
You can't do that. You keep your body reserved and pure and holy. You belong now to Christ. Your body is a member of Christ and you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you. But I want to say this to the young people.
If you have fallen into sin that way, it's not over for you. It wasn't over for that man, First Corinthians five. He wept. He repented.
He was sorry for what he'd done.
And he was forgiven. The grace of God can take you up with no letter where you are.
We don't want this ministry to just come down on you as though it's, oh, I'm just nothing. I've failed in everything. It's not over.
Just repent, get before the Lord, confess your sins one to another. He will heal you and you can be used. You can be used still if you get in the right state of soul. As Jim said earlier, we have an example in the Old Testament of David.
And Jim made a comment that is very, very true. There's a result to sin. There's a result. And David never lost that sword, you know, right? Just before he died, one of his sons revolted against him. You know, there is a result and that something is true, that God is gracious. He forgives government of God. But there is a result. We pay a penalty for what we do.
I like to add another comment to this, if I may be for young people, not saying that you are doing this act because I know what children often when you want to teach them something, the first reaction is they'll say, well, I don't do these things. Well, we want you to learn it because none of us are exempted from it. You know, I heard people will say, well, my children are now married, They're fined. You know, these temptations out there are just as great.
All of us as any so we have to understand it from the word of God. In fact, we should enjoy on it because when we dwell on it, it leads us into walking that way. What we think about often will translate into actions. That's why we're told to renew our minds. But renew it with what? With the word of God waiting to be occupied with. Now, some of you may say, I don't even think about that and you're right. And I would believe that the number of people we talked to about this year would probably be a very small percentage here.
But then we are not exempted. We have other problems too. And as we're thinking of this, I was thinking of the scene of Sodom. You know, when you talk about the the lowest moral degradation, we think of Sodom. And I'd like to turn to a verse in Ezekiel to see what the Lord said about Sodom.
Maybe we'll learn something from that because, you know, the Lord finally took judgment on that city. He couldn't wait any longer. In Ezekiel chapter 16, here's the Lord addressing Israel again. A brother read in Jeremiah there about the follies. Here it in the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. I find it very striking because in Sodom I would think that the Lord's going to address them in regard.
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To all these immoralities. Now let's see what He says in verse 49. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom. Well, what do you think the Lord say to them? First, we read a number of things. The first thing here if you notice just one word. First problem He addresses pride, pride. Second thing, short, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughter's.
Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. The Lord addressed a number of things before he got into the moral issues after on the next verse, which I don't intend to go into because I think enough was said on that. But let's look at this pride. You know, we're told to be humble before the Lord. And I heard an expression someone said one time he said we're sometimes so humble that we are proud of it. You know, there's also thing a spiritual pride.
Anything that talks about me is pride, isn't it? And if you think about the word pride I enjoy. Someone pointed out one time he said many of us attacks in homes at our homes with the word pride on it. And some of you may remember that just the word PRIDE. But the artist put it a little bit differently. It looks like a house. The 1St letter is a little bit lower, 2nd letter is higher and higher and in the middle of that is the letter I that stands way out.
I that's pride. Anything that have me in it is pride. So that was the problem. Pride we were in Proverbs chapter 6, you know, and that chapter the Lord said there's six things that he hates and the first thing is the proud look. So we have to be very careful pride. But then after pride, I see that we have the same conditions today. We know the conditions around us are dark, are Gray, a evil and corruptions.
This condition, we see this in our own household, is that fullness of bread? Do we have that? No, there's nothing wrong with that. And I know some of you, the young people being overseas, in Mexico, in Malawi, in India, in many places where they see there's no such thing as fullness of bread. It's very difficult to hear and understand someone who who will tell you that they haven't eaten in three days. I get pretty grumpy by about half an hour, an hour late from my meal time.
But there are many places where people can say this fullness of bread, and in about 20 minutes time will be feasting. We will know what that means, do we? But that was the conditions. They have pride, they have fondness of bread, and along with that, the idleness that was in her and her daughters. It will be very careful. The Lord knows that sometimes riches in abundance can be our hindrance too, and we need to be very careful with this. What do we do with our time?
You know, I don't want to mock anybody. We know that many of us when we're not busy, we take up gossiping and we don't need to look at someone else. We look at ourselves and words gets around. You know, we jokingly say whatever you said here today, your mom and dad probably know at home because of Internet and telephone. You know, and you know too that there are times and there are many places where if you know information, if you need information, the certain person you call and you know that that person knows everything.
Do we need to know all this? Rather, be careful. We're on a sidetrack, but the longest, we're on one more thing. Sorry, but we were currently going to read 13 to the end, and I think we should still do it. But one more thing, since we got the young people into the mess, let's help them a little if you're at the Lord's Table, which is the highest privilege anyone can have in this world.
To be at the Lord's table. We're going to taste it tomorrow. If you are, I just read this to you. First Corinthians 11 and verse.
27 I believe, Yeah. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread or drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine or prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh.
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Unworthily eateth and drinketh. Judgment should be to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. Now that judgment, of course, is not, is governmental judgment. I mean, you reap what you sow. We talked about it with David and others. But never let any sin keep you from the table if you're there. That's too important. You may have to confess to your brethren in assembly.
You certainly have to confess to the Lord. That's before we conclude the meeting. Just read verse seven and eight of our chapter.
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not men, but God, who hath also given us his Holy Spirit. I just want to make a comment in connection with this, because we've spoken about uncleanness and the folly of sin. There is a path of holiness for the Saints of God.
This is practical holiness, and I think of that verse that says be holy that bear the vessels of the Lord.
As we've had before us, our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. But what I want to point out in connection with all that we've said on these matters, lest we be discouraged, is that we have brethren, the resources to shun that which is evil and to live wholly for God's glory in this world. He hasn't left us to do it on our own. Because maybe there's a young person here and you're thinking as these things are unfolded, Well, I've got appetite. I'm young. It's all right for the older brethren to talk about these things, but I'm young and I've got appetite and desires natural.
Things given by God and they are and therefore our happiness on earth and they're kept in their proper place and their proper sphere. But I just want to point out that rather than we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness and we're not left to live a life for God's glory on our own devices. He's given us the Spirit of God as the power for our new life. He's given us the resource of prayer. He's given us his precious word. And if we go on with those things in the in availing ourselves of those resources.
Then we can, as we said at the beginning of the meeting, live soberly, righteously and godly.
In this present age. But the problem is so often we try to do it on our own.
We say, well, I know how far to go. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. Young people don't ever say, well I know how far to go with that young lady, or I know how far to go with that young man, or I know how far I can go in that circumstance and I won't go any further. Let him that thinketh thee standeth take heed lest he fall. Peter was full of self-confidence, but he had to learn by a bitter experience that he didn't understand his own heart. He trusted his own heart and it was to his downfall.
But he had a resource. I've prayed for thee that thy faith fail not if he'd availed himself of what he had in Christ, he would have never done what he did. And if he hadn't associated with those that the world's fire that had no love for his Lord, it might have saved him that bitter experience. But I just want to say this at the end of the meeting, unless we be discouraged. You have all the resources. But maybe I can just say too, to exercise each one of us when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
And our life is brought into review another day and some failure is brought out. And it's not a question of my acceptance in heaven or my salvation. That's not the point. But some failure in my life is brought out. What excuse am I going to give the Lord Jesus? Am I going to be able to say, well, it was such a dark day. I couldn't live for God's glory. I didn't have the resources to meet that situation. He's going to say, I gave you everything. You have divine life.
You had the Spirit of God as the power for it. You had prayer, you had the Word, you had me living and interceding for you at the right hand of God. You had the hope of the Lord's coming. It's going to be a lot of red faces at the judgment seat of Christ. It's not that it's not going to affect our eternal destiny or our salvation. We're there forever. There's going to be a lot of red faces that the judgment seat of Christ as we realize that the reason we fell into these things, the reason sin took hold of us in our lives was because we did not avail ourselves.
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Of what we had and if we fail, it's because we have turned away or rejected.
Are neglected to use the resources that were available. And brethren, if the day ever gets so dark that we can't live for God's glory with the resources that he has given us, then the Lord will take us out. But as long as we're left here, no matter how dark the day is, no matter how much evil abounds, and not just an immoral society, but an amoral society where there's no boundaries, everything is if it feels good, do it. But as long as we're left here, we have the resources to stand against the tide. The Kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.
We're going to have to swim upstream, brethren, but it's not on our own devices. If someone says to you, young person.
Everybody's doing it then that proves it's dead wrong. I want to give one verse before I got a time before. That's Proverbs for the young people. I don't know why we're preaching. Thank you, but it's that way. Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23, I believe keep should be Garrison. Garrison thy heart with all diligence for out of it.
Are the issues of life and I have one thing to ask. Do you think brother, you're going to have a red face at the judgment seat of Christ? Well, I use that expression. We don't understand what it's going to be. There be no regrets that the judges, but there will but there will be loss at the judgment seat of Christ, not loss of salvation, but loss of what he can reward for those things that were not for his glory and which will be part of that wood, hay and stubble that will all be burned up and gone. Thank God it will.
And then something that he can praise us for, but they're wondering. 25 Sorry, Tom #225 The third verse begins. While here in the valley of conflict we stay. Oh, give us submission and strength of the day 225.
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Of #288.
Not thinking of the young necessarily, but for everyone of us.
288 versus 2 and three.