Do Not Look Back
By Pastor Nick Bibile
Reading of Ephesians Chapter
5:3-6
Previously we saw that Christ
Jesus was altogether lovely, we saw how we need to lean on Jesus bosom and last
week we saw how we need to be imitators of God.
Today we see Apostle Paul is
giving some warnings to the pilgrim/saints that we need to be watchful. The
world is full of temptations and ungodly are enjoying the passions of the
flesh, but the Christians are purchased from the blood of Christ and not in
darkness anymore but living in the light and we should not look back to the
worldly passionate fleshly desires.
Science and technology have
increased rapidly and have given much comfort to the flesh but morality is
declining rapidly. False teachers and
increased, majority of the churches have become worldly, some have become cold.
Jesus said; “And because lawlessness will be increased, the
love of many will grow cold.” (Mat 24:12)
We are living
in a world today where the culture has taken over the word of God. Today you
don’t have to marry first you can try it out by living together. God’s word if
above culture, God’s word will not change according to society but society
should change according to God’s word. The word of God is supreme; the highest
rule in life and it is the ultimate rule. Everyone is judged by the word of
God.
Fornication
is sexual immorality; the Greek word is porneia which we get our word “pornography”
it not only refers to graphic pornographic photos but also having sex outside
marriage. Fornication is not a hidden thing anymore, it is done in public, you
will see on movies, television and people applause for fornication to the world
it is not a sin, there is no God for them, and Bible is an old fashioned book
for older people. There is spiritual unseemliness rampant.
Then we see
impurity which is sexual immorality and goes beyond like homosexuality,
lesbianism, prostitution and people who openly approve these things.
Romans
1: 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of
their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a
lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God
gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural
relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with
passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving
in themselves the due penalty for their error.
TELEVISION, the most
devastating brainwashing device ever unleashed upon humanity. The TV is
the instrument for the destruction of the soul. Television controls 90% of the
average person's thinking and behavior. Most of the romance and sex on TV are
between people who are violating their marriage bonds. There is FORNICATION and
ADULTERY, IMPURITY in color. There are pornographic materials available in
every street corner, you can watch them on your personal pc and many have
become a slave to these sins. We see in these last days Satan and his demons
have openly declared a war, unlashed all its evil resources, sin is garnished
with beauty and decorated with whip cream, presented to the world with great
temptation.
1Co
I discipline
myself to keep my soul clean before God. I stay away from worldly movies as it
will bring forth nothing but temptations and sin to the house.
Then there is
covetousness the mother of idolatry. (Eph 5:5). Covetousness is greediness,
desire to have more, longing to have more. It’s like the leech that creeps into
your soul.
Prov
30:15 The leech has two
daughters;
“Give” and “Give,” they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”
Again Television, surfing on
Computers, Shopping Malls, Grocery Stores are breeding grounds for
covetousness. Its amazing people work hard and keep buying and when there is no
money buy on credit cards, and then get into massive debts, then keep on
working hard to pay the debts.
Do you see covetousness is
like a leech and when the leech gets into your body you don’t feel, it is the
same way as it comes without your knowledge and sucks not your blood but your
money.
The
advertisements you see are very tempting to the flesh and covetousness breeds
in the heart by these lustful ads. There
is a hymn that says the following.
"Go you that boast in
all your stores,
and tell how bright they shine;
your heaps of glittering dust are yours,
but my Redeemer's mine."
The true believer feels that
his God is his portion he despises rather than covets the glories of the world.
Jesus warned us against covetousness.
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's
life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself,
‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do
this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store
all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many
years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you,
and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21)
Also many
flock to see the sitcoms, the talk shows which really produce foolish talk and
crude joking which is out of place for the Christians. Some who call themselves
Christians watch late night movies and on Sunday mornings during the service they
fall asleep. Paul goes on to say:
Eph 5:5-6 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is
sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
God’s word is sure as the as the sun that rises every day so those who live in sexual immorality and covetousness has no part in heaven. Heaven is a place for the saints, for the godly, it is a place where we praise and worship God
Do not compromise with the
word of God and let know one deceive you to say it’s ok to sin a little bit
here and there, it’s ok to be worldly and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season, these are very deceptive to our soul. Many people have no fear of God
and they are investing sin and depositing sin and hell’s mouth wide open for
them. How can you sit at the Lord’s
Table and drink the cup of the devil too.
If you are living in
disobedience then you are ungodly, it is God’s holiness that brings wrath and
hell. A holy righteous God will not live with ungodly disobedient people.
Jesus said of hell, where
their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark
But the worm is bred in the
corruption of sinners lustful hearts and the fire find fuel from worldly movies
and TV. There is a bottomless pit and many are digging that pit daily with
their sins. God’s wrath is coming to
those who live in disobedience. This wrath of God is sometimes called a second
death. Imagine a man dying and rising again to die again. Continually dying and
yet living in the everlasting fire.
Majority of the churches are
filled with false preachers, they will not talk about sin or hell. Their
churches are packed with worldly people as they preach a sensational worldly
gospel to the worldly people. These false preachers do not care for souls but
they care for the wallet, money of the people. It is better to be a devil than
to be a preacher who is not true to our Lord. These false preachers have led
millions of people to hell along with them.
Let not the T.V deceive or
the media deceive you, let’s not the corrupt politicians or the corrupt judges
deceive you, let not anyone deceive you by saying we need to live according to
the society that accepted these evil things. Say no to ungodliness and yes to
godliness.
We have a never ending battle
with the world. The world will change its shape according to its times, like
the chameleon, it can change colors of the rainbow, you will fight against the
customs of the world until you die. Like Luther, he writes "Cedo nulli" on his
banner—"I yield to none;" and he goes to war against the world, if
the world goes to war against him.
Jesus said, "I have
chosen you out of the world," "He laid down his life for his
sheep:" "he loved his church, and gave himself for it "Ye are
not your own, ye are bought with a price." They have God's nature in them
as you are partakers of his divine nature.
2 Pet
1:4 by which he has granted
to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in
the world because of sinful desire
Once you put your hand to the
plough do not look back, remembers
"Take your pen and write
how much you owe to your Lord," you can never complete the list as it goes
on and on. Oh the Depths of mercy, that I, a sinner, should ever have a hope of
heaven, but oh, heights of mercy! That I should be adopted into the family of
God, and made a joint heir with Christ Jesus, He is to be the portion of my
cup, and this is grace indeed! My cup runneth over! Bless the Lord, O my soul!