In 1 Corinthians 6:18, the Spirit of God straightforwardly commands, “Flee from sexual immorality.”
Keep living and temptation will keep coming. What’s your plan for your next encounter?
This sermon is an encouragement to remember a simple acronym drawn from 1 Corinthians 6:18 — F.L.E.E.
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It’s hard to read very far in the New Testament without coming across a reference to baptism. But why? What is baptism? What does it do? And what does it not do?
This sermon emphasizes respect for God and his authoritative will. The authority for baptism isn’t difficult to find in the New Testament. The sermon explores a variety of New Testament examples in order to discern the historical background and significance of baptism, as well as what baptism does and does not do.
Baptism: What It Does Not Do
Baptism: What It Does
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I was asked to contribute this article for the January 2013 (“Stopping Divorce”) issue of Pressing On, an e-magazine for growing Christians. If you haven’t already subscribed, you’re missing out on some great monthly content.
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Prov 22:3).
You never get used to it. The tears. The excuses. The perplexed looks that reflect shattered hearts.
I’ve sat and wept and prayed with far too many broken men and crushed women who wish they had established and respected safeguards in the past to protect their marriages that are disintegrating in the present. I’ve never sat or wept or prayed with a faithful spouse or fulfilled couple who regretted having established and respected marital boundaries. Guardrails don’t inhibit happiness; they lead to and protect happiness.
The prudent recognize the dangerous threats of the modern world to their marriages and hide themselves behind boundaries of wisdom and mutual respect.
The simple scoff. “It’ll never happen to me.” “No one’s gonna tell me what to do.” “If my wife doesn’t like it, she can get over it.” “That part of my life is none of my husband’s business.” The simple scoff and go on, but they and their marriages eventually suffer for it.
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Gary Henry, on November 7, 2012, encouraging us to let our lights shine by overcoming temptation.
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“How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” In 587 BC, Jerusalem was crushed by mighty Babylon. Throughout Lamentations 1, the city of David is personified as “weeping bitterly” in the night. “With tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies” (Lam 1:1-2).
Words can hardly encapsulate how much good had been sacrificed in order to acquire so little. “Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall” (Lam 1:7).
But so much more is involved here than the ancient history of a Jewish city. Pay particular attention to the first phrase of Lamentations 1:19— “I called to my lovers, but they deceived me.” Here is a principle that is timeless. Those things that tantalizingly beckon us away from wholehearted faithfulness to God? They are lying to us.
