1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,920 Father, we thank you, Lord, for today. 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,040 Thank you, Lord, for the rain this past week, and thank you, 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,480 Father, for the safety and getting us all here. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,520 Thank you for the opportunity to spend time in Your word and 5 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,120 pray, Lord, that you'd open our hearts and minds to behold the 6 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:16,760 beauty of Your glorious name. We thank you, Father, that You 7 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,160 allowed us this opportunity to study Your word. 8 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,960 We are such blessed people to be able to read the words of God 9 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,280 and to be able to study them, knowing Your plan and Your 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,520 desire for our lives that we might follow you in obedience 11 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:33,240 and so just bless our time together. 12 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,280 To Steve we pray in Jesus name, Amen. 13 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,640 Take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Colossians, the 14 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,760 book of Colossians the 3rd chapter and I want to read to 15 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,000 you the 1st 8 verses of chapter 3. 16 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,120 Set them in your mind. That will set the tone for our 17 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:57,840 time together as we study and ask the question, What is a 18 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,400 Christian? Colossians chapter 3 verse #1 19 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:07,480 says Therefore, since you have been raised up with Christ, keep 20 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,960 seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right 21 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,240 hand of God. Set your mind on the things 22 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,480 above, not on the things that are on earth. 23 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,720 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:27,680 When Christ, who is our life is revealed, then you also will be 25 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:33,280 revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members 26 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:38,640 of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, 27 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,960 evil, desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,000 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God 29 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,160 will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you 30 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,400 also once walked, when you were living in them. 31 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:01,320 But now you also put them all aside, anger, wrath, malice, 32 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,440 slander and abusive speech from your mouth. 33 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,919 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self and 34 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:14,720 this evil practices and having put on the new self, who is 35 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:19,080 being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image 36 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:27,400 of the one who created him. The question is, what is a 37 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,920 Christian? A Christian is known by his 38 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:39,040 decision, that's Luke 9/23. His decision is to deny himself, 39 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,160 take up his cross and follow Christ. 40 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,160 A Christian is known by his definition. 41 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:54,280 Philippians chapter 3 verse #3 That we are the marked ones who 42 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,960 worship God in spirit, who glory only in Christ Jesus, and put no 43 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:06,720 confidence in the flesh. Thirdly, the Christian is known 44 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:14,000 by description, by his description. 2nd Corinthians 517 45 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,000 For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. 46 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,600 Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become 47 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,440 new. Fourthly, a Christian is known 48 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:34,440 by his declaration, Matthew 16 verse #16 Thou art the Christ, 49 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:42,040 the Son of the living God. And last week we talked about a 50 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,240 Christian is known by his dedication. 51 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:54,320 That's Philippians one verse #21 for to me to live is Christ and 52 00:03:54,320 --> 00:04:01,880 to die is gain. The question is, how do you know 53 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:12,520 someone is genuine, authentic, real, true believer in the Lord 54 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,960 Jesus Christ? Well, the only way to know that 55 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,640 is to match that life with what the Bible says about 56 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,520 Christianity. It's not about someone's opinion 57 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,080 or someone's thinking. It's about what God has already 58 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:31,240 said in His Word. That's why you always prove what 59 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:37,000 you believe by what the Bible says, because what the Bible 60 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,440 says is all that matters. And so a Christian is very 61 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,800 easily distinguished by what the Bible says. 62 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,120 Tonight we will look at another characteristic of the Christian 63 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,080 to help you understand that a Christian is known by his 64 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,080 denunciation. That is, there are certain 65 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,680 things that he denounces. He denounces the world. 66 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,920 He denounces the sin of the world. 67 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:15,880 He denounces A sinful behavior in the world, and yet the 68 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:20,720 paradox about Christianity is that he is in the world, but he 69 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:26,040 is not of the world. Christ in his high priestly 70 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,920 prayer in John 17, said to the Father, I pray that you not take 71 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,360 them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil 72 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:41,440 one while they are in the world. There is this great paradox that 73 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,240 that faces the Christian is that is that he is in the world but 74 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,520 not of the world. And that's because he has been 75 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,360 saved out of the world. Therefore he denounces 76 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:57,000 everything the world stands for. He denounces the world, sin and 77 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,720 all the sinful behavior that goes with the world. 78 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,720 That's what Christians do. That's very, very important. 79 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,560 In fact, the Bible says in the book of Romans, the 12th 80 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,240 chapter, very familiar words to us. 81 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,400 Paul says, Therefore, I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God 82 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:24,560 to present your bodies a living in the holy Sacrifice, pleasing 83 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:31,520 to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 84 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,480 Paul says based on all that God has done, all the mercies that 85 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,760 he's bestowed upon you, you need to be able to present your body 86 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:46,960 as a living sacrifice that is pleasing to the Lord because 87 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:54,200 this is the only logical form of worship, very important. 88 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,880 The only thing logical about your worship is that you present 89 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:03,320 your body as a living sacrifice. And we've told you over the 90 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,920 years that you understand a living sacrifice. 91 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,240 When you look at Justice chapter 22 and realize that God told 92 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,120 Abraham to take his only son, his beloved son Isaac, to a 93 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,000 place that he will tell him, which was Mount Moriah, take him 94 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,600 up there and sacrifice his son. Abraham being obedient, took his 95 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,760 son up the mountain, tied him down, was going to sacrifice 96 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:31,160 him, and the Angel of the Lord stopped him and said, now I know 97 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,880 you fear me. It's not that the Lord didn't 98 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:42,320 know that Abraham feared him. It's just that Abraham needed to 99 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:48,800 know that he feared the Lord, and the Lord knew that he feared 100 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:53,240 him. Abraham was willing to sacrifice 101 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:58,600 all of his dreams, all of his hopes, all of his aspirations, 102 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:03,200 all of his desires for the sake of obedience to the Lord. 103 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:09,400 His son was the promised son. He'd waited 25 years for this 104 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:16,520 son, and this was the promised beloved son of Abraham and 105 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,280 Sarah. And God says, now I want you 106 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:23,600 take that son that you love, and I want you to sacrifice him unto 107 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:28,160 me. I want you to slay him for my 108 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,080 sake. And Abraham was going to do 109 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,640 that. And if Abraham would have slayed 110 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:39,840 him, if he had not been stopped by the Angel of the Lord, Isaac 111 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:45,960 would have been a dead sacrifice, and Abraham would 112 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:51,760 have been the living sacrifice. Because the living sacrifice is 113 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,920 that I'm willing to present everything that I have to God, 114 00:08:55,280 --> 00:09:01,280 withhold nothing from him. Paul says in Romans 12, I 115 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:06,080 beseech you, I beg you, based on what God has done, that that you 116 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,040 now present your body as a living sacrifice. 117 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,360 That is, you're willing to crawl up on the altar and sacrifice 118 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:17,840 every aspiration, every dream, every desire that you have for 119 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,480 the sake of honoring and glorifying the name of God. 120 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,280 And Paul says that is the only logical thing to do based on the 121 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,640 mercies of God there. Everything else you do is 122 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:32,760 illogical, but this is the one thing that's extremely logical. 123 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,760 That's your window. Sacrifice everything because of 124 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:42,160 what God has done. And then, he says, and be not 125 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:51,600 conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of 126 00:09:51,600 --> 00:10:01,240 your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable 127 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:07,000 will of the living God. When you present your body as a 128 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,800 living sacrifice, the natural byproduct is that you're not 129 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,600 going to be conformed to the things of the world. 130 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,000 You're going to, you're going to turn your back on the world and 131 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,560 you're going to be renewed. You're going to be conformed by 132 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,000 renewing your mind to the things of God. 133 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:35,320 This will be pleasing to God. Said another way, the Bible says 134 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:41,880 these words over in the book of Second Corinthians, Second 135 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:46,400 Corinthians chapter 6. We are the temple of the living 136 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:51,200 God, we the church. Not only is your body a temple 137 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,240 of the living God, but the church is a temple of the living 138 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,320 God. Just as God said, I would dwell 139 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,400 in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they 140 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,760 shall be my people. Therefore come out from their 141 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,920 midst and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is 142 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,960 unclean. And I will welcome you, and I 143 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,760 will be a father to you. You should be sons and daughters 144 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:23,640 to me, says the Lord Almighty. Paul says the people of God are 145 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:28,880 distinguished by coming out from the world being separate unto 146 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:35,320 God, because God dwells in them and they are the temple of the 147 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,240 living God. You see, in today's culture, we 148 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:46,880 try to reach the World in the church by reflecting the world. 149 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,280 You can't reach the World by reflecting the world. 150 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,680 You can only reach the World by rejecting the world. 151 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,600 If you reflect the world in your life, you can't reach them. 152 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,080 But if you reject the world, you can then reach the World because 153 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,720 you are holy and separate unto God. 154 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:14,240 You're uniquely different than the world, and God has always 155 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,800 called his people to be separate from the world, to be unlike the 156 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,320 world. And that's why the Christian is 157 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,120 known by his denunciation. He denounces everything of the 158 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,640 world and everything that's a part of the world. 159 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:33,040 In fact, the Bible says these words in Galatians chapter 1 and 160 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:37,320 verse #4 that Christ gave Himself for our sins, that He 161 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:42,560 might deliver us from this present evil world. 162 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:48,440 God died in order for you, for you and I, to be delivered from 163 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:51,920 the present evil world in which we exist. 164 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,120 We are in the world, but we are not of the world because we've 165 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:02,880 been saved out of the world. Very, very important. 166 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,760 In fact, in Philippians chapter 2, listen to what Paul says, 167 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,040 verse 14. Again, familiar verses. 168 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:15,240 Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you may 169 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,200 prove yourselves to be blameless, innocent children of 170 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:23,080 God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse 171 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:27,960 generation among whom you appear as lights in the world. 172 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:33,600 You live in a Dark World, and if you grumble and you mumble, then 173 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,680 you're just like the people of the world, the darkness in the 174 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,120 world. But you want to appear as lights 175 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,800 in the world because the the world is a perverse and crooked 176 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,680 generation. And the perverse and crooked 177 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:49,640 generation are known by their mumbling and grumbling and belly 178 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,760 aching and complaining about everything under the sun. 179 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,240 But the believer, no, they don't do that because they've come out 180 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:02,840 from the world and they appear as lights in the world because 181 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,280 they shine forth the glory of God. 182 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:16,200 Again, note this Titus chapter 2, Paul says verse 11 For the 183 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,040 grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 184 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:22,640 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, 185 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,720 and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the 186 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,440 present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing 187 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,240 of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, who 188 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:38,680 gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to 189 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:44,240 purify for himself a people for His own possession, zealous for 190 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,880 good deeds. The grace of God has appeared to 191 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:53,040 all men, and the grace of God is a teaching grace, and it always 192 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:57,280 teaches the believer to deny ungodliness, to deny worldly 193 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,680 lusts, deny worldly passions, so that it might live righteously 194 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:06,720 and godly in this present age. That's how we live our lives. 195 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,800 Again, we are in the world, but we are not of the world because 196 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:14,280 we denounce everything the world stands for. 197 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,920 Why? Because Christ saved us from 198 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:22,480 this present evil world and we have presented our bodies as 199 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,280 living sacrifices. Because we made the decision to 200 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:30,400 deny ourselves, take up a cross and follow Christ. 201 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:35,680 And when one denies himself, he is denying all of his dreams, 202 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,760 all of us hopes, all of us aspirations that are apart from 203 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,120 God and says, Lord, I'm going to, I'm going to take in my 204 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,880 cross and I'm going to follow you because you are my life. 205 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,440 You are my dream. You are everything I've longed 206 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,080 for and hoped for. That's the life of the believer. 207 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,880 That's what a believer looks like according to what the Bible 208 00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:01,400 says. And so Jesus would later say 209 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:07,960 these words in John chapter 15. He would say in verse #18 if the 210 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:14,160 world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated 211 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,840 you. That's just a great statement. 212 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:19,840 If the world hates you, know this. 213 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,960 It hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the 214 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:29,800 world would love its own. You're not of the world. 215 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,120 You're in the world, but you're not of the world. 216 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,240 Because if you were of the world, the world would love you. 217 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:39,120 But because you're not of the world, the world hates you. 218 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,000 In fact, he says this, but because you are not of the 219 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,560 world, but I chose you out of the world. 220 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:52,240 Because of this, the world hates you. 221 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,280 The world hates you. The world wants no part of you. 222 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:00,880 Why? Because you appear as lights in 223 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,320 a World of Darkness that's crooked and perverse. 224 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:09,280 And what does light do? Light shines in the darkness in 225 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:13,880 light exposes that which is in the dark, and those who love 226 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,599 darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil, 227 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:19,800 love to live in the dark. So when the light shows up, it 228 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,680 shines in the dark and exposes the sin of the unbeliever. 229 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,319 They don't like that. That's why the world hates you. 230 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,840 So Christ made it very clear you're not of the world, because 231 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,840 if you were, the world would love you. 232 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,120 But I've chosen you out of the world. 233 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,760 I've chosen you for myself. I've separated you unto myself. 234 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,880 I have sanctified you, set you apart for my purposes. 235 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,000 This is the life of the believer. 236 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,480 And therefore, when we seek to reach the World with the gospel, 237 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:01,080 we cannot reflect the world. We reject the world. 238 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,760 We denounce the world, we don't want to associate with anything 239 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:11,760 of the world because it's filled with sin, sinful behavior, 240 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,640 sinful attitudes, sinful actions. 241 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:17,520 And the believer wants no part of that. 242 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:25,520 Even though he's he's in the world, he is not of the world. 243 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,680 Very, very important to understand that. 244 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,880 So when you come to Colossians chapter 3, Paul makes it very 245 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:40,560 clear with these words. Therefore, since you have been 246 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,000 raised up with Christ, well, how would you be raised up with 247 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,360 Christ? Because you died with Christ. 248 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:55,000 So Paul says in in Galatians chapter 2 right verse #20 he 249 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:56,960 said, I have been crucified with Christ. 250 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,840 It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life 251 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,840 which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of 252 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:07,480 God who loved me and gave himself up for me. 253 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,320 And then in Galatians chapter 6 he said these words are verse 254 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,200 14. But may it never be that I would 255 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,680 boast except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, through which 256 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:24,960 the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. 257 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,720 Paul says I have died to the world and the world has died to 258 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:30,400 me. Why? 259 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,840 Because Christ lives in me. You are in Christ, Christ is in 260 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,360 you. Christ is not a part of the 261 00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:40,480 world, so therefore neither are his children a part of the 262 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:44,680 world. And therefore Paul says, the 263 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,920 world has died to me and I've died to the world. 264 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:56,880 So Paul says in chapter 3 of Colossians verse #1 Since you 265 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:02,320 have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking things above where 266 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,960 Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 267 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,680 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that 268 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,520 are on the earth. In order for you to denounce the 269 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,840 things of the world, you must keep seeking the things that are 270 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,560 above. You must set your mind, set your 271 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,520 affection on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand 272 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:26,000 of of God the Father. You're always looking above. 273 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,800 You're always looking to where Christ is. 274 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,200 You're always focused on heaven above. 275 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,120 That's how you could denounce everything below, because you're 276 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:43,640 always focused above. That's why we, in our, in our 277 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,960 study, the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon kept talking about 278 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,520 living above the sun instead of below the sun. 279 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,840 That's the SUN, by the way, when you live below the sun, 280 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,880 everything is vain, everything is empty. 281 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,400 But when you live above the sun, then you're able to see things 282 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,680 clearly below the sun because your eyes are fixed above. 283 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:13,040 They're fixed on glory. So the Bible says these words in 284 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:17,840 the book of Philippians, the 3rd chapter, Paul says verse 17. 285 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,480 Brethren, join in following my example and observe those who 286 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:23,120 walk according to the pattern you have. 287 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:28,200 You haven't us for many walk, of whom I am often told you, and 288 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,120 now tell you, even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of 289 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:35,520 Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their 290 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,720 appetite, and whose glory is in their shame. 291 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,680 Who set their minds on earthly things? 292 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,240 Those who are opposed to the cross of Christ, those who are 293 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,040 unbelievers, set their minds on earthly things. 294 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,000 As believers, we set our mind on heavenly things. 295 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,080 He goes on to say in verse #20 For our citizenship is in 296 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,400 heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for the Savior of 297 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,960 the Lord Jesus Christ, who would transform the body of our humble 298 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,200 state into conformity with the body of His glory by the 299 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,040 exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things 300 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,720 to himself. The reason we keep looking above 301 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:17,360 is because that's where our home is. 302 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:22,160 That's where our citizenship is. We are aliens and strangers in a 303 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,240 foreign land. But unfortunately, we, we have 304 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,400 made ourselves very accustomed to this land. 305 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:34,200 We kind of love it down here. We kind of appreciate everything 306 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,000 that's going on around us down here. 307 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,960 And we have forgotten that our citizenship is not in the United 308 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:45,200 States. Our citizenship is in glory, but 309 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,600 we are aliens and strangers in a foreign land. 310 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,880 That's what that's what Peter says over in in first Peter 311 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:56,400 chapter chapter 2 verse #9 He says these words. 312 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,600 You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a 313 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,800 people for God's own possession say, you may proclaim the 314 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,920 excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into 315 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,040 His marvellous light. For you once were not a people, 316 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,120 but now you are the people of God. 317 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,880 You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 318 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:23,320 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from 319 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:28,280 fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 320 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,600 You're aliens and strangers down here, and therefore you are to 321 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:39,040 abstain from the fleshly lusts which are waging war with your 322 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,000 soul. You're to denounce all of those 323 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,520 things. Why you want to keep your 324 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,160 behavior excellent verse 12 among the Gentiles so that in 325 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:51,280 the thing in which they slander you as evil doers, they may, 326 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,120 because of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God 327 00:23:55,280 --> 00:24:03,160 in the day of visitation so incredibly important. 328 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:09,720 Remember what Paul said over in in second Corinthians chapter 329 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:16,160 chapter 4. He said these words, He said in 330 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,280 verse 16, We do not lose heart. But though our outer man is 331 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,840 decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day for 332 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:25,960 momentary light. Affliction is producing for us 333 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,280 an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we 334 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:33,800 look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which 335 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,920 are not seen. For the things which are seen 336 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,120 are temporal, but the things which are not seen, those 337 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,760 things, well they are eternal. Paul says we had this, this 338 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,680 momentary light affliction. And when you read through the 339 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,080 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and you read through Paul's 340 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:54,840 epistles, his afflictions were, were not light, They were pretty 341 00:24:54,840 --> 00:25:00,560 heavy, but he saw them as as light in comparison to eternity 342 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,720 because he kept looking for those things that are unseen, 343 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:10,840 not the things that are seen. In other words, he kept focused 344 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,040 on things above. He kept seeking those things 345 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,560 above. In fact, over in First 346 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:23,280 Chronicles chapter 29, David said to Solomon, verse #19 I'm 347 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:28,200 sorry, First Chronicles 22 verse #19 he said to Solomon, Set your 348 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:32,800 heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. 349 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,480 Those are David's words to his son. 350 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:41,960 Set your heart and your soul to seek the things of God, Paul 351 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:44,280 says. Since you've been raised up with 352 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:52,640 Christ, keep on seeking Christ. Keep setting your affection on 353 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,520 things above, not on things below. 354 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,720 If we don't do this, we will not denounce the world. 355 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,760 We'll accept the things of the world. 356 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,520 So in order for us to live a life of denunciation, we must 357 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,320 seek those things that are above. 358 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:15,680 We must set our mind and affections on things above, not 359 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,840 on things on the earth. He goes on to say this. 360 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,360 For you have died, and your life is in with Christ and God. 361 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,880 When Christ, who is her life is revealed, then you also will be 362 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,600 revealed with him in glory. In other words, Christ is your 363 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,520 life. Your life is no longer your own. 364 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,920 You've died the self, the light that you now live. 365 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,520 You live because of the power of Christ in you. 366 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:46,320 Christ is your life. That that's why you can denounce 367 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,160 the world. Listen, if you cannot denounce 368 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,280 the world, if you can't turn your back on the world, if you 369 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,280 can't run away from the sin of the world and the sinful 370 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:59,800 behavior of the world, maybe it's because Christ isn't your 371 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:04,520 life. Because of Christ is your life, 372 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,120 you set your affections on things above. 373 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:12,360 You keep seeking those things where Christ is seated in the 374 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:18,840 heavenlies. Once you seek those things 375 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,040 above. And what did Christ say in 376 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:26,040 Matthew chapter 6 verse #33 that we are to seek first His Kingdom 377 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,040 and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added 378 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,520 unto you. But seek first His Kingdom and 379 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,320 His righteousness. There's something about the 380 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:39,520 believer that sets his mind and his thoughts and his heart on 381 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:45,560 seeking God and God alone that allows him to denounce the 382 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:51,600 things of the world. And that's where verse #5 comes 383 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,720 in. All this was introductory up to 384 00:27:54,720 --> 00:28:00,440 verse #5 because the verse #5 He says, Therefore, therefore, 385 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,480 because you are seeking those things that are above. 386 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,920 Therefore, because you have set your mind on things above where 387 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,160 Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. 388 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:13,960 Therefore because you're already doing that, that's your heart's 389 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,760 attitude. He says these words, consider 390 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:22,880 the members of your earthly body as dead. 391 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:26,760 Another translation would be this. 392 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,120 Therefore, kill the members of your body. 393 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:38,840 Another translation says. Therefore mortify the members of 394 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:42,400 your body. Well, what can that possibly 395 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,280 mean? Well, it's, it's, it's, it's a 396 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,960 take off from the words of Christ in Matthew 5 where he 397 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,200 said if your right eye offends you, pluck it out. 398 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,680 If your right arm offends you, cut it off. 399 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,080 He didn't mean that literally. He meant it dramatically. 400 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,000 He meant it drastically, not literally. 401 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:11,800 He says take whatever measure is necessary to keep away from sin. 402 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:17,840 Here Paul is saying you need to kill the members of your body. 403 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:26,840 You need to commit it as if it were spiritual suicide. 404 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,320 In other words, you are to kill the members of your body. 405 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,520 What are the members of my body? Those things that leads you into 406 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,000 sin. And specifically in the context, 407 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:45,800 it's your mind. It's it's your, your, your, your 408 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:51,440 attitude, your words and your actions, your conduct. 409 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,040 OK, so you're going to deal with the mind first of all by 410 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,280 studying your affections and your mind on things above. 411 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,920 But now when it comes to your conduct and your words, you need 412 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,200 to deal with them because those are the members of your body 413 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:12,360 that you need to kill, you need to destroy, you need to 414 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,600 eliminate. And the only way you can 415 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:19,520 separate yourself from those things is if you set your mind 416 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,520 on things above and seek Christ who is in the heavenlies. 417 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,680 If you're not doing that, you can't separate yourself from 418 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,080 those members that leads you into sin. 419 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,680 This is very, very important. This is this is working out your 420 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:37,640 salvation with fear and trembling. 421 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,440 According to Philippians chapter 2, this is how the Christian 422 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,240 lives his life. He denounces, he destroys 423 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,480 everything that leads him into sin. 424 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:52,880 And so Paul's going to give us 2 lists, 2 lists. 425 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:58,840 The lists are not inclusive that include every sin, but the lists 426 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:05,520 are very unique because the first list begins with the act 427 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,800 and moves backward to the attitude. 428 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:15,760 The second list begins with the attitude and moves toward the 429 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,120 ACT. Very important to realize that 430 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:25,000 one moves backwards, one moves forwards, because right in the 431 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,080 middle is the answer, and we're going to show that to you. 432 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,240 And so the first list is a personal list. 433 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,320 The second list is a relational list. 434 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,640 The first list deals with what I do. 435 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:45,480 The second list deals with what I say. 436 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:50,400 Very, very important. And so you're going to ask 437 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,680 yourself tonight, am I the kind of individual, the kind of 438 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:58,000 believer, the kind of genuine, authentic, true believer who 439 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,320 denounces the things of the world because I want to separate 440 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:05,080 myself from all sinful behavior, sinful attitudes, simple 441 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,760 activities? This is my aspiration, this is 442 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,120 my desire. Remember the apostle Paul, the 443 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:14,440 things I'm not doing I should be doing, and the things I'm doing 444 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,160 I shouldn't be doing. Paul had this, this wrestle 445 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,960 wrestling match going on with the members of his body. 446 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:26,600 That that's why over in Romans chapter 8, Paul says these words 447 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:32,680 in verse #13 he says since then brethren, we are under 448 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:36,160 obligation not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. 449 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,200 For if you are living according to the flesh, you will die. 450 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,440 But if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of 451 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:49,360 the body, you will really live. If you put to death the deeds of 452 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,120 the body, if you are involved in spiritual suicide, if you are 453 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,840 involved in destroying the members of your body that leads 454 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:57,880 you into sin, you're really going to live. 455 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,720 Fact, he says earlier in Romans 6. 456 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,200 These words. Therefore do not let sin reign 457 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,360 in your mortal body, verse 12, so that you obey its lust. 458 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,720 And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as 459 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,840 instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as 460 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:17,480 those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of 461 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,480 righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over 462 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:25,880 you, for you are not under law, but under grace. 463 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,240 In other words, sin's not going to master you. 464 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:31,800 Why? Because you're slaves of God, 465 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:36,600 not slaves of sin, and therefore you obey the master that owns 466 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,840 you, and you live a life of obedience. 467 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,640 This is so important. So listen to what Paul says. 468 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:52,440 First list. He moves right from the act to 469 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:57,320 the attitude. So it begins on the outside and 470 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:01,760 moves you to the inside, he says. 471 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,160 Therefore, because you seek those things that are above, 472 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:08,760 because you set your mind on things above, now you can 473 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:13,320 separate yourself from all those sinful attitudes and sinful 474 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,520 behaviors that control the members of your body. 475 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:24,840 So he says these words kill the members of your earthly body as 476 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:28,760 dead. Number one to immorality. 477 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:35,719 To immorality, this is the ACT. Pornea is the word. 478 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:47,920 Immorality is any unlawful act, unlawful sinful act, unlawful 479 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,639 sexual act outside the realm of marriage. 480 00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:58,440 In fact, there's only one lawful act of sex. 481 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,600 Everything else is unlawful. That's between one man and one 482 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,840 woman in the realm of marriage. Everything else is unlawful and 483 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,760 is immoral. There's only one that's lawful, 484 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,720 and that is the one that's in the in the realm of marriage 485 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,640 between a man and a woman who are married and united together 486 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,920 and holy matrimony. That's the only lawful act of 487 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,800 sex there is. Everything else is unlawful. 488 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,560 Every act of homosexuality unlawful. 489 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,440 Every sin outside of marriage unlawful. 490 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,000 Every act of pedophilia unlawful. 491 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,720 Every act of bestiality unlawful. 492 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:39,400 It's all wrong. And remember, Paul is writing to 493 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,720 those in Colossae who lived in a realm where everything about 494 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,480 homosexuality, everything about pedophilia was all accepted in 495 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:50,040 the city. So he lived in a realm where all 496 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:52,520 this was accepted. And he's telling the Christians 497 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:56,040 that you need to kill the members of your body, beginning 498 00:35:56,040 --> 00:36:02,440 with immorality, sex, sin, outside the realm in which God 499 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:07,160 has made it lawful, that is outside the realm of marriage. 500 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,400 Now we talked about this in First Thessalonians chapter 4, 501 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:14,080 when when Christ or Paul says that this is the will of God, 502 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,880 even your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual 503 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,440 immorality. And he goes on and uses the word 504 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:23,160 sanctification 3 times in those first 8 verses, the 1st 505 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:24,720 Thessalonians 4. Why? 506 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:27,840 Because we are to live separate lives and the world lives 507 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,200 uniquely different lives than the world. 508 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:36,120 This is the will of God. That you abstain have nothing to 509 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:43,480 do with sexual immorality. So Paul here begins with the act 510 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:48,720 of immorality and then he moves to the next act which is 511 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:51,360 impurity. What makes a man commit 512 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:56,240 immorality? Impure thoughts, impurity. 513 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:01,480 That's why Christ says over in Mark's gospel, the 7th chapter, 514 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:06,760 he says, listen to me all of you and understand there is nothing 515 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,360 outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him. 516 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,960 But the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the 517 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,800 man. If anyone has the ears to hear, 518 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,200 let him hear. When he had left the crowd and 519 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:23,600 entered the house, the disciples questioned him about the 520 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:26,680 parable. He said to them, are you so 521 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:30,560 lacking and understanding? Also, do you not understand that 522 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:35,040 whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him 523 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:40,760 because it does not go into his heart but into his stomach and 524 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:44,800 it is eliminated. Thus he declared all foods clean 525 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:49,320 and he was saying that which proceeds out of the man. 526 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,320 That is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the 527 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:57,000 heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, 528 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:01,360 murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well 529 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:07,200 as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 530 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:13,000 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. 531 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:19,600 So Paul is saying, Look, need to kill the members of your body. 532 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:27,120 Which ones? Immorality, impurity, impure 533 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:30,000 thoughts. Listen, if you're able to 534 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,680 control your thoughts, you can control your sex life. 535 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,280 If you can't control your thoughts, you cannot control 536 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:43,240 your sex life because immorality stems from impure thoughts. 537 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,560 Therefore, we are to think in the things that are pure and 538 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,960 true and holy and honorable and lovely, Paul says in Philippians 539 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:54,400 chapter 4. That's why we are renewed in the 540 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,720 spirit of our mind. We're not conformed this world 541 00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:00,760 because we're transformed by the renewing of our mind, right? 542 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:04,080 So when our minds feed on the word of God and we think in the 543 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,280 things that are true and pure and holy, it keeps us from from 544 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:10,400 from committing sexual acts of immorality. 545 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,680 But the reason man commits sexual acts of immorality is 546 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:18,320 because he has impure thoughts, impurity. 547 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:21,400 Now remember, Paul was moving backwards. 548 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,760 He begins with the ACT, then tells you what causes the ACT 549 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:29,800 impure thoughts. But what causes the impure 550 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:35,160 thoughts? Next word he says passion. 551 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:43,240 Passion lying beneath all the impure thoughts in the flesh of 552 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:48,800 man are the passions of man, and once those passions are 553 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:53,520 inflamed, he begins to think impure thoughts that lead to 554 00:39:53,520 --> 00:40:01,920 immoral acts and what causes those those flames of passion to 555 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,040 be ignited. Nick's word? 556 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:10,480 Evil desire. And the two words are very 557 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:14,880 similar, but it's the evil desire, that's what John says. 558 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:18,160 The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the sinful 559 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,080 pride of life. That's the evil desire. 560 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:25,440 It, it's in the deepest caverns of our soul. 561 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:32,280 It, it, it's, it's there. And, and once those evil desires 562 00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:36,280 are aroused, they lead to passionate drives. 563 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,720 And those passionate drives lead to impure thoughts and those 564 00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:41,640 impure thoughts lead to immorality. 565 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:46,120 Paul is very explicit. He explains to you why you 566 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:50,800 commit sex sins. But we as believers, we don't 567 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:52,960 want anything to do with what we want to denounce all those 568 00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:56,840 things. So what leads to those evil 569 00:40:56,840 --> 00:41:00,160 desires? The lust of the flesh, the lust 570 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:04,680 of the eyes and the and the pride, the sinful pride of life. 571 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,480 In fact, James would say something similar to this in 572 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:12,840 James chapter 1. What does James say verse 14? 573 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:16,960 Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his 574 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:20,520 own lust. Then when lust has conceived, he 575 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:25,280 gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth 576 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,200 death. Later in James he would say 577 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,960 these words. In James chapter 4, he says what 578 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:35,600 is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? 579 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:42,640 Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 580 00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:48,040 That he says you lust and you do not have, so you commit murder. 581 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,560 You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and 582 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:52,800 quarrel. You do not have because you do 583 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:55,440 not ask. You ask and do not receive 584 00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:58,680 because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend 585 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:02,840 it on your own pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not 586 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:07,200 know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? 587 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:11,800 Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes 588 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:17,640 himself an enemy of God. Very clear words. 589 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:24,120 So Paul says there's something that causes the evil desire that 590 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:31,640 leads to your passionate Dr. which leads to impure thoughts 591 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:35,880 and impure motives, which leads to acts of immorality. 592 00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:41,320 But what is that next word? Greed. 593 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:48,800 Covetousness. That's the word pleonexia. 594 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:55,520 It's a word that the the Greeks used of the insatiable desire in 595 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:59,720 the depths of man's soul. Covetousness. 596 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:05,160 That's what greed is, Covetousness. 597 00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:08,040 Now listen very carefully. This is very, very important 598 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:13,720 because it sets the tone for everything in the passage, the 599 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:16,760 depths of man. So why does man sin? 600 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:25,600 Covetousness is the last sin listed in the 10 commandments, 601 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:30,520 the Decalogue. It's not listed last because 602 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:34,520 it's the least. It's listed last because it's 603 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:41,520 the cause of all the previous 9. Man shall not covet. 604 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,920 Why does man murder? He covets. 605 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:50,520 Why does man steal? He covets, he's greedy. 606 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,080 Why does man lie? He covets. 607 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:56,800 Why does man commit adultery? He covets. 608 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:02,440 Why does man have another God? When God says there shall be no 609 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:09,120 other gods before me, it's because covetousness, as he says 610 00:44:10,720 --> 00:44:20,720 in the text, is what idolatry. At the base of every sin is. 611 00:44:20,720 --> 00:44:29,680 Idolatry, self worship. I want something I cannot have. 612 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:36,200 When I want something I cannot have, I become very, very 613 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:37,800 covetous. I want it. 614 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:43,960 And what that does is arouse those lustful passions that lead 615 00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:48,360 to evil desires that lead to impure thoughts that lead to 616 00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:53,720 acts of immorality at the base of every man's nature. 617 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:58,080 The reason man does what he does is because he covets that which 618 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:03,120 he cannot have. This was Satan's sin, right? 619 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,800 Satan wanted something he could not have. 620 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:09,560 What did he want? He wanted the throne of God. 621 00:45:10,320 --> 00:45:15,120 He coveted God's throne. He wanted to be worshipped as 622 00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:20,120 God has worshipped. At the base of Satan's sin was 623 00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:22,960 idol worship. He worshipped himself. 624 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:28,600 The reason you sinned, the reason you commits acts of 625 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:33,240 immorality, the reason you commit any sin at all is because 626 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:39,440 of self worship. You believe you deserve 627 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:42,280 something, you believe should have something. 628 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:49,480 And covetousness is idolatry. In fact, Paul says these words 629 00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:52,920 in Ephesians chapter 3, very similar. 630 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:55,840 I'm sorry. Ephesians 5 verse three, he says 631 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:59,000 immorality or any impurity or any greed. 632 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:02,960 Same 3 words of the words that are used in Colossians Chapter 633 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:06,200 3. Immorality or impurity or greed 634 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:09,520 must not even be named among you as proper among the Saints. 635 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:13,200 OK, not only do you not let it happen, you can't even name it 636 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:18,760 among you don't even mention it. And there must be no filthiness 637 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:22,680 and silly talk or coarse jesting which are not fitting, but 638 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:26,320 rather giving thanks for this. You know with certainty that no 639 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:32,080 immoral or impure person or covetous man who is an idolater 640 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:36,080 has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. 641 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:44,440 A covetous man is an idolater. The reason there are other gods 642 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:46,360 before the one true. That's why Christ came. 643 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:52,280 He says I came to seek what true worshippers, true worshippers, 644 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:55,080 those who worship God in spirit and in truth. 645 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,880 I'm looking for people who have no other God before me, no other 646 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:03,840 God besides me. And when we think of that as as, 647 00:47:03,840 --> 00:47:09,600 as as trying to trying to carve some kind of image like they did 648 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:13,680 in, in, in ancient times, listen, idolatry is not what you 649 00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:18,000 carve with your hands. It's what you crave in your 650 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,600 heart. That's idolatry. 651 00:47:21,240 --> 00:47:25,040 That's self worship. That's what I want to have. 652 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,800 And pleonixia is a word that that, as I said earlier 653 00:47:29,800 --> 00:47:32,680 described by the Greeks of that it's, it's like a having a, 654 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:38,520 having a bowl with no bottom that when you pour into it, it 655 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:43,440 cannot be filled. The insatiable desire of man's 656 00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:45,480 heart. That's what needs to be 657 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:47,480 destroyed. That's what needs to be 658 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:50,160 murdered. That's what needs to be killed. 659 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,200 That's what needs to be put away with. 660 00:47:52,320 --> 00:47:54,920 That's what needs to be separated from, that's what 661 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:59,760 needs to be denounced. All idolatry, all covetousness, 662 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:04,560 not only to violate the command of God, but it leads me into all 663 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:09,160 kinds of sinful behavior. That's why Paul says these words 664 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:15,280 in verse #6 of chapter 3 of Colossians. 665 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:18,280 He says for his because of these things, the wrath of God will 666 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:19,880 come upon the sons of disobedience. 667 00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:24,640 And in them you also once walked when you were living in them. 668 00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:26,720 In other words, this is the way you used to live. 669 00:48:26,720 --> 00:48:31,600 You used to walk this way. This is what characterized your 670 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:38,080 life before, before Christ was in you and you were in Christ. 671 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:42,640 This is how the wrath of God comes upon the sons of 672 00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:46,600 disobedience. God dams people to hell because 673 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:48,880 of these kinds of sins. Why? 674 00:48:49,040 --> 00:48:52,960 Because at the base of man's heart is that he is a self 675 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:57,120 worshipper. And that's hard for for some of 676 00:48:57,120 --> 00:49:00,360 us to understand, but that is really the the true essence of 677 00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,840 sin. We are idolaters in the depths 678 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:07,080 of our soul. We think that we need something 679 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:10,640 so bad that we will do everything we can to get it. 680 00:49:11,240 --> 00:49:15,520 And once we get to that place of self worship, it spawns within 681 00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:18,280 us the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of 682 00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:20,280 life. And it moves us toward evil 683 00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:24,240 desires and passionate drives. It leads us to impure thoughts. 684 00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:26,120 It leads us to acts of immorality. 685 00:49:26,240 --> 00:49:29,560 That's why Paul begins with the act and drives you all the way 686 00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:34,840 back to the heart attitude. The depths of a man is that he 687 00:49:34,840 --> 00:49:40,520 is an idolater. Paul knows this, he understands 688 00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:45,560 this and so he says this is what needs to be so denounced. 689 00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:49,520 It needs to be destroyed. You could say this is the 690 00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:51,840 Christians not just as denunciation. 691 00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:54,200 This is the Christians destruction. 692 00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:59,880 He is destroying everything that leads to idol worship, that 693 00:49:59,880 --> 00:50:03,480 leads to self worship, that leads to his prominence, that 694 00:50:03,480 --> 00:50:06,960 leads to him being put on display, that leads to his own 695 00:50:06,960 --> 00:50:13,560 ego. He destroys all those things and 696 00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:14,960 then he moves to the second list. 697 00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:16,640 Remember, the lists are not inclusive. 698 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:21,680 They're just a partial list of sins. 699 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:27,720 But he removes from the attitude and then moves to the ACT. 700 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:30,320 Why? Because at the base of the 701 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:36,280 attitude of speech is covetousness is idolatry. 702 00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:41,600 That's why he says these words. He says, but now you also put 703 00:50:41,600 --> 00:50:46,000 them all aside. What anger, anger that's or gay 704 00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:50,880 that that is the the, the bitterness that that wells up 705 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:55,840 within us. That's on the inside of man and 706 00:50:55,840 --> 00:51:01,320 that orgae leads to thumos, the boiling over of my attitude of 707 00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:03,760 anger. You know this very well. 708 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:06,560 You, you, you hear someone, you know someone and just the 709 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:09,960 thought of them caused you to to be angry on the inside. 710 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:12,960 And the more someone talks about them, the more you begin to boil 711 00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:20,120 over with that kind of anger. It begins because somehow, some 712 00:51:20,120 --> 00:51:26,480 way, you are a self worshipper. You think yourself better than 713 00:51:26,480 --> 00:51:30,840 somebody else. You think that you are high and 714 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:33,160 mighty. You think that you are the cat's 715 00:51:33,160 --> 00:51:35,880 meow. You think you're just the the 716 00:51:35,920 --> 00:51:38,120 the the best thing that's ever happened. 717 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:41,120 And how dare someone say something that gets you. 718 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:45,400 So you begin to get angry. That angry leads to to boiling 719 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:51,240 over to thumos that that that wrath and that wrath leads to 720 00:51:51,240 --> 00:51:55,720 malice, Malice's vicious thoughts, the vicious attitude 721 00:51:55,960 --> 00:52:00,560 that leads to slander. That leads me to slander. 722 00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:04,760 The reason I slander somebody is because there are these vicious 723 00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:08,000 thoughts I have about this person that stem from this 724 00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:11,720 bowling over of the anger that I have because I think that I'm 725 00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:14,480 better than somebody else because I'm a self worshipper. 726 00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:17,680 I'm an idolater. I'm a covetous person. 727 00:52:19,960 --> 00:52:22,280 And the Bible says in the book of James that when you slander 728 00:52:22,280 --> 00:52:26,680 your brother, you really blasphemy the name of God 729 00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:31,120 because your brother James chapter 3 verse #9 is made in 730 00:52:31,120 --> 00:52:34,600 the image of God. So when you slander your 731 00:52:34,600 --> 00:52:39,240 brother, who's made of the image of God, you're blaspheming God's 732 00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:46,600 architect, God's creation. Therefore you are blaspheming 733 00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:53,000 God himself. And that slander leads to 734 00:52:55,640 --> 00:53:04,600 abusive speech, abusive speech, speech that is filled with 735 00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:08,400 unrighteousness. Christ would say in Matthew 12. 736 00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:12,640 For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh good 737 00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:16,960 man, out of the goodness of the good treasure of the heart 738 00:53:16,960 --> 00:53:21,680 bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil 739 00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:26,120 treasure bringeth forth evil things. 740 00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:30,640 That's why Paul says, let no corrupt communication proceed 741 00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:34,880 from your mouth. Because you see those vicious 742 00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:40,000 thoughts lead to slandering your brother, which lead to abusive 743 00:53:40,520 --> 00:53:46,200 speech. By the way, if you recall the 744 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:51,240 life of Peter, in his denial of the Lord Jesus Christ on the eve 745 00:53:51,240 --> 00:53:56,480 of the crucifixion of the Messiah, he denied the Lord 746 00:53:56,480 --> 00:54:00,400 three times, right? Lord prophesied that he was 747 00:54:00,400 --> 00:54:05,000 denying 3 times for the cockroach, and the third time 748 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:09,080 that he denied the Lord to this little girl by a fireplace 749 00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:15,200 outside the House of Caiaphas. It says that he used filthy 750 00:54:15,640 --> 00:54:20,160 abusive speech. In other words, he began to 751 00:54:20,160 --> 00:54:25,840 curse and to swear. And guess what? 752 00:54:27,200 --> 00:54:31,680 After that, nobody ever accused him of being a follower of 753 00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:34,240 Christ again. Why? 754 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:38,560 Because people who follow Christ don't use that kind of language, 755 00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:42,760 that's why. So he was free from being 756 00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:46,760 accused of being a follower of Christ because everybody knows 757 00:54:46,760 --> 00:54:51,000 the words that Jesus spoke, and those who follow Christ would 758 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:54,720 never speak like that. This is how Peter would get 759 00:54:54,720 --> 00:54:59,800 people to stop accusing him of being a follower of Christ, even 760 00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:02,480 though he was. He began to curse. 761 00:55:03,600 --> 00:55:10,840 He began to swear using abusive speech because that would stop 762 00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,080 all accusations against him. And it did. 763 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:19,920 And that abusive speech leads to lying. 764 00:55:22,760 --> 00:55:24,480 Lying. Why do people lie? 765 00:55:26,400 --> 00:55:28,280 People lie to protect themselves. 766 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:30,760 Why do they protect themselves? Because they're idol 767 00:55:30,760 --> 00:55:32,800 worshippers. They're self worshippers. 768 00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:37,040 People lie to protect what they want to protect. 769 00:55:38,440 --> 00:55:41,200 They lie because they want to preserve something in their 770 00:55:41,200 --> 00:55:44,000 lives. They would have preserve the 771 00:55:44,000 --> 00:55:46,280 story. They want to preserve that which 772 00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:48,880 they tried to get everybody to believe, right? 773 00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:52,680 It's a self protective act. That's why people lie. 774 00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:55,200 Satan is the father of lies, right? 775 00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,520 So whenever you lie, you, you align yourself with the father 776 00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:02,200 of lies. Why would you want to do that 777 00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:05,520 with the father of lies with an idolater? 778 00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:10,520 And those who live lie are self worshippers. 779 00:56:10,680 --> 00:56:19,200 They too are idolaters. So Paul says as Christians keep 780 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:20,760 seeking those things that are above. 781 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:28,400 Set your mind on things above and separate yourself from all 782 00:56:28,520 --> 00:56:35,560 sinful acts and sinful words, because those the members of 783 00:56:35,560 --> 00:56:42,200 your body that will haunt you if you do not kill those members of 784 00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:45,040 your body and what is you are actually killing. 785 00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:50,880 You are killing the fact that you in the depths of your soul 786 00:56:51,640 --> 00:56:57,240 seek to preserve yourself because you worship yourself, 787 00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:01,560 Paul says. We're worshippers of God. 788 00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:05,600 When you worship God in spirited, in truth, you don't 789 00:57:05,600 --> 00:57:07,280 want to worship yourself. You want to worship the true 790 00:57:07,280 --> 00:57:09,240 God. You want to honor the Lord, you 791 00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:13,120 want to glorify his name. You want to live for the glory 792 00:57:13,120 --> 00:57:16,600 and honor of the Christ. And as long as you're seeking 793 00:57:16,600 --> 00:57:19,160 those things that are above and set your affection and mind on 794 00:57:19,160 --> 00:57:21,680 things above, you can then effectively separate yourself in 795 00:57:21,680 --> 00:57:24,280 those things of the world. Because it's the world that 796 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:28,840 lives in idolatry, that are covetous, that had this 797 00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:32,280 exuberant greed for that which is wrong. 798 00:57:34,520 --> 00:57:40,560 And the believer, he's marked by a denunciation of all those 799 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:42,640 things. Why? 800 00:57:43,880 --> 00:57:47,520 Because they worship the king. They want to honor the Lord. 801 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:51,960 This is just so important to understand. 802 00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:56,480 That's why. That's why man centered 803 00:57:56,480 --> 00:58:03,000 preaching is so bad. God centered preaching gets you 804 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:07,080 focused on God. And the more you see God, you 805 00:58:07,080 --> 00:58:09,640 see His Holiness. The more you see His Holiness, 806 00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:11,560 the more you see your sinfulness. 807 00:58:11,680 --> 00:58:14,920 But as long as we keep preaching to man, having man centered 808 00:58:14,920 --> 00:58:18,320 sermons, focused on man centered things, guess what? 809 00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:21,600 Nobody's convicted of their sin because they don't see God. 810 00:58:21,720 --> 00:58:24,920 They just see themselves. And God knows. 811 00:58:24,920 --> 00:58:26,680 We got enough problems with that already. 812 00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:30,080 We don't need to see any more of ourselves and see God. 813 00:58:31,640 --> 00:58:36,040 When you see God in His Holiness, you see your 814 00:58:36,040 --> 00:58:39,520 sinfulness. When you see your sinfulness, 815 00:58:40,440 --> 00:58:45,880 you turn and follow the true God and worship him. 816 00:58:47,440 --> 00:58:54,360 A Christian What is a Christian? A Christian is one who denounces 817 00:58:55,160 --> 00:59:02,600 and destroys anything in his life that will move him away 818 00:59:02,600 --> 00:59:08,360 from God to be accepted by the world because they want to live 819 00:59:08,360 --> 00:59:09,720 for the glory and honor their King. 820 00:59:10,160 --> 00:59:14,640 Let me pray with you, Father, We thank you for tonight, and we 821 00:59:14,640 --> 00:59:17,760 thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth 822 00:59:17,760 --> 00:59:21,160 that's there. Our prayer, Father, is that we 823 00:59:21,160 --> 00:59:25,320 would live for you. None of us are perfect. 824 00:59:25,800 --> 00:59:30,600 The Apostle Paul would wrestle with his own sinful behavior 825 00:59:30,600 --> 00:59:35,680 knowing how wrong it was, which makes us so aware of the fact 826 00:59:35,680 --> 00:59:41,280 that that when we see our sin for what it is, we realize it's 827 00:59:41,280 --> 00:59:45,680 an offence to the holy God, our holy God, the one who lives and 828 00:59:45,680 --> 00:59:49,600 reigns within our lives. Help us, Lord, to live for you. 829 00:59:50,960 --> 00:59:55,960 Help us, Lord, to to pursue you. Set our affections on things 830 00:59:55,960 --> 01:00:04,200 above, not on things below. Keep seeking Christ the Lord. 831 01:00:04,200 --> 01:00:10,800 That is where our life really is, for you are our life. 832 01:00:12,040 --> 01:00:17,800 As we go home tonight, protect us, keep us safe, and may our 833 01:00:17,800 --> 01:00:22,480 spiritual pilgrimage be greater tonight and tomorrow than ever 834 01:00:22,480 --> 01:00:26,600 before, because we truly want to honor our King. 835 01:00:27,360 --> 01:00:28,920 In Jesus name, Amen.