A Pure Walk in a Polluted World

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack ran a little later in the program will tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's meditations on Romans eight the first hears his message of pure law in a polluted world.

Your Bible and turn to Ephesians chapter 5.

This is our much more series. What is a much more life.

It is in joining the Christ life in your life. It is the abundant life in Christ. That is a lie will with the Holy Spirit walking in the spirit life is a journey and the Christian life is a wall. As we journey with Jesus and this much more life means that God has provided for us in right all that we need to live a vital and yes victorious life.

The optimist says the glasses is half full. The pessimist said the glasses what half empty, but the believer in Christ, we say our cup runs over the Christian life Jesus that would you believe in me out of your innermost being deep within will flow rivers of living water, and this the Scripture says he spoke of the spirit.

There is a river that runs deep within and overflows in our lives. This is the much more life and were saying for so many who are followers of Jesus there so much more there so much more in our lives. We have everything that we need we need now to apply it, and appropriated in our lives.

May the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy believing that by the power the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope – the much more life in the verses that are in front of us today I want to speak to you on this much more. Life is a pure walk in a polluted world. The much more. Life is a pure walk in a polluted world and in your world. These verses tell us in beginning of verse one that we are to be imitators of God is beloved children, that is, we have life in Christ and walk in love, as Christ has loved us and gave himself for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And therein is the gospel. That's a good news alert. We see it on the news in the banner at the bottom. Sometimes news alert so right here at the outset. That's the good news alert that God loves us that he gave his son as a sacrifice for our sins and while the cross was a bloodied and disastrous into the physical life of Christ. It was a beautiful sacrifice to God that he accepted, and therefore it is beautiful to us and so we are to walk in life because we are the children of God we are to walk in love, as Christ has loved us. But then we turn the corner but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints and the saints are all the children of God, let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking which are out of place, but instead let there be Thanksgiving for you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous and that's a word which also means lustful is primarily used in this context as a covetousness nest for sin and sexual sin, greediness, and all that goes with it. That is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. We have been practicing safe distancing and sanitation to protect ourselves from a virus and that we are taking preventative steps to stay healthy and to stop the spread and we are making every effort we can to avoid this play in our lives and to stay clean and sanitize and all the rest will spiritually we should make every effort possible in the power of Christ to stay clean and clear of another virus, and that is a virus of sin, and in particular, as we read it in this passage, sexual sin, immorality. We live in a hedonistic sex charge culture much like the culture at Ephesus, which was a very pornographic culture permissive in every way.

So what was going on in Ephesus so long ago. As Christians were facing this battle we find ourselves in the same battle Ephesus was polluted Ephesus was a in many ways a very vile and wicked city and get Christians were to rise up and live by a new standard to walk in life to walk in the love of Christ and in the light of crisis will see in just a moment. Second Corinthians 71 says since we have these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion may in your translation, it may say perfecting or bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God several weeks ago we talked about the fear that involve fear, which is the fear of God, a wholesome, healthy fear, respect, reverence for Almighty God. So as Christians. Now we are we are living in love, we are living in the light, we are living by a different standard than the world. The world around us. The contemporary crisis culture, unrestrained lust, unbridled passions and uncontrolled selfishness. That's the world that's a polluted world that I'm talking about the sick world that is described here, and as Christians we can no longer live as we did before we met Christ and certainly now that we know Christ. We are to separate from the world and live lives that are different. We are to avoid sexual sin and immorality of all kinds, like a plague. This battle for purity is fierce, and it never ends.

There is no antibiotic no immunity against temptation to sin. And unless you think you're by this kind of temptation in your life. The Bible says let him who stands taking Leslie Paul. In other words, be careful that you don't fall were told by Jesus when we pray to pray daily that God would deliver us from evil from the evil one.

No one wins a battle without preparation. If you do not prepare for battles then prepare to lose those who win those are victims are victors rather than victims prepare against the onslaught of the enemy, and that's what I want to talk to you about today in this message. As we consider how to live a pure light is it is, is it even possible to live a pure life in such a polluted world because we do have a choice to live by God's standards are the world.

Sin when you choose God's will. When you choose God's way, you can expect God's blessings and God's favor. Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. But when you choose your own way all the way of the world you invite misery and ultimately a life destined for disaster. We are God's children and therefore we are to live like our father like father like son.

Verse one says be imitators of God, as beloved children as dear children, he is the model he is the measure. Jesus said be perfect. It is the heavenly father is perfect in heaven, so that becomes the standard. The goal God commands purity and forbids impurity in every way. Let me just give you a few verses. Let's start with the Big Ten and the seventh commandment do not commit adultery. That is, don't pollute your marriage with sexual sin.

First Corinthians 618 advancing to the New Testament, flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin. A person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. There is a judgment in this sin against oneself and then Colossians 3 and verse five Colossians 3 verse five put to death therefore what is earthly in sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness nest which is idolatry. And then one more tool. First Thessalonians 47 for God has not called us to impurity, but the holiness first Timothy 522 do not be hasty in the laying on of hands nor take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure back to Ephesians chapter 5. The NIV puts it this way, new international version, but among you there must not even be a hint not a hat, not even a little bit. Not a sent not a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity or agree because these are improper for God's holy people.

We live in light not darkness. Therefore, we are no longer indulging of sensual pleasure, but we are right and for God's will and listening to PowerPoint magenta ran in today's message appear lock in a polluted world as a follower of Jesus Christ.

You have every reason to hope and we want to help you experience that help by sending you pastor Graham's book of meditations on Romans eight call to help in the future. In it he shows you how you can experience freedom from confusion, doubt or fear. This powerful resource is our thanks for your gift today and to thank you for a gift of $50 or more will also include pastor Graham's book help hope and healing from life's challenges. So call now to request your resources, call 1-800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. That's PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie. Now let's get back today's message up your walk in a polluted world, my friend Ray Prichard pastor friend of mine said it very well. He said we are no longer free agents making up our moral choices as we go along. Christians believe something stupendous that the world is not understand at all. We believe there is a God in heaven who has spoke that his word is authoritative and that he has the absolute right to determine our moral choices, which includes what we say what we eat and drink who we have sex with how we conduct our business affairs how we spend our money and all the other choices we make in life. Let us be frank and say that the world finds this great somewhat mysterious, possibly antisocial and borderline dangerous when it comes to things like who we sleep with. We believe that God is spoken clearly that fornication is always wrong that homosexual behavior is always wrong and that adultery is always wrong. In short, we believe something the world rejects that there is a God in heaven who is spoken and whose words about sexuality should be must be obeyed. Therefore, let no impurity of any kind and in a world that champions and celebrate impurity and immorality. We as believers get a clear warning here includes not only our lifestyles but even our language. Verse four says, let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk crude joking out of place, but instead let there be Thanksgiving, so another words not only our minds about, and morals, but our mouse get it out of the gutter were not to regurgitate bill or sewage. Our speech should be character characterized by gratitude but not with disgraceful, immoral, shameful to praising the grading talk.

The word here for foolish talk actually means moronic tall stupid speech. Obscenities of all kinds course just turning everything into an innuendo double entendre.

A sexual humor you say well it's not that big a deal with God. It is a big deal because Jesus said of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. And so, and our minds the way we think it affects the way we talk and certainly the way that we live is clear to me when people come to faith in Jesus and began living for the Lord Jesus Christ. He begins to clean out and clean up our lives and that includes the way we speak with a live pure lives in a polluted world. So how I want us to take the word pure P you are E and within and with this word from God. Let's see how we can be pure today knowing that God has commanded. Knowing that it is a battle we all face every day. All of our lives, how can we maintain moral purity number one pursue godliness. P pursue godliness. Verse one. Be imitators of God as his own dear children word there is mimic it is to mimic and measure your own life by your father like father like child and of all the things we can say of God's primary attribute is his holy first Peter 115 to 16 says, but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do for it is written, be holy because I am holy. The way we maintain moral purity as believers and followers of Jesus is to pursue holiness. Always the Bible says without holiness. No man will see God. Now just a brief theological truth right here.

We are holy. In Christ we have received his righteousness positionally by what Christ is done for us. We have received his righteousness, and then the rest of our days until we get to heaven should be the pursuit of that holiness and righteousness, the fulfillment of who we are in Christ, we are called according to Ephesians 4 and verse one to walk words the toe walking worthy of our calling in the Lord Jesus Christ. The goal of our lives. The holy ambitions of our heart should be to live more and more like Jesus to look more and more like him.

Our heavenly father. One day we will see Christ face-to-face. First John three tells us that one day we will be like him, but we will see him as he is an untold in on our way to heaven.

We are to walk in righteousness, holiness, goodness, and in true now course, this is impossible in our own strength. So God has given us the spirit and his name is the Holy Spirit, God has given us his holiness, his Holy Spirit, and we can live with the strength that Christ gives us back in Ephesians chapter 3 we learned of this power that we have in Christ.

Verse 16 of chapter 3 of Ephesians that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. You have the power because you have the spirit. Don't say you are a helpless victim of some temptation of any kind, and certainly the sexual time does say that you are helpless because you are not the helper, the Holy Spirit lives in you and that is why the Scripture goes on to say verse 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Fullness of of the father. This the seed of God's holiness is in us and our lives are therefore to be live in pursuit of him pursuing godliness is the call of every Christian. I want to say it again, pursuing God pursuing godliness holiness, righteousness, purity is the pursuit of free Christian. I don't know about you but that deeply humbles me. Unfortunately some people even believers thinking negatively about the whole idea of holiness. I don't be holy Joe I want to be that guy. I want to be that girl to righteous to self-righteous. Well the fact is we don't pursue self-righteousness that creates pride, but when we pursue God and his holiness.

It produces humility because I know and you know we have a long way to go. Only it's a lifetime journey in this the pursuit of our hearts avoid temptation if eating the flesh. Romans 13 verse 14 says, rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is put on Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh, we say starve the flash and feed the spirit starve the flesh and feed the spirit and the more you pursue God, the stronger he will become. Every time you say yes to God. His will his way. You strengthen yourself against temptation to sin.

Every time you say yes and do the right thing to God.

It enables you to build spiritual muscle faith is like a muscle, but must be exercising every time you exercise your faith and believe in God and trust God to live a pure life. It strengthens you. Marley and the moral core of your being in the character of your life is strengthened each day.

Purity begins with the priority of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things than that, we need to satisfies will be added unto us.

This is how you live is Victor not concerning all your listening to PowerPoint. Jack ran in today's message pure lock in a polluted world. When you feel like you being tossed by waves of doubt or confusion. The only way to stay afloat this by focusing on your true source of hope Jesus Christ pastor Graham wants to help you experience that hope in all different circumstances is that the meditations on Romans eight called hope and a future, you'll discover how God gives you perspective, protection, purpose and power to keep you from sinking in my storms. I hope in the future is our thanks for your gift today to help boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel in the hope it brings to more people around the world and as thanks for your gift of $50 or more will also send you pastor Graham's book hope and healing from life's challenges to come down to requester resources and thank you for your generosity: 800-7954 67 that's 1-800-795-4627 can also text the word PowerPoint to 313-1216 PowerPoint 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional website again is Jack Graham.March pastor. What is your PowerPoint for today. One of the best parts of my job is hearing listeners just like you just imagine how encouraging it is to hear a flood of stories of God moving powerfully in countless lives will you don't have to imagine you can read about the way God is moving in the lives of viewers and listeners like you when you go to Jack Graham.org and click on the prayers tab. We shared stories from your brothers and sisters all over the world from right here in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas to listeners abroad in Montréal London and beyond, and we'd love to hear from you as well, but we need your help to keep the stories coming in this ministry would exist without the generosity of friends like you and one of the ways you can make the biggest impact is by becoming a PowerPoint partner with your first gift today. PowerPoint partners are monthly donors who stay full support has enabled us to pursue our core mission of preaching the gospel worldwide with increasing impact.

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Thank you so much for inspiring stories of change lives every day. Your gift today helps us continue sharing the gospel until the whole world hears and that is today's member when you give a gift to PowerPoint Cindy Dr. Graham's took the meditations of hope in the future as our thanks. Call one 800 795 461-800-7954 six can also text the word PowerPoint 313131 text PowerPoint to 3131 on the next PowerPoint. Dr. Graham brings a message about the steps you can take to live purely in our world. That's next time on PowerPoint with Shaklee PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries