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Living With Your Passions Part 2

Running to Win / Erwin Lutzer
The Cross Radio
July 23, 2020 1:00 am

Living With Your Passions Part 2

Running to Win / Erwin Lutzer

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July 23, 2020 1:00 am

It’s dangerous to get too close to a fire. And it’s also dangerous to get close to a possible sexual sin. That’s why the seventh commandment teaches us to avoid all forms of such sin. Obedience to God’s command results in a life free of entanglements that can stop us in our tracks. 

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One reason for us.

Jesus phone number is dangerous to get too close to a fire and possible sexual that's why the seventh commandment teaches us to avoid all forms of such a result of a life free of entanglements that can stop us in our tracks church in Chicago this morning with Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after looser. It seems the concept of restricting sex to the marriage bond is all but forgotten day with a broken heart. We had to say that yes it is old but got to our detriment were living in a society where there is a great deal of sexual brokenness, guilt, self-hatred, anger, disappointment, and all of that because we are breaking this commandment does holiness matter will asking David think of how different his life had been if he had not had that affair with Bathsheba, holiness matters, in fact, I'd written a book entitled why holiness matters. The 10 Commandments Jesus and you. I think it will be of tremendous help is the kind of book that you should also give to your children to read, go to RTW offer.com because for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337.

Now let's go to the pulpit of Moody church and listen carefully as we come to realize why holiness does matter. They said what would you say in the case of a man who is married to a woman in either because of some accident or some physical disability she's in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Are you really telling me that even that man can't have an affair on the side asked in such a way as if to say, can you really be that stupid.

Mr. looser is to say no to know were living in a day and age when it seems as if our passions rule us right in and has a need.

He's got to fulfill that he can't be true to a marriage commitment. Just because he can't have his sexual needs fulfilled in a certain way. The obvious answer to that is of course a man like that should be true to his wife because if you make an exception for him. Then what about those who are single. What about the widows. What about all the divorced people don't they have sexual desires to does God's word only apply in certain situations.

All of the things that I've said about the consequences. All of the things that we have said about violating all of the Commandments apply to every single situation your passions lie when they tell you they must to be fulfilled regardless of what God's word says you don't God says about marriage. He says that the relationship in marriage is so special and I'm so sorry that my message today is negative because the Commandments are rather negative know people talk about the power of positive thinking. I want to preach a message entitled the power of negative thinking. Frankly tired of positive thinking. Now the point is speaking more positively sure we throw it in for extra measure.

God says that the marriage relationship is so special. It is so sacred that there is no condition under which it should ever be violated because it's special. That's why it's not just that God wants to rain on our parade. You know it's like doing when you commit adultery is like burning down a beautiful cathedral because you want to fry an egg because you happen to be hungry just demolishing something that God says is special. All because you think that there are some needs that have got to be fulfilled. Bible says they don't have to be there all kinds of people who were living in prison today for the cause of Jesus Christ, who do not have any sexual intimacy at all and they are living say we are living in a society today where everybody says well if it's really a meaningful relationship and if it feels good then do it. But God says fornicators and adulterers I will judge that's God's thing. So it really doesn't matter whether or not you get found out God sees. First of all because of the command of God. Secondly, because of the consequences. Thirdly, because of the compensation compensation. Normally my points to my message don't all begin with the same letter, but this time they do. By compensation I mean the Jesus said that it was better and for this I want you to turn to the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus is speaking about adultery and he reiterates the commandment in verse 27 and in verse 28 says that adultery really begins in the heart and for lack of time were going to have to skip that.

But he says in verse 29 and if your right eye he's talking now about adultery pieces. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you, for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell. Jesus is talking about lost in what he does is he takes the two parts of the body that are more often than not used in sexual arousal. The first is the I particularly for men. Even though we tell women I'm not sure that they fully understand the extent to which a man can be aroused simply by sight.

And then Jesus takes the hand women are often stimulated with tender caresses, usually coupled with sweet words. Jesus said if your eye and your hand are causing you to fall into a pit with the Greek word means. If you find that your IN your hand are causing you to fall into a pit Jesus and do whatever you have to do to be removed from the temptation you say will Pastor Luther.

He is in speaking literally as he doesn't mean that you should literally pluck out your eye or your hand.

No, but what he says is literally true, isn't it. It would be better to arrive in heaven with one hand than to be in hell with two it would be better to be in heaven with one eye than to be in hell with two what Jesus is saying is, whatever it is that is causing you to fall into a pit deal with it drastically.

Now I've got to summarize a whole separate message to be only the outline. One day I was thinking about what it would be like to have your right hand cut off in your I cut out and I came to some conclusion Linda given to first of all, it would be very painful, very painful. Just imagine without anesthetic we take someone here in the front row with a sharp knife and poked into their eyes and then turn like this and that would hurt it would hurt Jesus is saying whatever you've got to do to get rid of sexual sin. Do it do it. I told the man involved with a woman who wasn't his wife. I said, you're gonna have to go through a process that is equivalent to death saying no to that person.

Whatever it is, do it is teenager told me says you know just taking pornographic magazines that I had hidden in the garage and carrying them out and putting them in the garbage was was painful. He had become attached to them. Jesus said whatever you need to do to get rid of sexual sin. Do it change jobs told the man that day. One day when he said he was falling in love with someone who was his wife at work is a change jobs. Is it always as I can do that. I have a wife and children to support. I said what would you rather do change jobs or have your right eye cut out and your arm cut off. Will said I'd rather I'd rather change jobs. I said you're lucky.

Jesus said that you should be willing to cut out your eye and to cut off your hand. Even if that were necessary if that were needed. It hurts. Jesus said to let do it. I say to you teenagers that are here today and young people and singles and adults. No matter how much it hurts. Jesus would say do it.

Not only does it hurt but it is thorough. It is thorough and once your eyes been cut out in your arm is been cut off and they been in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week.

It's a little late to say is this something I should have done right to a thoroughly don't allow any thing that is causing you to stumble.

If it's a relationship that has to be broken. Break it as neatly as you can, but also as completely as is humanly possible. Somewhere I read that if you're going to jump across the chasm.

It's much better to do it in one long jump than into short ones. And when you get rid of sexual sin.

Do it right.

Do it right then, of course, and here's my point is worthwhile is worthwhile to see if your whole body has to be preserved because of the cutting off of the hand. Let's oppose your hand has cancer or gangrene, and the doctor comes along and cuts that off your thankful that the rest of your body has been preserved. So Jesus is saying it is better now. Let me interpret that for you. Let's oppose that we had someone appear today in a wheelchair with his hand cut often as I cut out let's oppose he's a young person he intended to be a baseball player he intended to be a an airplane pilot. All of his dreams. The been dashed to the ground because he intended that he had all of these expectations for his life and now they haven't worked out disappoint bitterness and here's the point Jesus is saying it is better to go through life with unfulfilled desires and a shattered dreams and to do that which is right rather than to fulfill those desires outside of the will of God is better for that young woman who desires marriage and intimacy and all of them do as men do. And let's not laugh about that desire that's built in by the creator. Better to go through life frustrated without intimacy. Without that closeness that you desire. Better to go through life unfulfilled and frustrated and be a friend of God and be able to look everyone in the eye, then to fulfill those desires outside of the will of God.

Jesus said it is better better not ideal may be, but better. That's what Jesus is in the real bottom line is simply this, or maybe those of you here who have either in your past, been involved in immorality or even now maybe the question I have to ask you is how are you going to respond in light of the fact that you have now heard this message, and sin has been pointed out to you. That's a very important question. How will you respond, it will show to me. The state of your heart when you lie.

Remember, a woman who convinced her husband or accused her husband of committing adultery. She had pretty good evidence now sometimes false accusations are made. That's true but yet pretty good evidence but not exactly conclusive evidence. Her husband denied it all. Yes, it's true that he was with this other woman. Yes, it's true that he was in her apartment but they didn't do anything. Now you can believe that. I assume that you will also accept a check drawn on the bank of the Mississippi River.

Oh yeah that's right. We didn't do anything affecting what the man said he put up his hand and said if I'm lying Magog to smite me dad's pretty good evidence that is telling the truth.

Would you think couple of months later, when the evidence began to accumulate. He admitted that when he put up his hand and said those words. He was logging through his teeth, so I said to the wife will after it all came out did he ask your forgiveness. Well, kind of, kind, kind, think of how hard that man's heart was kind that man should have been on his knees weeping, begging forgiveness kind. The hardness of heart. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that a man who's involved in adulterous relationships shall be tied by the cords of his own sin to become so blind that lying becomes second nature, and he adds sin to sin.

Sin on top of sin.

Sin to cover sin and on and on and on it goes as his heart becomes harder and harder and harder and harder. That's interesting that David when he committed adultery. Apparently, scholars told us he may be held out for a year before he was willing to confess hardness of heart happens very easily once you're involved, but it's interesting that finally David came clean. Finally, David came clean and he was willing to confess his sin and find I find this amazing because nobody has gone to greater lengths to try to cover his sin than David. I mean, he told some lies. He killed a man. He did all of this to cover sin, yet the whole thing came unraveled and you might almost say that David is famous because of his adultery there people who don't know anything about David and they know that he committed adultery is cover up didn't work very well. Finally, when he came clean and he cast himself upon God's mercy and his grace as he poured out his heart, have mercy upon the old dog according to thy loving kindness.

According on the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me that David finally when he was cleansed and forgiven and restored and in fellowship with the living God again. He said in Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man onto whom the Lord imputed to not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

He said when I kept silent, my bones wax told through their roaring all the day long that other words, I was under the weight of guilt, but then he went on to say that after he was forgiven and restored. He was able to sing again and God's guidance came back in his life uses. Thou shalt guide me and so all of that was taken care of. When David finally finally came clean finally came clean. So let me tell you that immorality is not of the unpardonable sin. Immorality is not the unpardonable sin. There is grace there is forgiven us.

There is mercy, and there is cleansing for those who are willing to come clean in humility and brokenness and honesty before the living God. Let's pray father. Today we realize the passions of the flesh how misleading they are. We understand the power of temptation and we pray with all earnestness as you taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, and we think today father of those who may be struggling with their past.

We pray that you will enable them to put that behind them to repent to be cleansed to the free to be forgiven, restored, because we know that you're a God of restoration in the God of forgiveness and were reminded of the words of Jesus to the woman taken in adultery go and sin no more.

We think of those father who perhaps have been living lives of duplicity and lies to cover sin. We pray that you might break into their life today that in all honesty, all honesty, they might come to you for cleansing and restoration, and forgiveness do that. Father we pray, we ask that you will enable all of us to walk before you in righteousness and holiness and freedom. We pray in Jesus name, amen.

I know that there is some of you listen to this message to say to yourself, my life is been ruined because of sexual sin. What I want to emphasize again that God is willing and able to forgive and to cleanse and you know the consequences might continue, they certainly did in the life of David, but at the same time God even grants grace. There hurry to Christ. Have you been blessed as a result of the messages you have heard on running to win these messages on the 10 Commandments. They can be yours so that you can listen to them again and again share them with your friends. I can't help but think that some of you have heard some of these messages but not all of them and you're wondering what the other messages have to say will here's what you can do for a gift of any amount.

These messages can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 and I'll be giving you that phone number. Once again, but let me emphasize that we are dependent upon people like you for the continuation of this ministry.

If you've been blessed, it's because other people have invested in this ministry.

So ask for this series on the 10 Commandments.

Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series. The 10 Commandments it's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor look certainly a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

Socorro listens to running to win, and is facing a crisis in her home.

Here is her story it's looking like my marriage may soon be over. I've been faithful to my husband but he says he's not happy that he made a mistake in marrying me and now wants a divorce. He's refusing Christian counseling and doesn't want to try to work things out. Would you consider this to be desertion or spousal abandonment is what he's doing a biblical ground for me for divorce and remarriage in the future as God may lead well my sister you've asked a very difficult question. It's one for which I don't have a definitive answer but just a couple of things.

First of all, I'm very sorry that your husband is taking this attitude and I hope that there's someone in the church who brings in to reality when he says that he made a mistake in marrying you that is a very hurtful comment and it really does represent a husband who is walking away from a commitment that he made at the altar before God and before the many witnesses who were present.

So this is a very very serious matter. Now you asked the question if he does leave the marriage would this be considered as desertion or abandonment. I'm going to answer and say I don't know. And the reason is because it depends on a whole host of factors which I don't know about there so much that go into these disputes, I really do encourage you to consult your pastor who can give you counsel that is based on a whole lot more in terms of knowledge of you, your husband, and the whole situation but this is what I would like to suggest there are people today who divorce in the eyes of men. But I don't believe that they are necessarily divorced in the eyes of God.

And just because men have said the relationship or the bond is over, the covenant has been broken and no longer is a valid doesn't mean that God does. So I think that if your husband were to leave the marriage and to remarry someone else. I think this would free you to marry, but as to whether or not you could remarry if he were to leave and to simply live alone without marriage. I'd like your pastor to weigh in on that decision. Thank you Dr. looser thank you Socorro for trusting us with such a personal question. If you'd like to hear your question answered.

Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor looser or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Most people say what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours. But then there are those who say what's yours is mine.

It's more than burglary. People steal from their employers with hardly a second thought. We forget that stealing any kind of private property violates one of the 10 Commandments.

Next time I'm running to win. We look at the commandment you shall not steal. Don't miss the message playing by the rules limiting to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening.

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