WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 You have your Bible's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:11.000 We'll be finishing out this chapter this morning. 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:22.000 Sometimes it's hard to navigate how to handle the things of this world. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:33.000 The Bible tells us not to love the world nor to love the scenes in the world, but we all like ice cream a lot. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.000 We all like a good steak. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.000 I know some of you really like steak. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.000 I know I like a good meal. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.000 I crave food, certain food at times. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.000 Once a week I can eat Mexican. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 I crave it if I don't have Mexican at least once a week. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.000 But is that wrong? 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:06.000 Should I feel bad that I like food when the Bible tells me not to love the world nor the things in the world? 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.000 I have things that I enjoy. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.000 I have a beautiful red Jeep. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:18.000 I've always wanted one since I was a kid and now I have one. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.000 I love it. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:22.000 I don't even put the top on. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:24.000 It stays tucked into the garage in the wintertime. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000 But any beautiful day I just love pulling it out. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:34.000 Am I wrong for loving my Jeep or liking my Jeep, enjoying my Jeep? 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:38.000 How do I as a Christian to handle such things? 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:46.000 How do we to handle the physical world around us? 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.000 How do we to even view our physical bodies? 00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:16.000 Are we not to put our minds on spiritual things and put our minds on things above and lay up our treasures in heaven and just be spiritually minded constantly and consistently and entirely and bobbly bopficate the physical rattlemen and somewhat reject and shun all the earthly pleasures of this world. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:18.000 Is that what we're called to do? 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.000 Obviously, many people live for this world. 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.000 They have idols. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:25.000 They've made this world their love. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.000 God forbids that. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:34.000 Anything that we love more or abuse in any way, a fear more than we fear God is an idol. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:40.000 Often the world is the focus of our affections and our love. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.000 And that's obviously not healthy or good. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.000 In fact, it's sinful. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:49.000 But sometimes we don't know exactly how to handle the physical ram. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:55.000 And I think there's two extremes that we're typically falling into. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:04.000 One is the stream of legalism where we just say no to everything. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.000 And the other one is antinomianism. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.000 That's where we say yes to everything. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:23.000 And it seems like the Corinthians, in fact, it doesn't seem as evident that the the Corinthians in the first century was tilted towards antinomianism. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:25.000 They were tilted in. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:30.000 Just enjoying the flesh, enjoying the physical ram. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.000 To a sinful degree. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:40.000 And they went beyond just enjoying ice cream or their food. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.000 They were so. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:50.000 Given to the physical pleasures of this world, they were making excuses for sexual immorality. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:59.000 And how in the world did they get to a place where a Christian church could ever tolerate the physical pleasure of the world? 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:06.000 Could they ever tolerate its membership participating in sexual immorality? 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:13.000 Even some members apparently were going to prostitutes and no one was doing anything about it. 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:17.000 In fact, it was tolerated and considered OK. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:22.000 Maybe it wasn't something good, but they weren't condemning it. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.000 How does a church ever get to such a place like that? 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:33.000 How did the Corinthians get to a place that they were tolerating such events? 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:40.000 It appears to me that the Corinthians were influenced by three things. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:49.000 One, it appears to me that they were influenced by some form of proto Gnosticism that was coming out of Athens about 50 miles away. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:05:00.000 And Gnosticism basically said that the real realm that is important is the realm that Plato would describe as that realm of the ideas. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.000 That's the spiritual Ram. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.000 That's where your soul is involved in. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.000 That's God. He's not physical. He's not tangible. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:15.000 He's spiritual. All that is eternal and valuable and good is invisible and spiritual. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.000 That's what's important. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:26.000 To a special degree, that that which is physical is less good or not important at all. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:34.000 Therefore, the physical body is something that we need to get rid of or not worry about. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:43.000 And this led to also two forms of application of this Gnosticism led to two forms of application. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:51.000 So the legalistic form of asceticism, there were some who would beat their bodies because the body is evil. 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:55.000 I can't indulge in the flesh. I can't do anything that the body wants. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:01.000 I got to tell it no in every way and all times have no pleasures in this world at all. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.000 And they would do that. 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:13.000 But others such as the Corinthians use this form of Gnosticism to say, well, if it doesn't matter what we do in the body, then let's go ahead and eat, drink and marry. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:21.000 For tomorrow we're going to die. We might as well enjoy this body because it really doesn't equate to any eternal value. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:26.000 Let's just go ahead and have fun. And that's what the Corinthians were doing. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:33.000 Even to the point that we see in Chapter 15, some of them were denying the resurrection of the body. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 They didn't be the body with God's not worried about the body. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:46.000 And that seems to be impacting and influencing their tolerance towards sexual immorality in the church. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:07:00.000 They also were using this statement that's true, this statement from Paul, one of the teachings of Paul, where he taught all things are lawful. 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:10.000 He was teaching against legalism. All things are lawful, not saying things that the Bible forbids, the Ten Commandments. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:21.000 He's not undoing the law and saying there's no law. He's saying beyond what the law says, if the Bible doesn't condemn it, then it's lawful. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:32.000 All things are lawful. And they were using that as a license to say, well, my forication is lawful. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:42.000 They were using the teachings of Paul against him. They were taking portion of his teaching out of context and applying it wrongly. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:55.000 It might be they were even misapplying the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ taught when he was reputed for eating with unclean hands. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:08:02.000 They were going to a field one day and they were saples of picking grain from the field. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:07.000 And lo and behold, they hadn't had any water to clean their hands or their hands. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:14.000 They were eating and then the Pharisees, the scribes saw them eating with unwhorched hands. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:19.000 They go, why do you break through traditions of our fathers? Why are you doing this? 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:27.000 And Jesus was very upset about that. And he says, it's not what goes in the body that defiles a person. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:33.000 And even his oldest apples is, what are you talking about? He goes, listen, it's not your you put food in. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:39.000 It's going to go in. It's going to be expelled. And that doesn't determine the nature of the heart and your attitude. 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:50.000 It's not what goes in. It's going to follow you. And we learn that it's by so doing that he pronounced all things, all meat, even pork clean. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:55.000 That's not going to defile you by eating catfish. Thank the Lord. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:00.000 So he declares that's not what goes in you that defiles you. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:14.000 Now, maybe the Corinthians were aware of that teaching and said, well, if that's the case, if if I can eat what I want to eat, if it's I have the freedom to eat meats offered to idols and so forth. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:17.000 And it's my consciousness clean to eat these things. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:24.000 Therefore, if I have bodily appetites, if I have cravings and it doesn't matter, the belly is going to be destroyed. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.000 The body is going to be destroyed. The meat is going to be destroyed. The food is going to be destroyed. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:33.000 If it doesn't really matter, then I'm just going to go ahead and indulge myself and enjoy life. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:39.000 For today we might as well eat, live and be merry because tomorrow we're going to die. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:51.000 And they applied that wrongly to fornication. If you have hunger pains, then satisfy them. If you have sexual desires, might as well satisfy them. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:10:03.000 You see how their logic allowed them to take biblical principles and turn them into evil to justify sin. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:12.000 And I think we're all prone to do that. In fact, any time you see somebody committing growth sins, they have a way of minimizing the sinfulness of the sin. 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:25.000 They have all the strings of logic to be able to take good teaching and apply it falsely to themselves so that they're not accountable for clear and gross sins against God. 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:46.000 Regardless, they're making light of God's commands by using some, probably some false philosophical teaching, Gnosticism, but with maybe some good teaching from Paul and Christ. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:56.000 And in this text, Paul gives us six reasons why we're not to commit sexual immorality. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:14.000 Now, we'll cover those six reasons as we go forward, but what I'm going to do, seeing that was the context and that's the purpose of this text, and that's the particular application to how we, even us who may not be struggling, and hopefully most of us are not struggling with sexual immorality. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:19.000 I don't presume that most of us are. I don't even presume any of you are. 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:32.000 And since this might not be in that particular application that we need today, even though all, especially as young people and single people, we need to take heed to this very seriously. 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:40.000 For all of us, I think we can glean from this text seven ways we can glorify God with our bodies. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:56.000 So I want us to focus on the truth of this passage and say, how can I view the physical world and the things of the world and the things I enjoy, that all the things that are lawful for me to enjoy, the things that are permissible. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:05.000 It's permissible for me to have a vehicle and to enjoy Mexican food and enjoy the earthly possessions that God has given me. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:12.000 I have liberties to enjoy this world and enjoy the appetites of the body. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:27.000 I have freedom to do that, but how am I to make sure that I view my body correctly and use my body in the physical world for the glory of God? 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:32.000 That's what we're going to learn seven ways to glorify God with our bodies. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:39.000 Let's read our text starting in verse 12. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:13:00.000 "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.""Food is meant for the stomach and stomach for the food, and God will destroy both one and the other." Now, I think that's what they were saying among themselves. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:11.000 "The body, however," Paul says, "is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise up by His power. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:20.000 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? She'll then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:29.000 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? Or as written, the two will become one flesh? 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:36.000 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him, flee from sexual immorality. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:43.000 Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexual immoral person sins against his own body. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:51.000 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You're not your own. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:14:00.000 For you're bought with a price. And here's the thesis. Here's the main point of the passage. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:07.000 So glorify God in your body. Now, that's what we want to take away. 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:14.000 I want to glorify God, not just with my soul, not with just my emotions, not with just my mind, not with just my intelligence. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:33.000 I want to glorify God in my physical body, let my body and all that I put in my body and all that my body enjoy, let everything that is connected to my physical body bring glory and honor to the Lord. 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:48.000 May that be our harsh desire. And if you're sure harsh desire that you're bringing glory to God in your physical body and all the physical things that you enjoy, here are seven things to help you with. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:59.000 First, this is a good one. Enjoy earthly blessings. Enjoy earthly blessings. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:08.000 Now, they were misapplying the teaching of Paul when he says, apparently, I believe he was teaching this when he was there. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:15.000 He said, "Well, the things are lawful." No doubt they were talking about meats and different sacrifices. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:21.000 And he's teaching them because this is a common question that they had in that day. Go ahead and eat your meat. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:27.000 He gives qualifications of how to do that later in the epistle, but you're free to eat it. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:32.000 And you're not just set there to eat it and go, oh, I've got to eat this to sustain myself. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:43.000 But for a reason so that you can enjoy your food. And if you don't enjoy food, you're not bringing God glory in the way you're eating your food. 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:49.000 The Bible told us to instruct rich people to be careful. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:16:06.000 But in so being careful with the riches, it says that all things that was given to the rich people and to all of us, all too richly, not poorly to enjoy, but too richly in joy. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:16.000 And bind yourself of that. There's no glory in eating things that are bland and spineless. Praise God. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:32.000 I mean, God wants us to enjoy blessings, to enjoy our food, to enjoy the things that He has given us. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:37.000 You know, you know what, you and I, we all want this for our kids. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:43.000 When we give them gifts for birthday or Christmas, really what we want to see. I mean, this is really what we want to see. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:49.000 Oh, man, man, like that. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:58.000 Well, you want to see your kids open up a gift and go, whoa, and just run outside with it to play with it. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:03.000 Watching them play with it is the way they honor you for the gift. 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:07.000 Now, God has given you so much. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:14.000 You know, we're not to make idols of these things. We're talking about that in a minute. We'll try to cover that later. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:19.000 But for now, sometimes we're prone to be aesthetic. We're prone to just to go. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:24.000 I don't I don't I'm not can't enjoy anything. If I enjoy it means I'm worldly. 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:27.000 If I enjoy something, it means I'm a dollar. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:35.000 No, there is nothing godly in simply turning your nose down on things that God has given you. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:41.000 Now, you could run after these things and you can make a pursuit of these things and you can live for these things. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:43.000 That is so sinful. 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:53.000 But there's nothing godly and just living a life of monastic asceticism. 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:57.000 I mean, this took place in the early church. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:03.000 Where people want to outdo one another and godliness and holiness. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:07.000 And so they begin to deny themselves of creature conference. 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.000 If it was comfortable, they wouldn't do it. 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.000 If it was a bad, a nice, soft, comfortable mattress, they would say no to it. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:14.000 They'd sleep on the floor. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:22.000 Many of them begin to live in caves and isolate themselves from communities and get outside of the cities and punish themselves. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:25.000 If you would thinking that this is godliness. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:38.000 There was one man in the fifth century and the name Simeon who when he was a young man, he was like a 16 or 17 year old. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:40.000 He devoted himself to celibacy. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:47.000 You know, this is where celibacy developed out of this monastic self-discipline asceticism. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:49.000 He says, I'll be celibate. I won't get married. 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:51.000 I'll just be celibate my whole life. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:56.000 He began to eat bread and water and not anything more than that. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.000 And then he oscillated himself in this little tent for a year and a half. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:01.000 He was in a tent for a year and a half. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:03.000 I think it was around the 16 or 17. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:07.000 He stayed in the tent and everybody began to praise him and he says, I can outdo that. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:11.000 Then he found a little platform on a pole and he lived on a pole. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:15.000 No joke. He lived on a pole with a little platform for a couple of years. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:17.000 And then he began to be a tourist attraction. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:23.000 People would come, you know, and he would, you know, give them counsel and, and he was a righteous man on a pole. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:29.000 And then he elevated the pole to 50 foot and lived on a 50 foot pole. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:33.000 No joke for 42 years. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.000 Until he died. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:41.000 He did all of life's business up on that pole. 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000 Imagine that. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:48.000 And that's supposed to be godly. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:51.000 But this is what Paul says about such thinking. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:56.000 Colossians 2 20th with Christ, you died to the illiminate, troubled spirits of the world. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:01.000 Why, as you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations? 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:05.000 Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.000 Referring to the things that all perished as they are used according to human precepts and teachings. 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:16.000 These are the things that are used in the world. 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:21.000 According to human precepts and teachings, these have indeed an appearance of wisdom. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:24.000 I don't do this. I don't do that. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:36.000 They have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:42.000 But they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:46.000 This is a wrong way of sanctification. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.000 Yes, you got to control the flesh and not indulge the flesh. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.000 You have to say no to the simple desire. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:54.000 You have to live in the spirit. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.000 But asceticism is not the answer. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.000 It's faith in Christ. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.000 It's walking in the spirit. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:05.000 So you've got to be careful that we don't make manmade regulations and fence ourselves around. 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:13.000 Some people fence themselves around with so many regulations and all these issues of conscience that they can't even move. 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.000 And they can't even have fellowship with anyone. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:22.000 They're so fenced in by their traditions that they have made for themselves. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:28.000 Again, this may have the appearance of wisdom, but it doesn't have any power to godliness. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:35.000 You see, we're called to enjoy pleasures of this world. 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:42.000 Now, the Bible tells us God has given us all things richly to enjoy in Deuteronomy 17. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:55.000 Therefore, you shall eat before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice in all that your hand has put to you and your households with whom the Lord your God has blessed you with. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:22:01.000 Some have little, some have more, some have much, some have little, but it doesn't matter if you have little or much. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:07.000 You can be content with what you have by enjoying what you have. 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:12.000 Enjoy it. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:13.000 Thank the Lord for it. 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:16.000 All things are lawful. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:24.000 So let's first of all, not make commands that God doesn't make. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:30.000 Let's just keep the commands to the ones that God has issued. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:35.000 Let's not have new traditions that we invent. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:50.000 That's the first rule to help us. Second rule, however, to bid a balance, all things in balance, don't be selfish in our enjoyments of this world or in our liberties, in our freedoms. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:56.000 We see that all things are lawful, but Paul says in verse 12, but not all things are helpful. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:10.000 Again, we have to use wisdom and discernment when we enjoy the things of this world because it could be lawful, but we've got to wonder, is it actually helpful or beneficial? 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.000 He picks us up in chapter 10 and verse 23. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:18.000 Paul says, all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:21.000 All things are lawful, but not all things will build up. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:25.000 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:30.000 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.000 For the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:42.000 If one of the unbelievers invite you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:55.000 But if someone says to you, "Hey, this has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you, for the sake of the Lord. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:58.000 For the sake of conscience or his conscience. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.000 I do not mean your conscience, but his. 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:06.000 For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.000 Good question. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:14.000 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that which I give thanks? 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.000 So whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God. 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:20.000 That is. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:32.000 In summary, if you're going to that day where most of the meats in the market were sacrificed and offered as a given purification ceremony to the local deities. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:44.000 And so therefore, media, the Christian says, I can't partake of that meat because that would be partaking and interacting into some touching of demonic worship or idolatry. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000 So their conscience convicted them. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.000 So I can't eat that meat. 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:51.000 But Paul is basically say, hey, these idols are nothing. 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.000 The meat's still good. 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.000 Don't be superstitious. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.000 You're free to eat it. 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:58.000 But that's your conscious says is there's no idols. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:24:59.000 You can eat that. 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:07.000 But if you go to someone's house and they have a weak conscious and they still are caught up in this because of their past or their traditions or some of the things they have thinking. 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.000 Don't go and eat it in front of them. 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:15.000 That could lead them to, as we'll see in Romans 14, that could lead them to violate their own conscience. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:22.000 So for the sake of their conscience, restrain because it's not helpful or building them up. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:32.000 It's not beneficial for you to if you would celebrate your liberties or flaunt your liberties before those who have a weaker conscience. 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:41.000 So you have to enjoy this world, but you got to be using the enjoyments of this world with the heart. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:44.000 Is this actually yes, I can do it to the glory of God. 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:48.000 Can I do this in the way that it builds up my brothers and sister? 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:55.000 And if it doesn't build them up, I'm not going to do it because I'm not going to be selfish in my freedoms. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:58.000 I'm not going to be selfish in my indulgences. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:03.000 I'm not going to be selfish in the way that I partake of this world because my love is not this world. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:05.000 I don't have to have this world. 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.000 I can have it or I can not have it. 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:11.000 The goal is what brings glory to God. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:16.000 And so we have to have wisdom with the use of the things of this world. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:22.000 Paul demonstrates this in how he handled Timothy and Titus. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:28.000 Timothy and Titus were both Paul's disciples and they both have Greeks as their fathers. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:30.000 So they weren't fully Jews. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:39.000 Timothy, when he met Timothy, he was raised by his grandmother's teaching and he was raised up as a believer in the Lord. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:46.000 And when Paul began to disciple Timothy, he had Timothy circumcised. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:55.000 And he tells us he had Timothy circumcised because he didn't want to be offensive to the Jewish believers. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:27:05.000 So for the sake of the conscience of the Jews and for more ministry opportunities, he says, Timothy, I think is best for you to be circumcised. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:13.000 So he submitted basically his Christian liberty to what was better for the community. 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:16.000 That's wise. That's humble. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:21.000 But there was another case of Titus where Titus also was uncircumcised. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:35.000 But he says, Titus, here in the book of Galatians, we have these Judaizers that were forcing their conscience, and of course, legalism, manmade rules upon the church, and this is wrong. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:40.000 And we're not going to subject ourselves to traditions of man. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:46.000 So therefore, Titus, I think you don't need to get circumcised to stand up for your liberty. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.000 You're not going to submit yourself to the legalist commands. 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:55.000 So why did he make that choice? 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:00.000 Because he was thinking of selfish pride, not because, hey, I'm going to do what I want to do. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:07.000 I don't care what people think. No, it's because it was better for the Judaizers to see that circumcision is not needed to be saved. 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:11.000 He was thinking what was in the best interest of the Judaizers. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:18.000 So that's a guiding principle of how we're to use our liberties and our freedoms. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.000 We're not to say, what's best for me or what do I want? 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.000 What's best for God and what builds up the church? 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:34.000 And it takes wisdom and discernment to know when to stand firm on something and when to forgo something. 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:43.000 You see, the Bible talks about there being laws that are non-negotiable. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:48.000 Thou shall not have premarital sex, non-negotiable. 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:53.000 Sex is for the marriage bed. That's clear. Clear as day. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:59.000 Some things are not about conscience issues, but there's other things that are difficult. 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:02.000 It takes wisdom and discernment. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:05.000 What does the Bible say here? What does the Bible say there? 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:10.000 This is how my conscience is led. This is how I'm going to rule my life and try to guide my family. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:21.000 But I recognize that some of these conclusions I have are a little difficult to make, and force my convictions, which may be good. 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:26.000 My convictions on all kinds of things. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:33.000 What I watch or don't watch, what I listen to or what I don't listen to, what I eat or what I drink or what I don't eat or what I don't drink. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:38.000 Where I attend or don't attend or what I participate in or don't participate in. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.000 All these things, it comes down to wisdom issues. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:50.000 And Paul gives us some principles in Romans 14 of how to guide these things and how for us to handle these things. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.000 And I'll go through them real quickly. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.000 One, we see in Romans 14 verse 1 that we don't argue about these things. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:12.000 It says, "As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to curl over opinions." Down to these conscious issues of how we regulate our personal life. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:17.000 These are personal opinions. They may be good opinions. They may be valid. 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:21.000 They may be invalid. But the point is, don't argue about those. Don't make that the focus. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:27.000 Don't let us be a church based upon secondary issues. Let us be known for the gospel. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:31.000 Let us focus on the things that we do know is true. 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:35.000 We know the Ten Commandments. We know things that are right and wrong. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:44.000 We'll hold to those. But the conscious issues, matters of wisdom and opinions, let us not fight over it. 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:51.000 Here's a little rule. The Bible says, don't quarrel about your issues of conscience. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.000 So don't allow something that you want to obey God with. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:59.000 I'm not going to eat this. I'm not going to eat meat offered to Adel. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:01.000 Or I'm not going to drink that. I'm not going to do it. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:10.000 Well, don't come to the church and argue about that because then you're violating a clear command over an unclear opinion. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.000 Amen. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:22.000 This, you know how many problems we would solve if we would just go, oh, that's a good principle. 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:29.000 I'm not going to violate a clear command over an unclear opinion. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:33.000 Boy, that would be helpful. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:38.000 Let's not feud over. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:46.000 Fight or curl over homeschooling or this or that. That's not that's what we're not. We need to be known for. 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:53.000 Second thing, do not despise those who have different convictions. 00:31:54.000 --> 00:32:01.000 I don't know. I will pass through some of the reading of this, but verses two through four verse 14, a chapter 14 of Romans. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:04.000 One person believes this. Another person believes that. 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:11.000 Don't look down. You know, you have liberties. Don't look down upon those who have stronger convictions. 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.000 You may be tilted towards. 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:17.000 Antinomianism, you don't realize it. Don't look down. 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:25.000 And you who have stricter commands and stricter restrictions on yourself. Don't look down upon those who have more freedom. 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:34.000 Third, don't force your convictions on others. Verse five says each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:39.000 That is, I don't mean this is your opinion. You can't force your opinion on someone else. 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:44.000 Your conscious dance before God and conscious. I believe this with all my heart. 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:48.000 Your conscious is submitted and is to be not to your husband. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:53.000 Not to your pastors. Thank you. Some of you don't want the Lord. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:59.000 Your conscious is not submitted to any other authority than the word of God. 00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:04.000 Only God rules your conscience. 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:11.000 And sometimes the problem is with cult leaders is they want to rule consciousness. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:20.000 Where to instruct and lead and hopefully develop someone's conscious through the teaching, but they have to come to it through their own convictions. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:29.000 And if you don't see it in the word of God, then you can't be forced to to legalistically change your behavior just to fit in. 00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:33.000 And that happens, I think, sadly. 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:42.000 We see fourthly, we're not to judge others in regards to wisdom issues. We see that for verse 10 all the way to verse 12 in Romans. 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:50.000 It only the Lord is their judge. You're not the judge. Fifth, we're not to tempt others with our liberties. 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:53.000 Verse 13 through 21. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:34:00.000 You can look that up and six. We are to hold our liberties with discretion. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.000 Happy. 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:10.000 So here we see that we can enjoy all things that is within the permissible realm of all things are lawful. 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.000 But we need to keep in mind that not all things are helpful. 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:22.000 And that helpful thing is the wisdom of discernment of knowing when to use something when not to do something when to enjoy that our conscience. 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:33.000 But those are guided by these biblical principles of not being a fence or tempting others to sin against their conscience and making sure that we do all for the glory of God and for the good. 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:40.000 Of others. That's the second principle to guide us with our physical bodies. Third principle. 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.000 Don't be enslaved to anything. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:48.000 Look at verse 12. All things are lawful. He repeats that. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:57.000 Not just not all things are helpful. He goes on to say, but I will not be dominated or controlled by anything. 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:06.000 You see, God's given us all things to richly enjoy, but is not given us anything to be dominated by. 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:19.000 That's God's role. That's God's position. That's idolatry to be controlled by anything other than God is worth the abuse of this world comes that the use of this world becomes sinful. 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:22.000 We're not to be controlled. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:32.000 Now, this is going to step on some of your toes because it steps on my toes. Obviously, we know about intoxication, drunkenness. We all go. Okay, that's clear sense. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:36.000 We're allowing the substance to control us. 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:43.000 And that's sinful. Do not be drunk. The Bible tells us do not be intoxicated with wine. It's sinful. 00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:47.000 But this includes all forms of addiction. 00:35:49.000 --> 00:36:00.000 And so some of us use like, oh, I don't drink and I don't definitely don't get drunk. Well, it also forbids gluttony. 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.000 Right? 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:10.000 I mean, that's the Baptist. 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:17.000 I mean, that's the one the Baptist look over. I mean, like the Corinthians look over sexual morality. The Baptist look over gluttony. 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:19.000 But we shouldn't. 00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:23.000 And let's let's make application. 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:33.000 And I don't know. I'm not going to tell you where that line is because I don't know. It's my I don't believe my opinion. I don't want my opinion to be a wall to you. 00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:37.000 But I know I'm convicted over social media. 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.000 Those things are made to be addicting. 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.000 You know, your phones in your pocket. 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:46.000 Are you controlled by it? 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:54.000 That's something you have to ask yourself and talk with the Lord about. Am I controlled by this device in my pocket? 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:58.000 Am I constantly looking at it? Can I not? Can I put it down? Can I fast from it? 00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:01.000 That's why fasting is good. Can I live without it? 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:07.000 If you can't live without it, it's got it's got a hold of you. It's gripped your life. 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:10.000 Don't be dominated or controlled. 00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.000 Paul says all things are lawful, but don't be controlled by any of these things. 00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:23.000 Paul says I keep my body in bringing into subjection. I I don't actually fight out where I said I can't just allow my body to crave. 00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:26.000 You know, I said I know it was because of the sermon. 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:32.000 Thanks a lot, Wesley. I I I said no to the donuts this morning. 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:38.000 And I told my wife, I said, it's because I'm preaching on the self discipline. 00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:42.000 But. 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:50.000 But it's OK to enjoy sweets, right? Is our sweets good for you? Well. 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.000 If that's a few reasons. 00:37:54.000 --> 00:38:02.000 I don't just all things are lawful, Wesley. All things are lawful. 00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:05.000 But don't be controlled by it, right? 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:12.000 Um. That brings me to the fourth thing. 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:17.000 Don't live for this world or the things of this world. Look at verse 13. 00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:25.000 And this is where the Corinthians were taking this this this teaching in misapplying it to simple activities. 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.000 But there's truth still to it. Food is meant for the stomach and stomach for food. 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:36.000 God will destroy both one and the other. When Paul condemns and cautions three statuses. 00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:39.000 Let me says, hey, food in the body, the belly and all that's going to perish. 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:44.000 You see, the physical world is temporal. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:50.000 That means don't live for it. Don't lay up your treasures on Earth. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:55.000 You know, it's OK to enjoy things. It's OK to have a nice vehicle. 00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.000 I like this. I enjoy this. I appreciate this. But don't live for it. 00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:05.000 In fact, I think the only way you can enjoy this world is not living for it is when you make an idol out of it. 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:12.000 Then the things of this world disappoint you. It brings discontentment and misery. It sours it. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:18.000 It's only when God is your God and you love God with all your heart and mind that are you content with what you have? 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:23.000 And when you're content with what you have, you can have a baloney sandwich and I have much money in your bank account. 00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:28.000 But you go, man, I'm richly blessed. Man, I've got this. I can enjoy my food. 00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:36.000 I can be thankful for and you can be poor dirt, but you don't sense that you're poor because you're content and you can enjoy. 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:40.000 I mean, poor people can enjoy their things better sometimes than rich people, right? 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:51.000 But you can enjoy this world if you don't live for it. If you're not grabbing hold of it, you're not coveting your own possessions. 00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:55.000 These things will perish. Recognize that. 00:39:56.000 --> 00:40:04.000 The Bible tells us that the kingdom of God is not in eating and drinking. This is not how the kingdom of God is advanced. 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:09.000 It's not if I get to eat or drink and enjoy this pleasure or that pleasure. That's not the purpose of life. 00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:17.000 It's a token of life that can be appreciated in its proper place. But please don't live for it. That's the principle. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:31.000 The fifth principle, don't take this teaching on conscience issues, liberty issues and apply it to clear violations of the law. 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:39.000 That is, don't use your bodies for sexual immorality. We need to know the difference between self-imposed rules and God's rules. 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:46.000 Sex outside of marriage is sinful and destructive. 00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:54.000 Let me just go over four of the reasons. First of all, in verse 13, your body was not designed for sexual immorality. 00:40:54.000 --> 00:41:00.000 Look at verse 13, the body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:06.000 I know often we first think that our body was designed for our spouse. 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:13.000 We have a physical body so that we could be married or we have a physical body for some earthly reasons. 00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:20.000 But you've got to understand your physical body wasn't principally made for some physical purpose. 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:26.000 Your physical body was made in design in the image of God and not saying God has a body. 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:35.000 But he designed your body to be able to see and to be able to work and be able to move and be able to function and interact. 00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.000 He's made that because God is able to see and work and function. 00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:47.000 So he's made us in his image. Even our body is somewhat reflective of the invisible image of God in some ways. 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:55.000 And he's made our bodies not just so us to enjoy the physical world and apples and oranges and all these things. 00:41:55.000 --> 00:42:01.000 He's made our bodies so that we could be in communion with him. 00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:06.000 We're the temple. We're designed to be the temple of the living God. 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:11.000 We're designed to be the house God within. 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:18.000 That was the that's one of the I would say that's a purpose that is the main purpose of your physical body. 00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:21.000 And that should change the way you look at your bodies. 00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:27.000 And therefore it wasn't designed. It was made for sexual immorality. That's not the purpose of it. 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:33.000 And whenever you use something for what it was not intended for, there's going to be frustration. 00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:39.000 And there's going to be difficulties in your life. 00:42:39.000 --> 00:42:48.000 I gave an illustration this morning about using toilet tissue to clean my fish tank when I was in college. 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:57.000 And the point I was making in using that is that toilet tissues designed to dissolve in water quickly, relatively quickly. 00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:04.000 And when you use something for its unintended purpose, it causes frustration. My fish tank was more messy. 00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:09.000 After I thought to clean it than when I before I thought I saw to clean it. 00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:13.000 Your bodies are not made for sexual immorality. 00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:17.000 You say, well, this is a little fun. It's going to be a little pleasure, but this is going to destroy. 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:22.000 It's going to destroy your life. You're going to undermine your own bodies. 00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:25.000 You're going to undermine even one day marriage. 00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:30.000 You see how it's going to work. You see, you're made to be united with your spouse. 00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:37.000 You become one flesh. And when you have sexual immorality, you become one flesh with a harlot or with a prostitute. 00:43:37.000 --> 00:43:42.000 And that that is breaking the one flesh with your spouse. 00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:50.000 It's destroying the one flesh. It's like you can't you're not designed to be made one with multiple flesh. 00:43:52.000 --> 00:43:58.000 So we're not designed for that. No doubt it destroys marriages and homes and societies. 00:43:58.000 --> 00:44:03.000 I think in large part, our society is in the state it is in because of sexual immorality. 00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:09.000 Second reason we're not to have sexual immorality is because God will raise the dead. 00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:14.000 Look at verse 14 and God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:18.000 He's talking about our body. Yes, our body is going to perish. The stomach is going to perish. 00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:23.000 And that's one way of looking at it. This is not eternal. Our bodies are not eternal. 00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:31.000 But yet Paul tells us God has redeemed the body and he's going to raise this body from the dead. 00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:35.000 There are eternal blessings and realities of the human body. 00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:40.000 Third sexual immorality is a sin against Christ. Look at verse 15. 00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:46.000 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Shaw then take the members of Christ and make the members of a prostitute? 00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:54.000 Never. Or do you not know that he was joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her for his written the two shall become one flesh. 00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:57.000 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 00:44:57.000 --> 00:45:01.000 So you're made to be one with Jesus Christ through the spirit. 00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:05.000 But when you're united to a prostitute, you're uniting. This is the great sin. 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:12.000 You're uniting Jesus Christ. She's born with you. You're uniting Christ unwillingly to that prostitute. 00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:17.000 And that is a sin against Christ. 00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:23.000 There's also we see verse 18 a sin against your own body plea from sexual immorality. 00:45:23.000 --> 00:45:27.000 Every other sin a person commits this outside the body. 00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:30.000 But the sexual and more person sins against his own body. 00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:35.000 And many miles will be stabbing your own body. You might as well be hurting your own body. 00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:37.000 It's self destructive. 00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:53.000 You see, we should see the sixth principle is found in verse 19 that your body, because it's going to be resurrected because it's housing that the Holy Spirit within you should see the sacredness of your body. 00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:59.000 You know, this is the problem with the Corinthians. I said the body is going to be dropped off. It's no important. It's the spirit that matters. 00:45:59.000 --> 00:46:04.000 We're going to get to heaven. I don't even know if there's going to be the resurrection of the dead. Paul says, yes, there will be a resurrection. 00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:10.000 The body is important. It is sacred. You should honor your body. You should honor the Lord in your body. 00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:16.000 And this should influence how we dress and what we eat or what we drink and how we view our bodies. 00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:22.000 Our last principle, we're almost to an end. 00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:27.000 Is we're to submit our bodies to Christ. 00:46:27.000 --> 00:46:31.000 It gives us two reasons. 00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:36.000 One, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:42.000 Verse 19, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have from God? 00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:46.000 The second reason is you don't belong to yourself. 00:46:46.000 --> 00:46:49.000 You're not your own, for you were bought with a price. 00:46:49.000 --> 00:47:03.000 So here's two reasons we're to not just glorify God with our thoughts and minds and our motivations and intents of our hearts, but seek to glorify God in our physical flesh, our bodies. 00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:11.000 Is because one, your bodies are the house of the Lord. 00:47:11.000 --> 00:47:14.000 It's God's house. 00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:19.000 Now, think about that. And this should change the way we think. 00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:29.000 If the Lord Jesus was living among us and had a dwelling in Conway, say he lived among us, and he says, I'm going to be gone on vacation. 00:47:29.000 --> 00:47:32.000 Will you watch my house when I'm gone? 00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:38.000 I mean, you know, it's God's house. How would you take care of that house? 00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:41.000 How would you handle that house? Would you clean it? 00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:47.000 Would you make sure the messes are picked up before he came home, that it was in the position it was when it was handed to you? 00:47:47.000 --> 00:47:52.000 Would you make sure it was hopefully even cleaner when he came back than when he left? 00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:57.000 So this is the Lord's house, but we don't treat our own bodies in the same way, do we? 00:47:58.000 --> 00:48:02.000 We don't view our bodies as the temple of the Lord. 00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:08.000 Maybe a little exercise would be helpful. Maybe a little restraint to the dinner plate would be helpful. 00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:16.000 Maybe I do need to be concerned about my body, even how I adorn and dress and present my bodies. 00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:21.000 This is not my body because it leads to the second reason. This body doesn't. It's not even mine. 00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:26.000 You know, it's like my body, my choice for Christians. No, it's not my body. It's not my choice. 00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:35.000 I've been bought with a price. He didn't just buy my soul. He bought my body. Thank the Lord. 00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:44.000 My body is not my own anymore. So how can I use my body in my hands and my eyes and all the instruments of my body? 00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:49.000 How can I use my bodies as instruments to serve and to please the Lord? 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:56.000 So whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, that we do all for the glory of God. 00:48:56.000 --> 00:49:08.000 Psalm 317, whatever you do, word or deed, do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father through Him. 00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:17.000 This is why it closes, I think, with the main thesis of the passage, so glorify God in your body. 00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:24.000 Now, in conclusion, try to sum up this. There's two extremes. One, totally reject the physical. 00:49:24.000 --> 00:49:33.000 Physical is evil. Seticism, deny yourself of all creature comforts. Don't do this. Don't taste that. Don't enjoy this. 00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:40.000 No, no, no, no. That's spiritual. No, that's not good. The world's to be enjoyed, but not abused. 00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:47.000 The world's to be enjoyed, but not something that dominates us and controls us. It's not to be an idol. 00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:54.000 It's to be a blessing that points us to the blesser. It's to be utilized for the glory of God. 00:49:54.000 --> 00:50:02.000 Let all that I have let the money in my pocket, let the possessions of my that God has given me be used to enrich others and bless others. 00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:07.000 Let me be mindful of other others and not covet my own stuff and live for my stuff and live for these things. 00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:12.000 I want more and more and more. No, this is that this could be idolatry. This could be simple use. 00:50:13.000 --> 00:50:20.000 Let us not fall into sexual immorality and sin and use our bodies to disgrace God in his temple. 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:25.000 Our bodies do belong to the Lord. Let us enjoy this world. 00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:33.000 But in a way that pleases God and is beneficial to his church. Hopefully this has been helpful to us. Amen. 00:50:33.000 --> 00:50:33.840 Amen. 00:50:33.840 --> 00:50:43.840 [BLANK_AUDIO]