That’s Tempting!

Can you name a situation in which you have been tempted to sin recently? Did you give in or did you resist? Do you have an area in your life where you are having a hard time saying "no" to a particular temptation? Would you like to know how you could gain power and victory over that situation?

We have already seen much evidence that sin hurts us and it hurts other people. Famous names that have been caught succumbing to temptation include a former president, entertainers, sports celebrities, business owners and top executives. The truth of the matter is that everyone is tempted and most of us have areas in our life where we regularly give in to the temptation instead of saying, "That is wrong and I'm not going to do it." How do you find the strength to resist temptation and not give in to it?

We also have areas in our life where we are tempted and we regularly say "no" without having to think that much about it. What is the difference that helps us resist some temptations, yet fall victim to others? Since sin is what separates us from God, we don't want to sin. How do we stop giving in to temptation and gain victory over sin in our lives? Can Jesus help?

Jesus was tempted, but He didn't give in to the temptation. Can He help us learn how to resist temptation? The story is elaborated in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tempted directly by Satan in three areas. Each time, He says "no" to the temptation and Satan looses. Lets see if there is anything in these situations that will help us fight temptation.

Physically – Satan challenges Jesus to make the stones into bread. This is a promotion of situation ethics. It is justified if the situation justifies it regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Satan knows that Jesus has gone for forty days without eating and is very hungry. They both also know that Jesus better eat soon or He will die of starvation. Jesus has lost a lot of weight and probably didn't have that much to loose!

The bread is still only a temporary fix for this world. We need God's spiritual nourishment much more than we need more bread! We often use "situation ethics" to justify traffic violations, stealing from our employer, lying to hide our guilt in another situation, etc. Wrong is still wrong, even if others are doing worse things! Wrong is still wrong, even if you don't get caught! Jesus replies to Satan's temptation by quoting Scripture and citing God as His authority! Who is going to be your authority? When are you going to repent and stop trying to justify your wrong behavior? How about learning Scriptures that you can quote when you are tempted with certain temptations? That is what Jesus did!

Mentally – For this temptation, Satan transports Jesus to Jerusalem (we don't know if it was instantly or by foot) and challenges Him to take a flying leap off of the pinnacle of the Temple! If it is the temple building, that is a 60-foot jump. Both Satan and Jesus know that Jesus is God's Son. Here, Satan is challenging Jesus to display His power by "flying" down off of the Temple. Wouldn't you like to be able to fly off a building and land without getting hurt? This would prove that Jesus is more than a mere human being.

Satan even misquotes Scripture to try to fool Jesus into thinking that He would be justified to jump off and let the angels catch Him. Jesus knows Scripture better than Satan and corrects his out of context comment. Have you ever altered God's word to suit your circumstances? Have you ever tried to justify a feeling or belief with Scripture that you knew was wrong? Always check the context of a Scripture before you quote it!

Spiritually – Worship me and I will give you the whole world! Satan directly challenges Jesus' relationship to God. Jesus knows that He is supposed to be the King of the Jews and that His Kingdom will include the whole world. Satan offers Him a chance to make it happen now! Does Jesus know about the cross? Does He understand that His Kingdom is spiritual as opposed to a physical one? He can have it now instead of having to wait! He can have it now by worshipping Satan instead of struggling for three years and then dying by crucifixion and depending on a bunch of uneducated men to build a Kingdom for Him.

"Worship" means "bend the knee" which is an act of giving honor to another person. (Why some of us kneel when we pray!) This offer of "power" would be a temptation to many people. Satan does have the power to give Jesus this earth. However, Jesus knows that if He takes it this way, He will die spiritually and not be able to save us from our sins! If Jesus had bowed the knee to Satan, He and we would all spend eternity in hell! Jesus tells Satan to "take a hike"!

What would Satan have to do to get you to choose popularity, fame, glamour, glory or fortune over your relationship with God and Christians? Are you going to allow him to get away with such temptation in the future or are you going to put a stop to it and tell him to stop tempting you?

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus!” Have a great day!

Run For Your Life!

For most of us, "Run for your life!" is a phrase applied to a playful game of getting away from the other team who is trying to catch us. Maybe it is a game of tag or football or trying to steal a base in baseball.

However, for others, "Run for your life!" has some very strong significance. This past year, in southern California, "Run for your life!" meant to leave your house because the forest fire was still out of control and your house was in the path and you were in danger of being burned to death. In the Midwest United States, there were some people who had to "Run for your life!" because their house was in danger of being flooded or in the path of a tornado.

In some parts of the world, "Run for your life!" means that there are people coming who want to kill you and you must flee and hide or you will be murdered! For those people, "Run for your life!" is not the result of a natural catastrophe, but the fear of being the victim of someone else's hatred!

There are several times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" Today, I would like to look at one that is recorded in Matthew 2:13-18. Joseph and Mary had just been visited by the wise men that gave them some very wonderful and significant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, after the wise men had left, God tells Joseph in a dream to get Mary and baby Jesus and "Run for your life!"

Herod wants to kill the baby Jesus and the wise men were supposed to tell him where the baby could be found. However, God told the wise men to be wise and not tell Herod, so they went home by a different route to avoid Jerusalem. When Herod realizes that his lie, "I want to worship this baby who is a future king", has been exposed, he will go into a rage and kill every baby in Bethlehem up to two years of age!

Joseph and Mary don't have time to carefully box everything, call a moving van or rent a truck and load it. They don't even have time to hitch up a wagon and load their furniture in it. We don't know if they had a donkey to help carry some food, water and some of Joseph's tools or if they left with only the clothes on their backs and the gifts from the wise men. All we do know is that they left before morning and walked as fast as they could towards Egypt, some 155 miles away.

They traveled for days until they arrived in Egypt and were able to find a place to live. Meanwhile, Herod realized that the wise men weren't coming back and went on his rampage killing all of the babies in Bethlehem. Although there may have been only 20-30 babies that were killed, because Bethlehem was a small village, the horrible act cause great grief, lament and agony over a considerable area because of how ruthless Herod was.

There were other times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" that we may look at in the future. This one is very significant because He was at the mercy of His parents being obedient to God.

In many places in the world today, there are those who believe it is their right, privilege, even obligation to murder Christians. Their religion, or lack of respect for God and Jesus Christ causes them to think that they are justified in this murderous behavior. Our prayer is that you will never have to face persecution from those who hate Christians and want to kill them. However, if it ever happens, we pray that you will have sufficient warning to "Run for your life!"

We also pray that you will be aware of those who are trying to take away your Christian freedoms and prohibit you from your beliefs as taught in the Bible. Some want to remove the guilt for their sexual immorality. Some simply want to stop Christians from trying to influence the world for Jesus. Some want to murder Christians and force their own religion on those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Either way, we must be wise to know when and how to stand for our faith and pray for those who might have to "Run for your life!"

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!

God Uses “Nobodies!”

I was just pondering over the 12 Apostles and how God chose twelve obscure men to become the leaders of His Church. In Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16, He chooses twelve men who are to be given special training and then release them to do a job that would normally be considered only for the religious elite. They were to tell the world (evangelize) the good news (Gospel) about Jesus Christ coming to die for man’s sins and giving eternal life to all who repent and follow Him.

I know a lot of people (even myself at one time) who felt inferior because…(you can fill in the reason here). I have since grown to realize that God loves to use the person, who seems least likely by man’s standards, to do His greatest work.

David was the youngest and smaller of Jesse’s sons, yet he was chosen to be king. Several of the prophets were obscure men, farmers, ordinary citizens, yet they wrote great prophecies. Joseph was treated cruelly, physically and emotionally abused by his brothers, yet he is the one God blessed. Ruth was a poor foreign widow, yet she became the grandmother of a King. Esther was a young foreign woman, yet she became a King’s wife and saved her people from slaughter. Nehemiah was a King’s cupbearer. Hosea was married to a woman (prostitute) who cheated on him throughout their entire marriage. Amos was a farmer, yet God called him to prophecy!

Let’s look at the New Testament. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. They were not Bible college, seminary or theology graduates. Though they did well with their fishing business, they were not rich or affluent leaders in the community. Peter was quick to speak up without thinking. James and John were called “Sons of Thunder”, but it is not known if that is because of their mouths or their fists! Thomas was always questioning. Matthew was considered by most Jews to be a traitor because he collected taxes for the Romans and often overcharged his fellow Jews. Simon was a Roman hating guy who wanted to fight Romans more than reason with them, yet he is included in the same bunch as Matthew.

The point that I want to promote is that GOD CAN USE YOU TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS KINGDOM!!!! You don’t have to be specially educated, rich, famous, a recognized leader or celebrity to be powerful in the Kingdom of God! The people that God is able to use the most are those who are most willing to be used by Him and are not seeking their own greatness.

Often when we start comparing ourselves to others, it is either out of envy or ego. We are either looking at their talent or complaining because we don’t have the same talent or we are looking at how they are doing something that is wrong or different than how we would do it. Such comparisons are self-destructive and hurtful to our walk with Jesus. They keep us from dealing with our issues as we are working on becoming more like Christ.

The best way to find your niche is to take an inventory of your education, talents and interests. Add to that what other people compliment you for and anything that you feel strongly that you would like to do with your life. Refine this information into a one or two sentence life mission statement and then get two work making it happen.

Most of all, when you get down, depressed or feeling sorry for yourself, stop comparing yourself to others and remember what God did with those who were humble and willing to be obedient and use their talents for His glory.

Twelve unknown, and uneducated men took a simple message and did something all the armies of the world put together could not do. They changed the world for Christ. This project isn’t over and God could really use you to do something special right there where you live and work. You don’t have to raise a bunch of money and go somewhere else to be used by Him for His glory. Who are your neighbors? Where do they go to church? What are the needs and issues that they are struggling with that you might be able to help them with?

How about where you work? Who are your co-workers? Do they know that you are a Christian? Does it show in the language you use and the quality of work that you do? Do they respect you as a person who is striving to follow Jesus?

How about where you shop, get your car maintained or repaired? What kind of movies or other kinds of entertainment do people see you watching? I have discovered that Christians can have lots of fun and it doesn’t have to be immoral, risqué, dirty or evil. Since our life is a reflection of how Jesus has changed us from doing bad things to doing good things, how are we doing in living that out?

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!

Amber Alert – Jesus Is Missing! – 010

Ever since the abduction, abuse and subsequent murder of Amber Fry, the United States has recognized the ability, value and importance of alerting the local community when there is evidence that a child has been abducted. Such alerts have already saved the lives of many children as citizens spot the suspect vehicle and call the police.

They didn’t have amber alerts in Jesus’ day. They very likely seldom had child abduction because people held to a higher code of ethics and respect than what is found today. However, I am reminded of one situation that would certainly warranted an amber alert concerning Jesus Himself.

When Jesus was 12 years old, the trip to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Feast took on a different understanding. Though He had gone with His parents to Jerusalem every year before, now He was more of a participant than a spectator. Jesus was now a man by Jewish Law, instead of a child as before. His interest in things about God took on a whole new perspective! Dr. Luke tells about it in Luke 2:41-52. Let’s see what happens!

Responsible Parent’s Make Mistakes Too – Luke 2:41-44
After the Feast of the Passover is over, Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters leave with a large caravan of fellow Jews to travel down the Jericho Road on their way back to Nazareth. There will be several hundred, if not over a thousand, people traveling back home from the feast and since there is safety in numbers. That is the preferred way of travel when it is available. Knowing how children like to run and play, Joseph and Mary presume that Jesus is with the brothers, sisters and many of the other children running ahead or catching up from behind, but traveling along with the crowd. It never occurred to them that He might stay behind or get lost.
Some of you have been there, so you will identify with Joseph and Mary in a very strong way! You have accidentally left a child in a bathroom when on a family trip and had to drive hours back to the place to redeem the lost child! You can understand the anxiety, coupled with the fact that this is GOD’S SON that is missing and they are responsible for His care and protection!

(I wonder if Joseph and Mary engage in any “finger pointing” and blaming on their way back to Jerusalem or if they put that aside and simply concentrated on the task of finding their missing son? So many of us would say, “It’s your fault” to the spouse and blame instead of concentrating on the solution to the problem. It doesn’t really matter whose fault it is when such a crisis occurs. The only issue is to do what is necessary to solve the immediate problem – retrieve the missing child! I would like to hope that Joseph and Mary didn’t blame, but worked together in love and harmony to find Jesus and get back home as a family.)

Parents Work Together To Solve Problems – Luke 2:45-46
Joseph and Mary have traveled all day (day 1) and are setting up camp for the night before realizing that Jesus isn’t with the others. It is too late and too dangerous to travel back UP the Jericho Road (especially at night with robbers abounding) and they are too tired from a day of travel as it is. Joseph and Mary get a good night’s rest and then travel back to Jerusalem the following day (day 2) to try to find their missing son. The road to Jerusalem is uphill all the way and that journey will also be very exhausting. It takes them a full day to return and by the time they arrive, again, it is late and they are very tired. They rest for the night and begin the search early on the next day (day 3). Somewhere during the course of the day, they get to the Temple and notice a crowd gathered around and intently listening to someone. They may have approached the crowd to inquire if anyone had seen their son, but soon recognize that Jesus is the center of attention!

Today, we can be grateful for modern technology that can help us search for missing children. However, it still has to be a traumatic experience when your child is missing. How do we find him? How do we get him or her back? What kind of parents are we to leave our only child behind and not miss him for a whole day? As God trusted Joseph and Mary, in spite of their imperfections, He can trust you with your faults. Don’t waste time criticizing and condemning, but work on solving and building towards solutions. Parenting is a practice, not a science.

Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:47-50
Jesus was so interested in the teachings of the Law and Prophets that He had engaged the religious leaders in a deep conversation. His understanding was so profound that He is teaching them as much, if not more, than they are teaching Him.

CANCEL THE AMBER ALERT – JESUS HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE AND SOUND IN THE TEMPLE WHERE HE WAS LEARNING MORE ABOUT HIS REAL FATHER! Joseph and Mary interrupt this conversation to express their deep concern for Jesus not being with them. His reply to them is as profound as the conversation with the elders, priests and scribes. He was merely discussing His REAL Father! Joseph and Mary are left without much to say because they know who the Father of their Son is!

When you teach your children about God and about being responsible, you shouldn’t be surprised when they take their responsibilities seriously. Jesus understood that He needed to know more about the Law and had spent the last few days talking to the priests and Scribes. Joseph and Mary didn’t find Him goofing off or being selfish. He wasn’t rebellious or defiant. He was simply pursuing what He understood He was to do. That is a positive reflection on His parents. What do your children reflect about your parenting?

Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:51-52
We see here that Joseph and Mary had taught Jesus well. He was a trustworthy and responsible son. That’s why they didn’t think to worry about whether Jesus was with them on the way home. Now He returns home with them and continues to grow as a man of God.

What a relief to find that your child is safe, has not been molested or killed or in any real danger! Can you imagine Joseph and Mary’s relief? If you left a child behind or had a child disappear or get lost, you will have an idea how Joseph and Mary felt when they found Jesus alive and well after being missing from them for three days.

God bless you and have a great week!

A Good Word!

Have you heard a good "word" lately? Have you shared a good "word" with someone else? Are you one who passes compliments and encouragement or one who criticizes and complains?
Words have meaning and those meanings have power. Some of the power that is given to various words is insignificant. However, some words have the power to change lives for the better or for worse. On top of all of this the fact that you have the ability, freedom and power to assign what power and effect various words will have on you.

There are some words that will make you feel warm, peaceful and secure. Some words will make you feel fresh, energetic and exciting. Some words make you feel loved, safe and accepted. When you speak or hear those words, you experience pleasant feelings that are generated from the meanings attached to those words.

On the other side, there are some words that will hurt, discourage and offend. Some words will even make you lash back in defense or attack or fight the person who spoke those words to you. When those words are spoken, unpleasant meanings (often based on previous unpleasant memories) negative feelings and discouragement or hostility is generated.

Enough on the negative words! I want to talk about good words. The Bible is a book of encouragement, hope, life, love, and all sorts of good things. Jesus Christ came to save us and give us life and hope, not to judge, condemn and punish. (That is forth coming, but His first visit was to give us life!) Since our main focus is on Jesus Christ and our entire salvation is through Him alone, I would like to make some observations and share some words about Him and His ministry.

John 1:1-4 talks about the "Word" of God. It is a reference to Jesus Christ, who is God's "Word" and who brings us a word form God! Jesus is the "Word of God" and He gives us the "words of God". That is a challenge to grasp and understand. Jesus is a person who spoke God's word about salvation. At the same time, Jesus is the very essence; the epitome of everything that God wants to say to us.

This "Word" existed before the world, mankind and language ever existed. In fact, the "Word" (the Son of God) was an active part of creation. That makes Him more powerful than any person or any words spoken throughout the history of this earth! God's Son, who lived in the human body of one who was named Jesus Christ, is the most powerful word that the world can hope to hear!

Mark 1:1 introduces his book as the "Gospel about Jesus Christ". He is the only writer to use "Gospel" in the title of his book. Gospel means "good news". Telling the story of Jesus is certainly good news to anyone who is looking for significance in their life, security in their future and satisfaction in their mind. Is there any better news than the fact that Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and rose from the dead to prove to you that He is the Son of God?

We need to continue proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the life and hope that the world is looking for. Ask God to help you find the courage to speak up for your faith and to encourage others to investigate who Jesus is and think about making a conscious choice to follow Him. After all, if you don't tell them about Jesus, who will? If you don't speak up for Jesus, the devil and those who oppose Christians will not stop or back down from speaking out against Christ! If you don't have a good word to share, then you especially need to enroll in the "Getting To Know Jesus" Bible study series and learn about who Jesus is, what He did and how it applies to your life today!

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!

What an Adventure!

I’ve just completed a three-year walk through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and what an adventure it has been! I was there when the angel spoke to Mary. I struggled with Joseph’s feelings about his fiancé. I listened as Jesus overwhelmed the elders at the Temple. I saw John the Baptist baptize our Lord in obedience to His Father’s will.

When Jesus started His ministry, I hung on every word. I experienced the wonder and amazement of every miracle. He changed water into wine. He raised a dead son back to life. He fed over 10,000 (5,000 men plus their families) with five loaves and two fish. During that same night, He came to the Apostles walking on the water in a stormy Sea.

I watched Him touch lepers and heal people with diseases or infirmities that they had struggled with for years. Even when the Pharisees objected, I saw Him heal people on the Sabbath. Sometimes He healed one at a time. Sometimes He healed a group with only a spoken word. Sometimes He healed “long-distance” without even going to where the sick person was. Always, His healing was instant, complete and as if the person had never had the disease, infirmity or problem.

When He came to die for me, I was there. I saw how He loved the Apostles and even washed the feet of the one who would betray Him a few hours later. I felt the intimacy and the heaviness of the Lord’s Supper and Jesus’ words that He was going to be killed.

When He went through the trial, I was closer than Peter. I felt Peter’s fear and heard his denial. I saw Jesus look at Peter as the rooster crowed in the early hours of that Friday morning. I understood Peter’s anguish as he realized what he had just done to the one whom He promised to die for.

I saw how the High Priests and chief priests tried to find some trumped up charge with which to convict Jesus. Then when they couldn’t find anything to condemn Him for, He voluntarily spoke words that they interpreted as reason to demand His death. I saw how the tried to manipulate Jesus. When the mocked Him and dragged Him off to Pilate, I was there watching the cruelty and unfairness of their diabolical agenda to get Him killed by the Romans so they wouldn’t have to face the blame from the Jews. (Pilate did make some attempt to free Jesus, but he was overpowered by the chief priests’ threats to go to Rome and complain if he didn’t do what they demanded.)

I walked down the Via Dolorosa with Jesus as He told the women not to weep for Him, but for the city of Jerusalem, which would later be destroyed. When He got to Calvary, I heard Him ask God to forgive them over and over as they pounded the nails in His hands and feet. I saw Him hang there as He spoke His last sayings, first to those around Him, then to God. I saw Him literally “give up His life” and die for you and me.

Then, after He had been buried, I tagged along with the women as they went to finish the burial process and discovered the tomb was empty. I felt Mary Magdalene’s alarm as she ran to tell the Apostles. I was actually able to keep up with John and beat Peter to the tomb when they went to see what had happened.

Then when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, after Peter and John left, I was touched by her passion. As Jesus appeared to the other women, I felt their emotions. Later that afternoon, I was walking down the road to Emmaus and was awed as Jesus (I didn’t recognize Him until we sat down to eat later) unfolded the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and showed us how He had fulfilled them.

I rushed back to Jerusalem with the two men to tell the Apostles and was in the upper room behind the locked doors when Jesus appeared. A week later, Jesus appeared again and I heard Thomas declare, “My Lord and my God!” When He gave the Apostles the Great Commission, I listened to every word and am working on applying it to my life.

Yes, I’ve been everywhere with Jesus and I can’t wait to do it again! “Getting To Know Jesus" has been a wonderful life-changing adventure. I am grateful to God for this opportunity and look forward to that day when we will all be united with Him in eternity. But while I am on this earth, I have a job to do and I want to do it for Him to the best of my ability.

Now, you can join me on an exciting, life-changing adventure called “Getting To Know Jesus". We will start at the very beginning (before the annunciation) and go to the very end (the ascension) and see what the four gospels have to say about every event in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We will seek to understand how the early Christians understood His life and see how it applies to our lives today. Why don’t you come with us?

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!

Sexual Morality BENEFITS and COSTS

We have a serious battle being waged regarding homosexual marriage. A few claim that they have rights over the many and should be allowed to "marry" regardless of their gender. This article explores the pros and cons of such behavior.

It shouldn’t take much to see that the homosexual activists are violating the First Amendment in trying to censure Churches and Christian’s rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion without government interference. Religion is defined as “a set of beliefs”. By enforcing censorship against Christians and endorsing homosexual behavior, the government is establishing a religion of anti-God homosexual behavior. This is exactly what the ACLU wants to accomplish. They want to criminalize Christianity and remove every trace, mention and practice of it from the earth.

Our nation was founded by Christians on Christian principles. Our government of self-government will only work as long as we follow those Christian principles. If we discard them as the liberals and homosexuals want to do, then we will need more and bigger government, more police and all of the restrictions of freedom that come with it. Without any allegiance and respect for God, our nation will ultimately self-destruct.

Homosexuals and other liberals claim that they want tolerance (which they have had for most of our nation’s history) but their idea of tolerance is only one way. They don’t seem to understand that tolerance is a two-way street.

Liberalism is more enslaving than Christianity. Compare the chart below and explain what is freeing about all of the guilt, shame, diseases, death and destruction that come with sexual immorality.
The bottom line of this entire matter is whether we respect God’s values or not. The homosexuals and other sexually immoral people think that by getting the government to condone their immorality, they won’t feel guilty for their sin. It didn’t work with divorce. It didn’t work with abortion and it will not work with homosexuality. Those who do such things know that what they are doing is wrong and they will not find relief from the guilt until they turn their lives over to doing it God’s way and accepting the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. How can immoral people justify immorality when it is so harmful to themselves and others?

I put this together and have added Scriptures from the New Testament below to back it up. As you can see, this initially approaches the entire sexual issue from a non-religious perspective.



MARRIAGEbetween a man and a woman
Sex between a husband and wife

BENEFITS
God Blesses
More frequent
More satisfying
Strengthens the marriage commitment
No fear of sexually transmitted disease
No risk of getting AIDS (would end sex all transmitted diseases)
Strengthens marriages
No unwanted children
No abortion
Less divorce
Better environment for raising children
Happier, healthier, more stable children
Is not adultery
Is not fornication
No cheating on spouse
Accepted for all of earth’s history (over 6,000 yrs.)
Integrity
Fulfilling
Loving, giving, unselfish
No pornography
No prostitution
No homosexuality
No pedophilia
No rape
No guilt
No shame

Costs
None




SEXUAL IMMORALITY
Any sex outside of marriage

COSTS
Less frequent
Less satisfying
No commitment
Fear of sexually transmitted disease
Spreads AIDS (increases all sexually transmitted diseases)
Weakens or destroys marriages
Risk of unwanted pregnancy (guilt & shame)
Abortion (and post-traumatic guilt_
More divorce (and related guilt)
Worse environment for raising children
Children grow up insecure and more troubled
Adultery
Fornication
Cheating on marriage vows (spouse)
Considered wrong throughout earth’s history
Lack of integrity
Unfulfilling
Selfish, using, taking
Pornography (a crime)
Prostitution (a crime)
Homosexuality (does not produce children)
Pedophilia (a crime that is committed by mostly homosexuals)
Includes rape (a crime)
Guilt
Shame

Benefits
Temporary sexual gratification
God Condemns

It is amazing what our world has come to since so many people have chosen to neglect God’s teachings.


New Testament Scriptures regarding marriage and sexual immorality:

Matthew 5:27-28 – 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:31-32 – 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

Matthew 15:17-19 – 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Matthew 19:8-9 – 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Matthew 19:16-21 – 16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Mark 7:20-23 – 20 He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ ”

Mark 10:2-12 – 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” He replied.
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Mark 10:17-21 – 17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Luke 16:18 – 18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Luke 18:18-22 – 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Acts 15:20, 28-29 – 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Romans 1:24-27 – 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Romans 2:22-23 – 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

Romans 13:9-10, 13-14 – 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

I Corinthians 5:1-2, 9-11 – It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

I Corinthians 6:9-10, 12-20 – 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
12 “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

II Corinthians 12:21 – 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Galatians 5:19-25 – 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Ephesians 5:3-5 – 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 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 of God.

Colossians 3:5-6 – 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

I Thessalonians 4:3-7 – 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Hebrews 13:4 – 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

James 2:8-11 – 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”  you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”  also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

II Peter 2:14 – 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!

Jude 5 – 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Revelation 2:14, 20-22 – 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

Revelation 9:21 – 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 17:1-4 – One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

Revelation 18:9-10 – 9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’

Revelation 21:9, 15 – 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.”
15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

On Tolerance and Freedom From Guilt

I have about had my fill of people claiming that we must tolerate their behavior, lifestyle, or whatever and we have no right to tell them that it is wrong. It’s about time we get some things straight.

Saying It Doesn’t Make it True
Homosexuals are accusing Christians of being intolerant. That is absolutely not true. Just because you call something one thing does not make it true or mean you are right. For example, the “Fairness Doctrine” being touted in our legislature is not about fairness, but censorship. Or calling the President or some politician a liar, murderer or crook does not make it true until the evidence has gone to a court of law to prove the charges. Calling a car “junk” doesn’t prove that it is actually a piece of “junk.”

Tolerance or Censorship
Likewise, “tolerance” is not about tolerating, but about censorship, restricting the beliefs of one so another can push their views on people who object to their behavior. That is not “tolerance” in any way, shape or form. The homosexuals cannot prove, and are hard pressed to even provide any viable evidence that Christians, as a whole, are intolerant of them. They may find some individuals, but this kind of behavior is not the way of the Church.

The homosexual community has had tolerance for the life of the United States. Citizens of the United States, especially Christians have been very tolerant of others. Even though we were established as and have always been a Christians tolerate other religious groups to live and worship freely in our nation. Christians have tolerated various immoral individuals to exist without being in fear of their lives. In contrast, I will offer countries where Islam is the religion. They don’t tolerate homosexuals, they kill them. They don’t tolerate Christians or Jews either. They kill them. Only in the United States do we exhibit tolerance for people whose beliefs are different than those of main stream Christianity.

Tolerance is a Two-Way Street
Here’s another thing of relevance to this discussion. It appears that the homosexuals and anyone else demanding “tolerance” have forgotten that tolerance goes both ways. I haven’t seen anything of the homosexuals “tolerating” Christians. Instead, they are working hard to silence our freedom of speech and freedom of worship. They are trying to tell us what we can and cannot believe and advocate. They don’t want tolerance. They are demanding censorship and domination over anyone who objects to their immoral behavior.

Freedom from Guilt and Shame
What the homosexual community is seeking in the name of “tolerance” is freedom from the guilt and shame that they have because of their behavior. They think that if they can get the government to legalize their behavior and suppress any discussion or belief contrary to theirs that they will not have any more guilt or shame.
However, just like passing laws to legalize abortion did not free the women who have had abortions from the guilt and shame of murdering their unborn babies, getting the government to “legalize” same-sex “marriage” or censor Christians from speaking out against the sexual immorality of homosexuality will not bring any relief from the sin and shame of engaging in homosexual behavior.

Scientific Evidence and Choices
The claim that one was born a homosexual defies all science and logic. Even if they could “discover” a gene that predisposes homosexual tendencies, it would die with them because homosexuals can’t reproduce. That takes a man and a woman, i.e. heterosexuality.
Any sexual behavior is a choice as much as I choose when and how often to have sexual relations with my wife. By the same power to choose, I could choose another woman, man, child, animal, etc. That doesn’t make it right. Homosexuals are not born such, but are fooled into it by pedophiles, single parent homes where there is lack of a male role model or other deviant influences. It is not natural. There are too many who have left the homosexual lifestyle for it to be something that you were born with and can’t change.

Freedom from the Guilt and Shame
The only freedom from the guilt and shame of any kind of sexual immorality is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and help you to become the kind of person God created you to be. God did not create anyone to be immoral. That is absolute contradiction to His power and nature. He allows you the freedom to choose your behavior in hopes that you will choose to believe in Jesus.