S1: Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe shows us how to
S1: live in contrast to the dark world around us.
S2: There is no such thing as a spirit filled follower
S2: of Jesus Christ that is continuing on and on and
S2: on to live in a lifestyle that's inconsistent with what
S2: it means to be a follower of Jesus.
S1: The moon has no light source of its own, yet
S1: it shines bright in the evening skies because it reflects
S1: the sun's light. And that's how we should be living
S1: as believers, too, reflecting the sun s light and love
S1: into the world around us. Welcome to Bold Steps with
S1: Mark Jobe. Mark is senior pastor of New Life Community
S1: Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm
S1: Wayne Shepherd. As we conclude our message titled Choosing to
S1: Walk in the light will be turning back to the
S1: book of Ephesians, chapter five to pick up where we
S1: left off. Mark has reminded us that we need to
S1: watch our words and guard our relationships, and in today's message,
S1: he'll show us how to live in contrast to the
S1: dark world around us. This will be an encouraging yet
S1: challenging talk, so let's jump in. The message comes from
S1: our series when you believe everything changes and it starts now.
S2: He says, if you live this way, you have no
S2: inheritance in the kingdom of God and of Christ. Now
S2: what is he not saying? He's not saying that you're
S2: a believer or follower of Jesus Christ. You're living for
S2: God and that you stumble, fall, and have a failure
S2: and you've lost your salvation. He's not saying that, okay?
S2: For someone to be an immoral person, someone can fall
S2: into immorality and not be an immoral person. It says
S2: if this is the way you live, is this is
S2: what you're engaging in, Then you have no inheritance in
S2: the kingdom of God. Why? Because you have not made
S2: God the God of your life. You've made something else,
S2: the God of your life. And it dominates you, and
S2: it controls you and it and it. It is the
S2: master of your life. So you have to choose who
S2: is going to be the master of your life. I
S2: told you, I'm going to step on some toes. The
S2: Word of God is hard. Some of you right now,
S2: I'm feeling like I want to get up and walk
S2: out of this place. That's okay. We won't be staring
S2: at you. Just kidding. So what I'm saying is that
S2: if you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian,
S2: and you continue to consistently engage in sexual immorality as
S2: a married person, adultery as a single person, fornication, and
S2: that's your lifestyle you engage in that you consistently, regularly
S2: engage in that. Then the Bible is saying, you know what?
S2: You need to take another look at your life and
S2: make sure that you're even a follower of Jesus Christ.
S2: Because we cannot have there is. There is no such
S2: thing as a spirit filled follower of Jesus Christ that
S2: is continuing on and on and on to live in
S2: a lifestyle that's inconsistent with what it means to be
S2: a follower of Jesus. Strong words. And then he goes
S2: on to say, let no one deceive you with empty words,
S2: because some people will say, well, don't make such a
S2: big deal about it. I mean, it's pretty much happening everywhere.
S2: I mean, isn't it the norm? I mean, it's kind
S2: of in the culture. I'm not that bad. Let no
S2: one deceive you with empty words, for it's because of
S2: such things. What kinds of things? Immorality, impurity and greed.
S2: It's because of such things that God's wrath comes on
S2: those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
S2: What he's saying is that our culture may minimize it.
S2: Our culture may accept it, but it's not accepted in
S2: God that it's not something that God says, oh, no
S2: big deal. I mean, it's not ah, you know, don't
S2: worry about it. We all have our little sins. No, no,
S2: God's not saying that. God doesn't just take it as, oh,
S2: it's a little sin. No big deal. I mean, we
S2: all sort of. We all go over the speed limit
S2: once in a while. No, no, no, no, he's not
S2: saying that. God is saying it's a huge deal. Now
S2: you wonder why that God makes a big deal about
S2: sexual sin. Let me let me just explain that for
S2: a minute. Because sexual sin is one of the few
S2: sins that involves your in the entirety of your person,
S2: your body, your soul, and your spirit. You say, well,
S2: I thought it was just a physical thing. No, it's
S2: never just a physical thing. It's a spiritual thing. And
S2: it's and it's a soul thing. The Bible says that
S2: if a man engages in sexual activity with a prostitute,
S2: he becomes one with her. In other words, there's no
S2: such thing as casual sex. No such thing. There's just
S2: no such thing as casual sex. Just casual doesn't mean anything. No,
S2: it always means something. And it always affects your soul.
S2: And it always affects your spirit. And as a believer,
S2: your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I mean,
S2: God dwells inside of you. The Holy Spirit dwells inside
S2: of you, and you are taking the temple of God
S2: and engaging in sexual activity with the temple of God.
S2: God says, it is a big deal to me because
S2: it affects you almost like no other sin can affect you.
S2: It involves two individuals. It involves a violation of purity.
S2: It affects your soul. It affects your spirit. It creates
S2: soul ties to another individual that are unhealthy. There is
S2: no such thing as casual sex. It's a huge deal
S2: because it affects you like almost no other sin can
S2: affect you. That's why it's really important, by the way,
S2: that you start at a young age, beginning to shape
S2: the minds of your children about sexuality. Some people say, well, pastor,
S2: what age do you have the talk? I'm not sure
S2: what age I should have the talk. I don't view
S2: it that way. I don't have the talk. I have
S2: the ongoing conversations. Most parents wait way too late to
S2: have the talk. Your son's 25. He's about to get married,
S2: and you go. Come here. We're going to talk about
S2: some stuff. Explain kind of the, you know, the birds
S2: and the bees stuff. And you're wondering why, like, your
S2: son's rolling his eyes and, like, you're kind of, you know,
S2: by the time he's 25, he knows the birds and
S2: the bees and the flies and the bees and the
S2: little bees. I mean, he could tell you more about
S2: it probably, than you have. So don't wait till they're 25. Listen, listen.
S2: Don't wait till they've learned everything. They have to learn
S2: about sexuality from their friends, from the internet, from the
S2: chat rooms. Don't. Don't wait till their mind has been
S2: distorted and shaped by society, man. You start molding their
S2: mind about sexuality when they're young. Now I'm talking about
S2: appropriate youngness and conversations. But when when a child is
S2: young and has questions, as soon as my kids start
S2: asking questions, I answer those questions and I try to
S2: be as as upfront and honest with them as possible
S2: without being, of course, graphic or crass at depending on
S2: their age level. But I try to be very upfront
S2: with them. Engage in a conversation. There's no like one conversation.
S2: It's this ongoing conversation About sexuality, emphasizing the fact that
S2: I believe sex is a gift from God, that it's great,
S2: that it's something that you celebrate, that it's something that's good,
S2: that it's something that I hope one day they will
S2: enjoy and celebrate. So I want them to know this
S2: is a good gift, but I also want them to
S2: early on discover that this is a potent, powerful thing that,
S2: if misused, can really affect their life in a wrong way.
S2: The funniest conversation I had was with my son when
S2: he was young, and he was just kind of getting
S2: the grasping this whole thing. We were defining sex. He
S2: was at a young age. He was he was figuring out.
S2: So he when we're in this conversation, we're listening to radio.
S2: Dobson had a program and he says to me, okay,
S2: so sex like driving. Yeah. I said, well, you know
S2: what that means, right? We've talked a bit about it.
S2: We had talked about it, but not so sex. So
S2: naked man, naked woman together, you know he. So he's
S2: going down this road talking about it. He's young, so
S2: he's kind of going ooh, a little bit, you know,
S2: that age. I said, well, you know, the age will
S2: come or you won't say, ooh, you'll say, ah. So.
S2: And so he did the math. You know, he kind
S2: of connected the fact that sex leads to procreation sometimes too.
S2: And so he says to me, so you and mom
S2: did it three times. Like, yeah, sort of. I'm not
S2: going to get it. I'm not going to get in
S2: the numbers. I said, I'm not going.
S3: To get into the numbers with you. But and he
S3: really respected Pastor Asa.
S2: So he says, and Asa has four kids and Uncle
S2: Asa four times. She's like, yeah, yeah, I thought to myself.
S2: From then on, whoever he would seek families with kids.
S2: He was like, yeah, I know, I know how many
S2: times I know how many times pastor Paco has seven kids.
S2: So I'm thinking, whoa, he's thinking, whoa, man, I know
S2: what's happening in that house. But the point is, I
S2: think you shouldn't avoid those conversations. It should be healthy.
S2: And they should be. They should be conversations that you
S2: that you help shape how your sons and daughters view
S2: the whole issue of sexuality. I know it's uncomfortable for
S2: parents to engage them, but don't let don't hey, don't
S2: let it up to your school to teach them about
S2: sexual behavior. The school is going to give them condoms
S2: and say, be careful not to get her pregnant, and
S2: careful that you don't get a sexually transmitted disease, but
S2: they're not going to teach morality. That's our job. Parents,
S2: not the school's job. Don't say, well, I hope they
S2: had sex ed in their class and explained all that stuff.
S2: And they're not going to teach you morality. They're going
S2: to teach them how to not get pregnant, how not
S2: to get sexually transmitted disease. You teach them morality.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe will continue
S1: today's message in a moment. Mark, there's something I've been
S1: noticing lately that I think many of our listeners are
S1: thinking about with so many voices competing for our attention.
S1: There's social media news cycles, workplace demands. It's easy to
S1: lose sight of what matters eternally. And I find myself
S1: wondering how many Christians today are investing their best resources
S1: in things that won't ultimately last.
S2: You know, Wayne, I remember when my youngest son was
S2: playing football in high school. It was a big game
S2: and I went there. I was cheering him on and
S2: I got a phone call and I thought, well, let
S2: me pick up this phone call just for a moment.
S2: So I went down and I got on the phone call,
S2: and it was right at that time that my son,
S2: he intercepted a pass and afterwards he said, dad, did
S2: you see that? And I had to say I missed
S2: the moment I was distracted by something. And in the end,
S2: it wasn't an urgent phone call. Listen, right now, there's
S2: a lot of distraction. The political environment in our country.
S2: There's a drama every day. There's a lot that's happening internationally.
S2: There's wars, there's natural disasters. It feels like we are
S2: just sucked into it. But I want to say, don't
S2: miss the moment. I believe that we are seeing more
S2: people come to Christ at this season of time, especially
S2: under the age of 35, than I have ever seen
S2: in our lifetime. It's happening in Africa, in Europe, it's
S2: happening in the United States of America. We at Bold
S2: Steps are committed to not get distracted, but to make
S2: sure that we are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus at
S2: a time of uncertainty so that people can come to
S2: know him in this window of opportunity that we have.
S2: So we want to encourage you. Pray. Don't miss the moment.
S1: Such an important word, Mark. Thank you. And if you
S1: would like to become part of this eternal work today
S1: by visiting us, you can do that at bird-stamps.org and
S1: make a gift or call us at 800 Moody. That's (800) 356-6639.
S1: And when you do, we'll send you a special gift
S1: as a way of saying thanks for partnering with us
S1: and sharing God's truth that will last eternally. More on
S1: that later. But let's get back to the message now. Again,
S1: here's Mark Jobe.
S2: Thirdly. It tells us in verse eight, for you were
S2: once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
S2: Live as children of light, for the fruit of the
S2: light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find
S2: out what pleases the Lord. So number three. Change has
S2: to do with change. I'm talking about what it means
S2: to be children of light, children of our father. Embrace
S2: your new identity and allow the new you to produce
S2: the fruit of light. He says, hey, you were once
S2: in darkness, and when you lived in darkness, I expected
S2: you to live like darkness. But now you're light. He
S2: doesn't say, now you're in the light. He says, now
S2: you actually are the light. Do you realize that I
S2: just went to the planetarium, uh, last week or a
S2: week and a half ago with my with my boys,
S2: and it. Fascinating. They have some some cool exhibits there.
S2: But do you realize, for example, that the moon. Sometimes
S2: you can walk out into Chicago when the moon is
S2: full and bright? It's like it's you can see everything.
S2: Have you ever been one of those nights where like, wow,
S2: is it bright out tonight? Why? Because the moon is
S2: giving light to our world. Now, of course, you know
S2: that the moon has no light of its own. The
S2: moon reflects the light of the sun, but as it
S2: reflects the light of the sun, it becomes a light
S2: to us. So it is in our lives. We have
S2: no light of our own. But when we have the
S2: presence of God clear, when our mirror is really clean
S2: and washed, then suddenly we become light. And wherever we go,
S2: we manifest the light of God. We generate a light
S2: of our own. Why? Because the light of God is
S2: reflecting on us. And so he says, but now you
S2: are light in the Lord. So live as children of light,
S2: and children of light have a certain fruit that they produce,
S2: and that is goodness and righteousness and truth. It's the
S2: opposite of in. It's the opposite of sexual immorality, impurity,
S2: and greediness. We're goodness, righteousness and truth, and we're looking
S2: at how we can please God and find out what
S2: pleases the Lord. Why? Because now that we're walking in
S2: the light, we're looking at God, and we want to
S2: please God. You were darkness. It says, hey, we were
S2: all darkness. But remember, you're not darkness anymore. That's what
S2: you were. That's not who you are now. You are
S2: a new creation. You say, well, pastor, I don't know.
S2: I just I just did a lot of my old life,
S2: had a lot of partners. I was just sexually really irresponsible.
S2: And I just really had a crazy life out there. Listen, listen.
S2: That's the old you. Why? Can't erase it? Listen, you
S2: may not be able to erase it, but God has
S2: erased it. You start new when you come to God.
S2: All that stuff, it's washed. All that stuff is clean.
S2: All that stuff is under the blood of Jesus Christ.
S2: And all of it is part of your past. Washed
S2: and clean. Listen, you don't come as a woman who
S2: has had a past with multiple partners. You come as
S2: a daughter of God, washed and cleaned with a new slate,
S2: ready to live for God, manifesting the radiance of your
S2: father who looks at you as a pure woman walking
S2: in dignity and righteousness. I don't want you to bring
S2: the shame of your old life into your new life,
S2: because if you live in shame, then you start acting
S2: in shame. And I want you to act as a
S2: daughter and a son of the light, not a daughter
S2: or son of shame. And then lastly, and I'll close
S2: with this. Listen. Verse four. Have nothing to do with
S2: the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Number four,
S2: if you take writing notes down, write this down. Don't
S2: get entangled again with darkness, but instead let your walk
S2: be a living contrast. This is about contrast. Have nothing
S2: to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather
S2: expose them, for it's shameful even to mention what the
S2: disobedient do in secret. Here's the thing. And now that
S2: you've come to the light, disassociate yourself with the deeds
S2: of darkness. I run into too many people that are
S2: living on the edge. And then you keep falling off
S2: the edge and wondering why you're struggling in your walk
S2: with God. You've come to the light, but you still
S2: hang out. Really hang out in dark places. He says,
S2: don't have anything to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.
S2: You know, I talked about this not too long ago,
S2: but you know how many 20 something year olds, late 18, 19,
S2: 20 early 20 year olds I talked to that are
S2: struggling in their life. They came to Christ. They consider
S2: themselves believers, but they keep falling up, getting up, falling down,
S2: can't seem to walk straight. They keep struggling. And then
S2: when I really get down to talking to them about
S2: what's happening in their life, they finally admit, well, you know,
S2: on the weekends I like to have fun. Well, tell
S2: me about your fun. Well, you know, I like to,
S2: you know, go out and have fun. I don't want
S2: to hurt anybody, do anything bad. I just like to
S2: have fun like I used to have fun. Well, let's
S2: define your fun to me. Well, you know, I go
S2: to the, you know, nightclub. Define the nightclub to me. Well,
S2: you know, it's just I don't go to do anything bad.
S2: I just go just to have fun and dance a
S2: little bit. And it's not a real bad environment. After
S2: talking to them, it seems like I want to take
S2: my that my 11 year old could go with them. Oh,
S2: you want to take my 11 year old with you?
S2: And it sounds like just a good old hey, no
S2: choo choo choo like this kind of thing. But let's
S2: be honest. Seriously, be honest about that environment. What happens?
S2: Dark places, loud music. Late at night. Everybody's drinking, popping pills,
S2: a little ecstasy. Music is blaring. Bump and grind. Music
S2: going skirts up to here. Low tops down to there.
S2: Guys with suave looks going. Looking at the girls. Girls
S2: checking out the guys. Guys checking out the girls. The
S2: heat is hot. The hormones are high. People end up
S2: in someone else's bed the next morning. Everybody's looking to
S2: get hooked up. There's a bunch of singles out there
S2: with inebriated, a little bit hormones flying high. And you
S2: wonder why you're struggling. Well, pastor, I just really want
S2: to be a testimony. So I go to those places,
S2: talk to people about Jesus. Okay, I can just see
S2: it now. Music's blaring loud on the dance. Hey, what
S2: about Jesus? You want to come to church with me
S2: this morning? Tomorrow? This Sunday? I just don't see that
S2: happening very much. I'm not sure. You're getting a lot
S2: of very intense Jesus conversations out in that nightclub. What chances.
S2: What are happening is that you have come to the
S2: light and you're hanging out with some of the old friends,
S2: and that's how they have fun. And you go not thinking,
S2: I'm going to end up in someone's bed. I'm not
S2: going to get drunk. But you're around that environment. Everybody
S2: seems to be doing it. And suddenly, although you're walking
S2: on the edge and you do okay for a few times,
S2: then you find yourself keep slipping off and doing what
S2: they do and then feeling bad about it, praying to
S2: repent on Sunday morning and then two weeks you fall
S2: off again and you wonder why you can't be strong.
S2: I can tell you why you can't be strong because
S2: you're hanging out in dark places. The Bible says don't
S2: have anything to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.
S2: I really like to dance. Go to an aerobics class.
S2: I'm sure you're not going to get in a lot
S2: of trouble there. I like to couple, dance, take a
S2: dancing class with your partner. Seriously? But let's be honest.
S2: You hang out certain environments. It's like the guy that's
S2: got a gambling problem. Listen, don't tell me you're going
S2: to go and just spend $10. I know better than that.
S2: If you have a gambling addiction and it's been a
S2: struggle in the past, you go hang out in the
S2: boat for a while, and those $10 are going to
S2: go to another $10, another 15. Then you're going to
S2: spend a thousand and wonder how it happened. I know
S2: how it happened. You went there. Wrong place, wrong time,
S2: wrong environment, hung out and on the edge. And you
S2: keep falling off the edge and wondering why you're struggling.
S2: Christianity have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,
S2: but rather expose them. For it's a shame even to
S2: mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed
S2: by the light becomes visible, for it is light that
S2: makes everything visible. This is why it said, wake up,
S2: O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine
S2: on you. What it's saying is that as Christians, we're
S2: not supposed to go around taking our Holy Spirit flashlight
S2: and saying, you're sinning. Look at what you're doing. No,
S2: that's not how we expose the light. We expose the
S2: light when we start living like the light. And people
S2: get around us and they know we're different. We don't
S2: do what they do. We don't engage in what they do.
S2: We love righteousness and we have fun a whole different way. Why?
S2: Because our joy has become different than just self-satisfaction. We
S2: live for a bigger cause. And when you start living
S2: that way and walking that way, people around you are
S2: going to know that you are in the light.
S1: Choosing to walk in the light. Thank you Mark. An
S1: important challenge in avoiding the entanglement of darkness. This is
S1: bold steps. We've been learning to walk as a living
S1: contrast with our Bible teacher, Mark Jobe. Messages like today's
S1: are always available for you to revisit or share by
S1: going to our website at Bold Steps dot on our website.
S1: I also want to direct you to a very special
S1: resource we have available this month. It's our unique, bold
S1: step gift, and I really feel that all of us
S1: could benefit from what's inside this special book. Have you
S1: ever looked at someone else's success or possessions or relationships
S1: and felt that subtle sting of resentment? That's called envy.
S1: And in his groundbreaking book titled envy, pastor Mike Fabares
S1: reveals how this hidden sin damages our hearts, relationships, and
S1: spiritual lives. It's interesting how we readily confess sins like
S1: anger or pride. But when was the last time you
S1: repented of envy? This bold step gift will help you
S1: recognize and root out one of the most dangerous and
S1: yet least acknowledged sins in your life. So reach out
S1: today and request your copy of Pastor Mike's book envy.
S1: And we'll be happy to send you a copy with
S1: your gift of any amount to support this ministry. Call
S1: us today at 800 Moody. That's 566639 or give online
S1: at org or send your financial gift in the mail
S1: when you write to us at Bold steps. 820 North
S1: LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. By the way, we'd
S1: love to hear from you and get you connected with
S1: our growing online community on our social media pages. You'll
S1: find us there on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Just
S1: log in, search for Bold Steps Radio and be sure
S1: to subscribe or follow when you get to our page. Well,
S1: I'm Wayne Shepherd and I want to let you know
S1: that on tomorrow's program, we'll have a special in-studio discussion
S1: with Mark one that you won't want to miss. So
S1: tune in tomorrow for a special Bold Steps program. That's
S1: Friday with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of
S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.