WEBVTT 00:00:00.965 --> 00:00:02.966 Good morning church. 00:00:02.966 --> 00:00:04.700 How are we doing? 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:05.432 Good. 00:00:05.432 --> 00:00:08.432 Wow. Okay. 00:00:08.632 --> 00:00:09.900 Well, it's good to be with you again. 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:11.099 My name is Colby Flowers. 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:13.699 I'm the student pastor at Valley View here. 00:00:13.699 --> 00:00:17.466 And, I've been delighted to have opportunity to teach with you this morning. 00:00:17.466 --> 00:00:23.565 And we're continuing in our series of proverbs. This morning we are going to be in Proverbs chapter seven. 00:00:23.733 --> 00:00:26.832 And so if you want to turn to the scriptures we will be in Proverbs chapter seven. 00:00:26.832 --> 00:00:28.399 I'm looking forward to this passage. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.466 But, we had a great weekend last weekend. 00:00:31.466 --> 00:00:38.033 If you were here on Sunday last week we had a delightful, delightful spring picnic with a lot of pie. 00:00:38.033 --> 00:00:41.200 Can I get an amen in the house of the Lord? 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:42.533 Pie was great. 00:00:42.533 --> 00:00:45.799 We even were surprised by a visit from Valley Dairy Freeze. 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:47.799 So catch this a Baptist church here. 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.865 We had a cookout, grilled out food, pie and ice cream. 00:00:51.865 --> 00:00:55.932 That's the trifecta right there, right? 00:00:55.932 --> 00:01:05.000 And if you noticed last week, did you know this, the strategic placement of the Valley Dairy Freeze truck, did y'all notice this? 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:16.632 I call I caught wind of it really quickly because one of our food lines, we had two food lines that went around the pavilion out there and one food line went to the right, and they parked their truck right next to that food line. 00:01:16.632 --> 00:01:18.965 Isn't that good marketing? 00:01:18.965 --> 00:01:25.500 So in order to get to the food line, you had to cross the food truck or the ice cream truck. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:30.799 And so it's very easy to just start seeing people walk away with an ice cream cone. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:34.599 You even feel the the rush of cold air when they open and close that cooler. 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:37.299 And you just thinking, hey, I wonder what kind of flavors they might have. 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:43.965 So you peek over there and see what they got, and it's almost impossible not to get an ice cream while you're waiting for your food. 00:01:43.965 --> 00:01:46.700 And actually, my mother in law, she's in the room this morning. 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:49.700 She loves dessert before dinner, and and I'm starting to pick that up. 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:51.700 So there is this. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:53.165 There is this temptation. 00:01:53.165 --> 00:01:54.900 You walk past that, you have to get it. 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:57.665 But Valley Valley Dairy Freeze has done this to me multiple times. 00:01:57.665 --> 00:02:04.933 Because to pick up my daughter from daycare, I drive right past Valley Dairy Freeze. 00:02:04.933 --> 00:02:06.832 And so my daughter's three. 00:02:06.832 --> 00:02:09.165 And what three year old doesn't love ice cream? 00:02:09.165 --> 00:02:13.466 Okay, so she has a very unique way to manipulate me. 00:02:13.466 --> 00:02:14.300 I don't say to manipulate. 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:17.000 That's kind of a bad word. Sweet talk me. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.432 I mean, that's the that's the better word. 00:02:18.432 --> 00:02:24.800 Sweet talked me into stopping for ice cream, and I'm not going to bring up the fact that her father is also a lover of ice cream. 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:26.566 And so it's an easy yes for us. 00:02:26.566 --> 00:02:33.599 And so I had to start thinking of a different route to go home because we were spending too much money at the Dairy Freeze. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:44.332 But we're going to see something this morning in Proverbs chapter seven, a similar situation in which we probably shouldn't go down a path or go even near something that might tempt us. 00:02:44.332 --> 00:02:46.300 So we're going to look here in Proverbs chapter seven. 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:49.300 We're talking about, once again, the topic of adultery. 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:55.400 Now, if you're keeping count, this is the third message we've had on the issue of adultery and lust thus far in Proverbs. 00:02:55.400 --> 00:03:03.066 And we've only been through seven chapters, and some of y'all are thinking, okay, Solomon, like, we get it, you're wanting to instruct on adultery, but can we move on here? 00:03:03.066 --> 00:03:10.733 But before we we jump to a conclusion, I think the reason why he mentions it so much because it was so prevalent. 00:03:10.733 --> 00:03:16.532 And if we we could be honest today the issue of less than adultery is still prevalent today. 00:03:16.532 --> 00:03:26.500 And so for us, even as parents, as we did our family commitment this morning, this isn't shouldn't not be an issue that we delay talking about until our kids are adults. 00:03:26.832 --> 00:03:36.165 Instead, we believe here at Valley View in the appropriate setting that we teach our young ones biblical sexuality in the appropriate way from an early age. 00:03:36.165 --> 00:03:38.233 And it begins with the parents. 00:03:38.233 --> 00:03:42.099 And this is exactly what Solomon, King Solomon is doing in the book of Proverbs. 00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:45.066 So he is speaking about it for the third time already. 00:03:45.066 --> 00:03:46.866 But it's important. 00:03:46.866 --> 00:03:54.765 And so as we're going to see this morning, here's what we're going to go with this, that to protect yourself from digitalized adultery. 00:03:54.765 --> 00:03:57.500 And we're going to come to that phrase in just a second. 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:04.099 To protect yourself from digitalized adultery, you must make a covenant with wisdom and your eyes. 00:04:04.099 --> 00:04:10.699 We're going to unpack this, this is where we're headed, because we've already spoken about it two times in this issue of less than adultery. 00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:11.832 But here's what I want to do this morning. 00:04:11.832 --> 00:04:22.500 I want to get very specific and a particular type of adultery that King Solomon wasn't facing back then, but we certainly face today. 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:26.533 So we might get a little uncomfortable in this room today, but that's okay. 00:04:26.533 --> 00:04:29.932 What we're going to do is we're going to work through God's Word this morning. 00:04:29.932 --> 00:04:35.065 And here in Proverbs chapter seven, verses one through three, this is what it says. 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:46.132 It says, my son, keep my words, keep my words, and treasure up my commandments. 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:48.699 The word keep is so important here. 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:50.766 We're going to see it multiple times. 00:04:50.766 --> 00:04:54.699 But the word keep is so crucial because it doesn't just mean keep. 00:04:54.699 --> 00:04:55.865 It means protect. 00:04:55.865 --> 00:04:58.266 To guard, to watch. 00:04:58.266 --> 00:05:03.165 And we're going to see it multiple times this morning in this passage. 00:05:03.165 --> 00:05:07.365 So what he's saying here is keep my words, treasure my commandments. 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:10.432 Verse two keep my commandments and live. 00:05:10.432 --> 00:05:13.132 Keep my teaching as the apple of your eye. 00:05:13.132 --> 00:05:20.300 Bind them on your fingers while that while and write them on the tablet of your heart. 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:22.399 So we get the picture already from the father. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:23.865 He's playing with the son. 00:05:23.865 --> 00:05:25.233 What I'm instructing to do. 00:05:25.233 --> 00:05:26.733 What I'm warning you to do. 00:05:26.733 --> 00:05:29.266 You've got to keep them, protect them, guard them. 00:05:29.266 --> 00:05:32.365 Put them around your finger like a ring. 00:05:32.365 --> 00:05:33.699 Get them on the inside. 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:35.966 Don't merely make them things that you talk about. 00:05:35.966 --> 00:05:37.665 Get them on the inside of your heart. 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:45.632 So the first thought here is wisdom should be treasured and guarded in our hearts. 00:05:45.632 --> 00:05:54.533 Wisdom should be something that we value and treasure and delight in, that we are that we guard and protect and keep and bind to our lives. 00:05:54.699 --> 00:06:01.766 It is sort of this picture is we're going to see in these next verses this idea of, of of wedding, marrying wisdom. 00:06:01.766 --> 00:06:03.399 Look here in verse four. 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:15.165 It says, say to wisdom, you are my sister and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulterous with her smooth words. 00:06:15.165 --> 00:06:18.865 Now a few things to note here when it says you are my sister. 00:06:18.865 --> 00:06:27.800 We might think in our modern American context that we're talking about a biological sibling, but but often in the ancient text, particularly in verses 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:33.800 1 the word sister would often be used to talk about your wife. 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:41.500 So here we get a picture of him saying, say to wisdom, you are my wife, you are my bride, you are my betrothed. 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:44.500 Call insight your intimate friend. 00:06:44.665 --> 00:06:48.800 But then in verse five, what he does is, is he separates it. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:53.932 He then looks at verse five and says to keep you from the forbidden woman. 00:06:53.932 --> 00:06:55.165 So notice the two options. 00:06:55.165 --> 00:07:00.699 You can choose wisdom as your wife or you can go along with the forbidden woman and go on to folly. 00:07:00.699 --> 00:07:08.932 You see that the the split in the comparison he's making here, because when you are married to wisdom, you will protect. 00:07:08.932 --> 00:07:11.665 It will protect you from the forbidden woman. 00:07:11.665 --> 00:07:18.800 Being married to wisdom, in other words, being so closely knitted to wisdom that we treasure it, we desire it, we protect it, we keep it. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.665 And we want to choose wisdom over folly, over the forbidden woman. 00:07:22.665 --> 00:07:26.899 So my first point this morning put a ring on wisdom. 00:07:26.899 --> 00:07:28.665 If I could say it that way. 00:07:28.665 --> 00:07:30.199 Ring her up. 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.500 When I met Maggie, when we started dating. 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:36.266 And I knew the day. 00:07:36.266 --> 00:07:38.233 This is the girl that I want to marry. 00:07:38.233 --> 00:07:39.800 And I knew it was. 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:42.899 I put a ring on that finger as fast as I could. 00:07:42.899 --> 00:07:46.833 I didn't want her going anywhere else because I wanted to marry her. 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:52.865 But when we're talking about wisdom, we need to marry and be wedded to wisdom. 00:07:53.733 --> 00:07:59.233 We need to to keep it so close to us that we don't let it go and we protect it. 00:07:59.233 --> 00:08:01.132 Does that make sense? 00:08:01.132 --> 00:08:04.699 So it goes on here in verse nine because or sorry, I want to give you another verse. 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:10.632 9 it says, how can a young man keep his way pure? 00:08:10.632 --> 00:08:13.632 By guarding it according to your word. 00:08:13.932 --> 00:08:31.333 It's a beautiful verse, a simple picture of God's word, God's wisdom protecting us, keeping us on a pure path and all of this says, man, this can be applied to men and women, so we keep our way pure when the Word of God is first in our lives. 00:08:31.333 --> 00:08:42.399 So the father goes here in verse six, he gives more instruction to the son, and he sets us up because he talks about him sitting at his window, looking out through his window into the public square. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:44.700 And he makes some observations. 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:50.899 The father here tells his son, listen, this is what I've been noticing has been happening in the public square. 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:52.033 This is what it says. 00:08:52.033 --> 00:09:03.633 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple I have perceived among the youths a young man lacking sense. 00:09:03.633 --> 00:09:05.399 So here's a picture here. 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:18.732 The father notices young men in the square, in the town, in the city, and he sees one particular, one particular young man who is lacking sense. He's impulsive, he doesn't think before he does. 00:09:18.732 --> 00:09:36.600 He's simple minded, not as a necessarily an evil thing, but simple minded in the sense of he doesn't think about what he's doing, and he notices this person and he pulls his son aside and say, listen, this is what is going on right outside, right in front of you. 00:09:36.700 --> 00:09:43.899 And then verse eight, he comes in and says, passing along the street near her corner, her being the forbidden woman. 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:51.832 He says, this man, this young man's simple minded, passes along the street, taking the road to her house. 00:09:51.832 --> 00:09:56.832 And in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. 00:09:57.732 --> 00:10:03.000 So not only this young man go to the wrong place, he goes at the wrong time. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:07.265 You have heard this phrase being in the wrong place at the wrong time? 00:10:07.265 --> 00:10:14.600 Kind of implies this person being unlucky that something happened to them, and they were unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:20.200 But you know, I know another phrase nothing good happens after midnight. 00:10:21.265 --> 00:10:26.899 Because, see, sometimes I think we put ourselves in unlucky positions, you know what I mean? 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:32.765 Like, we make decisions, putting ourselves in the path of things that are unlucky. 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:34.732 Because here's what I think. 00:10:34.732 --> 00:10:40.232 Sometimes unlucky people are just fools who keep making bad choices. 00:10:40.232 --> 00:10:50.332 That is, they may feel unlucky, like bad things keep happening to them, but the reality is, is they keep putting themselves in places they shouldn't be in at times that they shouldn't be. 00:10:50.332 --> 00:10:52.700 And this is for this young man. 00:10:52.700 --> 00:11:02.700 He's going near this known location where forbidden woman in adulterous lives goes down her path, goes down her street and goes it midnight. 00:11:03.066 --> 00:11:06.232 You know, nothing good is going to happen there. 00:11:06.232 --> 00:11:08.899 Because here's the thing, lust. 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:13.666 It begins when a good desire is lured in the wrong direction. 00:11:15.966 --> 00:11:25.899 Having the desire of, of sexual intimacy and wanting to be close to to a spouse is a godly, beautiful, God created thing. 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:31.365 But lust takes those good desires and makes them into bad desires or God desires. 00:11:31.365 --> 00:11:33.765 It takes them in the wrong direction. 00:11:33.765 --> 00:11:50.000 14-15, I would encourage you to take some time to look at these verses, but it says it very clearly that our desires are enticed, they are lured and enticed and then it gets to the place where we give birth to sin, and then sin leads to death. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.533 So what it is, is saying here is, is that we need to be cautious. 00:11:54.533 --> 00:12:01.100 And for us this morning, we need to look at what how we are lured. 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:05.332 Because harkening back all the way back to Genesis three, the enemy's been active. 00:12:05.332 --> 00:12:10.633 He's been using the same game plan that you and I can be lured in different ways. 00:12:10.633 --> 00:12:14.966 And so looking at these verses to come up here, we're going to look at a good chunk of verses. 00:12:14.966 --> 00:12:19.732 We're going to see exactly how the forbidden woman lures this young man. 00:12:19.732 --> 00:12:28.633 Look here in verse ten, Proverbs chapter seven, verse ten, and behold, the woman meets him dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:30.100 She is loud and wayward. 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:33.765 Her feet do not stay at home now in the street, now in the market. 00:12:33.765 --> 00:12:36.765 In every corner she lies in wait. 00:12:36.932 --> 00:12:39.566 So she comes out, dressed the part. 00:12:39.566 --> 00:12:41.399 She dresses to get attention. 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:42.799 She's never at home. 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.033 She's going from place to place. 00:12:44.033 --> 00:12:45.066 From here to there. 00:12:45.066 --> 00:12:47.265 She's looking for her next victim. 00:12:47.265 --> 00:12:50.265 This woman is a predator on the prowl. 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.000 Wanting, searching, looking. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.133 Who is next. 00:12:55.133 --> 00:12:58.533 And at this point, this should be the young man's thought. 00:12:58.533 --> 00:13:01.066 I need to go somewhere else. 00:13:01.066 --> 00:13:02.232 I need to leave. 00:13:02.232 --> 00:13:03.100 I need to get away. 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:04.899 But here's the problem. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:08.799 He sees her, his eyes lock in on her. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:10.500 He sees the way that she's dressed. 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:12.365 He sees the way that she carries herself. 00:13:12.365 --> 00:13:14.166 He sees the way that she operates. 00:13:14.166 --> 00:13:16.832 And now his attention has been grabbed. 00:13:18.033 --> 00:13:22.066 You see, lust grabs your attention by luring your eyes. 00:13:23.133 --> 00:13:26.799 If, if if the enemy can get your eyes. 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:28.533 He's got a lot of you. 00:13:28.533 --> 00:13:34.700 Because then it lures you to a place to where other things can lead to other things. 00:13:34.700 --> 00:13:36.799 All he has to do is get your attention. 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:37.832 And that was her scheme. 00:13:37.832 --> 00:13:39.399 That's her plan this whole time. 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:42.399 If I can get his eyes, I can get him. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:44.365 It goes on here in verse 13. 00:13:44.365 --> 00:13:45.332 Let's see what happens. 00:13:45.332 --> 00:13:48.332 It says she seizes him and kisses him. 00:13:48.633 --> 00:14:00.399 She just goes up, grabs him, kisses him, flirts with him, gives him her full attention, and with bold face she says to him, I had to offer sacrifices. 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.399 And today I paid my vows. 00:14:03.765 --> 00:14:05.299 It's her religious alibi. 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:07.066 I'm a good Jew. 00:14:07.066 --> 00:14:08.899 I went and made my peace offerings. 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:10.033 I made my vows to God. 00:14:10.033 --> 00:14:11.299 All that's taken care of. 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:14.700 So not only does she show her full attention to him, she flirts with him. 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:15.765 She says, I'm a good Jew. 00:14:17.533 --> 00:14:18.133 Verse 15. 00:14:18.133 --> 00:14:24.033 So now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:27.066 You see your plain coming together. 00:14:27.066 --> 00:14:33.566 Verse 16 I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen. 00:14:33.566 --> 00:14:37.600 I have perfume, my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.966 She has all the entrapment, all the luxuries. Everything's ready. 00:14:41.966 --> 00:14:46.466 All he has to do is say yes in verse 18. 00:14:46.466 --> 00:14:49.700 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:52.700 Let us delight ourselves with love. 00:14:53.966 --> 00:15:07.666 What young man could get this type of attention to get this type of flirtation, to get this type of scenario and have the ability to run away from it at this point, this is difficult. 00:15:07.666 --> 00:15:08.432 So here's the next thing. 00:15:08.432 --> 00:15:13.432 Lust draws you closer by luring your desires. 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:18.666 So first it gets your eyes, then it gets your heart. 00:15:18.732 --> 00:15:21.500 It wants to get your desires, your urges. 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:22.865 It wants to get your attention. 00:15:22.865 --> 00:15:25.865 And now it wants to get you to move. 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:29.033 And this is her scheme all along. 00:15:29.033 --> 00:15:30.700 I’m going to apply this today in just a little bit. 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:33.100 But before we get there, here's what happens. 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:36.100 She gives another another lure. 00:15:36.666 --> 00:15:40.865 She says for my husband in verse 19, for my husband is not at home. 00:15:40.865 --> 00:15:43.332 He's gone on a long journey. 00:15:43.332 --> 00:15:44.633 He took a bag of money with him. 00:15:44.633 --> 00:15:46.100 At full moon he will come home. 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:49.966 Meaning don't worry, no one's going to find out. 00:15:50.466 --> 00:15:52.033 It's secret. 00:15:52.033 --> 00:15:53.600 It's okay. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.932 My husband's gone. 00:15:54.932 --> 00:15:56.365 He's not going to come back. 00:15:56.365 --> 00:15:57.732 I know exactly when he's coming back. 00:15:57.732 --> 00:15:58.166 He's got the. 00:15:58.166 --> 00:15:59.265 He took his money with him. 00:15:59.265 --> 00:16:00.066 He's going to be fine. 00:16:00.066 --> 00:16:01.633 And we've got everything for ourselves. 00:16:02.865 --> 00:16:06.533 See lust entices you with the luring of secrecy. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:08.899 It's going to be secret. 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:14.033 No one's going to know and we can get away with it. 00:16:14.332 --> 00:16:15.500 Is this not. 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:20.000 Do we not see this prevalent played out today in our culture? 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:24.799 It may have happened back then, but it still happens today. 00:16:25.033 --> 00:16:26.365 And so she continues here. 00:16:26.365 --> 00:16:29.633 It continues in verse 21 with much seductive speech. 00:16:29.633 --> 00:16:32.166 She persuades him with her smooth talk. 00:16:32.166 --> 00:16:34.033 She compels him. 00:16:34.033 --> 00:16:50.000 Verse 22, all at once he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver, and as a bird rushes into a snare, he does not know that it will cost him his life. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.166 She's the predator on the prowl, and she's got her victim. 00:16:54.365 --> 00:16:55.666 And he willingly goes. 00:16:55.666 --> 00:17:02.000 Because step by step he continued to make choices, small choices that got him to this place. 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:04.200 And here's the reality. 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:13.299 Lust may not lead to your physical death, but it certainly may lead to the death of your marriage. 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:18.799 It may lead to the death within your community and may break your community apart. 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:20.333 It may break your friends apart. 00:17:20.333 --> 00:17:22.032 It may break a marriage apart. 00:17:22.032 --> 00:17:25.032 That's where this journey leads. 00:17:26.066 --> 00:17:31.566 So you can imagine why a father would want to tell his son this such crucial information. 00:17:31.566 --> 00:17:35.099 But the reason why we don't talk about it in church today, because it's taboo. 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:37.165 We don't talk about this stuff. 00:17:37.165 --> 00:17:40.032 It's kind of uncomfortable. 00:17:40.032 --> 00:17:43.232 But that's the way the serpent, the enemy wants it to be. 00:17:44.432 --> 00:17:52.465 The crafty serpent has the same goal and lies since the garden, but he uses different means today. 00:17:52.465 --> 00:17:54.365 The serpent wants to blaspheme God. 00:17:54.365 --> 00:17:55.833 He wants to destroy families. 00:17:55.833 --> 00:17:57.232 He wants to destroy marriages. 00:17:57.232 --> 00:17:58.599 He wants to destroy communities. 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:01.200 He wants to bring as many people down with him as he can. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:07.299 And he does it by driving a wedge in between husband and wife, but not just husband and wife. 00:18:07.299 --> 00:18:11.900 He wants people to lust after other people, so he's got tons and tons of schemes. 00:18:11.900 --> 00:18:19.700 And today, the fact that we live in a digital age, Satan has been armed with more. 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:25.032 And so we as Christians, we can't be quiet about this. 00:18:25.032 --> 00:18:29.465 We need to head this, go at this straight, head on. 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:31.500 Verse 24. 00:18:32.465 --> 00:18:35.833 This is the father now pausing the gave him his observations. 00:18:35.833 --> 00:18:38.299 Now he's going to pause and say, listen, here's my instruction. 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:39.932 Here's my warning to you, son. 00:18:39.932 --> 00:18:41.099 All the sons of Israel. 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:46.799 He says, listen to me and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 00:18:47.133 --> 00:18:50.299 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways. 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:53.932 Do not stray into her paths. 00:18:54.133 --> 00:18:55.000 Pause here. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:56.599 I want this to stay up for me. 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:58.432 Look at this. 00:18:58.432 --> 00:19:03.432 Notice the father doesn't go to and say, hey, let me address the way she was dressed. 00:19:03.432 --> 00:19:07.599 Let me address the the entrapment and luxuries that she tried to. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:08.732 She might try to give you. 00:19:08.732 --> 00:19:11.865 Now, let me address how she promised you secrecy. 00:19:11.865 --> 00:19:14.566 He doesn't talk about any that you know what he talks about. 00:19:14.566 --> 00:19:15.000 Notice. 00:19:16.232 --> 00:19:21.566 Let not your heart turn aside to your ways, and don't stray into her paths. 00:19:21.566 --> 00:19:23.266 You know what that means. 00:19:23.266 --> 00:19:25.500 Stay away from her. 00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:28.266 Don't go anywhere near her. 00:19:28.266 --> 00:19:32.566 If you never see her, you won't have the desire to be pulled towards her. So listen. 00:19:32.566 --> 00:19:36.133 Don't go anywhere near her. 00:19:37.365 --> 00:19:39.633 You know what that means for us today. 00:19:39.633 --> 00:19:42.633 Don't go down the office to that cubicle. 00:19:43.232 --> 00:19:47.566 Don't walk past or interact with someone that you know might get you in trouble. 00:19:47.566 --> 00:19:57.700 Don't friend somebody on social media and digitally speaking, don't be looking at things on your screens that might stoke a fire that you can't put out. 00:19:58.032 --> 00:20:06.599 So what it is, is it's we cannot tiptoe up to the line of sin, but we should head in the opposite direction church. 00:20:07.566 --> 00:20:13.599 If this is sin, we can't treat it like I'm going to tiptoe right up to the line, I'm not sinning, I’m not sinning, I'm not sinning. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:17.566 And then trust our self-control and discipline is going to keep us there. 00:20:17.566 --> 00:20:20.566 Baloney. 00:20:21.232 --> 00:20:27.365 And it's something as simple as ice cream going down the right path to the ice cream. 00:20:27.365 --> 00:20:29.932 That's what that we have to walk past. 00:20:29.932 --> 00:20:36.200 If I can't keep myself from ice cream, you think you're going to be able to keep yourself from something a lot stronger? 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:37.333 So you know what you do? 00:20:37.333 --> 00:20:39.200 You don't go right. 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:40.465 Because we had two lines that day. 00:20:40.465 --> 00:20:43.665 You know where you go, you pick a different path. 00:20:43.665 --> 00:20:48.732 Don't go down the path where temptation is going to hit you. 00:20:48.732 --> 00:20:54.400 We cannot tip toe to the line of sin, but we should head in the opposite direction. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:02.865 So if I can share the second point for us this morning, we need to make a covenant with our eyes. 00:21:03.333 --> 00:21:09.133 We make an agreement with our eyes, and I'm not going to look upon something that's going to stoke a fire that I can't put out. 00:21:09.133 --> 00:21:13.566 I'm not going to put myself in a position where I can get myself in trouble. 00:21:13.566 --> 00:21:16.200 Instead, I'm going to go way over here. 00:21:16.200 --> 00:21:17.700 1. 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:18.500 This is so clear. 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:19.365 I love this verse. 00:21:19.365 --> 00:21:22.333 I have made a covenant with my eyes. 00:21:22.333 --> 00:21:25.032 How then could I gaze at a virgin? 00:21:25.032 --> 00:21:27.032 I've resolved in myself. 00:21:27.032 --> 00:21:31.133 I'm not going to look at something that's going to tempt me. 00:21:31.133 --> 00:21:32.232 But here's the problem church. 00:21:32.232 --> 00:21:36.799 Here's where I think we we have it wrong sometimes in the Christian faith. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:43.599 Sometimes we think, well, certain things don't really affect me that much. 00:21:43.732 --> 00:21:48.000 I can watch those movies, I can watch that TV show. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.232 I can look at these things online. 00:21:50.232 --> 00:21:51.799 It's really not that big of a deal. 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:54.799 It doesn't really affect me. Really? 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.599 Really? 00:21:59.032 --> 00:22:07.865 You see, we have to draw a hard line between what is going to lead us into temptation and what is not. 00:22:07.865 --> 00:22:10.599 Do you all know where the phrase I know it when I see it? 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:12.333 You know where that phrase comes from. 00:22:12.333 --> 00:22:13.900 Just curious. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:32.700 So where it comes from, it's actually a Supreme Court justice that first, like coined the phrase all the way back in 1964, there was this case that was brought up to the Supreme Court over the issue of an obscene movie and whether it was a First Amendment right to ban it. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:44.900 So Ohio banned the movie, and then there was a, a case brought to the Supreme Court, and they were trying to decide whether or not pornography is okay under the First Amendment. 00:22:44.900 --> 00:22:46.965 And I'm not trying to get into the legal issue here is. 00:22:46.965 --> 00:22:53.532 But but what's interesting is that they couldn't really describe what pornography was. 00:22:54.833 --> 00:23:03.032 And we can fall victim this because we think, well, this is we kind of keep moving the line. There's not a clear definition. 00:23:03.032 --> 00:23:07.099 So I'm going to keep moving the line of what I think it is because we want to keep looking at it. 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:09.766 But here's what this person says. 00:23:09.766 --> 00:23:12.232 He says, I know it when I see it. 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:23.000 For me, I've got a big problem with that because now we're talking about something that's different for everybody. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:30.400 So instead of laying the line like, I'm not going to cross this line, it's not pornographic or whatever it is, but it is. 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:41.465 The movies that we've normalized, the TV shows that we normalize, the music that we've normalized, all have become so obscene that it's just normal to us now. 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:53.066 And now it's stoking fires in our hearts, privately, in the in our bedrooms with screens and things that it becomes a very big issue that starts with one small choice. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:24:05.900 But I want you to understand this morning too, that pornography is an old pagan practice that has been digitalized and weaponized against us today. 00:24:05.932 --> 00:24:09.932 See back in the Old Testament, there was a, a Canaanite god that they worshiped. 00:24:09.932 --> 00:24:10.865 His name was Baal. 00:24:12.066 --> 00:24:16.799 And to worship Baal, you would go to a cult prostitute and interact with her. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:20.799 And that was your worship to Baal to get a crop yield back. 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.465 And it was on public display for everybody. 00:24:23.465 --> 00:24:28.465 There was participators and observers and all that was to worship Baal. 00:24:28.465 --> 00:24:34.799 Paul writes in First Corinthians, Christians don't keep going to the cult prostitutes, you are a believer now. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.133 Your body is a temple. 00:24:36.133 --> 00:24:39.032 It cannot be aligned with both a prostitute and with Christ. 00:24:39.032 --> 00:24:44.365 He is writing to them saying, listen, there is no more public things that can happen like this anymore. 00:24:44.365 --> 00:24:46.965 You've got to go away from that lifestyle. 00:24:46.965 --> 00:24:51.200 It's an age old practice that's still being practiced today. 00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:52.566 And here's the thing. 00:24:52.566 --> 00:24:57.165 The sad reality of all this is that pornography, it turns people into products for self consumption. 00:25:00.532 --> 00:25:05.032 69% of men in America view porn every year. 00:25:05.932 --> 00:25:09.932 40% of women in America view porn every year. 00:25:09.932 --> 00:25:15.000 51% of young adults 18 to 25 view porn once a month. 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:21.299 The earliest ages that children come into contact with porn is ages 9 to 13. 00:25:21.566 --> 00:25:22.200 Here's another one. 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.799 It's pretty crazy. 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:48.032 In a study, they asked people whether pornography was good or bad, morally wrong, right, indifferent, and 14% said that that pornography is bad, 14% 50, I believe it was -- I don't want to misquote it here -- I think it was 57% said that pornography is not bad or it's good. 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:52.099 Morally indifferent. 00:25:52.133 --> 00:25:57.865 And to think that we as Christians, we don't have a clear, defined line in Scripture. 00:25:57.865 --> 00:25:59.299 What is pornography? 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:03.165 But I can tell you what the father told the son is don't go anywhere near it. 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:10.066 So I think we have to be disciplined and laid down the law. 00:26:10.066 --> 00:26:13.799 And the hard line is we can't get anywhere close to it. 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:17.000 And I may sound like a fuddy duddy, I get it. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:19.333 That's okay. 00:26:19.333 --> 00:26:23.865 But I'd rather protect your marriage than for you to watch a movie. 00:26:23.865 --> 00:26:30.932 I'd rather that your marriage would be protected, than you continue to scroll mindlessly and letting the enemy stoke a fire that's in your heart. 00:26:30.932 --> 00:26:32.299 See? Digitalized adultery. 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:37.000 It makes an easier pathway to physical adultery. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.599 It's one choice that leads to another, to another, to another. 00:26:43.232 --> 00:26:44.299 And this is what Jesus said. 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:46.000 Matthew five is a familiar verse. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:48.500 You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:49.665 I think we all would agree with that. 00:26:49.665 --> 00:26:56.432 Verse 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has committed adultery with her in his heart. 00:26:57.532 --> 00:27:00.532 It's a heart matter. 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:03.532 And I don't want to shame anybody this morning. 00:27:03.532 --> 00:27:04.665 But here's what I'll say. 00:27:04.665 --> 00:27:06.566 We are saved by grace through faith. 00:27:06.566 --> 00:27:13.000 All of our sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus, and what is impossible with man is possible with God. 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:17.365 Jesus has given us the power to overcome any sin that we're dealing with. 00:27:17.365 --> 00:27:20.500 So I don't want to end this service on a bad note. 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:31.700 I want to end it on a good note, because if you're in this room and you're struggling with this issue, or you know someone who is struggling with this issue, I can say in the name of Jesus, you have victory over it. 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:34.700 Oh. 00:27:39.766 --> 00:27:41.965 So let me close this with five things. 00:27:41.965 --> 00:27:43.799 Five quick things. 00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:47.532 How to have victory over pornography begins with these five things. Okay. 00:27:47.532 --> 00:27:48.465 This is not exhaustive. 00:27:48.465 --> 00:27:49.299 This is where it begins. 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:50.766 First thing, honesty. 00:27:52.333 --> 00:27:55.365 You need to be brutally honest with yourself. 00:27:57.833 --> 00:28:03.799 if anyone lies and says that he is without sin, he is a liar and the truth is not in him. 00:28:04.432 --> 00:28:08.833 You need to admit to yourself, this is sin, this is addiction. 00:28:08.833 --> 00:28:11.333 This is a problem and I don't want to keep going. 00:28:11.333 --> 00:28:12.432 It begins with being honest. 00:28:12.432 --> 00:28:14.766 Second thing, confession 00:28:16.566 --> 00:28:23.200 If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:27.066 When you confess your sins to God, he will cleanse you. 00:28:27.066 --> 00:28:29.232 He will forgive you. 00:28:29.232 --> 00:28:31.900 There is no shame in confessing sin to God. 00:28:31.900 --> 00:28:34.500 He will bring healing to you. 00:28:34.500 --> 00:28:36.365 Third, repentance. 00:28:36.365 --> 00:28:37.700 You can't just confess. 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:39.165 Now you got to turn the other way. 00:28:39.165 --> 00:28:39.932 Repentance. 00:28:39.932 --> 00:28:47.400 create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit, a right attitude in me. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:51.232 Change me from the inside so I don't go back to it. 00:28:51.232 --> 00:28:53.066 discipline. 00:28:54.133 --> 00:28:56.133 This requires extreme discipline. 00:28:56.133 --> 00:28:59.599 And the greater the addiction, the greater the discipline is required. 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:04.333 29 Matthew 5, 29 through 30. 00:29:04.333 --> 00:29:07.000 This is right after he gets done talking about lust. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:11.400 He says, if your eye causes you to sin, what do you need to do? 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:12.333 Pluck it out. 00:29:12.333 --> 00:29:15.633 If your hand, your arm causes you to sin, what do you do? Cut it off. 00:29:15.633 --> 00:29:20.932 It's better to enter heaven with one than to enter with both and go to hell. 00:29:22.066 --> 00:29:31.133 It's better to have one and maintain a healthy marriage than to have both your eyes and continuing down a path of lust that could lead to adultery and divorce. 00:29:31.133 --> 00:29:34.400 Fifth, accountability. 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:37.032 This is the bread and butter of it right here. 00:29:37.032 --> 00:29:38.500 This is why we have life groups. 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:42.700 This is why we have friends in ministry, friends close to us in life. 00:29:45.266 --> 00:29:50.000 Confess your sins to one another and you will find healing. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.032 Pray for one another. 00:29:52.032 --> 00:29:56.532 Even says in the next verse, the righteous prayer or the prayer of a righteous person is powerful. 00:29:58.333 --> 00:30:01.799 You have allies in this room that you can walk and do life with. 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:08.099 And if this is ever a struggle with you, you need to get accountability now because you know what the enemy wants you to do. 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:14.766 He wants you to stay in a closed, dark room, so don't stay there. 00:30:14.766 --> 00:30:22.500 So my challenge for us this morning, are you willing to take extreme measures to battle lust? 00:30:22.500 --> 00:30:25.965 For some of you, that means cutting out the movies. 00:30:25.965 --> 00:30:31.965 That means cutting out the shows, cutting out the mindlessly scrolling, cutting out, not having accountability through your screen. 00:30:31.965 --> 00:30:33.799 And as I close, there is. 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:35.299 This is just for your reference. 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:42.799 There is a company, an app called Covenant Eyes that will help you give a have accountability through something like this. 00:30:44.066 --> 00:30:48.266 And the reason why I'm so passionate about this is I'm a I'm a student pastor. 00:30:48.266 --> 00:30:58.000 I work with teenagers, and the group of people that are attacked most by this is kids, but it leads to them becoming adults. 00:30:58.165 --> 00:31:00.000 But that doesn't mean any of us are immune to any of this. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:06.032 So I pray that you would take steps to have extreme measures to fight this issue. 00:31:06.032 --> 00:31:08.299 Let's pray. 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:23.865 Father, thank you for your grace, for forgiveness, that in Christ we have forgiveness of all sin, that there is not one sin that we struggle with, not one temptation that we have that you have not given us victory over. 00:31:24.299 --> 00:31:35.032 I pray in this room that anyone who's struggling with the sin issue, and maybe specifically the issue of lust, that you have already given victory over it in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:31:36.133 --> 00:31:54.165 But God, I pray that you would give people the boldness to take extreme measures to fight the sin, that we would take our eyes off the things that are stoking fires, that we would step away and not go the route that might lead us into temptation. 00:31:54.165 --> 00:32:06.633 God, I pray that you would strengthen our marriages, strengthen our families, and that we we would glorify you by how we by how we look at things. 00:32:06.633 --> 00:32:13.099 God, I pray this morning that you would give us boldness to make the right decisions and the wise decisions. 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:15.700 I pray this in Jesus name. 00:32:15.700 --> 00:32:16.000 Amen.