Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Nothing causes men to be
more uneasy than when we begin to discuss dealing with sin in
our lives. All of us readily admit that
we have a sin nature and are prone to succumbing to it, but
for the most part we shy away from the practical discussions
of dealing with it in our daily walk. Some immediately begin
to accuse those of legalism who would even dare to bring up such
a subject, as though the scripture is silent in its admonitions
and exhortations to the children of God. Then there are others
who try to dictate rules of conduct and standards of holiness, which
bring condemnation and guilt on those who the Scripture says
are without condemnation. Now one thing we must all agree
on is that God has called His elect unto righteousness, not
only as it relates to their position of acceptance with the Father,
but also as it relates to distancing themselves from the life they
once lived. In fact, the Scripture would indicate that the elect
have been ordained or predestined to this very end. It is with
this very thought in mind that we approach this subject. We're
not trying to exhort men of the flesh to abstain from the flesh,
nor trying to motivate God's children to do so because of
some sense of burden or duty. Rather, the scripture indicates
that the reason the sons of God are to mortify the deeds of the
flesh is because it is their nature to do so as new creatures
in Christ. You can't get a man who is a
slave to his fleshly nature to battle against it any more than
you can change a leper's spots or stop a hog from wallowing
in mud. Our exhortation is to those who have the mind of Christ
and are new creatures in him to recognize their calling and
live according to that new nature that they have been given. Corinth
was a place not unlike the society we live in today. They were given
over to exercising the pleasures of the flesh with little restraint
and much encouragement in the same. All types of sexual uncleanness
and fleshly indulgences were practiced. It was in this scenario
that Paul admonished them with something quite profound and
divisive when he said, What, know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have
of God? And ye are not your own, for
ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's." He told them to keep
themselves from those practices, not because it was their duty,
but because it was their nature and their privilege to live godly
in Christ Jesus. The Greek word that is used here
for temple means the inner sanctuary or holiest place of the temple.
It was into this holy place that the high priest went. Because
their bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, the sons of God
endeavored, number one, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul. Our appetites were given to us
for good reason, yet when they go unchecked and undisciplined,
they can destroy us. Obesity and poor health is the
result of a lack of control over our desire to eat. Drunkenness
is the result of too much wine. Yet none of man's appetites has
the power of destruction that his or her sexual desires can
bring about. The indulgences of the other
appetites are spoken of as outside the body, yet fornication, that
is sexual sin or sexual practice outside of God's purpose, is
a sin that is against the body, which is that holy place. The
body is not made for fornication. Because their bodies are the
temple of the Holy Ghost, the sons of God are to endeavor to
guard against impurity of thought. The thoughts of man is the doorway
through which impurity of body and mind comes. The eye is often
the conduit to awaken those thoughts. David had not sinned with Bathsheba
had he not gazed upon her. It is incumbent upon the sons
of God to set a watch over their eyes and be careful what they
look at. When we view movies, read books, or listen to music
which only appeals to our flesh and does not edify our spirit,
then we are in great danger of bringing reproach to the calling
we have been given. And the third thing is to set
a watch over their lips. The Lord said that the things
which go into a man don't defile him, but rather the things that
come out. We should speak only those things
that are true, those things that become sound doctrine, and always
with grace. We are to be more eager to hear
than to speak. We ought not to be tail-bearers,
nor to speak evil of any man, even those who are set against
us. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were
some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye
are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God. Have you been called out of darkness
and into His glorious light? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.