WEBVTT - Choosing to Walk in the Light – Part 1 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:03.520 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Learn how you 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.440 can reflect the identity of your Heavenly Father for all 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:07.119 to see. 0:00:08.240 --> 0:00:10.960 If you can begin to live like Jesus and begin 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.000 to imitate Jesus and what he did and how he 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:17.560 walked and how he talked, then you can begin to 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.040 live like God, imitators of God. And if you're going 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.400 to really live like children of God, then there's a 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.000 few things you need to understand and a few things 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:28.360 you need to change. 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.600 And welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. Mark 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:47.199 is senior pastor of New Life Community Church and president 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:50.840 of Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well, 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:53.720 we've come to Ephesians chapter five now in our series, 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:56.920 and Paul gives us a seemingly difficult command. He doesn't 0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:59.320 go easy on us here, does he, Mark, be imitators 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.320 of God? Now, what does that mean? 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:05.520 Yeah, that feels very elusive. How do I imitate God? 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.039 But then he goes on to explain. Be imitators of 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:12.440 God and walk in love just as Christ loved us. 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:14.959 And I think that's the key. It's hard to get 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.759 Ahold of. How do how can I be like God? 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:21.120 But when I look at Jesus, I know how God is. 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.320 So be imitators of Christ. 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:25.280 Well, let's get into this study now. Once again, we're 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:27.560 in Ephesians chapter five. And here's Mark. 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:36.880 Ephesians chapter five, verse one. Be imitators of God. Go ahead. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:42.640 You can read it. First phrase Ephesians chapter five, verse one. 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:48.560 Be imitators of God. I don't know what goes through 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:54.840 your mind when you think of imitating God. But it's 0:01:54.840 --> 0:02:00.120 a hard image to grasp, isn't it? Because you think, well, 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.090 how can I imitate God? I mean, God is God. 0:02:05.050 --> 0:02:07.450 I mean, I don't even know how to start on that. 0:02:08.290 --> 0:02:10.690 I mean, he's so far up. I'm so far down. 0:02:10.690 --> 0:02:16.810 How can I even begin to imitate God? The word 0:02:16.810 --> 0:02:21.570 in the Greek is mimic. Uh, it comes from where 0:02:21.570 --> 0:02:24.450 we get our English word to mimic, to be like, 0:02:24.490 --> 0:02:30.490 to take on the pattern of something. Now, if we 0:02:30.530 --> 0:02:32.810 were just to stop there, it would seem like it 0:02:32.810 --> 0:02:36.290 would be too hard, too confusing, too big to grasp. 0:02:36.930 --> 0:02:39.489 But he clarifies it a little bit when he says, 0:02:39.530 --> 0:02:45.929 be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children. Ah ah. Okay, 0:02:46.410 --> 0:02:49.330 maybe now you can grasp the concept a little bit more. 0:02:49.450 --> 0:02:53.290 Just as a child would seek to grow up and 0:02:53.290 --> 0:02:57.170 be like their father or mother, so we as children 0:02:57.169 --> 0:03:02.890 of God imitate God because he is our father. I 0:03:02.930 --> 0:03:05.810 have three children of my own. I have an 18 0:03:05.850 --> 0:03:08.410 year old daughter. She's in her first year of college. 0:03:08.650 --> 0:03:12.330 I have my my son, who's a junior in high school. 0:03:12.330 --> 0:03:14.890 Then I have my 11 year old. He's in sixth grade. 0:03:15.650 --> 0:03:20.570 And as they've grown up, I've realized that children tend 0:03:20.570 --> 0:03:25.210 to imitate their parents in certain ways. Uh, whether you 0:03:25.210 --> 0:03:28.370 like it or not, they imitate the good. Hey, and 0:03:28.370 --> 0:03:32.250 they imitate the bad. And I'll never forget my daughter. 0:03:32.250 --> 0:03:36.290 When she was about two years old, she was sitting 0:03:36.290 --> 0:03:39.250 on a couch. Her legs wouldn't even hang over because, 0:03:39.290 --> 0:03:41.930 you know, she's small, her legs are sticking straight out. 0:03:42.250 --> 0:03:45.850 And she had a big catalog on her lap that 0:03:45.850 --> 0:03:49.250 she got somewhere. And she's looking through the pages of 0:03:49.250 --> 0:03:52.450 the catalog. And here's what she was doing. She was 0:03:52.450 --> 0:03:54.690 imitating her mom. She had seen her mom do it, 0:03:54.690 --> 0:03:59.010 so she was licking her finger. And with the other hand, 0:03:59.010 --> 0:04:06.900 she was turning the page. You know, she kind of 0:04:06.940 --> 0:04:09.860 had the idea, right? But it wasn't quite working for her. But, 0:04:09.900 --> 0:04:11.780 you know, she had seen it done. So she was 0:04:11.780 --> 0:04:15.660 imitating what she had seen done. And so it is 0:04:15.660 --> 0:04:20.900 with children. They begin to talk like their parents and 0:04:20.900 --> 0:04:24.940 use expressions that their parents have. And some people tell 0:04:24.940 --> 0:04:28.020 me that my daughter, they've seen my daughter walk and 0:04:28.020 --> 0:04:31.219 they said, she walks like you. And I'm not sure 0:04:31.220 --> 0:04:34.659 that's good or bad, but but she walks like now. 0:04:34.660 --> 0:04:37.179 I never told my daughter, hey, honey, here's how you walk. 0:04:37.180 --> 0:04:39.420 I want you to walk like dad, you know, throw 0:04:39.460 --> 0:04:41.220 your leg out this way. That. No, no, no, I 0:04:41.260 --> 0:04:45.860 never explained that just by being around. Just by her biology, 0:04:45.860 --> 0:04:48.460 just by being a part of the family, there are 0:04:48.460 --> 0:04:53.419 certain things that she just takes on because. Because she's imitating, 0:04:53.420 --> 0:04:58.020 because she's around. It's by it's by relationship that she 0:04:58.020 --> 0:05:04.340 begins to take on the characteristics of her father. My 0:05:04.339 --> 0:05:08.300 brother and I are about 22 months apart, and when 0:05:08.300 --> 0:05:13.900 I call up my mother now, he's an artist, independent filmmaker. 0:05:13.900 --> 0:05:15.780 So he's got if you've ever he's been here a 0:05:15.779 --> 0:05:18.140 few times, he's got like spiky hair and a couple 0:05:18.180 --> 0:05:20.940 earrings and so forth. He's he's the artist side of 0:05:20.940 --> 0:05:23.820 the family, but we sound a lot alike. And so 0:05:23.820 --> 0:05:26.179 when I call up my mother, who lives in Spain, 0:05:26.180 --> 0:05:28.859 she always asks the first question she asks, is this Bob, 0:05:28.860 --> 0:05:32.780 or is this Mark? Because our voices sound a lot alike. Why? 0:05:32.779 --> 0:05:35.300 We grew up in the same household. We use the 0:05:35.300 --> 0:05:39.340 same expressions. Um, we've been around each other a lot. 0:05:39.380 --> 0:05:43.420 We have the same father and mother, so therefore we 0:05:43.460 --> 0:05:48.620 develop those characteristics. This is what God is saying because 0:05:48.620 --> 0:05:51.300 you're a child of God and have been born again 0:05:51.300 --> 0:05:57.500 of God. Now live like a child of God. If 0:05:57.500 --> 0:06:01.550 he is your father, now start living like he's your father. 0:06:01.990 --> 0:06:05.630 Start imitating him in what he does and how he 0:06:05.630 --> 0:06:09.790 acts and his values and his characteristics. And if you say, well, 0:06:09.790 --> 0:06:13.510 it's too hard for me to imagine imitating God because 0:06:13.510 --> 0:06:16.789 I just don't know what that means, then it makes 0:06:16.790 --> 0:06:20.710 a lot more sense. If you can understand that Jesus 0:06:20.750 --> 0:06:25.190 is God, the manifestation of God. And so therefore he says, 0:06:25.430 --> 0:06:29.310 be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children, and 0:06:29.310 --> 0:06:33.550 live a life of love, just as Christ loved us 0:06:33.790 --> 0:06:37.630 and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering 0:06:37.630 --> 0:06:41.430 and sacrifice. You see, if you want to know how 0:06:41.670 --> 0:06:45.230 God would live here on earth, then all you have 0:06:45.230 --> 0:06:50.190 to look is at Jesus. Because Jesus is God made man, 0:06:50.870 --> 0:06:54.990 manifest in the flesh, living his life here on earth. 0:06:55.589 --> 0:06:58.630 That's where we get our little bracelets. Many of you 0:06:58.630 --> 0:07:03.790 have seen those bracelets that say w w JD, what 0:07:03.790 --> 0:07:08.190 would Jesus do? And it's a little bit that idea 0:07:08.390 --> 0:07:11.030 that if you can begin to live like Jesus and 0:07:11.030 --> 0:07:14.150 begin to imitate Jesus and what he did and how 0:07:14.150 --> 0:07:17.630 he walked and how he talked, then you can begin 0:07:17.630 --> 0:07:21.950 to live like God, imitators of God. And Paul says, 0:07:21.990 --> 0:07:26.350 be imitators of God, because your children of God, and 0:07:26.350 --> 0:07:29.510 live a life where you show concern for other people 0:07:29.510 --> 0:07:33.910 just like Jesus did, and who offered the ultimate sacrifice 0:07:33.910 --> 0:07:38.110 that raised up to God as a fragrant aroma. And 0:07:38.110 --> 0:07:39.910 then he goes on to describe to us, if you're 0:07:39.910 --> 0:07:42.910 going to be imitators of God, and if you're going 0:07:42.910 --> 0:07:47.310 to really live like children of God, then there's a 0:07:47.310 --> 0:07:49.910 few things you need to understand and a few things 0:07:49.910 --> 0:07:53.510 you need to change. And so we jump into this passage. 0:07:53.510 --> 0:07:56.630 I'm going to begin reading in verse three. If you're 0:07:56.630 --> 0:08:00.190 taking notes this morning, write this down. The first thing 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:06.120 that helps us reflect God has to do with identity. Identity. 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:11.840 Remember that your desires and speech should reflect your new 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:18.960 identity and be consistent with your calling, your desires, and 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:23.040 the way you talk. Your speech should be consistent with 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:28.280 the new you. Some of us have a new have 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.720 a new us in God, but we still have a 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.040 little bit of the old way we talk and a 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.679 little bit of the old desires. And what God is 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:39.080 saying is you have a new you, so let the 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.920 old leave the old behind and take on the new 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.600 you who you are. Look what he says in verse three, 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:50.440 but among you there must not even be a hint 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:57.280 of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed, 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:02.280 because these are improper for God's holy people. Verse four. 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:07.439 Nor should there be obscenity. Foolish talk, coarse, just joking, 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:11.200 which are out of place, but rather giving thanks. So 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:13.160 he says, hey, if you're going to be imitators of God, 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:14.959 there's two things that you need to start working on 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:17.400 in the beginning. One is your desires, and secondly is 0:09:17.400 --> 0:09:22.120 your speech. So let's talk first about our desires. He said, 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.320 among you there must be no, not even a hint 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:30.679 of sexual immorality. Let's talk about this for a second. 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:35.280 What is sexual immorality? Well, first of all, let me 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:40.640 clarify this. He's not talking about just sex. He's talking 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.000 about sexual immorality. How many of you know there's a 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:46.679 difference between sex and sexual immorality? Some people grow up 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:49.200 in a setting where all they've heard is no, no. 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:52.560 Know about sex. Bad, bad, bad about sex. Don't don't, 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:54.640 don't about sex. And you kind of grow up thinking 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:58.040 that it's a bad thing or that it's a dirty thing, 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:04.410 or that it's something that shouldn't, shouldn't, shouldn't be celebrated 0:10:04.410 --> 0:10:07.370 or expressed. Let me just go on record here. I've 0:10:07.410 --> 0:10:09.170 told you this before. If you've been around for a while, 0:10:09.170 --> 0:10:12.449 you know that sex is a good thing. We are 0:10:12.450 --> 0:10:18.890 pro sex here at New Life Community Church. Absolutely. 100% 0:10:19.050 --> 0:10:23.450 made by God, engineered by God, designed by God to 0:10:23.450 --> 0:10:27.770 be celebrated and to be often engaged in. Here at 0:10:27.770 --> 0:10:35.170 New Life Community Church in the right setting. Okay, so 0:10:35.210 --> 0:10:37.530 I just want you to know that we're pro sex. 0:10:38.610 --> 0:10:42.050 Sex is not dirty. Sex is not bad. Sex is 0:10:42.050 --> 0:10:44.730 a great thing, a good thing, as long as it's 0:10:44.730 --> 0:10:47.570 in the boundaries of how God engineered it to happen 0:10:47.570 --> 0:10:50.970 and basically how God engineered it to work is that 0:10:50.970 --> 0:10:54.809 when a man and a woman commit themselves to one 0:10:54.809 --> 0:11:00.850 another for a lifetime and we call it marriage, engage 0:11:00.850 --> 0:11:03.610 in the act of marriage and say, I am committed 0:11:03.610 --> 0:11:05.969 to you. You are committed to me. We are in 0:11:05.970 --> 0:11:11.250 a monogamous, loving relationship until death do it part. Then 0:11:11.250 --> 0:11:15.250 let the party begin. Enjoy it often. Enjoy it as 0:11:15.250 --> 0:11:21.850 much as you can. Celebrate it. I know some husbands 0:11:21.850 --> 0:11:23.810 that say, I'm going to get that tape. I never 0:11:23.850 --> 0:11:26.850 get a tape. Where do I buy that CD? Now 0:11:26.890 --> 0:11:28.730 I'm going to get that one. I'm going to get 0:11:28.730 --> 0:11:34.130 that one. Um, seriously, I really believe that if if 0:11:34.290 --> 0:11:37.730 that that sexual intimacy is something that God engineered and 0:11:37.730 --> 0:11:43.050 God knows how it works. And actually, contrary to common myth, 0:11:43.410 --> 0:11:46.530 some people. Now, if you look at any TV sitcom, 0:11:47.690 --> 0:11:51.490 anytime it portrays a married couple, it's usually they're bored 0:11:51.490 --> 0:11:56.130 out of their minds with each other. They're they're unhappy, 0:11:56.929 --> 0:11:59.970 it's dysfunctional. And it seems like the people that are 0:12:00.140 --> 0:12:03.140 really enjoying their sexual life are the single 20 something 0:12:03.140 --> 0:12:05.780 that are out there clubbing, having one night stands and 0:12:05.780 --> 0:12:08.620 that's where the action is really happening. But married couples, 0:12:08.620 --> 0:12:11.740 it's boring. Nothing's happening. It's, you know, everybody's always got 0:12:11.780 --> 0:12:14.620 a headache and, you know, it's always that kind of thing. 0:12:14.740 --> 0:12:19.020 But contrary to public opinion, the truth is that in 0:12:19.020 --> 0:12:25.620 surveys done among 20 something singles that are living a 0:12:25.620 --> 0:12:29.020 party life, sleeping with whoever they want to sleep with, 0:12:29.340 --> 0:12:35.020 and monogamous married people that have been married for some time. 0:12:35.340 --> 0:12:40.500 They have done surveys, secular and Christian surveys that indicate 0:12:40.700 --> 0:12:44.699 that married people that have been married for some time 0:12:44.740 --> 0:12:49.700 are actually much more satisfied and enjoying their sexuality than 0:12:49.700 --> 0:12:52.540 those that are out there partying and clubbing and going 0:12:52.540 --> 0:12:55.620 from place to place. Aha! I bet you never see 0:12:55.620 --> 0:12:57.100 that on sitcoms, huh? 0:13:02.620 --> 0:13:05.380 This is Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. We're pausing 0:13:05.380 --> 0:13:07.860 our message to thank our bold partners right now. Mark, 0:13:07.900 --> 0:13:10.060 these are these are friends of this ministry who are 0:13:10.059 --> 0:13:12.819 making a sacrificial gift to see this ministry continue. 0:13:12.860 --> 0:13:15.340 Yeah. Bold partners. If you don't know what that is, 0:13:15.380 --> 0:13:21.420 those are our partners that give monthly to support this ministry. And, uh, 0:13:21.420 --> 0:13:25.060 it may be $5 a month. It may be 30, 40, 0:13:25.100 --> 0:13:27.979 $50 a month. Whatever it is, we are very grateful 0:13:27.980 --> 0:13:29.860 for your monthly donations. 0:13:29.860 --> 0:13:32.220 And in return for becoming a bold partner, we want 0:13:32.260 --> 0:13:34.580 to offer you some things. First of all, you receive 0:13:34.620 --> 0:13:38.460 a bi monthly communication from Mark and exclusive greeting from Mark, actually. 0:13:38.700 --> 0:13:41.620 And then there's Mark's book, unstuck. Now let me say 0:13:41.620 --> 0:13:44.260 this about the book, Mark, because I read this comment 0:13:44.260 --> 0:13:45.980 recently from a friend, and I just want to share 0:13:45.980 --> 0:13:48.220 what he shared with us. He said, I just wanted 0:13:48.220 --> 0:13:49.940 to reach out to Mark and his ministry, and thank 0:13:49.940 --> 0:13:52.660 him so much for his faithfulness in writing this book, unstuck. 0:13:52.700 --> 0:13:55.900 He's really helped me realize how stuck I am. I 0:13:55.900 --> 0:13:58.740 received this book at a pastor's conference three years ago, 0:13:58.740 --> 0:14:00.750 and I kept it because I thought one day I'd 0:14:00.750 --> 0:14:03.670 find someone stuck. Little did I know that as I 0:14:03.670 --> 0:14:06.710 picked it up, I have been the one stuck struggling 0:14:06.710 --> 0:14:10.030 with depression and anxiety. This book has helped me realize 0:14:10.030 --> 0:14:12.110 some great areas to start to surrender to the Lord, 0:14:12.110 --> 0:14:14.469 and how to start moving out of my cave. An 0:14:14.470 --> 0:14:17.230 amazing book, one used by God in my life. Thanks 0:14:17.230 --> 0:14:20.750 so much! Joshua wrote that to us from California. So 0:14:20.750 --> 0:14:21.990 this is the book that we're going to send to 0:14:21.990 --> 0:14:22.750 our bold partners. 0:14:22.790 --> 0:14:27.150 Yeah. Thank you, Joshua, for sharing your heart. And so 0:14:27.150 --> 0:14:30.550 many people can relate with that being stuck. And we'd 0:14:30.550 --> 0:14:32.870 love to give you a book unstuck for all of 0:14:32.870 --> 0:14:35.950 our monthly partners. It's automatic. You don't even have to 0:14:35.990 --> 0:14:38.990 request it. We will give you an unstuck book for 0:14:38.990 --> 0:14:41.030 every monthly partner. Thank you. 0:14:41.070 --> 0:14:44.590 Sign up to be a bold partner at Bird-stamps.org. Alright, 0:14:44.630 --> 0:14:47.470 now we can return to Mark's message on bold steps. 0:14:52.710 --> 0:14:54.830 I want to make sure that we understand what we're 0:14:54.830 --> 0:14:59.960 talking about. God is he engineered sex. He created Sex. 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:02.880 The fact that a young man is attracted to a 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:07.240 young woman. Normal. Natural. The fact that a man desires 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:10.200 to see the naked body of a woman. Normal. Natural. 0:15:10.240 --> 0:15:13.440 May it be his wife that he desires. That's. That's 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.119 normally that's just engineered by God. When God created Adam, 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.360 he created Eve. They saw each other and said the 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:27.800 equivalent to wow, you know, great God. God. It was 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:35.080 part of God's design. Now, outside of the parameters of marriage, 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:38.480 when a single is engaging with sexual activity with another single, 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:42.560 it's called fornication. When a married person is engaged with 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.360 sexual activity outside of marriage, it's called adultery. And then 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.160 there's all kinds of other things in between. The word 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.760 here where it says, May there not be even a 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:55.320 hint of immorality, sexual immorality. The word used in the 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:58.200 Greek is the word porneia, which is where we get 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:02.160 the word pornography Nography from so in other. In other words, 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.920 what it's saying is there should be not even a 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:11.920 hint of sexual activity outside of the confines of marriage 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:17.800 when it's in marriage. Great. Enjoy it. Don't feel guilty. Listen, 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.040 if you're in, if you're in a married relationship right 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:25.560 now and you're not enjoying sexual intimacy and and you're 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.880 not having sex together, and that's not happening in your marriage, 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:33.800 you need to get help. Seriously? Because there's something that's 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:37.120 broken down there. There's something that has happened. You've allowed 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:42.600 something wall to break up. You've allowed something to to, uh, 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:46.360 take away from what God engineered it to be. So 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:49.200 get counseling. Figure out what are the barriers that need 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:52.880 to be broken down. But but that's that's part of 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:56.040 God's plan for your marriage. Seriously. It is. It's part 0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:58.800 of God's plan for your healthy marriage. However, it needs 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:03.640 to happen within the confines of marriage. Anything outside of 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:10.240 that is strictly forbidden by Scripture. Now, I know that 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:17.639 when I say this, I am going absolutely 100% counterculture 0:17:17.640 --> 0:17:22.000 to what exists in our society today, where we live 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:27.680 in a society that by and large accepts the the 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:31.359 culture of friends with benefits more and more. If you 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:33.280 go to a college campus today, if you go down 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:35.960 to UIC, if you go down to northwestern, every college 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:38.879 campus pretty much here in the US, and you talk 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:43.000 to a college kid that's 22 years old, 21 years old, 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.639 and you ask, what is the culture that exists in 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.120 the campus? Pretty much the culture is this we can 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:52.440 hook up sexually, even though we may. We're not dating, 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:55.919 you know, I can I can give sexual favors to 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.680 an individual. Doesn't mean I like them. Doesn't mean we're 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:01.689 boyfriend girlfriend. doesn't mean we're dating. We can give each 0:18:01.730 --> 0:18:04.010 other sexual favors. Why? Because it feels good. And then 0:18:04.010 --> 0:18:06.330 we can walk away. Don't expect a letter. Don't expect 0:18:06.330 --> 0:18:10.010 that we're together. Don't expect that we're somehow involved each other. 0:18:10.010 --> 0:18:11.530 And I can do that for this person. I can 0:18:11.530 --> 0:18:14.290 do that for another person. It's pretty much the one 0:18:14.330 --> 0:18:20.609 night stands, the sexual favors pretty much accepted practice ingrained 0:18:20.609 --> 0:18:24.210 into the mainstream of our culture at a college level, 0:18:24.210 --> 0:18:27.570 at a high school level. And unfortunately, now more and 0:18:27.570 --> 0:18:33.010 more at a junior high level. It's the culture. It's accepted. 0:18:33.490 --> 0:18:36.209 It's not like our society is much different than the 0:18:36.210 --> 0:18:40.050 society that Paul was talking to. Paul was talking to 0:18:40.050 --> 0:18:44.170 the Ephesians in Ephesus. There was a big temple to Diana, 0:18:44.210 --> 0:18:47.929 the god of fertility. Part of the practice of the 0:18:47.970 --> 0:18:51.889 god of fertility is that there were priestesses in the 0:18:51.890 --> 0:18:56.969 temple of Diana. And in order to go and engage 0:18:56.970 --> 0:19:00.500 in a sexual experience in the temple of Diana, people 0:19:00.500 --> 0:19:05.420 would get drunk and basically have orgies with the priestesses 0:19:05.420 --> 0:19:10.340 of the Temple of Diana. And so sexual immorality and 0:19:10.340 --> 0:19:14.300 sexual playing around was rampant in the society that Paul 0:19:14.300 --> 0:19:17.340 was talking about as well. So it was counter the 0:19:17.340 --> 0:19:21.619 culture for Paul to say, now that you are children 0:19:21.660 --> 0:19:27.179 of God, there shouldn't even be a hint of sexual 0:19:27.180 --> 0:19:34.380 immorality among you or of any kind of impurity. Impurity 0:19:34.380 --> 0:19:37.940 has to do with anything. It's related to sexuality, but 0:19:37.940 --> 0:19:39.860 it could have to do with pornography. It could have 0:19:39.859 --> 0:19:42.540 to do with fantasizing. It could have to be with 0:19:42.540 --> 0:19:45.660 X-rated movies. It could have to be with it could 0:19:45.660 --> 0:19:49.380 have to do with, uh, the latest, uh, Sports Illustrated 0:19:49.380 --> 0:19:52.140 Swimsuit edition. It could have to do with a lot 0:19:52.420 --> 0:19:55.740 of issues out there that have to do with sexuality 0:19:55.740 --> 0:20:00.340 out there. So not even a hint of sexual immorality 0:20:00.340 --> 0:20:04.700 or any kind of impurity. And he says, or greed, 0:20:04.700 --> 0:20:07.100 you say, well, what does greed have to do with it? Well, 0:20:07.140 --> 0:20:12.540 greed is it's the word covetousness. Covetousness means I desire 0:20:12.580 --> 0:20:16.740 something that doesn't belong to me, that I can't have. 0:20:16.780 --> 0:20:19.660 But I still want it, even though it's not legitimate 0:20:19.660 --> 0:20:23.340 for me to have it. So you could be greedy 0:20:23.380 --> 0:20:26.500 towards money or towards things. You could see someone driving 0:20:26.500 --> 0:20:29.260 a car that's nicer than your car and say, man, 0:20:29.300 --> 0:20:31.220 why does he get to have that car? I want 0:20:31.220 --> 0:20:33.500 that car. I should have that car. And I'm kind 0:20:33.540 --> 0:20:36.340 of frustrated that he's got it and I don't. But 0:20:36.340 --> 0:20:39.260 it could also have to do with, um, it could 0:20:39.300 --> 0:20:41.100 have to do with sexuality. It could have to do 0:20:41.100 --> 0:20:46.180 with desiring another man's wife or desiring someone that's illegitimate 0:20:46.180 --> 0:20:50.060 for you to have. But you desire and covet something 0:20:50.060 --> 0:20:53.860 that is illegitimate for you to possess. And so basically 0:20:53.859 --> 0:20:56.139 what Paul says is, I know you live in a 0:20:56.140 --> 0:21:01.899 culture that is a sex saturated culture. We live in 0:21:01.940 --> 0:21:05.340 that kind of society. And the fact that people live together, 0:21:05.340 --> 0:21:07.860 the fact that people hook up together, the fact that 0:21:07.859 --> 0:21:12.500 people have multiple partners when they're in their 20s or 30s, 0:21:12.700 --> 0:21:15.459 it's pretty much just accepted by society. It's just the 0:21:15.460 --> 0:21:19.180 way it is. It's just kind of normal, right? Well, 0:21:19.220 --> 0:21:21.900 God says it may be normal for the world out there, 0:21:21.900 --> 0:21:27.620 but hey, you are the people of God. And it 0:21:27.619 --> 0:21:31.620 may be normal for society at large, but because you 0:21:31.619 --> 0:21:36.100 are children of God, it's not normal for you because 0:21:36.100 --> 0:21:38.820 you live by different standards. 0:21:46.100 --> 0:21:48.700 Well, if you had to give an assessment, how different 0:21:48.700 --> 0:21:51.860 are your values from the world around you? That's the 0:21:51.859 --> 0:21:54.780 takeaway today from a message titled Choosing to Walk in 0:21:54.780 --> 0:21:58.859 the light from Mark Jobe, and you're listening to Bold Steps. Well, 0:21:58.859 --> 0:22:01.510 we have a special bold step gift available for our 0:22:01.510 --> 0:22:04.550 listeners a book titled envy A Big Problem You Didn't 0:22:04.550 --> 0:22:07.030 Know You Had written by our guest, Mark. His name 0:22:07.030 --> 0:22:08.430 is pastor Mike Fabares. 0:22:08.830 --> 0:22:11.510 Yeah. And by the way, many of you are familiar 0:22:11.510 --> 0:22:15.750 with pastor Mike because he's on the radio. He's written 0:22:15.750 --> 0:22:19.710 several books. He's a graduate from Moody Bible Institute and 0:22:19.710 --> 0:22:22.190 actually on the board of directors as well. And so 0:22:22.230 --> 0:22:27.310 love pastor Mike and his ministry. I was thinking about 0:22:27.310 --> 0:22:32.629 this topic of envy and how oftentimes we we just 0:22:32.630 --> 0:22:37.550 don't consider ourselves envious. Pastor Mike, if you were to 0:22:38.270 --> 0:22:42.910 help someone self-diagnose whether they have envy, what would you 0:22:42.910 --> 0:22:45.070 point to? What should they be looking for? 0:22:45.390 --> 0:22:48.270 Well, I would start by saying, are there any people 0:22:48.270 --> 0:22:52.790 in your everyday world that you just find yourself erring 0:22:52.790 --> 0:22:56.909 on the side of being critical when you really shouldn't 0:22:56.910 --> 0:22:58.709 be and you think, well, why am I not happy 0:22:58.869 --> 0:23:02.910 applauding their success, right? This is hard, but we need 0:23:02.910 --> 0:23:05.070 to look at the people that we are critical of. 0:23:05.070 --> 0:23:07.230 And if you look hard enough, you often find it's 0:23:07.230 --> 0:23:10.550 because I'm really envious of what they get that I 0:23:10.550 --> 0:23:12.750 don't have what they've accomplished, that I haven't been able 0:23:12.750 --> 0:23:16.070 to accomplish, that they make so much money, so much 0:23:16.070 --> 0:23:19.190 more money than I make. There's a lot of reasons 0:23:19.430 --> 0:23:24.030 that we, um, just spring into gossip and criticism and 0:23:24.030 --> 0:23:26.830 just talking behind people's back in a negative way. And 0:23:26.830 --> 0:23:29.750 usually we can start to realize what's happened is something 0:23:29.750 --> 0:23:32.390 really between me and God. It's really not between me 0:23:32.390 --> 0:23:33.030 and them. 0:23:33.950 --> 0:23:36.670 Pastor Mike, are envy and jealousy interchangeable? 0:23:37.470 --> 0:23:41.070 Not really. There's a kind of jealousy that's appropriate in 0:23:41.070 --> 0:23:43.190 the Bible, right? God says he's a jealous God in 0:23:43.190 --> 0:23:46.350 Exodus 34. There's a time for you right to rightly 0:23:46.350 --> 0:23:49.750 in your marriage. Be jealous if there's something threatening that relationship. 0:23:49.869 --> 0:23:53.270 But envy is always seen as something wrong in Scripture, 0:23:53.270 --> 0:23:56.230 and we're never to envy anyone. And what envy is, 0:23:56.230 --> 0:23:58.630 is taking a jealous feeling when I'd have no right 0:23:58.630 --> 0:24:01.240 to feel jealous. And now I start to have a 0:24:01.240 --> 0:24:05.240 a bitterness toward that person for accomplishing or achieving or 0:24:05.240 --> 0:24:08.280 securing something that I haven't been able to. And Jesus 0:24:08.280 --> 0:24:10.359 tells parables about this. You've got to be careful in 0:24:10.359 --> 0:24:12.800 your own heart to guard your heart against this kind 0:24:12.800 --> 0:24:16.719 of envy, because it is different than jealousy, because sometimes 0:24:16.720 --> 0:24:18.400 jealousy can be appropriate. 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:22.160 That's great. So there you have it, pastor Mike Fabares. 0:24:22.200 --> 0:24:24.199 We would love to get this book into your hand. 0:24:24.200 --> 0:24:28.639 It's called a Big problem. You didn't know you had envy. 0:24:28.800 --> 0:24:29.960 Thank you, pastor Mike. 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:32.240 We'll send you a copy when you make a donation 0:24:32.240 --> 0:24:35.119 of any amount to support bold steps, just call us 0:24:35.160 --> 0:24:41.840 at (800) 800-3566 639 or a couple of other options you 0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:46.560 can give online at bird-stamps.org or send your financial gift 0:24:46.560 --> 0:24:49.840 in the mail. Write to us at bold steps. 820 0:24:49.880 --> 0:24:56.320 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Again, 820 North 0:24:56.359 --> 0:25:01.960 LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten and then don't forget, 0:25:01.960 --> 0:25:04.840 you can hear Mark's bold and passionate teaching anywhere you 0:25:04.840 --> 0:25:08.000 go when you download the app to your favorite smart device. 0:25:08.240 --> 0:25:10.320 Just look for the Bold Steps app in your app 0:25:10.320 --> 0:25:14.960 store and learn more by visiting Bold Steps. While you're online, 0:25:14.960 --> 0:25:17.159 let me remind you to sign up for Mark's weekly 0:25:17.160 --> 0:25:20.479 email devotional. It's called The Bold Stepper Weekly. It's a 0:25:20.480 --> 0:25:23.400 free dose of inspiration and insight, delivered right to your 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:26.400 inbox every Monday morning, and you won't want to miss it. 0:25:26.440 --> 0:25:29.880 Once again, you can sign up at Bold Steps org. Well, 0:25:29.880 --> 0:25:32.679 thanks for joining us today. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting you 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:35.560 to come back again tomorrow. Mark will continue this message 0:25:35.560 --> 0:25:38.280 from our study of the book of Ephesians. Our message 0:25:38.280 --> 0:25:41.320 is titled Choosing to Walk in the light. So be listening. 0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:46.479 Wednesday for more bold steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps 0:25:46.480 --> 0:25:49.280 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody 0:25:49.280 --> 0:25:50.400 Bible Institute.