WEBVTT - Choosing to Walk in the Light – Part 2 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:03.440 We're learning more about choosing to walk in the light 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:05.960 today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.160 When you become a believer, then I want you to 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:10.520 live like a believer. Walk like a believer. Talk like 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:12.840 a believer. But if you're not a believer, you know 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:15.680 I don't expect you to live that way. He's saying, hey, 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:17.840 now that you are people of God, this is the 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:22.000 expectation that we have for your lifestyle because you are 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:25.280 a follower of Jesus Christ. 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.199 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:43.639 of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:47.199 Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. As we 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.560 move forward in our study from the book of Ephesians, 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:51.599 we're going to be turning to chapter five to pick 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:55.600 up on our message titled Choosing to Walk in the light. Yesterday, 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:58.959 Mark emphasized how our desires in our relationships and how 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.840 we speak to one another should reflect our new identity 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:04.759 and calling in Christ. And today, pastor Mark will give 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.880 us a recap before addressing his second point. If you've 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.000 missed any of the messages in this series, catch up 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:14.000 online when you visit us at Bold Steps. But let's 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:17.080 not delay the message any longer with today's bold steps. 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:18.399 Here's Mark Jobe. 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:24.400 There should be not even a hint of sexual activity 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:28.399 outside of the confines of marriage, where we live in 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:34.560 a society that by and large accepts the culture of 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:37.400 friends with benefits. More and more, if you go to 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:39.880 a college campus today, if you go down to UIC, 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.480 if you go down to northwestern, every college campus pretty 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:45.440 much here in the US, and you talk to a 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:49.560 college kid that's 22 years old, 21 years old, and 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:51.960 you ask, what is the culture that exists in the campus? 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:55.000 Pretty much the culture is this we can hook up sexually, 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.120 even though we may. We're not dating. You know, I 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:03.090 can I can give sexual favors to an individual doesn't 0:02:03.090 --> 0:02:05.810 mean I like them. Doesn't mean we're boyfriend girlfriend, doesn't 0:02:05.810 --> 0:02:08.530 mean we're dating. We can give each other sexual favors. Why? 0:02:08.570 --> 0:02:10.410 Because it feels good. And then we can walk away. 0:02:10.450 --> 0:02:13.250 Don't expect a letter. Don't expect that we're together. Don't 0:02:13.290 --> 0:02:16.210 expect that we're somehow involved each other. And I can 0:02:16.210 --> 0:02:17.770 do that for this person. I can do that for 0:02:17.770 --> 0:02:21.930 another person. It's pretty much the one night stands, the 0:02:21.930 --> 0:02:27.410 sexual favors pretty much accepted practice ingrained in the mainstream 0:02:27.410 --> 0:02:30.690 of our culture at a college level, at a high 0:02:30.690 --> 0:02:34.130 school level. And unfortunately, now more and more at a 0:02:34.130 --> 0:02:41.530 junior high level. It's the culture. It's accepted. Now what? 0:02:41.530 --> 0:02:45.169 Paul Paul understood that and he's not talking to. It's 0:02:45.169 --> 0:02:48.130 not like our society is much different than the society 0:02:48.130 --> 0:02:51.650 that Paul was talking to. Paul was talking to the 0:02:51.650 --> 0:02:55.610 Ephesians in Ephesus. There was a big temple to Diana, 0:02:55.650 --> 0:02:59.370 the god of fertility. Part of the practice of the 0:02:59.410 --> 0:03:03.490 god of fertility is that there were priestesses in the 0:03:03.490 --> 0:03:08.450 temple of Diana, and in order to go and engage 0:03:08.450 --> 0:03:11.850 in a sexual experience in the Temple of Diana, people 0:03:11.850 --> 0:03:16.850 would get drunk and basically have orgies with the priestesses 0:03:16.850 --> 0:03:21.770 of the Temple of Diana. And so sexual immorality and 0:03:21.770 --> 0:03:25.770 sexual playing around was rampant in the society that Paul 0:03:25.770 --> 0:03:28.810 was talking about as well. So it was counter the 0:03:28.810 --> 0:03:33.050 culture for Paul to say, now that you are children 0:03:33.090 --> 0:03:38.650 of God, there shouldn't even be a hint of sexual 0:03:38.650 --> 0:03:43.770 immorality among you. And in case that wasn't clear enough, 0:03:43.770 --> 0:03:45.530 you say, well, I'm not really sure what he means. 0:03:45.570 --> 0:03:47.490 I mean, does he mean this? Does he mean that? 0:03:47.490 --> 0:03:51.810 Then Paul adds to it. He says, or of any 0:03:51.810 --> 0:03:56.570 kind of impurity. Impurity has to do with anything. It's 0:03:56.610 --> 0:03:59.610 related to sexuality, but it could have to do with pornography. 0:03:59.650 --> 0:04:02.380 It could have to do with fantasizing. It could have 0:04:02.380 --> 0:04:04.900 to be with X-rated movies. It could have to be 0:04:04.900 --> 0:04:08.420 with it could have to do with the latest, uh, 0:04:08.420 --> 0:04:11.700 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. It could have to do with 0:04:11.740 --> 0:04:14.740 a lot of issues out there that have to do 0:04:14.740 --> 0:04:19.060 with sexuality out there. So not even a hint of 0:04:19.060 --> 0:04:23.419 sexual immorality or any kind of impurity. And he says, 0:04:23.460 --> 0:04:26.300 or greed. You say, well, what does greed have to 0:04:26.300 --> 0:04:29.940 do with it? Well, greed is it's the word covetousness. 0:04:31.100 --> 0:04:34.900 Covetousness means I desire something that doesn't belong to me, 0:04:35.700 --> 0:04:38.539 that I can't have. But I still want it, even 0:04:38.580 --> 0:04:42.580 though it's not legitimate for me to have it. So 0:04:42.580 --> 0:04:45.580 you could be greedy towards money or towards things. You 0:04:45.580 --> 0:04:48.540 could see someone driving a car that's nicer than your 0:04:48.540 --> 0:04:50.500 car and say, man, why does he get to have 0:04:50.500 --> 0:04:53.140 that car? I want that car. I should have that car. 0:04:53.260 --> 0:04:55.300 And I'm kind of frustrated that he's got it and 0:04:55.300 --> 0:04:59.060 I don't. But it could also have to do with, um, 0:04:59.100 --> 0:05:01.300 it could have to do with sexuality. It could have 0:05:01.300 --> 0:05:05.099 to do with desiring another man's wife or desiring someone 0:05:05.100 --> 0:05:09.140 that's illegitimate for you to have. But you desire and 0:05:09.140 --> 0:05:13.140 covet something that is illegitimate for you to possess. And 0:05:13.140 --> 0:05:16.140 so basically what Paul says is, I know you live 0:05:16.140 --> 0:05:22.060 in a culture that is a sex saturated culture. Let's 0:05:22.060 --> 0:05:25.060 be honest, that's the culture we live in. We live 0:05:25.060 --> 0:05:27.380 in that kind of society. And the fact that people, 0:05:27.779 --> 0:05:31.339 the fact that people live together, the fact that people 0:05:31.380 --> 0:05:34.860 hook up together, the fact that people have multiple partners 0:05:34.860 --> 0:05:38.779 when they're in their 20s or 30s, it's pretty much 0:05:38.779 --> 0:05:41.580 just accepted by society. It's just the way it is. 0:05:41.620 --> 0:05:45.100 It's just kind of normal, right? Well, God says it 0:05:45.100 --> 0:05:47.859 may be normal for the world out there, but hey, 0:05:48.300 --> 0:05:53.220 you are the people of God. And it may be 0:05:53.220 --> 0:05:57.660 normal for society at large, but because you are children 0:05:57.700 --> 0:06:01.870 of God, it's not normal for you because you live 0:06:01.910 --> 0:06:09.589 by different standards. You reflect the standards of your Heavenly father. 0:06:09.630 --> 0:06:13.229 Listen to what he says. He says, because these are 0:06:13.230 --> 0:06:20.870 improper for God's holy people, you're holy. Now, I know 0:06:20.870 --> 0:06:24.510 some of you don't consider yourself holy. I taught you before, 0:06:24.510 --> 0:06:30.990 though the Bible calls you a saint. Yeah, a saint. Wow. 0:06:30.990 --> 0:06:34.589 I thought you had to, like, do a miracle and, like, 0:06:34.589 --> 0:06:37.510 live almost perfect to become a saint. Well, Scripture says 0:06:37.510 --> 0:06:40.150 if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a saint. 0:06:40.710 --> 0:06:43.830 Because the word saint means separate unto God. The word 0:06:43.830 --> 0:06:49.070 holy means separated unto God. God is separated you unto 0:06:49.110 --> 0:06:52.670 himself for a purpose. So therefore you're holy. And listen, 0:06:52.710 --> 0:06:55.950 sexual immorality and all that stuff may be alright in 0:06:55.950 --> 0:06:58.429 the world out there, but you're not part of the world. 0:06:58.430 --> 0:07:01.430 You're separated unto God. You're a people with a call 0:07:01.430 --> 0:07:04.390 upon your life. So therefore your values are different than 0:07:04.390 --> 0:07:10.550 the values of the world. Now let me make this clear. Oftentimes, 0:07:10.550 --> 0:07:16.070 we as Christians try to apply our Christian morality towards 0:07:16.070 --> 0:07:20.190 people that are not yet Christians. And that is absolutely 0:07:20.230 --> 0:07:24.870 a wrong way of doing it. He's not talking to 0:07:24.910 --> 0:07:27.670 non-believers here. He's talking to believers. 0:07:34.430 --> 0:07:37.030 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, and today's 0:07:37.030 --> 0:07:39.670 message is titled Choosing to Walk in the light. It's 0:07:39.670 --> 0:07:42.390 part of our series when you believe everything changes and 0:07:42.390 --> 0:07:44.870 we will continue the message in a moment. But Mark 0:07:44.870 --> 0:07:46.390 has joined me here and I want to share a 0:07:46.390 --> 0:07:48.470 letter with you, Mark, that we received from a listener. 0:07:48.710 --> 0:07:51.150 Dear pastor Mark, I listen to your program every day 0:07:51.150 --> 0:07:53.390 while I'm out driving for work, and I love the 0:07:53.390 --> 0:07:55.670 messages and the way you deliver them. I thank you 0:07:55.670 --> 0:07:58.310 for that. We have been attending our church for almost 0:07:58.310 --> 0:08:02.240 four years now. We absolutely love it. My enthusiasm has 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.560 been challenged to an extreme degree. However, we completely fell 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:08.640 in love with our pastor. His wife attends there also. 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.680 She has a consistent way of making us feel unwelcome. 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.000 She isn't very friendly and it shows in her face, 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.920 in her body expressions. Her husband, the lead pastor, is 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:20.080 a very loving, warm person. I'm really struggling with this, 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.200 so much so that I always hope she doesn't come 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.160 to the service we attend. I think it's an unacceptable 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:27.600 way for anyone to act more so. The wife of 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.120 the lead pastor. I pray about this a lot for 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:32.280 God to help me ease my heart about this and 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:34.320 let go of the feelings I get because of her. 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.240 What can you suggest I do? I appreciate your time. 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:37.920 Thank you. 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:40.359 Well, hey, I appreciate you. 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:40.760 Being. 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:44.240 Honest about this challenge and this difficulty. Let me just 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:46.679 say a couple of things about this, because I know 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:52.160 that sometimes you go to church and you may get 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:55.760 along with the pastor, but have a challenge with one 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:59.400 of the pastor's members of their family, or the wife 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.480 in particular. That's difficult. Let me say to all the 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.720 pastors wives out there, you have one of the most 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.040 difficult jobs around. 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:09.160 I knew that was coming. 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:12.640 You know, my my wife has, uh, been beside me 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:18.280 in ministry for over 30 years, and she leads a 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:24.000 group of about 35 pastors wives. They get together biweekly, 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.440 meet in small groups. And I want to just say, 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.840 first of all, I would encourage you to extend grace 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:33.640 to the pastor's wife. Everyone's wired a little bit different, 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:37.959 and there's a lot of expectations we place on pastors wives. 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:41.640 You know, she's a follower of Jesus, and maybe you're 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.200 not going to click with her personality. And I want 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:46.719 to say, that's all right. Uh, you don't have to 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.800 be best friends with the pastor's wife. Uh, but I 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:53.600 would say grant or grace, God has to work on 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:55.839 her own life. And maybe she's going through some stuff 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:58.040 right now that's causing her to be a little bit 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.370 on edge. Or maybe you don't quite connect with her 0:10:01.610 --> 0:10:04.650 the way you connect with the pastor. But I would 0:10:04.650 --> 0:10:07.250 pray for her. I would, when you can give her 0:10:07.250 --> 0:10:12.170 a word of encouragement. And, um, I would slow down 0:10:12.170 --> 0:10:15.370 in talking with her right now until you get to 0:10:15.410 --> 0:10:18.450 know her, maybe a little bit better, and just ask 0:10:18.450 --> 0:10:21.410 that God would empower her with joy. That if she's 0:10:21.410 --> 0:10:23.850 going through a hard time, that God would just give 0:10:23.850 --> 0:10:28.450 her a sense of contentment. And most importantly, I would say, 0:10:29.370 --> 0:10:33.089 do not fixate on her while you go to church. 0:10:33.290 --> 0:10:35.689 Do not let that be a hindrance. And I would 0:10:35.690 --> 0:10:38.610 say that about anybody in the church. Uh, do not 0:10:38.610 --> 0:10:42.570 let it be a hindrance for your worship of God, 0:10:42.570 --> 0:10:44.690 and pray that God would give you a special love 0:10:44.690 --> 0:10:48.329 for them. Pray blessing upon them, and ask that God 0:10:48.330 --> 0:10:52.570 would just allow you to worship God freely and understand 0:10:52.570 --> 0:10:54.569 even the people around you that may be going through 0:10:54.570 --> 0:10:58.130 a difficult time. Keep going to that church, keep ministering, 0:10:58.130 --> 0:11:01.850 keep growing, and keep praying for the pastor's wife. 0:11:01.890 --> 0:11:04.130 I think that's great advice. Mark. Thank you so much. 0:11:04.130 --> 0:11:06.010 And if you are listening today and you've got your 0:11:06.010 --> 0:11:08.329 own question you'd like to share with Mark, we'd love 0:11:08.330 --> 0:11:10.610 to hear it. You can connect with us online at 0:11:10.610 --> 0:11:13.850 Bold Steps. Org or you can also call us and 0:11:13.850 --> 0:11:16.329 leave a message on a recorded line. And that number 0:11:16.370 --> 0:11:24.170 is (312) 329-2011. Write that down 312329 2011. And of course, 0:11:24.170 --> 0:11:26.770 you're always welcome to drop us an email. Bold steps 0:11:26.809 --> 0:11:30.610 at Moody's. All right. Thank you. Mark. Let's get back 0:11:30.610 --> 0:11:33.890 to your message now titled Choosing to Walk in the light. 0:11:39.210 --> 0:11:42.530 Let me tell you what I don't do. If I'm 0:11:42.530 --> 0:11:46.330 at a soccer match with my boys or playing soccer, 0:11:46.330 --> 0:11:49.170 running to some neighbors, and I find out that they 0:11:49.170 --> 0:11:57.410 are living together and not married, I don't go. And 0:11:57.410 --> 0:12:02.780 hold on a second. You're living together. No, I don't 0:12:02.780 --> 0:12:06.260 do that. I don't say no. You shouldn't be living together. 0:12:06.260 --> 0:12:11.140 You know that, right? Because that is totally, totally wrong. 0:12:12.740 --> 0:12:15.699 And I know because I'm a pastor. I don't say that. 0:12:18.820 --> 0:12:21.900 I don't, I don't say, where's the ring? I don't say, 0:12:21.900 --> 0:12:26.860 what's your mother think about that? I don't say anything 0:12:26.860 --> 0:12:31.020 about their lifestyle. You know why? I don't expect the 0:12:31.059 --> 0:12:35.340 non-Christian to live like a Christian. I don't expect someone 0:12:35.340 --> 0:12:38.100 that doesn't have the Spirit of God inside of them 0:12:38.620 --> 0:12:41.500 to behave and act like someone that has the Spirit 0:12:41.500 --> 0:12:44.380 of God inside of him. If someone's a pagan, they're 0:12:44.420 --> 0:12:47.420 a pagan. I expect them to behave like a pagan, 0:12:47.420 --> 0:12:49.420 act like a pagan, walk like a pagan, talk like 0:12:49.420 --> 0:12:53.380 a pagan, and and behave like what they have inside. 0:12:53.540 --> 0:12:55.860 If they don't have the Spirit of God, some of 0:12:55.860 --> 0:12:59.380 us try to make our non-believer friends try to live 0:12:59.380 --> 0:13:04.380 like believers when they're not. I don't say, well, you know, 0:13:04.420 --> 0:13:07.500 you shouldn't talk that way or you shouldn't swear like that. 0:13:07.540 --> 0:13:10.380 I don't, I don't I don't indict their language. I 0:13:10.380 --> 0:13:13.660 don't like their their lifestyle. You know what my goal is? 0:13:13.660 --> 0:13:15.860 When I talk to them, I think to myself, they 0:13:15.860 --> 0:13:19.940 need to know Jesus. And my goal is if we 0:13:19.940 --> 0:13:23.060 get to talk about spiritual things, my goal is to 0:13:23.100 --> 0:13:27.380 introduce them to Jesus. I want them to know Jesus. 0:13:27.380 --> 0:13:30.580 I want them to experience the life of God. I 0:13:30.580 --> 0:13:33.420 want them to know that there is another way, that 0:13:33.420 --> 0:13:35.980 there is someone that can fill their life and take 0:13:35.980 --> 0:13:38.860 away their void, that there's someone that can adopt them 0:13:38.860 --> 0:13:41.660 and wash their past and give them a new identity 0:13:41.660 --> 0:13:43.460 and a new future, and the power of the Holy 0:13:43.460 --> 0:13:46.300 Spirit inside of them. That's what I want them to know. 0:13:46.460 --> 0:13:52.700 That's what I want them to be. And once they 0:13:52.700 --> 0:13:59.620 are believers now, now that they're believers, I want to 0:13:59.750 --> 0:14:04.030 challenge them to live like believers. Do you know how 0:14:04.030 --> 0:14:08.310 many young men I have put my arm around in 0:14:08.309 --> 0:14:11.390 this church? After they became believers and were living with 0:14:11.390 --> 0:14:14.429 their girlfriend, and I put my arm around and say, bro, 0:14:14.470 --> 0:14:17.910 bless you man. Glad you're living for Jesus now. Now 0:14:17.910 --> 0:14:26.990 when are you going to marry her? I don't do 0:14:26.990 --> 0:14:31.070 that before. They're. They're believers. Why? I don't expect them 0:14:31.070 --> 0:14:34.310 to live like believers. But once they're children of God, 0:14:34.790 --> 0:14:38.110 once they are believers in walking in God, then I'm 0:14:38.150 --> 0:14:42.990 going to say, hey, it's time. And normally when they're 0:14:42.990 --> 0:14:44.910 new believers, they say, well, yeah, we've been thinking about 0:14:44.910 --> 0:14:46.750 it for a while. It's just we haven't gotten around 0:14:46.750 --> 0:14:48.750 to it. I want to save up money for a ring. And, 0:14:48.790 --> 0:14:50.470 you know, it's taken us a while. We want to 0:14:50.470 --> 0:14:52.830 get the apartment together. You know, we're just kind of 0:14:52.870 --> 0:14:56.110 working on that. And so I say, great. All right, well, 0:14:56.110 --> 0:14:58.750 until you get married, you know, here's the thing. The 0:14:58.750 --> 0:15:06.160 Bible says that sex is out. Usually it's in. Okay. Pastor, 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:08.760 when can we do this? Like, as fast as possible. 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.000 You see, when you become a believer, then I want 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:18.080 you to live like a believer. Walk like a believer, 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:21.240 talk like a believer. But. But if you're not a believer, 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:23.160 you know I don't expect you to live that way. 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:27.480 This passage is talking to people of God. He's saying, hey, 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:29.640 now that you are people of God, this is the 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:33.760 expectation that we have for your lifestyle because you are 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:39.680 a follower of Jesus Christ. Verse four. Now if you 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:43.160 think that some of you are saying, hey, I'm off 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.560 the hook then pastor, because I would never cross lines, 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:48.240 I would never touch another woman. I would never do that. 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:50.360 I would never cross the line. I like to sort 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.880 of joke around and talk about it, tell a few 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.600 dirty jokes here and there. But you know what? I 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:58.240 you know, there's no harm in that. But you know what? 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:00.520 I wouldn't cross any lines. Okay. let me talk to 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:08.200 you then. Verse four. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:13.880 or coarse jesting. This is all talking about sexually charged, uh, 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:21.800 joking innuendos. Uh, this is talking about the sexual bantering 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:25.320 that goes on around the water cooler at work. And, 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:28.000 you know, hey, what about this? And how was this? And, 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.840 you know, the the the talk that is sexually charged 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.680 and you know it, the bantering, the flirtation that goes 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:39.480 back and forth that you view to be harmless but 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.960 really is inappropriate for you as a child of God. 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:45.920 It goes down to the locker room talk, where guys 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.840 are bragging about what they did on the weekend and 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.040 how it went and how long it went, and how 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.040 they enjoyed it. And you should have seen them. And 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:55.560 they're not going to mention any names, but man, they 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:59.520 go on all that stuff. It goes to the to 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:03.080 the gestures and the words that we use that are 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:07.440 charged with with sexual crassness as we talk. It goes 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:10.520 to the off color jokes that we tell. And hey, hey, 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:12.440 listen to this one. Have you heard this one? Everybody 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:14.600 gathers around and you're sort of looped into it, and 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:16.359 everybody laughs, and you don't want to seem like a 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.320 little prune there. So you laugh too. And then you figure, 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:20.960 I got to add my joke in there. So you 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:23.880 add your joke in there. Listen, it goes to that, 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:27.520 that all that talking because out of the abundance of 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:32.960 the heart, the mouth speaketh. And when God what God 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:35.400 is saying, if you are my children, if you belong 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:37.560 to me, listen, first of all, there shouldn't be a 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:42.280 hint of sexual immorality. But secondly, your mouth should not 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:46.760 be going down that road. Why? Because he says this 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:51.520 is out of place for you as people of God. Why? 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:56.439 Because your people of God. And if you want to 0:17:56.440 --> 0:18:00.610 do anything with your mouth, give thanks Instead of this 0:18:00.609 --> 0:18:05.930 kind of stuff, he says, but rather Thanksgiving. Why you 0:18:05.930 --> 0:18:09.130 say it's so ingrained in our culture? Listen, some of 0:18:09.130 --> 0:18:12.050 you have lived in it so long, you've talked about 0:18:12.050 --> 0:18:14.570 it so much. It's been such a part of what 0:18:14.570 --> 0:18:18.650 you do that to actually stop using certain words that 0:18:18.650 --> 0:18:22.409 are crude and crass and actually stop saying certain jokes, 0:18:22.410 --> 0:18:26.250 that it's just a real struggle for you to realize 0:18:26.290 --> 0:18:29.730 how that's inappropriate for me as a man of God, 0:18:29.770 --> 0:18:34.929 to really be going down that road. Hello. I told you, 0:18:34.930 --> 0:18:38.570 I'm going to step on some toes here. Why? Because 0:18:38.570 --> 0:18:45.689 you are men and women of God. And there shouldn't 0:18:45.690 --> 0:18:48.169 be even a hint of it among you, he says. 0:18:48.890 --> 0:18:50.290 And then he goes on. If you didn't think that 0:18:50.290 --> 0:18:55.330 was bad enough. Notice what he says in the following verses. 0:18:56.170 --> 0:18:59.530 He speaks to our destiny. To the second point that 0:18:59.660 --> 0:19:02.460 I'm making, I'm talking about what it means to imitate 0:19:02.460 --> 0:19:06.020 God and live as children of light. If you're taking notes, 0:19:06.020 --> 0:19:10.740 write this down destiny. You cannot live habitually. That means 0:19:10.859 --> 0:19:15.380 on a regular basis, as a habit forming basis, you 0:19:15.380 --> 0:19:21.899 cannot live habitually inconsistent with who you are because ultimately 0:19:21.900 --> 0:19:25.939 what you value will shape your life. Listen to what 0:19:25.940 --> 0:19:30.460 he says in verse five. For this you can be sure. 0:19:31.820 --> 0:19:35.660 He's almost like sounding a warning and saying, hey, you 0:19:35.660 --> 0:19:37.740 want to know how serious this is? Let me tell 0:19:37.740 --> 0:19:39.740 you how serious this is. Look at what he says. 0:19:39.740 --> 0:19:45.060 Look up at me. This is huge. No immoral person. 0:19:45.060 --> 0:19:47.820 That's someone that singles that are having sex with one another. 0:19:47.859 --> 0:19:51.460 Someone's having adultery on the side. Someone that's consistently engaging 0:19:51.460 --> 0:19:55.859 in sexual, sexual behavior outside of marriage, knowing moral person 0:19:55.859 --> 0:20:00.780 or impure. Someone that's consistently in pornography, Biography X rated stuff, 0:20:00.780 --> 0:20:03.140 getting involved in that kind of stuff, part of your life, 0:20:03.180 --> 0:20:07.180 fantasies and so forth, or greedy individuals. Someone that's coveting 0:20:07.180 --> 0:20:09.300 that which is not their own and pursuing that which 0:20:09.300 --> 0:20:14.580 is not their own. No immoral, impure or greedy person 0:20:15.700 --> 0:20:20.780 has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 0:20:21.900 --> 0:20:23.340 Let me tell you what he's saying and what he's 0:20:23.340 --> 0:20:27.659 not saying. You could read this at one glance. Why 0:20:27.660 --> 0:20:30.900 is this so serious? First of all, he says, because 0:20:31.220 --> 0:20:37.139 such a man is an idolater. What's an idolater? You say, well, 0:20:37.140 --> 0:20:42.660 I thought an idolater was someone that worshipped idols. Exactly. Now, 0:20:42.660 --> 0:20:45.060 when we say an idolater, you have in your mind 0:20:45.060 --> 0:20:49.139 someone in Africa bowing to a totem pole and worshiping 0:20:49.140 --> 0:20:53.980 that totem pole as though it were God. That is idolatry. 0:20:54.420 --> 0:20:57.220 But do you realize that there's other idols that we 0:20:57.220 --> 0:21:00.619 bow to that don't have to do with an image 0:21:00.619 --> 0:21:03.859 or a pole or a statue, but that there's other 0:21:03.859 --> 0:21:06.820 idols that we make, gods in our life, and these 0:21:06.820 --> 0:21:10.740 gods run our life and dictate our life and have 0:21:10.740 --> 0:21:14.660 control over our life. And sometimes it's the God of 0:21:14.660 --> 0:21:21.260 sexual addiction or sexual promiscuity, where my life revolves around 0:21:21.540 --> 0:21:26.659 this sexual activity and that runs my life, I can't 0:21:26.660 --> 0:21:30.220 say no to it. I fall into it over and over. 0:21:30.260 --> 0:21:32.700 I engage in it. And although I want to be 0:21:32.700 --> 0:21:35.700 a follower of Christ, I do not give up that 0:21:35.700 --> 0:21:40.100 or impurity, the same thing, or greed or covetousness. Listen, 0:21:40.380 --> 0:21:45.940 anything in your life that controls your life, anything in 0:21:45.940 --> 0:21:50.460 your life that's bigger than God in your life has 0:21:50.460 --> 0:21:54.860 just become your new God. 0:22:01.350 --> 0:22:04.110 You're listening to the Bible teaching of Mark job. We're 0:22:04.150 --> 0:22:07.149 in a series called When You Believe Everything Changes. And 0:22:07.150 --> 0:22:09.350 if you've missed any of the messages so far, you 0:22:09.350 --> 0:22:13.990 can catch up online by visiting Bold steps.org on our website. 0:22:13.990 --> 0:22:15.949 You can also get a copy of our latest Bold 0:22:15.950 --> 0:22:18.830 Step gift. It's a hard hitting book from another great pastor, 0:22:18.830 --> 0:22:21.990 Mike Fabares. You know, Mark, there's very often in our 0:22:21.990 --> 0:22:24.470 lives a problem we don't know exists, but when we 0:22:24.470 --> 0:22:26.429 are made aware of it, it's something we need to 0:22:26.430 --> 0:22:28.270 deal with. It's sin, isn't it? 0:22:28.430 --> 0:22:32.149 That's right. And it's called envy. We don't often talk 0:22:32.190 --> 0:22:34.750 about it. People don't like to admit they have it. 0:22:35.109 --> 0:22:41.550 But Wayne, what I've realized is that especially with this generation, 0:22:41.550 --> 0:22:46.830 there's a constant comparison, especially through social media. Think about it. 0:22:47.030 --> 0:22:51.510 They've talked about the mental health effects of anxiety, depression. 0:22:51.510 --> 0:22:56.149 But oftentimes because we're constantly comparing ourselves, young girls are 0:22:56.150 --> 0:23:00.070 looking at images of beautiful, thin models and feeling like 0:23:00.070 --> 0:23:02.510 that's me and what can I do? I wish I 0:23:02.510 --> 0:23:06.710 was that we call them influencers. And so I think 0:23:06.710 --> 0:23:09.389 it's had a huge effect on people's lives. 0:23:09.390 --> 0:23:11.590 Well, let's talk with pastor Mike Fabares about it. He's 0:23:11.590 --> 0:23:13.670 written a book called envy a Big Problem you didn't 0:23:13.670 --> 0:23:15.550 know you had, pastor Mike, you want to react to 0:23:15.550 --> 0:23:16.470 what Mark has said? 0:23:16.910 --> 0:23:19.630 Yes. I think social media has done something for us 0:23:19.630 --> 0:23:23.949 in our generation that's had a lot of, uh, unexpected 0:23:24.310 --> 0:23:26.790 negative effects on us. One is getting a window into 0:23:26.790 --> 0:23:30.390 people's best, right? They're always posting the best night out 0:23:30.390 --> 0:23:33.270 that they've had with their spouse, or the best summer vacation, 0:23:33.270 --> 0:23:35.869 or they're looking the best in their Easter photos. And 0:23:35.910 --> 0:23:37.750 we didn't used to have that unless we were sharing 0:23:37.750 --> 0:23:40.469 photos with our best friends. But now we're sitting there 0:23:40.550 --> 0:23:44.350 voyeuristically sometimes looking at other people's lives and wondering why 0:23:44.350 --> 0:23:47.470 everyone's life is better than our own. And that is 0:23:47.470 --> 0:23:50.710 a problem. And sometimes it motivates our lives. I think 0:23:50.710 --> 0:23:53.430 of Ecclesiastes, and this is a passage that most people 0:23:53.430 --> 0:23:56.750 don't ever even come across or think about. But it says, 0:23:57.270 --> 0:24:00.679 Here's Solomon saying, I saw so much toil and skill 0:24:00.680 --> 0:24:03.760 in people's work that came from a man's envy of 0:24:03.760 --> 0:24:06.520 his neighbor. And I think to myself, sometimes we never 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:09.400 at peace with what we have. We never enjoy what 0:24:09.400 --> 0:24:12.000 we have because we're always looking at other people on 0:24:12.000 --> 0:24:14.440 social media thinking, well, I've got to keep working until 0:24:14.440 --> 0:24:17.200 I can achieve that. And there's so many problems with 0:24:17.200 --> 0:24:19.760 that analogy in terms of how we're viewing life. It's 0:24:19.760 --> 0:24:22.199 not it's not reality. But we have to get to 0:24:22.240 --> 0:24:24.600 the place where we say, you know, this envy is 0:24:24.600 --> 0:24:28.320 stealing my contentment. It's stealing my joy. It's making me 0:24:28.359 --> 0:24:31.840 want things I don't have. Instead of really enjoying the 0:24:31.840 --> 0:24:34.359 things that God has given me. It is a thief 0:24:34.359 --> 0:24:35.880 and it will steal our contentment. 0:24:35.920 --> 0:24:38.240 Well, Mark, we're happy that the scriptures an antidote for 0:24:38.240 --> 0:24:41.520 this issue of envy. And Mike brings that out clearly 0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:43.400 in his book envy, which is our bold step gift 0:24:43.400 --> 0:24:44.000 right now. 0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:46.720 It really is. And so if you're really struggling with 0:24:46.720 --> 0:24:50.960 contentment and find yourself just despising what you have or 0:24:50.960 --> 0:24:55.680 unhappy with who you are, your circumstances, the root problem 0:24:55.960 --> 0:24:59.080 may just be envy. We'd love to put this book 0:24:59.160 --> 0:25:02.320 into your hands, written by pastor Mike Fabares. 0:25:02.600 --> 0:25:05.439 Request your copy of this bold step gift when you 0:25:05.440 --> 0:25:08.280 give a gift of any amount to support bold steps. 0:25:08.440 --> 0:25:12.280 Just give us a call at 800 Moody or give 0:25:12.320 --> 0:25:16.960 online at Bold Steps Corporation, or send your gift and 0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:19.679 request Pastor Mike's book envy by writing to us in 0:25:19.680 --> 0:25:23.320 the mail. Simply address a letter to Bold Steps, 820 0:25:23.359 --> 0:25:28.680 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Thank you for 0:25:28.680 --> 0:25:32.880 your generous support. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Thanks for your time today. 0:25:32.920 --> 0:25:35.120 Be sure to come back tomorrow when Mark concludes his 0:25:35.119 --> 0:25:38.080 message on choosing to walk in the light. This message 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:41.040 is from our series. When you believe, everything changes and 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:43.960 you'll hear it Thursday right here on Bold Steps with 0:25:43.960 --> 0:25:48.280 Mark Joe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, 0:25:48.440 --> 0:25:50.480 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.