Walk this Way, Part 2

Today on life with JD Greer. There's a difference in struggling with sin in the practice of sin struggling with sin means falling back into things that you repented of that you turned your back on practicing sin means that you keep intentionally doing those things never taken Jesus's Lordship that seriously doubt there's so glad you're back with us today and plenty of instruction in the Bible and how you should walk as a Christian helps to see that we don't just need to know how to walk. We need to know how to get the power to walk with Jesus when we are first transformed by the gospel. The wonder of it fills our hearts and we are compelled to walk in love, light and wisdom. Pastor JD in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul says, wake yourself up because the world you live in a sleeping and don't go with the flow. You gotta wake up usually highlights in those verses a couple really specific areas that we need to shine the light on personal sexual morality but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness will, that men must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

So that's a question. Why is sexual immorality not proper or fitting with being in the light world's attitude toward sex is its physical desire and that way it's not unlike other physical desires. You get hungry you eat so when you desire sex. It shouldn't be thought of that much differently in the Bible, hold that darkness because the Bible, by contrast, shines a light on what sex is supposed to be and when you have sex outside of marriage you're taking physical oneness from that person without giving them the rest of yourself you say well H1 is not a place where we can get married right now. Fine and stop having sex having sex outside of the bonds of the covenant places you in darkness to verse five. It will elicit strong languages. You may be sure that everybody who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous that has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

We translate that for you and really plain English. If you're sleeping with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you have no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

You see out, but that's only making it up right there and I know that that's making some of you nervous and maybe even for little awkward because right now you're sit next to somebody you're living with her sleep and with that you're not married to this sort of God and how clear their bubbling that you haven't realized that before the Lord until just now. Fine.

You now have information you didn't have previously have to start living right today ladies listener that God knows Jesus at all about guys gonna be any kind of spiritual leader, and he will heed this and if not, he is in darkness. And he's just gonna leave you and your future family and the darkness you need to get out of the relationship right now is a direct enough with that. That's clear enough. Second thing Paul says we should not even be named among us. Like verse three covetousness covetousness is not proper among saints.

Now what is covetousness well worth that agreed right or craving something that God's chosen to not give us at the time, never being satisfied by the way, to help balance the Bible is culturally disaster talking about sexual immorality being wrong and all Concerta certain on their head down and then you switch over to greet all the liberals are not married and you get a I told you the Bible is like an equal opportunity offender defense with left and right, just in different ways. You show me a Christian that's actively fighting both sexual immorality and covetousness in their life and I'll show you somebody who is most likely a genuine believer and not just a product of their parents or their particular Christian culture.

Now why is covetousness, not proper for a believer.

Why would covetousness not be proper for a believer. Well, Paul says, verse five like that because it is a form of idolatry nationwide to make sense. How is not being satisfied with what you have and always wanted more. How would that be a form of idolatry will and idolater is somebody who worship something in the place of God and you worship.

Listen to this you are worshiping whatever you think is absolutely necessary in order to have a happy life. God is supposed to be the only thing that you feel like you absolutely need to be content in life you don't want other things, this means that the only thing that you need in order to be happy in life is the presence of God. And when you are dissatisfied with what you have, you are say God is not enough and that is improper in the same way as if I stood up your week by week and talk about somebody else's wife all the time.

It is he is so lucky to have her.

She is so beautiful and so pleasant and so talented you imagine the joy been able to come home to her all the time and it must be awesome but you know what God's sovereignty assigned me to Veronica and I will accept my lot that when you would think like what's wrong with Veronica like what you must not be much of a woman or a wife. If you JD is always complaining about her like that that would dishonor it. This honors God. When our happiness is contingent on something besides him… Get real right what is it that makes you dissatisfied about your life what you look into in the future. Disabling that happens, then I can finally be happy and feel secure is when you make a certain salary when you graduate from certain school.

When you have the approval of a certain circle of friends is when you get married or when you get married somebody else.

When you have kids or when you lose 20 pounds.

We shouldn't feel that way about anything in our lives except God. We might want to make another $10,000 a year we might want to be married. We might want to lose 20 pounds is nothing wrong with that but our soul should depend on nothing for security and joy beside the presence of God.

As I said, if you really and you are in Christ and you will walk in, it is as you walk in light light of who you are what you have is your third way toward verse 15 look carefully then on how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, number three walk in wisdom because Dante what that means redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is listen listen.

Wisdom means learning to think correctly about those things that are not spelled out in Scripture. Wisdom means learning to think correctly about those decisions are not spelled out in Scripture. A lot of the decisions that you make in life a lot of big decisions are not directly spelled out in Scripture right what job you take or how you spend your money or what you doing her time, your best friends are what you watch on TV or who you hang out with her who you marry walking in wisdom means making decisions in those areas and ways that fit well with them understanding of what God is doing in the world and what he's trying to do and you I think that word redeeming. There is a really really important word in that sentence because the context is the age that you live in the days are evil in and of himself. The culture we live in is evil which means that if you want to grow closer in your relationship with God. Gotta be intentional about it.

You simply cannot coast in the closest with God. And when you understand that it'll change how you look at some of that. Listen neutral things in your life.

Paul says a lot of things are allowed. For me as a Christian. They're just not helpful in advancing God's purposes in my life take an obvious example what you do with your time watching TV all the time for five hours a night may not be morally wrong but is it helpful for growing you spiritually.

I would suggest probably not grow you spiritually all so one of the ways of redeeming the time is to have some intentionality and I'm not just gonna do what I feel like every night on the night you reserve a little bit of time so that I can be progressing in my walk with God right for you can apply to certain relationships you might have relationships in your life that are not wrong they're not wrong, but they're just not helping you grow spiritually. Listen, I say this not just to teenagers and college students, but especially to teenagers and college students always say you need to look at that circle that you put closest to you because dad is going to determine the shape of what you become spiritually. Your friends are the future you you show your friends all show you your future as you will become like those people you have put closest into your life and there's a lot of friendships that may be allowed to not wrong, but they're just not helpful for the purposes of what God's trying to do and you in light of what you know that God is doing in the world and what the gospel teaches us about the lawlessness of the world is what you're doing with your time to be considered wise. The gospel teaches and run a rescue mission in many certain things may not be morally wrong in themselves, but it is not wise in light of what we know about the world know this is one of the reasons I went in the ministry. I would admit there are a lot of different career paths. I could've chosen, but in light of what I knew about eternity and the talents I got a given me. My question was what the best use of my time with the short life that I have. If you know the people around you are dying without Christ what she should be doing with your time under the gotta give me a gift to teach and lead in and I thought well I thought the best use of those could be doing what I'm doing right now is it right to play around why people perish.

Gotta give me that gift, so I decided to pursue that as a way of redeeming the time the short life that I have now will hear me clearly I am not telling you, you should leave your career going to minister but I'm asking you. Are you leveraging that career in ways that would be considered wise in light of what you know about the world are you using that career to spread the gospel your career to put you face-to-face people I'd never get close to.

Are you using that to share the gospel with that I started a Bible study on your team in your campus. You started a Bible study in your workplace.

Are you going on mission trips instead of just using all your vacation time to take trips yada yada put on your schedule next year, take part my vacation time and I'm going to mission trip. Maybe God given you a job that could be used as a platform for gospel expansion and doing unreached people group that's a way that you could redeem the talents that God is giving you for his ministry.

If you know the ship you're on is going down. What should your attitude be.

Is it not to make sure that people know where the rescue boats are, there is wisdom's question a thousand years from today. A thousand years from today will I be glad that I live my life the way that I'm living in now pulses three ways that you should walk based on what you know about the gospel your identity in Christ relates walk in love, walk in light, walk in wisdom before we close this we show you a couple things a Paul warns them about that he knows could trip them up in this walk since the theme of the chapters walking. You might call these potholes in the Christian life is not the word that Paul uses, but think it serves as a metaphor pothole number one is back in verse 66 will make a trip you up false assurances. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things he's talking specifically about sexual immorality and covetousness was recovered because of those things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience empty words. One of the oldest lies in the book. Hear me is that God really Dutton takes sin that seriously, and that you can be a Christian and not take it that seriously either in the church today. You hear it in preaching that sounds like this.

Just pray this prayer to accept Jesus in your good having. I just get baptized. That's kind of the main thing or or or just go to confirmation class or go to confession and it's okay to maintain a few cents on the side as long as they're not that bad. I want to tell you, as clearly as I possibly can. That is not true. You cannot claim Jesus as your Savior until you surrender to him as Lord, and you cannot say you surrendered to him as Lord. When you openly and intentionally pursue those things that put him on the cross so you say your Christian is he the Lord of your life that you live asking a question. I don't need is your mouth confessing as Lord is your life demonstrate that he is Lord because of what your mouth says you believe about the Lordship of Jesus and what your life demonstrate you believe about the Lordship of Jesus are different. God looks at the life that you live is a better indicator what you actually believe in what your mouth says you believe does your life demonstrate the Lordship of Jesus.

Now, hearing me be clear again.

I am not saying that you cannot be a Christian and still struggle with sin. I do, but there's a difference. Listen, there's a difference in struggling with sin and the practice of sin struggling with sin means falling back into things that you repented of that you turned your back on practicing sin means that you keep intentionally doing those things because you've never taken Jesus as Lordship that seriously.

I think the walking imagery is really helpful here you can walk toward Jesus and still stumble into sin. What will happen when you do that is you will get up and you will keep pursuing the Lordship of Jesus. What you cannot do is say you belong to Jesus and intentionally walk the other direction and a bunch of different areas. I struggle, I struggle with indwelling sin constantly, but I can tell you there is nothing in my heart about which I say no Jesus. You cannot have your way in that area. That's my way. That's my area don't touch it, do what I want. There also, don't be deceived by empty word God takes a seriously will have a false assurance if you're not surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Pothole number two is false, comforts false because my dream is a reportable jobber false comforts for safety. Do not get drunk with wine, retinal dataset, a man was the part that is debauchery bites be filled with the spirit not miss a question. Should these two phrases are parallel, it means that one is kind of compared to the other. Why do you think he compares being drunk with wine to be filled by the spirit. Is it because you act the same. Getting silly way when you get drunk once you are filled, the spirit, not necessarily. That's some people think that the mean of the South. That means here's why he puts them back to back. Listen, because both alcohol both alcohol and getting drunk on alcohol and being filled with the spirit are two ways of dealing with life's pressures and disappointments, but they do it in entirely opposite ways.

Watch this alcohol is a depressant. That does your senses to reality. And so it makes you happy by making you less aware of your surroundings, the Holy Spirit, by contrast, is a stimulus that makes you more aware of reality and it makes you happy and joyful by giving you a clear picture of what's happening. Not a dollar.

The Jesus example, imagine that you're with tenant and other soldiers in the voxel and you get news that there's a group of 200 enemy soldiers 10 miles away headed your direction coming to destroy you feel you feel afraid you are depressed. There's nothing you think you can do about it. So how do you remain happy for the next three hours or so until they get their destroy what one ways you get drunk on alcohol use.

Be happy and getting until they come and kill you and that's one way the other way is what you sent out some reconnaissance and you found out that only 1 mile away.

There were 2000 friendly soldiers and they were coming to surround you, so that when the 200 enemy soldiers got there they would never be able to touch you. You can feel the same sense of joy and confidence in giddiness and peacefulness doing two entirely different strategies is all that so what alcohol does is it makes you less aware of what's going on and does your senses.

The Holy Spirit makes you more alert and both of them are good ways of dealing with fear and stress. The Holy Spirit helps you cope with difficulty by opening your eyes more widely to the promises of the gospel.

Alcohol gets rewarded by making you forget the spirit gets rid of worry by helping you remember. Alcohol gives you courage by making you less aware of the dangers around you. The spirit gives you courage by showing you how much larger God is and whatever it is you're afraid of Paul continues be filled.

The spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual lives of these two things connect because what this is the way to be filled with the spirit be filled.

The spirit is this new reality in one of the ways that you're going to know this new reality is by his vita addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, not what does that mean to be walking through Joe York hello how are you today know that's he's always talking about everywhere he saying they think of that right there is like a soundtrack going on in your heart soundtrack.

You know how like when you watch a TV show or a movie you kinda know what you're supposed to be interpreting the situation based on the music is playing in the background so there's asked perfectly timed.

I love it. So if there's like scary music that's coming in your kind of like something that's about to happen, but it's like you highlight shipper music ring I got the numbers that can happen. What happens is you go do things in life and you start to interpret them and you start to sing a song of despair. What you need is you need somebody that knows the gospel that is close to you that if the owner that's on the song despair need to sing in your heart. The song of God works all things together for good to them who love him and his eyes on the sparrow, he's watching you would not want hairballs on the red that your heavenly father knowing where you start to sing the song of I'm overwhelmed and I can do this and they start singing the song of all things through Christ who strengthens me. You start singing the song I'm hopeless and I'm abandoned and they start countering now the good parts. I will never leave you or forsake you the same. Change the soundtrack in your heart, the soundtrack of the gospel. What that means is you gotta view things when you had to know the Bible you have the Bible bounce around in your hearts that it becomes the soundtrack which means you read it every day.

Every day you can read the Bible's was fresh in your mind you memorized so that it bounces around and there you interpret things according to the word of God you listen to it. Listen Sue looks like a lily Christian music. I'm not against secular music. I like some secular music.

But love listening to music but just teach the Scripture to my heart because I heard of her glisten songs described as sermons that you can remember it in her my feelings watches, about a year and half ago I preached a series called the name people salable best sermon series I've ever preached seven messages in can you name a single 11 note yet. If I say what a powerful name. It is you can tell me the next three lines of that so you see there is a sense in which you have this Scripture that flooded in your heart so that would like bring something you you play the right soundtrack. Notice that it's one another here what it means you gotta be in corporate worship like this is what we do is we sing the songs of redemption, to each other you one other application it's like to be a small group small group because in order to hear somebody's heart song close enough to your it's like that faint thing play in the background that you can hear lecture close to you need to be close enough that you can hear them going through this and you can sing sing a song, here's a song you want to be sing at the promises of the gospel, which is why I tell you listen. Some of you over and over this passage, you in this book of Ephesians.

You have to get off the sidelines of the church.

The blessings of the church are not intended to come to you through one man standing on a state the blessings of the church, you are deeply connected and is the spirit of God uses the members of his church begin your life and if you're on the sidelines, just not in a place where the spirit of God can do what he wants and you you need to join and you need a volunteer get in the small group, you need to connected you to get your chance. Connecting your modeling can't be a part of student ministry. Why not the songs of their heart to be written by Bruno Mars and break that's not want the songs you want and sing on the back of their heart. You want them sing songs written by the apostle Paul King David the shepherd and other things that come from the Holy Spirit to go to get connected to get your family connected princes all goes back to the word of the beginning of the chapter.

Therefore, therefore, therefore, in light of what you have received in Christ will outline what you've experienced. This is how you should walk.

Have you experienced the transforming power of the gospel with not my friend, you can receive it today. Right now it's a free gift of grace God gives you have to work to become God's child. It's a gift that gives and you receive. You can do it right now by surrendering the Lordship of Jesus and receiving them as your Savior. If you have received that you need to return to the gospel and you let its truth saturate your soul until your heart begins to say I want to walk in love, one walk and might want to walking in wisdom for not listening to Pastor Jamie life resource their stories from you, but also from some other members of our church here. And you know so notify my best stories are basically meat on somebody else's story so little of both were put now I tell a few of the stories, but for a few of them. We just thought it be better for for the person who was right up close to its taxi tell you that story and you can hear stories of sacrifice and struggle and discouragement and overcoming obstacles and audacious faith and even overcoming racial prejudice and this is an amazing, inspiring story of how God took a very ordinary, declining, plateaued, sleepy little Baptist Church and how God brought revitalization think it will not only encourage you pay may help you understand a little bit more to the context behind some of the preaching that I do here on Summit life. They will also inspire you to dream great things for the church. God made you a part of you reach out to us@jdgreer.com and just be part of supporting this ministry helping to stay on the air in places where the gospel is not that well known and would love to put this this book in your hands, and I will make you regret it.

I think a blessing.

Any training areas and revitalization counting around our team pretty sick, especially for you. Thanks for this ministry. Pastor Henry stories that led to the dying churches revitalization today by calling 833-586-6335 24 for easier using online career.com relationship. Family here listening and