1183. When God Says “No,” Listen

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville South Carolina this week on The Daily Platform featuring sermons preached from the Bob Jones University 2021 Bible conference with the theme of sanctification. Today's sermon will be preached by Rand, humble director of the wilds of New England Beach are you Pres. Steve Pettit will introduce him. I don't know anybody who loves young people more than Rand, and he is faithful. He's godly. He's consistent.

He's humble. He's wise, he's effective. These powerful and I'm just so glad that he's here to be a part of our Bible conferences.

We emphasize the whole thing of spiritually growing sanctification, and I know that you will be blessed by his message tonight really know.

Ephesians 5. Tonight and I hope you're ready to dig in to Ephesians chapter 5 is where one should turn please. Ephesians 512 times God says no.

He wants us he really does.

He wants us to be morally pure.

No question husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for that he might sanctify set it apart. Make it special and unique one-of-a-kind and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. If you are engaged in. You're going to get married sometime this year.

Standup standup is lessee who infuriates you get married this year's and why. How many users you know me you would like to be married someday take very good.

It's great. It's wonderful. I'm just a hard question because I don't even like what I'm preaching on my bed help. Seriously, if you want to be cheated on. Once you get married no way yeah when the Bible says. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, Jesus paid he died to sanctify to set us apart to make a set very very special, unique, one-of-a-kind bride and positionally in Christ, he sets us apart.

He sanctifies us, but then in a very practical progressive way is we, as was mentioned last night. The sanctification begins working where we experience God putting off the old man okay that old man, which is corrupt is rotted wood, deceitful, lying, loss that will not truly satisfy you. You will bankrupt. According to his deceitful loves God and in it is okay. It's an imperative. It's an indicative it's all mixed up together there. The God does this force in. We need to be a part of this and that. I love the enjoyment of the forces he puts on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness.

You don't have to pretend that you're right with God.

You have to fake it to true holiness. But, but the process is found in that middle verse being renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that's the concept of the washing or the cleansing of the water by the word. Those of you struggle with thought life born. I get asked all the time. How can I get victory over this. I found nothing nothing nothing except this. Nothing that will cleanse the heart and cleanse the mind but the very word of God. You are clean to the word which I've given you wherewithal show young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word with my whole heart of ice out there.

Let me know. Wonderful. My commandments problem is we don't seeking with a whole heart. Just a part of our heart to put the guilt level low enough so we can make it through another day and then we get a chapter like Ephesians 5 word, God says, not neither nor nor no nor nor no not no not 12 times in one chapter he uses a negative look at verse one chapter 5 verse one being he therefore therefore is wonderful because as you know, chapters 123 of Ephesians you're in Christ, as you heard many of you from Dr. Ferguson, the union we have and all the blessings thereof. Okay. And then chapter 4, five, six to be like Christ and that is okay. We therefore imitators are followers of God in the net the phrase is dear children tension this the innocent. See childhood that you didn't know this yucky moral stuff you didn't think about it is dearly loved children, but even kids need to learn the importance of no busy traffic near your house. You teach, you know don't doubt the road burning fireplace.

I burn would we live in New Hampshire it's cold, the birds were earmuffs up there on is really cold. Okay to teach your kids stay away from the hot fireplace balconies and stairs. No taken a booger and put in it from your nose or mouth. No no don't do that with the innocence of children and I do.

I wish I to I wish we could go back to that we are someday, by the way, the new heavens and new earth to be so cool no lust.

The world no duffel K. The kids are so trusting an innocent. I love kids.

The kids are great. Some he sent me, I may share this with you before, but some notes that some second graders wrote to God, dear God, I didn't think orange went well with purple toy, saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool you got I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying to God of all the people who work for you. I like Noah and David the best one more dear God, thank you for my baby brother but I think you got confused because what I prayed for was a puppy. You know kids can write like nose, like this to God you read it in Hebrews 11 without faith it is impossible to please God, but he that comes to God must believe that he will eat this and he is everything that this precious word says he is. He is holy, he is wonderful. He is loving is forgiving and tends believe that we stop believing that it is because we don't follow through with the rest of the verse.

He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The soul dig into this book and begin thinking like God wants us to think because our minds are being washed with his precious word. Slowly we get renewed verse to walk in love, as Christ also was loved us loving others just like our precious Lord loves us when it be wonderful if we really live that is given himself for sin offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. This is the Shema should know the greatest commandment of all is to love God and love others, love God and love others and we see the illustration work, Christ died for us. See loves us and then he always wanted to please his heavenly father. With the right type of sacrifice. There and he was consumed with loving us loving his heavenly father. In other words, he was motivated by love. The only thing that will help us to listen to God when God says no. When it comes to moral issues. It's a motivation. You all want to be married or most of you, but nobody wants to be cheated on you.

Start loving you more than you love your husband you start loving you more than you love your wife and you may give into that terrible thing was, I think through how much God loves us this whole chapter that deals with the opposite of true love. I have to ask myself what could steal my love away from God. What is it they could creep into my life.

I hate to put it this way but as a bride of Christ to make me cheat on God. If you experience something like that and your young wife and just literally.

It's like somebody reaches and grabs a hold your heart and rips it out and I don't know how God feels infusions for witnesses grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, what, when we so quickly give in to the old flesh and stuff and we don't listen to God on these issues that were to talk about God is a jealous lover Bible teaches that God is not jealous of. Okay, he's jealous for us and he knows what kind love can reach down in every single one of our hearts will come love can reached out to grab hold our heart and pull it away from him, guys in and II don't want you to go to the anguish and I don't want my heavenly father through his spirit to be grieved because of our choices in these areas. So first three fornication and cleanness and covetousness, let it not be theirs and no once named among you is become myth, saints was one translation but among your goodness must not even be a hint of sexual immorality. Not even a hint. Hope this okay but take this cookoff K no hint guys. Is there anything in your life in your dorm that would give others a hint that you're really giving and pornography girls. Is there anything in your conversations and we talk about with others that would give them a hint that your thought life is out of control. No hint of fornication no hint of uncleanness do enjoy being entertained by those who joke about immorality and stuff you want to enjoy a good movie. So much of the underlying things are just what I will say this, they decrease our sensitivity to God's hatred for sin K think they they make sin like it's no big deal. No hint of sexual greed. That's what covetousness is desiring that which God never ever intended you to have you desire more satisfaction for you married folks that you can get your marital relationship.

Are you that will be married someday. In that relationship. These are things I that's why he Piech into his passage to desired.

You covet another man's wife you desire covet another man's future wife whether she me in the movie or magazine or website. Fox News did a whole study on abstinence for teenagers to your study and this is sad but it was on six and seventh graders of those taught say 650% were sexually active within two years of those taught abstinence only 33 were sexually active and I hurt for even those 33% know that doesn't mean the two thirds tape your no hint of sexual morality no hint of sexual uncleanness. No hint of sexual greed. Peter put a well dearly beloved, I bake I beseech you is strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust which what you know more. It is a war.

This is tough and it's a battle in Safari it says that if you see in the same verse ears if the universe reduces as become myth, saints, as is becoming that which makes a saint look good in the eyes of others. But what about our moral lives. It makes the gospel, becoming saintly holy lives made God and Christianity look good and attractive to others sensual unholy lives made God and Christianity look ugly and repulsive.

Verse four. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking adjusting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks, absolutely no joking because what you joke about stress and sexual things could be the very thing that ripped the heart of that of the roommate or maybe a team that you're going to work with newsgroup someday because her dad left them for another woman. It is something joke until the crows in your own home. So what you joke about to make fun of spiritual things you violate this principle, filthy, foolish, suggesting see. Come on Rand you don't know my heart to your heart. I will have to take and send this spy in you to study your heart will actually got Ari did that to me is called your tongue because if you think it's cool with your buddies you get a filthy tongue yet filthy heart. I'm sorry you've a complaining tongue.

You have none thankful heart. If you have a bitter tongue you have an angry heart you got discontent thankful tongue excuse me, you have the thankful heart. Just listen to yourself listen to yourself and let your own words reveal what your heart is about what makes you laugh or anything that is filthy in God's eyes and funny in your eyes. So here's a question for you. According to our passage. How do you talk to others about sex, how you do this.

This is all part of this sanctifying in being cleansed and clean because we don't want to be in this yucky stuff in our lives. See get started. The basis here like God tells us here and all were doing were just talking about that what you talk about filthiness of sanity obscene stories online sex sex thing lay in your bed at night so dangerous foolish talking is empty vein talk with sexual overtones.

Adjusting is the course screwed move joking literally has a concept of the twisting and some people can take anything twisted to make it dirty since are not convenient. In other words, they are totally out of place for a Christian that loves God and others to see things are ugly. The repulsive one to understand that when we joke about something we belittle it and lessen its importance got that. That's why I will not joke about like the word of God in the know when you joke about something you belittle, you lessen the support importance. We thank God for something we express its importance, so that next phrase at the end of verse four rather giving of thanks.

Slick. How does where did that come from in this passage were talking about all this wicked, immoral stuff in so get a question for you.

How you talk to God about sex. Thank God for sex as he designed it before man perverted. Thank God for sex that can be enjoyed in a guilt free fashion. According to God's plan from the beginning. Thank God for sex, which is much more than a release. It's a relationship and I'm not trying to be crude okay were not animals.

Okay, it's not how I can please me. Thank God for sex is incredible picture of intimacy that it really is you can't thank God for the filthy obscene course screwed type of sex is prevalent online and on screen today can and when you get down little farther here. The verse five and realize that it is one the most deceiving things that can happen because you guys are doing great publicly outwardly but we all, if were honest with each other.

No loose struggle we have with our thoughts and our flesh and look what is says in verse five. For this you know that no warmonger unclean person, just men who is an adult for if any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words will be full by those who try to excuse her sexual sins because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. God's displeasure will fall on those who willfully disobeyed him how does that happen. I don't know. I really don't want to find out. Don't be deceived into thinking that immorality has no consequences. How many times does God say no before we finally listen, don't be full. You guys get an unfiltered Internet and a ton of privacy. You know what happens K. These sinks make got upset and when is like something that happens directly to us may be inundating your marital relationship.

It upsets us, but for whatever reason we don't really get upset with this kind send this wish though if you did truly get upset you would do everything you could.

I'm telling you it in my world because I'm a camp guy in I get calls all the time so just couple years ago. I'd five college guys different colleges all was sent to me for counsel, all on the phone or online. All five were addicted to porn masonry and can you help us.

I said I really can tell you if you listen to me.

I can do a little plan for you. Okay were to do for six weeks. Lucius was just take the three weeks all right. I mutate exactly what to meditate on what to read.

I want you to spend get this I want you to spend an hour in the morning an hour at night with God because you so habituated your thinking in the wrong way.

It just take a pill or get the vaccine and the stuff is gone get a Renu make new the mind change the way you think so out of those five guys I'm only asking for two hours a day.

How many made it not think one guy said he almost made it three weeks and I heard for them. I really do. But nobody can. Nobody can do this for you okay no part with him relatively verse seven. Be not therefore partakers with them, do not participate in the things that these people do for you were sometimes darkness in verse eight, but now you are the light of the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable similar to the Lord. In other words, to before we before we do make that choice to literally cheat on our Lord by even cheating on those that we love here.

We need to learn to discern K's huge the discernment process puts time between the temptation and instant gratification me say that again the discernment process puts time between the temptation in the instant gratification it's it's similar in dealing with anger to the Old Testament were long-suffering, it means literally to be of long nose are to be of long breath K everybody there with me taken a breathtaking end, hold it, I'll let it out. So a roommate says something really stupid that upset you watch me talk takes you married men. Your wife says something to their take you yes dear filter with preset discernment, carefully determine what pleases God and what does not please God. Okay, have no fellowship. Take no part with the unfruitful works of darkness. The worthless evil rather expose it even to yourself or to shame to even speak of those things which are done in secret, not partakers just don't want any part of that you don't talk about it. You want to think about it. Why do we. Why do we struggle and so in all of this because we haven't really decided who and what we truly love you talk about what you think about and you think about what you love. Therefore, if you truly love you guys think about that talk about him and think about him and learn more of him. You can renew your mind and your to be washed by the water of this word. But if you constantly chance feeding these struggles, and these doubts with more more lewdness and uncleanness in sexual covetousness while you have a hard time call now this one. No hint of joking, no deception, no part God says no more. Verse 15 therefore see, then, be careful, walk circumspectly, not more foolishness. Okay, no more foolishness. Just be careful. Just be careful, walk circumspectly and if you know your head and wrong which is turning get out of there okay be careful that you don't waste your time. Verse 16 takes time to sin and then it takes time to cover your sin, then you spend a lot of time worried about if anyone will ever find out about your sin every single student today that I talked to say how you don't have school close visit.

If most of us were honest, we could probably pick up two hours a day despite stop sending okay, it's time management.

The way be careful not to waste your time.

Be careful that you certainly don't waste your life. Think you've all seen the words of your discretion advised even the world knows the need for discretion and discernment. Why don't we ever forget that only fools joke about sin, because my Jesus died for us because please God says no more immorality please listen you been listening to a sermon from the 2021 Bob Jones University Bible conference preached by Rand Hummel join us again tomorrow on The Daily Platform