1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Would you all stand please? 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:18,640 Now let's open our Bibles together to 2 Corinthians chapter 10 where again today we pick up our 3 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:28,560 theme in this series of the invisible war, talking about removing strongholds. 4 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:35,560 I begin reading in verse 3 of 2 Corinthians 10. 5 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:40,680 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 6 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:48,080 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction 7 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,400 of fortresses. 8 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:56,960 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. 9 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:05,320 And we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 10 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:09,320 Which better describes your life? 11 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:14,640 An integer or a fraction? 12 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,400 You remember your mathematics? 13 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,320 Which is it that better describes your life? 14 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:22,720 An integer or a fraction? 15 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:28,560 A couple of weeks ago I was in a classroom setting where we were talking about Warren 16 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,160 Wiersbie's fine book entitled The Integrity Crisis. 17 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:40,040 The front cover of the book gives a brief sentence like explanation of the book that 18 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:41,440 was written in the late 80's. 19 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:48,640 It says, quote, a blemished church struggles with accountability, morality, and lifestyles 20 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,880 of its leaders and laity, close quote. 21 00:01:53,880 --> 00:02:03,920 You may recall the late 80's was known by some as pearly gate scandal in the church. 22 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:09,320 I was in that classroom setting as we were discussing integrity and we were trying to 23 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,320 define what integrity really means. 24 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:21,960 And we were reminded that the word integrity comes from the mathematic word integer. 25 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:29,320 An integer is a whole number as opposed to a fraction. 26 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,400 It is that which is complete. 27 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:43,440 And as we tried to find an adjective for the word integrity, we decided that one of the 28 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:48,880 best candidates is the word integrated. 29 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:57,280 A man or woman of integrity is an integrated person. 30 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:06,400 Where the pieces that make up all of us come together as a whole. 31 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,480 Strongholds are just the opposite of that. 32 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,840 Spiritual strongholds segregate our lives. 33 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:14,700 They divide our wholeness. 34 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:20,660 They fracture our single hearted devotion to Christ. 35 00:03:20,660 --> 00:03:28,520 Spiritual strongholds occupy ground in our lives that rightfully belongs to Jesus Christ. 36 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:43,280 These fortresses of sin can be in our thoughts or can be in our behavior, but they will inevitably 37 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:51,040 bring disintegration to our lives. 38 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,080 Therefore spiritual strongholds must be destroyed. 39 00:03:54,080 --> 00:04:03,120 They obstruct our spiritual progress and they threaten our future in God's kingdom. 40 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:09,700 Last week I began talking with you about one of the most common strongholds and that is 41 00:04:09,700 --> 00:04:13,120 immoral behavior. 42 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:21,240 And because this is one that is so prominent and is so significant in the day in which 43 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:28,960 we live, I felt compelled to devote another week to talk a bit more about immoral behavior 44 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,040 as a potential stronghold in our lives. 45 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:43,920 Now I want to be very clear that all of us, all of us can be tempted to immoral living. 46 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:50,880 There's not a one of us who is above and beyond that. 47 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:55,400 But when I speak of it becoming a stronghold, I'm talking about more than simply being 48 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,280 tempted to immoral thoughts or behavior. 49 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:06,360 I'm talking about those of us who have actually taken up temptation. 50 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,480 We've yielded to it and we've not repented of it. 51 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:16,560 And as a result of the process of time in our yielding to temptation, immoral behavior 52 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:23,680 or immoral thoughts have actually become a stronghold in our lives that denies who we 53 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,520 are. 54 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:36,560 I want to pick up this morning and think about the tactics used by the enemy to bring bondage. 55 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:42,360 You see a stronghold is an area of our lives in which we are in bondage. 56 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:50,040 So what are the tactics that Satan uses to bring bondage to immoral behavior? 57 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:55,680 As I thought about this, it seems to me that the tactics are somewhat different for males 58 00:05:55,680 --> 00:06:03,160 and females because however much forces in our culture want to make us all equal and 59 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:08,320 just alike in every respect, the fact is that there are great differences between males 60 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,760 and females. 61 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,800 We are different in the way that we're wired. 62 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:24,100 So that when Satan wants to tempt a man, when he wants to put together a tactic to cause 63 00:06:24,100 --> 00:06:34,780 a man to come into bondage to immoral behavior, he seduces a man by his imagination. 64 00:06:34,780 --> 00:06:39,480 That is his primary tactic and it works for men in particular. 65 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:44,600 Men are seduced by their imagination. 66 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:53,240 And the gate of temptation to a man is the eyes. 67 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:59,000 We are wired so that what we see visually stimulates us. 68 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:07,160 And the result of that is that Satan can use that gate to employ his tactic to bring us 69 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:12,160 into bondage. 70 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:19,200 I want this morning to deal in particular with pornography because it is so common in 71 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,440 our culture and such a tremendous social problem. 72 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,920 It has been called the victimless crime. 73 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,880 What a joke. 74 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:37,280 Ask the women, the families, and the children who have been victimized by pornography and 75 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:45,600 someone in their family, their father, their husband, whether it's a victimless crime. 76 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:53,480 Estimates are that five million people in America are addicted to pornography. 77 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,560 Not just that they casually look at it once in a while, but they're absolutely addicted 78 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:03,360 to it as much as someone is addicted to cigarettes or to alcohol. 79 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,640 Most of them, of course, are men. 80 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:13,920 In a backgrounder from the Minnesota Family Council, someone points out the four stages 81 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:22,880 of compulsive behavior of addiction to pornography. 82 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:29,520 These four stages each result in consequences that are increasingly serious as the addiction 83 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,000 progresses. 84 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,080 The first stage is addiction or compulsion. 85 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:47,560 The second stage is when the habit is formed, usually soft porn, to use a term, is employed. 86 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:55,280 And in this first stage, there is a bit of a snare that is wrapped around a person's 87 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:56,280 will. 88 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:06,640 It is not easy to break, but it can be broken with some work and prayer. 89 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:15,320 If it is not broken, the first stage leads to a second stage called escalation. 90 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,400 Because pornography is such that it does not satisfy. 91 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:25,520 It only creates a greater desire. 92 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:34,160 And so there is a need for more explicit or risky or deviant material in order to find 93 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:40,320 the same level of sexual excitement. 94 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:45,280 If this addictive cycle is not broken in stage two, it will go on to stage three, which is 95 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:46,280 desensitization. 96 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:55,680 Now, in this stage, what once was shocking becomes normal. 97 00:09:55,680 --> 00:10:02,600 And one begins to rationalize various kinds of perversions, to visit private booths in 98 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:12,680 so-called adult bookstores, if there was ever a name that was inappropriate, it is that. 99 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:20,240 The final stage in this cycle is that of acting out, where the fantasies now begin to be lived 100 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,440 out and begins to victimize other people. 101 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:37,280 You see, Jeffrey Dahmer's didn't begin by committing heinous acts of butchery and deviancy 102 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:42,200 and cannibalism. 103 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:52,280 He began with the first stages of pornography, which became in his life a stronghold. 104 00:10:52,280 --> 00:11:01,040 And as I warned last week, strongholds invite demonic involvement and control. 105 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:05,960 And I'm convinced that the only way that he could do what he did was through the influence 106 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:11,240 and the direct control of demons. 107 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:18,480 He by the way has made a profession of faith and has been baptized in his prison cell in 108 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:19,480 Wisconsin. 109 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,480 I hope it's genuine. 110 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:29,440 But his life is ruined because of the stronghold that was established. 111 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:36,580 Ted Bundy did not start out with murder and sex crimes against women. 112 00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:41,320 Let me read to you his words in a letter to Dr. James Dobson. 113 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:48,200 As a youth I encountered very mild forms of pornography outside the home, dumped along 114 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:55,680 roadsides at friends' homes, on the magazine rack at the local drugstore, but nothing serious. 115 00:11:55,680 --> 00:12:00,080 My interest in it was no more intense than my peers'. 116 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:05,800 I didn't commit or attempt to commit a crime of violence before I left home to go to college. 117 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,440 And I didn't fantasize about doing so either. 118 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:15,360 But I can see now how I was vulnerable when I left home. 119 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:20,520 Not only to the suggestions of pornography, but to depictions of violence in the media 120 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,120 generally. 121 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:28,760 Once on my own in the big city I began to indulge this predisposition in the numerous 122 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:32,760 adult bookstores and theaters in Seattle. 123 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:43,560 Intensely secret fantasy life evolved within me, fed, aroused, reinforced, and strengthened 124 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:51,280 by the material I was exposed to in the bookstores primarily. 125 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:56,720 Now am I suggesting that those who become addicted to pornography inevitably will become 126 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,360 Ted Bundy's or Jeffrey Dahmer's? 127 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,180 No, I'm not saying that. 128 00:13:02,180 --> 00:13:05,440 But that is a possibility. 129 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:10,680 What I am saying is that when you look down at the end of the road and you see men like 130 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:15,840 that and you trace their steps back, it comes back to this problem that men have to fight 131 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,600 with. 132 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:22,120 That Satan uses a tactic against us to put us into bondage. 133 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,120 He uses the gate that God gave us, our eyes. 134 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:32,360 He uses a drive that God has given us for our sexuality to bring us to evil. 135 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:41,880 It is a very serious warfare for men. 136 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,240 We are seduced by our imagination. 137 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:54,800 But if men are seduced by the imagination, women are beguiled by their emotions. 138 00:13:54,800 --> 00:14:01,040 That's the tactic that Satan uses on women. 139 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:11,820 The gate is words and touch. 140 00:14:11,820 --> 00:14:20,080 How many times I have heard the story from both men and women who have been tempted or 141 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:28,200 more than tempted in office situations where there was someone who was having a hard time 142 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:36,760 in his marriage and he sought out some vulnerable female in the office to begin pouring his 143 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:42,320 troubles out to. 144 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:47,400 Even on his part at first it may have been innocent, but what he was failing to realize 145 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:57,440 was that this woman that he is pouring his troubles out to is aroused, beguiled by her 146 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,240 emotions. 147 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:04,800 She begins to feel sorry for this man. 148 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:09,880 That sorrow turns into something more and more and more in time. 149 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:14,040 Then there's just the reaching out of touching and holding the hand for a moment to reassure, 150 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:15,960 to give strength. 151 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:22,120 Then the holding of the hand lasts a little longer and you know the story. 152 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:29,680 It is played out thousands of times every week across America. 153 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:42,820 Why is it you think that the soap operas are predominantly watched by women? 154 00:15:42,820 --> 00:15:56,200 It is because they are very emotional and play to this gait in a woman. 155 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:00,920 The fact is that both men and women learn very quickly in life how to manipulate each 156 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:07,120 other for what they want. 157 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:16,000 These exploitations of God-given, the God-given gift of sexuality, these exploitations are 158 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:26,240 tactics used by the enemy to bring bondage, to create strongholds in the life. 159 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,240 Satan is very clever. 160 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:35,560 He has had thousands of years to study the human race and he has created a world atmosphere 161 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:43,960 around us that leads us in the direction where he knows that we are already vulnerable. 162 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:57,320 He is having a heyday in the 1990s and even in the Church of Jesus Christ. 163 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,760 If those are the tactics of the enemy to bring us to bondage, then what might be some of 164 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:07,640 the steps ordered by the Lord to bring us freedom? 165 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:08,960 That is what I want to talk about now. 166 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:14,200 To do that, I invite you to turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 167 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,840 Wow, what a chapter this is. 168 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:20,000 I mean, it is down to earth. 169 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:22,640 It is where the rubber meets the road. 170 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:29,040 It is one of those chapters that deals with human sexuality and the importance in the 171 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:34,040 place of marriage and God's orders around that. 172 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,200 I am just going to look at the very beginning of the chapter this morning to talk about 173 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:48,320 the steps ordered by the Lord to bring freedom from the stronghold of immoral behavior. 174 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:54,520 He begins chapter 7 by saying, now concerning the things about which you wrote. 175 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:59,880 So Paul had received a letter from these people inquiring about certain things. 176 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:03,000 So Paul is now beginning to answer the questions. 177 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:11,920 The first one says, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 178 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:16,280 We have already talked about the gates of a woman to her emotions. 179 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:20,160 It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 180 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:27,840 Does that mean that a man should never take a woman by the hand or by the arm to help 181 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,160 her across the street or down the steps? 182 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,240 Or that there is never an appropriate occasion to hug someone of the opposite sex? 183 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,600 No, he is not necessarily saying that. 184 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:47,280 What he is saying is, it is not good for a man to touch a woman so as to create a situation 185 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,360 of temptation. 186 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:55,120 Here is the principle I believe that I want to write down as the first step that brings 187 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:56,120 freedom. 188 00:18:56,120 --> 00:19:00,800 Number one, guard the areas of vulnerability. 189 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,680 Guard the areas of vulnerability. 190 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:05,600 That is what Paul is saying to them here. 191 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,760 Be on guard. 192 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,320 He is not saying a male and female should never touch under any circumstances. 193 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:19,240 He is saying that there is a vulnerability there that must be guarded. 194 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,360 I want to expand on that very quickly. 195 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:31,800 I invite you to keep your finger here, but turn to 1 Timothy 6. 196 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:36,920 I am going to look at two verses in this chapter, verses 11 and 12. 197 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:43,880 1 Timothy 6, but flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, 198 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:48,080 faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 199 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:49,580 Fight the good fight of faith. 200 00:19:49,580 --> 00:19:55,260 Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession 201 00:19:55,260 --> 00:19:58,680 in the presence of many witnesses. 202 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:06,640 In these two verses, there are four imperatives which Paul gives to this young man, Timothy. 203 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:14,120 I believe these imperatives outline for us how we can guard the areas of vulnerability 204 00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:18,000 in our lives. 205 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:23,040 For sake of being able to remember them, each one is going to begin with an F. The first 206 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,360 one is obvious. 207 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:27,960 Flee. 208 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,960 If you really want to guard your life, learn to flee. 209 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:40,800 Stay away from stimulating materials, situations, and people as much as possible. 210 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:46,320 I told you last week about this friend of mine who with one particular person at his 211 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:54,280 place of work felt that there was a window of attraction. 212 00:20:54,280 --> 00:21:00,900 The best thing in the world he can do is to stay as far away from her as he can. 213 00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:06,840 Not that she has anything in mind, or even that he does at this point, but the possibilities 214 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:08,080 are there. 215 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:13,560 The electricity is there, and what he needs to do is to flee. 216 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:20,280 I am talking to some men who are here this morning who need to flee from situations where 217 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,120 temptation is very real to you. 218 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,320 It may not even be in the mind of the other person at this point. 219 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:33,360 Something has happened, but you know what I am talking about. 220 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:39,280 The first thing that God tells us to do is to flee from those kinds of relationships, 221 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:44,280 those kinds of situations, those kinds of materials that can lead us into sin. 222 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,680 Number two, follow. 223 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,360 Pursue these things, he says. 224 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,840 Follow after these things. 225 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:59,200 He lists a number of positive qualities, righteousness, godliness, faith, and so on. 226 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:04,920 What he is telling us here to do is to follow after a positive thought life. 227 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:10,240 If you and I want to guard areas of vulnerability, whether we are men or women, we need to follow 228 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,840 after a positive thought life. 229 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:20,480 Philippians 4 verse 8, Paul tells us a screen that we should all put up in front of our 230 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:27,000 minds and he says, think on these things. 231 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,360 It's very difficult to stop thinking negative thoughts, isn't it? 232 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:36,600 It's very difficult to stop thinking tempting thoughts, but we can replace those thoughts 233 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,180 with positive ones. 234 00:22:40,180 --> 00:22:42,560 Number three, fight. 235 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,960 Fight the good fight of faith, he says. 236 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:54,040 If you and I want to guard the areas of vulnerability in our lives, we must recognize our temptations 237 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,200 and counter them. 238 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,720 We must enter into the battle. 239 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:00,400 Too often we are passive. 240 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:08,840 We just allow these thoughts to come into our minds, these temptations to be aroused, 241 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,400 and we don't aggressively resist them. 242 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,460 That's my point. 243 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:21,040 If you and I want to guard our vulnerable areas, we must fight. 244 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:26,520 We must recognize the temptation is real, that it attacks us, and fight back against 245 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:29,040 it. 246 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,680 Number four, fasten. 247 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:38,640 He says, take hold of the eternal life. 248 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:40,040 Fasten yourself to it. 249 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,840 Attach yourself to it. 250 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:44,720 Lay hold of it. 251 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:51,080 Mine says this means to practically appropriate all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities 252 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:55,120 involved in the possession of eternal life. 253 00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:59,680 What he's saying is that you and I need to lay hold of the truth about our spiritual 254 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:06,080 inheritance in Jesus Christ, all that our life in Him involves. 255 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,680 Lay hold of those things. 256 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,680 Make them real. 257 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,180 Appropriate them for ourselves. 258 00:24:12,180 --> 00:24:16,600 And in doing that, we will guard the areas of vulnerability. 259 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:21,760 Someone has said, if you do not want the fruit of sin, stay out of the orchard. 260 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:26,720 And that's what I'm talking about, is staying out of the orchard of temptation. 261 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:32,640 Number two, going back to 1 Corinthians 7, verse two. 262 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:38,920 It's good for a man not to touch a woman, but because of immoralities, let each man 263 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:46,680 have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. 264 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:51,680 Here's the second step in order to bring freedom. 265 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,960 Preserve yourself for that one that God may bring into your life. 266 00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:02,780 Now, Paul is not saying here that it is God's plan for every person to be married. 267 00:25:02,780 --> 00:25:06,640 He goes on in this chapter to talk about the gift of singleness, that there are some who 268 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:07,640 are called to that. 269 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:14,320 It is a high and holy calling, a privileged calling. 270 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:22,120 But generally, God does lead a man to a woman to be his wife and a woman to a man to be 271 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:24,800 her husband. 272 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:31,720 And notice he says, because of immoralities. 273 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:37,560 Now there are other reasons why this is established as God's order in the world. 274 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:38,560 We know that. 275 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:45,600 We understand Genesis chapters one and two, that this is God's plan from the beginning. 276 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:54,760 But Paul makes it clear that because of immoralities, we have to consider marriage. 277 00:25:54,760 --> 00:26:02,720 If you want to bring freedom to your life, then remember to preserve yourself for that 278 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,760 one that God may well bring into your life. 279 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:14,680 And I recognize that I'm talking to some singles this morning, and I do want to exalt 280 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,720 your life at this moment. 281 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:24,680 But I also want to exhort you that if you do not have the gift of singleness, to pursue 282 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:27,480 marriage. 283 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,440 I didn't say marry the first one that comes down the path. 284 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,920 Don't misunderstand me. 285 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:35,680 But I'm saying pursue marriage. 286 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,880 That's God's plan. 287 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:45,720 And if there are certain fears that you have, recognize those fears, deal with them, and 288 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:48,320 then pursue marriage. 289 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:52,680 If you don't have the gift of singleness from God, then it is God's plan for you to 290 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,840 be married. 291 00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:00,560 God is not going to leave you in a situation where you are just totally vulnerable and 292 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:09,360 burning with lust and desire. 293 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:13,960 Preserve yourself for that one that He may bring to your life. 294 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:19,200 Then in verse 3, He goes on to say, let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and 295 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,200 likewise also the wife to her husband. 296 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,240 And He goes on to develop that. 297 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:31,360 He says the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. 298 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:36,160 And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife 299 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,760 does. 300 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:46,240 Principle number 3, the third step ordered by the Lord to bring freedom to our lives. 301 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:55,000 Enjoy the intimacy of the marriage relationship as God has designed it. 302 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:01,000 You see, sex is not merely for the production of children. 303 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,480 Did you know that? 304 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:10,840 God intended sex to be, shall I say, recreational. 305 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,640 Now I know that you're nervous because I'm talking about sex, but you can smile if you 306 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:16,840 want. 307 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:28,200 No one's going to think that you're weird or odd. 308 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:36,640 The marriage intimacy is intended to keep creating anew the oneness of marriage. 309 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:44,800 That's why I call it recreation, because in recreation we are recreating. 310 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:54,440 And that is the purpose in part of the sexual union in marriage, to keep recreating anew 311 00:28:54,440 --> 00:29:00,080 the oneness of marriage. 312 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:05,840 And God's Word makes it clear that spouses have a responsibility to understand, appreciate, 313 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:12,280 and to adjust to the sexual needs of the other. 314 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,880 And I realize that there are extremes that can be out of bounds. 315 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:17,840 I am not talking about those for the moment. 316 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:23,000 I am talking about the normal sexual needs of the other person. 317 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:30,800 Husbands, you need to learn how to love your wife. 318 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:35,360 You are not naturally endowed with that ability. 319 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,860 Let's be honest about it. 320 00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:46,640 It is a matter of learning, and you need to get into school and learn. 321 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,540 You need to understand what satisfies her. 322 00:29:49,540 --> 00:29:55,380 You need to understand how she is prepared. 323 00:29:55,380 --> 00:29:57,620 The Word of God is very clear about this. 324 00:29:57,620 --> 00:30:03,320 You have a responsibility to love your wife. 325 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:07,800 And it pays dividends, by the way. 326 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:13,120 And wives, learn what pleases your husband. 327 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:16,680 Learn what pleases him. 328 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:21,780 You do not naturally know what a man needs. 329 00:30:21,780 --> 00:30:22,960 You need to find out. 330 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:23,960 Ask him. 331 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,080 And if he loves you, he will tell you. 332 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:29,080 He needs to. 333 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:33,840 He needs to be honest about his needs. 334 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,920 Now why am I being so blunt about this? 335 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,100 I'll tell you why. 336 00:30:37,100 --> 00:30:48,760 Because this is a huge area of stumbling in marriages, even in our church. 337 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:59,720 If a husband and wife are defrauding one another in this area, they can actually set up their 338 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:03,560 spouse for vulnerability to sexual temptation. 339 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,080 Did you know that? 340 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:11,760 And if you don't love that wife of yours, as God has commanded you to love her, and 341 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:17,760 tenderly care for her needs, and understand what it is that satisfies and pleases her 342 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:27,360 emotionally, as well as in other areas, then you're playing a role to help set her up 343 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,240 to be vulnerable. 344 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:39,040 And wives, if you do not understand what it is that a man needs in this area, and seek 345 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:47,040 to serve your husband in that way, then you are setting him up to be vulnerable to sexual 346 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:53,040 temptation. 347 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,800 You may need to get some biological facts, frankly, to be informed. 348 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:01,760 It is amazing to me how many people I've been married for years and do not even understand 349 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:08,160 the biological facts. 350 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:16,640 If you approach your marriage intimacy believing that it is dirty, you need to see a counselor. 351 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,040 That is not right. 352 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,240 Now that's not a put down. 353 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,600 I'm just telling you the truth. 354 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:26,360 That's not the way God planned it. 355 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:33,760 If you see it merely as a duty that has to be fulfilled every so often, then you need 356 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,080 to seek some counsel to get help. 357 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:41,520 God intends it to be so much more than that. 358 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:47,720 If it is something that is unpleasant to you, you may need to go to a doctor. 359 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:54,000 My point is that in this day of increasing immorality, you and I need to enjoy the intimacy 360 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:58,840 of the marriage relationship as God has designed it. 361 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:04,080 These are steps ordered by the Lord. 362 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:08,760 These are steps ordered by the Lord. 363 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:10,840 We need to help each other. 364 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:15,320 We need to support each other. 365 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:22,840 And in so doing, see that there be no stronghold of immoral behavior that gets established 366 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:30,280 in our lives or the lives of others that we influence. 367 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:38,440 The Irish playwright Oscar Wilde said, I can resist everything but temptation. 368 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,720 Can you identify with that? 369 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,040 Let's be honest about it. 370 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:47,880 Moral purity is a constant battle in this culture in which we live. 371 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:50,280 None of us is invincible. 372 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:59,440 Frankly, if like me, you live half scared of what you are capable of doing, it's not 373 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,740 all bad. 374 00:34:02,740 --> 00:34:06,680 We need to be scared of sin. 375 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:14,880 Overconfidence and smugness is the first sign that one is in real trouble. 376 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:22,280 Now some of us gathered right here this morning, and God knows and you know, some of us have 377 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:30,320 allowed immoral behavior to become established and ensconced in our lives. 378 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:35,720 And it is of course to you that I am most directly appealing today, though all of us 379 00:34:35,720 --> 00:34:40,120 can learn from what I've talked about. 380 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:47,080 But it is especially to you that I am appealing that you not allow this stronghold to remain 381 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,440 unchallenged. 382 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:52,720 There is forgiveness with God. 383 00:34:52,720 --> 00:34:58,320 You need to know that first of all. 384 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,160 Sexual sin is not the unforgivable sin. 385 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:03,500 Do you understand that? 386 00:35:03,500 --> 00:35:08,040 If you have already been involved in that and there is this stronghold that is eating 387 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:12,520 you up with guilt and shame, know that there is forgiveness with God. 388 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:16,760 There is cleansing through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 389 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:25,880 Now that doesn't mean that He's going to automatically remove all the consequences 390 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:32,540 of that sin, but God will be with you in it. 391 00:35:32,540 --> 00:35:37,840 But it is when we are living that way and we allow that behavior and those thoughts 392 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:44,800 to be unchallenged that we are in deep trouble. 393 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:46,680 It's disobedience to God's law. 394 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,080 It denies Christ's work in our lives. 395 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,600 It defiles the Holy Spirit's temple. 396 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,080 It disgraces our witness. 397 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:54,880 It draws demonic involvement. 398 00:35:54,880 --> 00:36:04,920 There is no reason to allow these spiritual strongholds like immoral behavior to remain. 399 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,760 I'm not going to tell you that the battle is easy. 400 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:10,960 It's not. 401 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:17,880 The stronghold that is now erected may come down with only great effort, but it will come 402 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:26,480 down if you uncover the lies that you now believe and discover what is true. 403 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:32,720 If you choose to act upon that truth and begin wielding your spiritual weapons, that stronghold 404 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:38,400 by God's power will come down. 405 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:44,240 Don't be ashamed to get assistance in the battle. 406 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:49,400 Look out for a trusted counselor or friend who will be able to stand with you and support 407 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,840 you and encourage you. 408 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:58,800 Keep in mind that when you and I are ready to confess our sins and begin the battle, 409 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:04,000 God is right there ready to forgive and renew our strength for that battle. 410 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,320 I hope that's where you're at this morning. 411 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:14,040 This last week I had to make an emergency trip to Kansas to my home. 412 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:19,000 While I was there I was walking on the old home place, which is getting older all the 413 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,680 time as I stay the same. 414 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:28,840 There was this tree that I used to climb in as a kid that is not there anymore. 415 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:37,800 Last year in some horrific storm it blew over and landed on the chicken house. 416 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,600 Didn't completely destroy it, but the damage is still there. 417 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,040 This tree was huge. 418 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:47,160 It had to be this big around at its base. 419 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:52,240 I couldn't put my arms, long as they are, halfway around this tree. 420 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:59,840 It has stood there since my great-grandmother lived on that farm, but it's gone. 421 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:10,020 And the reason that it's gone is that inside that huge tree there was a disease at work. 422 00:38:10,020 --> 00:38:15,280 There was rottenness in its heart. 423 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:22,960 It stood there for years like nothing was wrong when inside it was being eaten away. 424 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:30,480 And one day when the storm came, the tree fell. 425 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:34,040 I think you see the analogy, don't you? 426 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:41,760 You can't afford to allow a stronghold to remain unchallenged in your life. 427 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,160 You've got to go after it. 428 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:49,440 And today is the day to begin. 429 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:55,120 Let's pray. 430 00:38:55,120 --> 00:39:00,720 Well my friend, if you didn't begin last week for some reason, here's another opportunity 431 00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:11,720 today to cry out to God, first of all for salvation if you're not a Christian. 432 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:19,920 To ask Him to forgive your sins, to come into your life, to begin working to make you the 433 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,880 kind of person that He wants you to be. 434 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:28,220 God delights to answer that prayer, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 435 00:39:28,220 --> 00:39:30,000 be saved. 436 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:37,160 All of the guilt and shame of your past can be washed away if you will kneel at the cross 437 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,560 and receive the Savior. 438 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:42,000 Will you do that this morning? 439 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:49,360 Trusting Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins because He died for you. 440 00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:57,600 Receiving Him alone as the Lord of your life. 441 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:02,680 But it's very possible for one to have done that at some point earlier in life and to 442 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:13,240 be faced today as a Christian with a stronghold that denies who you really are. 443 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:16,200 And that is not God's plan. 444 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:24,720 That's why He tells us of our spiritual weapons and of spiritual warfare, if there is a stronghold 445 00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:33,400 of immoral behavior in your life, let me guarantee you it will cause disintegration. 446 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:39,760 And someday, oh it may be secret now, no one may know, but if you don't attack that stronghold 447 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:49,320 someday, like that tree, you're going to fall. 448 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:51,680 And so today will you attack the stronghold? 449 00:40:51,680 --> 00:41:00,760 Will you choose to begin acting upon the truth that you know and wield your spiritual weapons? 450 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:07,680 Just tell God right now, yes I will Lord. 451 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,960 And I want to encourage you to seek a trusted counselor or friend. 452 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:13,280 Don't be alone in your battle. 453 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:15,360 That isn't God's plan. 454 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:17,080 You need not be ashamed. 455 00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:23,440 We are all made of the same stuff. 456 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:33,480 Go to someone you know you can trust and reach out and then join the battle together. 457 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:43,460 Oh Lord I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you will begin breaking down the 458 00:41:43,460 --> 00:41:49,160 strongholds of sin that have been established. 459 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:56,200 That you will work in our hearts to enjoin the battle and to begin attacking with spiritual 460 00:41:56,200 --> 00:42:03,320 weapons those strongholds that must be destroyed before they destroy us. 461 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:10,640 There may be some who are experiencing strongholds far from what we've talked about today, but 462 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:20,040 oh God whatever it be, may we charge in the name of the Lord this day and stay in the 463 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,960 battle until the victory comes. 464 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:30,280 I know that there are some here this morning who are discouraged, encouraged their hearts. 465 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:39,760 May they begin afresh today, not in their own strength, but in your strength and experience 466 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:44,480 more progress and advance in their lives. 467 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:45,760 Thank you for your grace. 468 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,880 Thank you for Christ. 469 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:52,640 Thank you for the liberty that he has died for us to live in. 470 00:42:52,640 --> 00:43:00,160 May we experience it as fully as you want us to. 471 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:09,100 And now let's stand together please with our heads bowed. 472 00:43:09,100 --> 00:43:13,680 Now Lord Jesus Christ we commit ourselves to you as your soldiers. 473 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:21,800 Arm us we pray and teach us to use that armor and our weapons that we may experience victory 474 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:29,960 over the evil one, over the world and over the flesh in our warfare this week and then 475 00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:37,800 return the praise and the honor and the glory to your great and liberating name. 476 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:39,440 Amen.