The Will of God / Sexual Purity

The point: If you want to be dead certain that you won't miss the will of God about your life's partner or your life's work, set yourself to perform the will of God in this area of consistent, full-orbed sanctification.

He uses the common questions about God's will for life partner or occupation to illustrate how people often limit their understanding of God's will to these specific areas, neglecting the broader, foundational will of sanctification.

and generally they think of the will of God in terms of two great matters occupation and station shall I be single or married I want to know the will of God about my life partner and I want to know the will of God about my life's work shall I be a missionary, a pastor, a housewife shall I be a secretary what shall I be and generally when we think of the will of God we limit it to these areas of occupation and station but the emphasis of scripture as touching the will of God only incidentally touches these other matters and clearly indicates that the person who has embraced the will of God in t...

4:23 - 5:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines sanctification, tracing its Old Testament roots as 'set apart for holy use' and explaining its two New Testament senses: definitive (at conversion) and progressive…

He uses the example of Old Testament priests, altars, and basins being 'set apart' for God's service to explain the original meaning of sanctification as being consecrated for holy use.

The priests and the altar and the different instruments that were used in the worship of the tabernacle, when they were set apart for God, it is said that they became sanctified. Here is just an ordinary human being, one of the sons of Aaron, no different from anybody. Except that he is of the tribe of Aaron. But when he has been properly cleansed by water and oil, and properly clothed with the garments that God ordained, then the scripture says he was sanctified unto the service of the Lord.

6:38 - 7:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not smugly assume you are sanctified because you are not guilty of certain sins; ask yourself if you have the positive biblical perspective in this whole area.

He uses the phrase 'good donter' to illustrate that merely abstaining from certain sins does not equate to true sanctification if one is not positively set apart unto the Lord.

Whereas there are people who don't do this and don't do that and don't do that and say well if I don't do that I must be sanctified. No, maybe you're just a good donter. You see if you're not set apart unto the Lord then there's no real sanctification. It's not a negative thing.

13:35 - 13:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He transitions to the specific application of sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8: abstaining from fornication, which he interprets as all forms of sexual impurity, noting the…

He uses the historical influence of biblical principles in the Western Hemisphere to explain why it's hard for modern audiences to grasp the need for Paul's instruction on sexual purity, contrasting it with the pagan context of Paul's day and the current societal trend.

And then he's going to show us what is involved. Now you ask why should Paul have to write to Christians in 12.5 in 12.5 by the Holy Spirit wonderfully transformed according to chapter 1 they turned to God from their idols they were serving the living God bringing forth the fruits of holiness and zealous evangelistic endeavor really isn't this just sort of superfluous well most of us find it difficult although in a few more years I don't think we will to project ourselves backward into the day in which Paul lived for the end of his life for the influence of heathen philosophy and pagan religio...

15:50 - 17:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the chief end of man is to be continually sexually stimulated period that's his philosophy

He uses Hugh Hefner and the 'Playboy philosophy' as a contemporary example of hedonism, illustrating its core tenet that continuous sexual stimulation is the chief end of man.

and many shall follow their lascivious doings doings that are marked by license and promiscuity and no restraint upon the flesh notice verse 2 verse 10 but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement verse 14 having eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin verse 19 here's their doctrine promising them liberty while they themselves are the bondservants of corruption isn't that the new morality these young men have come on the scene saying look you don't have to be a slave to the law the people in the church have been bound by a puritanical ethic that fit the day of ...

21:44 - 23:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to the scripture to see the whole matter of human sexuality set in the context of the teaching of the word of God, as the antidote to libertinism and asceticism.

He tells a story of parents encouraging a child's appetite for ice cream and appreciation for beauty, contrasting it with their flustered reaction to questions about sexuality, illustrating how an ascetic spirit can be conveyed to children, warping their understanding of their own bodies.

abstain from meat which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth and then he goes on to expose their heresy but here you have it in the world as well as in the church and they say that the way you get deliverance from the flesh is to beat it down and to deny it and batter it into absolute submission until its whimperings for gratification are not recognized now I must say that in the world there isn't too much asceticism in our day you have to look pretty far to find any real asceticism in the 20th century western world you may find a few people who ...

26:02 - 27:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I submit to you, if you cannot with equal ease picture God delighting in looking down upon Adam and Eve in an embrace of one another, then you have a sub-biblical view of your sexuality in the light of Holy Scripture.

He asks, 'Did God know the facts of life?' when He commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, to highlight the absurdity of a sub-biblical view that sees sexual expression as something God merely tolerates rather than commands and delights in.

Now I don't mean to be irreverent, but I ask the question, did God know the facts of life?

33:54 - 33:58 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I submit to you, if you cannot with equal ease picture God delighting in looking down upon Adam and Eve in an embrace of one another, then you have a sub-biblical view of your sexuality in the light of Holy Scripture.

He uses the analogy of God delighting in Adam and Eve exploring the garden, finding flowers, listening to birds, and sharing fruit, to argue that God also delighted in their sexual embrace, challenging a sub-biblical view of sexuality.

And the Lord looked upon it and behold, it was very good. How do you think the Lord looked upon Adam and Eve as they went out into the garden and began to explore the beauty of that garden and Adam would come with a flower and just delight? Oh, Eve, look at this one that I found over here in this part of the garden. And when they heard a new bird chirping and together they said, shh, shh, shh, let's listen.

34:39 - 35:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Continuing with Genesis 2, he explains that God created woman for companionship, not just procreation, and ordained the 'leaving and cleaving' of marriage as the context for…

He uses the 'Romish teaching on sexuality' and the Pope's decree against planned parenthood as an example of the heresy that views woman primarily as an instrument for procreation, rather than a companion, which he argues is refuted by Genesis 2:18.

Now, it's very significant that in verse 18 the Lord says, notice, it is not good that the man should be alone. He didn't say it's not practical. If I'm going to get the world full of people, this is not practical for the man to be alone. So I'll make the woman simply to be an instrument through which children can be brought into the world.

36:22 - 36:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Continuing with Genesis 2, he explains that God created woman for companionship, not just procreation, and ordained the 'leaving and cleaving' of marriage as the context for…

He notes that many commentators pass over Genesis 2:25 ('they were both naked... and were not ashamed'), suggesting this indicates a form of asceticism even among interpreters, reinforcing the need for a positive biblical view of sexuality.

And it's in this state that God is saying there was no shame. That's why he adds, here, and they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. And it's interesting. I checked the commentators and many of them pass over this verse.

39:12 - 39:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be brainwashed by the philosophy of hedonism or influenced by unchristian asceticism, but by the grace of God, have a biblical perspective on sexuality.

He recounts speaking to unconverted college students about a biblical philosophy of sex, who were surprised and found it 'makes good horse sense,' illustrating that even the unregenerate can recognize the reasonableness of God's design, though their rebellious hearts may not obey it.

of unconverted college students on this subject and I've said to them look I'll open it up for questions and after but give me one hour to lay out what the Bible teaches to give you a biblical philosophy of sex and when I was done I said any questions and they sat there like this and there's a man no questions they said well we didn't think the Bible taught that I said sure you've been rejecting a caricature haven't you you thought that the Bible taught and that the Bible said and the Bible inferred that sex was evil and that man's sexuality was to be downplayed but you never read the scriptur...

51:59 - 53:28 Read in full sermon