S1: Today on bold steps with Mark job. Discover the aroma
S1: that's pleasing to the Lord.
S2: Everybody else may be doing it, but you're not everybody else.
S2: You are a child of the Most High God. Set aside.
S2: You have a calling, a purpose, a destiny. You have
S2: a Lord that exercises authority and control over your life.
S2: You are not everybody else. And you need to know
S2: that today.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps, our Bible teachers. Mark Job, senior
S1: pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute. You can find us online at
S1: Bold Steps. Org and while you're there, be sure to
S1: catch up on Mark's past programs and check out our
S1: latest Bold Step gift, which will tell you more about
S1: later in the program. Or you can even share your
S1: testimony and ask Mark a question again. That's bold steps.
S1: Speaking of questions, Mark, here's my question today. Where did
S1: you come up with this title? What do you smell like?
S2: Well, you know, that could go in a lot of
S2: different ways. But, you know, we've all been in a
S2: situation where we we we smell something. You know, I
S2: have I have boys that were involved in sports. And
S2: once in a while my wife would say, what is
S2: that stench when my son would come back from football practice,
S2: gym socks. Yeah. And he smelled like sweat and, you know,
S2: but this passage really refers to the fragrance or the
S2: aroma of Christ. And I believe that we all, in
S2: one way or another, smell like something. And for us
S2: as believers, the challenge is when people are around us,
S2: do they get the fragrance of Christ?
S1: This is a new series we're beginning now. Bold living.
S1: And again, the title is what do you smell like?
S1: Here's our teacher, Mark Jobe. Up.
S2: Ephesians chapter five. Follow God's example therefore as dearly loved children,
S2: and walk in the way of love, just as Christ
S2: loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering
S2: and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not
S2: even be a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind
S2: of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for
S2: God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk,
S2: coarse jesting, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
S2: For this you can be sure. No. And moral and
S2: pure greedy person. Such a person is an idolater, has
S2: any inheritance in the kingdom of God in Christ. Let
S2: no one deceive you with empty words, for because of
S2: such things God's wrath comes upon those who are disobedient.
S2: Therefore do not partner with them. For you were once darkness,
S2: but now, yeah, now you are light in the Lord.
S2: Live as children of light, for the fruit of light
S2: consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth, and find out
S2: what pleases the Lord. So today my message has an
S2: unusual title. I've entitled this message. What do you smell like?
S2: But I'm talking about a fragrance that's beyond physical fragrance.
S2: And I'm going to tell you every single one of
S2: us in this auditorium. We have a smell. Spiritually speaking.
S2: We have a smell. And you may say, well, I
S2: smell like everybody else. But here's the thing. I believe
S2: that a lot of Christians smell like everybody else in
S2: our culture. And everybody. And I have people have a
S2: tendency to say, well, everybody else is doing it or
S2: everybody else smells this way. But I want to tell
S2: you today you're not everybody else. Yes, everybody else may
S2: be doing it. Everybody else may smell that way. Everybody
S2: else may behave that way. But you're not everybody else.
S2: You are a child of the Most High God set
S2: aside by the power of God. You have a calling,
S2: a purpose, a destiny, a name that's given, given to you.
S2: You have a Lord that exercises authority and control over,
S2: over your life. You are not everybody else. And you
S2: need to know that today. So I want to talk
S2: to you about that. Verse one. It says, be imitators
S2: of God, therefore as dearly loved children, and live a
S2: life of love. Just as Christ loved us and gave
S2: himself up for us. Here it goes as a fragrant
S2: offering and sacrifice to God. So the Apostle Paul starts
S2: this passage. He's told us our identity. The first few
S2: chapters in the book of Ephesians, he's told us who
S2: we are, what our identity is. Take off the old.
S2: Put on the new. And now he's telling us, hey,
S2: if you've taken off the old and put on the
S2: new part of the new you, is that you don't
S2: walk the way you did before. Part of the new
S2: you is you don't smell the way you did before,
S2: because now you are the fragrance of Christ. In fact,
S2: look at what it tells us in second Corinthians chapter
S2: two verse 15. It says, our lives are Christ like
S2: fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived
S2: by some differently by those who are being saved and
S2: those who are perishing. Paul is telling us, now that
S2: you've come to Christ, you have to smell different, act different,
S2: live different. I think one of the problems that we
S2: have in our life here in the church in America
S2: and Christians as a whole, is that we've come to Christ,
S2: we've understood the gospel, but our challenge is we still
S2: keep the old on. When God has asked us to
S2: take the old off and leave the old behind. And
S2: I know some of you here are still struggling because
S2: you've come to God, but you still have your old clothes.
S2: Your old clothes still smell like weed, your old clothes
S2: still smell like partying. Your old clothes still smell like
S2: the way you used to talk. They smell like the
S2: old neighborhood. They smell like the old bars. They smell
S2: like the old habits. And God is saying, hey, that's
S2: the old Jew. So there has to be a taking
S2: off of the old and a putting on of the new.
S2: And so he tells us what it means to put
S2: on the new. Listen, what it tells us in verse one,
S2: be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, now
S2: that your children of God you take off the old
S2: Jew and you start behaving like your heavenly father, imitating him,
S2: and you live a life of love. Why? Because you've
S2: been loved, he says. As dearly loved children live a
S2: life of love. You say, well, how do I imitate God?
S2: It's so hard to think of imitating God because I
S2: can't see him. I can't touch him. He's not tangible. Well,
S2: God has come down to earth and manifest himself in
S2: Jesus the Christ. Jesus was not just the Son of God,
S2: but Jesus was God Himself. The Bible tells us that
S2: in the beginning was the word, and the word was
S2: with God, and the word was God. Jesus is not
S2: only the Son of God, but Jesus is God Himself.
S2: If you embrace orthodox traditional Christianity, you understand that Jesus
S2: Christ is all God and became all man and walked
S2: among us so that we could see an example of
S2: God living amongst us. And he says, just as Christ
S2: loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering
S2: and sacrifice to God, you and I are taking off
S2: the old, and we're putting on the new. Even though
S2: everybody else is living different than us, but we are
S2: not everybody else. So I want to ask you this question.
S2: You say, well, pastor, I still struggle. I still feel
S2: like I smell like the world. I still feel like
S2: I act like the world. I want you to ask
S2: yourself three questions as you look at your life and
S2: ask yourself, am I really living out the new me?
S2: Do I really smell different? Do I really live different?
S2: You need to ask yourself three questions. Number one, what
S2: are you tolerating in your life? You get what you
S2: create or what you tolerate. Henry Cloud, a Christian psychologist,
S2: made that quote and I believe it. You get what
S2: you create or what you tolerate. So what are you
S2: tolerating in your life? Listen, what the Apostle Paul tells us,
S2: he says, but among you there must not even be
S2: a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity
S2: or greed, because these are not proper for God's holy people.
S2: I want to talk to you about a topic. I
S2: think that's a topic that's not talked about enough, That's
S2: not spoken about enough that we're not challenged on enough,
S2: but it's rampant. And some of you here are really, really,
S2: really struggling with big time. And it's the topic of sexuality.
S2: So the apostle Paul says, you know, now that you've
S2: come to Christ, you live differently. I know the culture
S2: around us doesn't understand us because we're a different kind
S2: of people. But he says among you, now that you're believers,
S2: there shouldn't even be a hint. A hint that means
S2: not even the mention or a hint, or any kind
S2: of shadow or any kind of inclination of sexual immorality.
S2: He uses three words. He says sexual immorality. He says impurity,
S2: and he says greed. And I want to just break
S2: this down for a second. And before I do, let
S2: me let me simply say this, um, because I know
S2: that anytime we talk about sexuality or sexual sin or impurity,
S2: it's easy to hear the church always say, no, no, no,
S2: bad bad bad wrong wrong wrong. Don't don't, don't. And
S2: I want to say simply about sexuality, first of all,
S2: I want to say that God is the inventor of sex.
S2: God made it up. God designed it. God created it
S2: not just for procreation, but also for pleasure. What a
S2: great invention God came up with. It was God's idea.
S2: It's not evil. It's not bad. It's not dark. It's
S2: not ugly. It's not of the devil, it's God. God
S2: created it. God engineered it. God designed it. In fact,
S2: I believe that sex should be celebrated. I think it
S2: should be practiced a lot, but Within the confines of
S2: a monogamous male and female relationship, where they've put rings
S2: on their fingers and said, until death do us part,
S2: we will love one another and love our children. That
S2: is the context in which it should be practiced. But
S2: like anything else, if it's not controlled and used and
S2: channeled God's way, then it becomes a huge destructive force
S2: within our culture, within our families, within our marriages, within singles.
S2: It becomes a huge issue that tears a lot of
S2: people down.
S1: Living within the God designed bounds. You're listening to the
S1: Bible teaching of Mark job. If you'd like to learn
S1: more about Mark or this daily program, just go online
S1: to Bold Steps. While there, be sure to sign up
S1: for our weekly email devotional. It's called The Bold Stepper Weekly.
S1: It's delivered to your inbox every Monday morning automatically. Get
S1: to steppin in your walk with Christ today when you
S1: sign up at Bold steps.org. But right now, let's get
S1: back into the second half of today's message, because Mark
S1: has much more to say about immorality, impurity, and greed.
S3: The apostle Paul.
S2: Talking about this, talking to believers, says this among you
S2: as believers in the cultural out there in the world,
S2: out there, they have a way of living and practicing.
S2: But you're not the world. Everybody else does it, but
S2: you're not everybody else. And he says there should not
S2: even be the hint, the hint of sexual immorality, of
S2: impurity or of greed. Let me break those down for you.
S2: Sexual immorality. The word there is taken from the Greek
S2: word porneia. It means any kind of sexual activity outside
S2: of the confines of marriage. It means two young people
S2: in consenting sexual intercourse. It means homosexuality between two people
S2: of the same sex. It means someone that's married and
S2: decides to have an extramarital affair. It's called immorality. It
S2: means any kind of sexual activity, any kind of sexual
S2: encounter that's outside of the marriage confines is called immorality.
S2: Then he moves on and he says, in purity, impurity
S2: is not only just the actual physical act of sexually
S2: getting involved or sexual encounter, but impurity goes even further.
S2: And it's used ten times in the New Testament and
S2: it refers to immoral thoughts, passions, ideas, fantasies, or any
S2: kind of sexual corruption. And then he uses the word greed.
S2: Normally we associate greed with money, but greed has a
S2: broader implication than money. It refers to any kind of
S2: out of control desire for more and more that shouldn't
S2: be ours. In other words, an unsatisfied desire for more.
S2: And so what the Apostle Paul is saying is that
S2: the culture out there feels like it's normal. This is
S2: a normal culture. This is the way everybody does it.
S2: This is the way everybody operates. But you're not normal
S2: that way, he says, because these are improper for God's
S2: holy people. Do you realize that God calls you holy?
S2: The Bible says that you are God's holy people. Yeah, you.
S2: What this holy mean holy means that you are set
S2: apart unto God. That God has called you to be holy.
S2: God has chosen you, set you aside, and God has said, hey,
S2: the world may function this way, but you're not the world.
S2: Everybody else does it that way, but you're not everybody else.
S2: You are holy. You're called. You're peculiar. You're different. You
S2: have been called to be a special people set apart
S2: for God. In fact, the Bible also calls you saints. Well,
S2: I know some of you grew up in a tradition
S2: where you prayed to saints and you think a saint
S2: is a little statue with a halo that you touch
S2: the foot and used to pray to. But the Bible
S2: actually says, if you are believer, washed by the blood
S2: of Jesus, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that you are
S2: a saint. So practice this for a moment. Just just
S2: say your first name to me. Now say out loud, Saint.
S2: And then your name. How's that sound to you? It
S2: feels a little weird to call yourself a saint, doesn't it?
S2: But let me tell you, that's what God says about you.
S2: Why not? Because you're perfect. Not because you're you've done
S2: anything extraordinary, but because the blood of Jesus Christ has
S2: washed you 100% clean. Absolutely. So that when you stand
S2: before God, he sees you as pure and holy and
S2: set apart before him. That's what it means to be
S2: a saint. And the Bible has declared that over your life.
S2: Now you may be here today and say, well, pastor,
S2: I don't really think there's a huge problem in this area.
S2: In our society. You probably don't. But let me just
S2: say that the problem of impurity, the problem of being
S2: really out of control, you know, I have a little
S2: dog and, um, well, it's really not my little dog,
S2: but I have to take care of it. It's in
S2: my house. And the little dog's name is Angel. Angel
S2: has to be on a leash. because if it's not
S2: on a leash, Angel just likes to go wherever. And
S2: so if you take your dog out on a leash,
S2: you sort of restrain it a little bit. But if
S2: that dog has no leash, it goes and it pees
S2: in people's yard and it does its thing in our
S2: neighbor's yard, which is not very good because it's a
S2: little bit out of control. It goes wherever. Let me
S2: tell you, God has created you as a sexual being.
S2: You have sexual desires. If you are here today and
S2: you're a man and you have the desire, uh, you
S2: have the desire to be with the woman, a sexual
S2: desire to be with the woman. That's not sin, that's normal.
S2: That's just the way that God created you. You have
S2: the desire for to to, uh, the desire of a
S2: male to see the body of a naked woman. That's
S2: not sin, that's normal hormones that God has given you
S2: a natural desire as a woman, to reveal yourself to
S2: a man and be intimate with a man. That's a
S2: normal thing, a God given desire. However, like with all desires,
S2: they have to be put on a leash because if
S2: they're not on a leash, they get out of control.
S2: And if they're out of control, they do damage to people.
S2: They do damage to our spiritual life, and they do
S2: damage to others around us. In fact, let me tell you,
S2: if you have no controls over your son's cell phone,
S2: if you have no controls over their smartphone, if you're
S2: not monitoring it, if you don't have covenant eyes, if
S2: you're not taking it out of the room at night,
S2: if you're not watching what they if you're not getting
S2: on the history, then you are exposing your child to
S2: mega problems in life. And it is. It is bad parenting.
S2: And it is our responsibility as parents to guard their
S2: minds and to help them out, because there's huge, damaging
S2: effects and we're still yet to see the effects of
S2: pornography on a young generation like this. The Bible says
S2: that they're not even be a hint of immorality among you.
S2: Why is it such a big deal to God? It's
S2: a big deal to God. By the way, because first
S2: Thessalonians chapter four verse three says, for this is God's will.
S2: You say, pastor, what is God's will? I have people
S2: ask me all the time, what is God's will? Can
S2: I tell you what God's will is in this area?
S2: I don't have to pray about it. I don't have
S2: to think about it. I don't have to fast about it.
S2: You're in a relationship right now where you're sleeping with
S2: your boyfriend or girlfriend every other weekend, and you've crossed
S2: some lines and you can't stop and you say, well,
S2: what's God's will? I just don't know what God's will is. Well,
S2: let me tell you what it says in first Thessalonians
S2: chapter four, verse three, for this is the will of God. Wow.
S2: God's will, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual In morality.
S2: That is God's will for you.
S1: Learning to honor the will of God. That's our subject
S1: today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Today's message titled
S1: what do you Smell Like? And will continue tomorrow, so
S1: be sure to tune in then. Remember, you can always
S1: revisit these daily messages on our website. Bold steps.org. And
S1: earlier we mentioned something called our Bold step gift. You
S1: know Mark, many parents wonder how to help their daughters
S1: navigate the challenging tween years. That's why I'm grateful for
S1: this book. Lies Girls believe.
S4: Yeah, we have the author, Dana Gresh, with us today
S4: in our studio, and I'm so excited about this resource
S4: because I think it's so needed. And so, Dana, tell me, uh,
S4: how does this book help facilitate, like conversations between specifically
S4: maybe a mother and her 11 year old daughter.
S5: That is the whole point of it. My heart beats
S5: for parents to be in the driver's seat of their
S5: moral development, their faith development, because God's Word tells us
S5: it's not the pastor. It's not the Christian author. It's
S5: not the Sunday school teacher. It's mom and dad who
S5: are meant to teach them biblical truth. And I guess
S5: the best way to answer your question is to sort
S5: of share a story of what happened. One of the
S5: lies in that book is I'm a Christian because fill
S5: in the blank. And when I surveyed these 1500 tween
S5: girls to write the book, they would say things like,
S5: I'm a Christian because mom and dad are or I'm
S5: a Christian because I go to church or I'm a
S5: Christian because I was born one. Those, of course, are
S5: not biblical definitions of what defines Christianity or being a
S5: follower of Jesus. They have to understand their sinfulness. They
S5: have to believe that Jesus died on the cross in, in,
S5: in punishment for that sinfulness. And they have to say
S5: it with their mouth that they believe and receive him
S5: as their Savior. And so this girl is reading this book,
S5: and she turns to her mom and she's like, mom,
S5: I read this in the book today. I don't think
S5: I'm a Christian. And they pulled to the side of
S5: the road. Mom and daughter have a conversation right there.
S5: Mom gets to participate in this sweet girl coming to
S5: the throne of Jesus for the first time in authenticity,
S5: surrendering her heart to Christ. And they're able to drive
S5: home and tell dad, guess what? She really is a
S5: Christian now. I hear stories like that every day. As
S5: the girls identify these lies, they have a eureka moment,
S5: and then they go to mom because the book is
S5: telling them, Go to mom.
S4: Yeah, I love that. Love it, love it, love it. So, Wayne,
S4: if one of our listeners wants to get this book,
S4: can you tell us how?
S1: Sure. When you make a donation of any amount to
S1: support bold steps, just call us at (800) 800-3566 639 or
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S1: you online. Well, on behalf of Mark Jobe and the
S1: entire team at Bold Steps, thanks for joining us today,
S1: and be sure to come back tomorrow for the conclusion
S1: of our message called What Do You Smell Like? That's
S1: coming up Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold
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