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PART THREE
Hebrews 12:16-17
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Oswald Chambers (February 8th, My Utmost For His Highest):
When we pray to be sanctified, are we prepared to face the standard of these verses? We take the term sanctification much too lightly Are we prepared for what sanctification will cost? It will cost an intense narrowing of all our interests on earth, and an immense broadening of all our interests in God. Sanctification means intense concentration on God’s point of view. It means every power of body, soul and spirit chained an kept for God’s purpose only. Are we prepared for God to do in us all that He separated us for? And then after His work is done in us, are we prepared to separate ourselves to God even as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself.” The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God’s standpoint. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the disposition that ruled Him will rule us. Are we prepared for what that will cost? It will cost everything that is not of God in us.”
Holiness is not just what we don’t do . . . it is just as much what we do. Why is God holy? What does that mean? How does that transfer over into humans?
Holiness and peace work together . . . not against one another. Practicing one without the other is like driving a car with only one front tire – tends to give a terrible pull to one side or the other.
The God of peace sanctifies!
Why do we need to pursue these and become fruit bearing believers?
#1 - Without these we will not see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
#2 – Without these we may miss God’s grace (Heb. 12:15).
#3 - Without these we may become sexually immoral (Hebrews 12:16).
Heb. 12:16 – “see that no one is sexually immoral”.
To help us understand this we will ask two questions:
1) What is this word in Scripture? 2) How is the word applied in Scripture?
FIRST QUESTION: WHAT IS THIS WORD IN SCRIPTURE?
pornos - immoral
BDB:
pornh – prostitute, harlot
pornos - (had meaning of male prostitute) but in our literature quite generally a fornicator or one who practices sexual immorality.
If we want to know what this Greek word means, all we have to do is look at our English use of it.
Pornography is “pornos” put in print.
The sin is not just the viewing of the pornography – it is sin so watch out!
The one who gets hooked into viewing is not the “porn”.
The “porn” is what is being pictured.
Hebrews 12:16 says to see to it that no one is “like what is being pictured” – that is sexually immoral.
THE MILLER TEST:
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Miller vs. California ruling gave juries a three pronged test for determining whether sexual content is “obscene”, that is illegal.
According to Miller, any material depicting or describing “hard-core sexual conduct” can be considered obscene. Examples of such material, said the court, include “sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated”, and “masturbation, excretory functions, and lewd exhibition of the genitals”.
“20 percent of all videos rented in this country are sexually explicit”.
Citizen Magazine, December, 2003.
Soft-core pornography: depicts nudity but not sexual situations (has some legal protection).
Hard-core pornography (Supreme Court Definition): “sexual acts, normal or perverted” is considered to be obscene and has no First Amendment protection.
“Child pornography is unspeakably evil.”
“Pornography’s unrestrained assault on society is the direct result of the federal government’s failure to enforce obscenity laws”
“War on Pornography”
SECOND QUESTION: HOW IS THIS WORD APPLIED IN SCRPITURE?
1) Common word for immorality.
I Cor. 5:9, 10, 11 – “. . . not to associate with immoral people . . . you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral”
Eph. 5:5 – “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
I Tim. 1:10 – “We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but . . . for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. . . .”
Revelation 21:8 – “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 22:15 – “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
2) Different word than adultery.
Differentiated from an adulterer:
I Cor. 6:9 pornos . . . moicos
Hebrews 13:4
3) Unknown word in the Kingdom of God.
Excluded from Kingdom of God:
I Cor. 6:9
4) Well worn word in the Kingdom of man.
I Cor. 7:2 – “Since there is so much porneia”
I Cor. 7:14 – unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse – wow!
Did you know that every there is intimacy between a married man and woman – they are doing something righteous?
Did you know that?
The enemy doesn’t want us to know that.
How old are these concerns?
How old are these commands?
It appears that the only ones of the entire human race that did not have this challenge was Adam and Eve, before the fall.
Everyone else (with the exception of our Lord, virgin birth, did not deserve to die) must live with this concern . . . “see to it that no one is sexually immoral.”
Why do we need to pursue these and become fruit bearing believers?
#1 - Without these we will not see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
#2 – Without these we may miss God’s grace (Heb. 12:15).
#3 - Without these we may become sexually immoral (Hebrews 12:16).
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