April 16, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book. Asked, but first,
here's the message, A Life that Pleases God, Part one.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You could find our text in First Thessalonians chapter four,
So begin finding First Thessalonians chapter four. To please God
is the purpose of every Christian.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Jesus himself said I always please the Father.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
That should be the pursuit and the prayer of all
of us who follow Jesus, that we would be like
him more and more, and that we would live to
please him. The apostle Paul said Second Corinthians, we always,
(01:02):
we always make it our aim to do what to
please God.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
The great late.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Adrian Rogers used to say, if you please God, it
doesn't matter whom you displease. But if you don't please God,
it doesn't matter who you please. It is our purpose
and God's plan for each one of us that we
would pursue him, that this would be our holy ambition,
(01:35):
that we would please him. Unfortunately, in the Church today
at large, the church, there's a disconnect between what we
say we believe and how we live.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
In fact, surveys.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And statistics tell us that unfortunately, there's very little difference
between the lives of those who profess Christianity and those
who do not, very little difference or distinctiveness between those
who go to church and those who do not. Now,
(02:14):
God has called us to be unique and distinct. That's
what the word holy means. The word means that we
are to be different, as God is utterly and holy,
unique and distinct and separated from sin. And the God
who is holy has called us to this holiness. Yet
(02:34):
we seem to be lowering our standards, not raising our standards.
And so when you look at the key subject matter,
whether it be the divorce, the divorce rate is typically
the same in the church as well as out of
the church. Attitudes towards defining marriage, homosexuality growing dissent even
(02:57):
among people in churches regarding that issue, the rise and
I might say acceptance of pornography, whether you're talking about
hardcore are soft porn the kind you see on your
premium television stations, if you.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Have them, acceptance.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
We have about the same number of out of wedlock
pregnancies as people out of the church. Sexual addictions, unholy habits,
casual sets consensual sex in or out of the church,
it doesn't seem to matter checkups and hookups, anything goes.
(03:48):
The rules are set aside to do what I want
to do to.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Please me rather than to please God.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And as much as we hate to admit it, the church,
including many of its leaders, pastors, and others, have accommodated
to the culture and we are in a slide downward.
We are slouching towards Gomorrah and this moral epidemic, this
immoral epidemic, is spreading, and countless men and women who
(04:19):
name the name of Christ have fallen into sexual sin
and immorality. And the problem is not too many people
seem to care. It's las fair, it's just the way
it is, and so we're often silent on the subject.
We don't talk about it. It's a taboo in the
(04:42):
church to talk about these issues. After all, we don't
want to offend anybody. We don't want to name sin
and call sin for what it is lest people turn away.
Yet God has called us not to acceptance, but to
abstinence from sexual sin. And whether we are in the
culture are in the church, it needs to matter how
(05:04):
we live our lives we sadly have not been dealing
with a problem. We have not called one another into accountability,
not calling each other out, but calling each other up
into purity and holiness and godliness.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
We are to be living as followers of.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Jesus, transformed and triumphant lives, not defeated by our sin,
not destroyed by our sin, but living in this victory.
Our relationships are to be meaningful, and our sexual experiences
are to be godly. Why that we may please God
(05:50):
and live.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
For Him and Him only.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I tell you this, An unholy church will never reach
an unholy world.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
God has called us for more than this.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Sexual sin has physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual consequences in
our lives.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
God knows what is good for us, what is best
for us, and.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
If it will make you happy, if it will make
you holy, if it will make you wholesome.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
God wants you to have it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And remember, any time God says you shall not, he
is saying you shall help yourself to genuine happiness by
keeping His commandments. And yes, there is a moral law
that governs the universe. God has not set aside his
own moral attributes, nor has he set aside his word
(06:43):
and his will for us to live godly lives, and
that's the subject of First Thessalonians four. You know, these
verse numbers and chapters are are not in the original text.
These are written by the apostle Paul. This, in particular
written by the apostle Paul. This is the inerrant, infallible word.
(07:07):
Remember when we read this in just a moment, this
is not Paul's preference, This is not man's opinion. But
this is the word of God. This is Jesus himself
speaking to us. So you can't say, well, that's Paul,
and that's Paul's particular ideas.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
No, this is the.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Word of God, in errant and infallible. And so when
God's word speaks, God speaks. So Verse thirteen of the
end of chapter three says that he may establish your
hearts blameless in holiness before God, our father and Father.
(07:46):
And then he expends beginning of verse one of chapter
four this theme. Finally, then brothers, we ask and urge you.
This is a very strong word. It means I beg you.
Paul had a pastor's heart, and when he was writing this,
(08:08):
he was writing from Corinth, a very corrupt culture, a
very sinful culture sex saturated even more than our own
culture today, though we're headed there. He was writing from Corinth,
where Christian's new believers were facing the old sins and
the old temptations every day, to Thessal and Aka more
(08:31):
of the same. The Greco Roman world, the world of
the Romans and the Greeks, was a very sex saturated culture.
Even the worship of their idols and deities was accompanied
by sexual sin and behavior, prostitutes in the temple, and
(08:51):
on and on. It is vile, it is wicked. And
so Paul is writing in this culture. Just in case
you're thinking, well, that's the Bible. Of course, it talks
about who holiness. Paul is talking to a very unholy
and corrupt society or in the midst of that.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That's the background.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And now you have these Christians at Corinth, and these
Christians at Thessala and Iike who are trying to learn
how to live this brand new life.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Many of them have come out of deep sin and.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Shame in their life, and brokenness and pain in their lives,
and now call to a higher standard to elevate in that.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And that's what's happening.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Verse one again says how you ought to walk and
to please God. And here's a commendation. I love this
just as you're doing, just as you're doing. So let
me start with the commendation to those of you who
are in Christ and you're living for the Lord, and
you're pleasing God. You're doing this, but it's not easy.
(09:50):
It's a struggle. It's a challenge every.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Day to live to please God, to live a holy life.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And he says, I commend you as you were doing.
But then he says that you do so more and more.
There's some growing to do. There's more for you. The
Christian life is more than the beginning. It is a
wonderful life and life style in which we live, these repentant,
(10:18):
redeemed lives.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
That are different. They are holy unto the Lord.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
This is a sanctuary, unto the Lord. Lord, make me
a sanctuary.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
And verse two says, for you know.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ.
There it is, this is Jesus talking, this is God speaking.
These are the instructions I am giving you through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message a life that pleases God. Part one. In his
powerful book Ask, Doctor Graham helps you unlock the power
of prayer in your life using Jesus' teaching to ask, seek,
and knock. As you follow these three simple commands, you'll
completely transform how you pray. We want to help you
(11:14):
discover a deeper, more meaningful, and more powerful prayer life
by sending you a copy of Ask as our thanks
for your gift of ten dollars or more. Call now
to request your copy of this powerful resource. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(11:36):
You can also text the word ask to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from Stress. We'll send you
a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress when you
(11:58):
sign up for email updates from Powerful Today. Just go
to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign up today.
Now let's get back to today's message, A Life that Pleases
God Part one.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Verse three for this is the will of God. You
want to know and do God's will for your life.
You're a young person today, a teenager or a young adult.
You want to find and fulfill God's plan, God's purpose
for your life.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You want to do the will of God.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Start right here first Thessalonians four three.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
For this is the will of God. What your sanctification?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
The word sanctification is a word which means to be holy,
to be pure, sanctification.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
It means separation from sin unto God.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
When you got married, maybe you were dating around, and
you know you had all these all these datables in
your phone. You call them up and go on a date,
maybe one, maybe two at a time, five at a time,
I don't know, but you've dated around. But then the
one walked into your life. That one the one of
(13:15):
God's own choice for you. And you said at an altar,
I choose you above all others, beyond all others, and
I separate myself to you. I commit to you to
leave all the others and to cleave to you. That's sanctification.
(13:37):
A man is sanctified to his wife, a woman is
sanctified to her husband. We are separated from all others.
And we cleave and cling to one another. We're separated
to each other. Now we are separated from our sin
(13:58):
and separated too God in this love relationship that we
have with Him. Remember, salvation is both a crisis and
a process. Salvation is both a crisis and a process.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
And here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, when you
become a believer, when you are saved, born again, that's
a crisis point.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
It's a conversion.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
You were going in one direction and you turned in
a new direction. That's repentance to turn around. But salvation
is also a process. There is no sinless perfection this
side of Heaven.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
We're all on the path.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
We're all on the journey, and there is a struggle
along the way. So it is the will of God,
therefore that you participate in this process of becoming more
and more like Jesus, that you walk with him.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And to walk with him is to be filled with
Him and.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
His presence, and that means purity and holiness and godliness,
not self righteousness, but his righteousness.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Remember this holiness is not the way to Jesus. Jesus
is the way to holiness. We don't become holy, or
we don't get.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
To Jesus by self righteous works of trying to act
holy or be holy.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Holy Jesus is the way to holiness.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
You'll never live a holy life apart from Jesus Christ.
You need to be saved. You need to come to
Christ and repent of your sins and to be cleansed.
You don't have to live in your sin. You don't
have to live in your shame. You don't have to
live a life of regret. You can be bade brand
new by the power of Jesus Christ. But with that said,
(16:12):
if you are in Christ, then your life is to
be different. It will be different if anyone being Christ,
He's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Everything
becomes brand new again. You haven't arrived there yet. You're
not perfect, but you're on the way. It's not perfection
right now that God is after it is progress, progress
(16:37):
that you would abound more and more. Sex is God's idea.
God's not holding sex out from you. He is holding
on to it for you. He is not keeping sex
from you. He is saving sex for you. Is his idea.
That's why the scripture says in Hebrews chapter thirteen and
(16:57):
verse four that marriage should be honored by all, and
the marriage bed be kept pure. But God will judge
the adulter and all the sexually immoral. So the marriage bed,
the physical intimacy between a man and a woman in.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Marriage is to be protected.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
There are to be boundaries both before we get married
and certainly while we are marriage.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And when the scripture here.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Talks about sanctification from anything that is immoral, look at
it again. In chapter four, verse three, it says, this
is the will of God for you. Your sanctification what
that you abstain, That you abstain from sexual immorality. That's
a very strong word there, abstained. Some translations give it
(17:47):
as a void. That's a bad translation. The language of
the New Testament is much stronger than avoid. It's not
like you know, I'm walking down the hall and you
know I try to avoid you. Is much stronger than avoid.
We're talking about total abstinence from any sexual behavior that
(18:10):
is outside of the blessing and the beauty, and yes,
the boundaries of marriage. I didn't say it, God said it.
God knows what is best for each one of us.
God has chosen a path for us that is pure
(18:31):
and real satisfaction and security is found in God's way,
not my way.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
We're not smarter than God.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Now there is a pure desire and an impure desire.
The problem is not sex. God created sex. The problem
is lust. The problem is sexual behavior outside of God's
parameters that He has chosen for us, whether it be
(19:07):
adultery or immorality before marriage. In mind and thought, indeed,
lust is uncontrolled passions.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
That's what lust is. Say what is lust? Well, most
people have an idea as to what lust is. What
he's talking about.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Is uncontrolled passions. That's why he says in this passage,
learn how to control your body. If you are a believer,
this is your passion. This is the passion that overwhelms
every other kind of passion. Paul says in First Thessalonians
(19:47):
five thirteen, it's just a verse or two over. You
would be sanctified body, soul, and spirit. You have a body,
physical life, you have a soul which a suitcase, psychological life,
emotional intelligence, and sol go on. Then you have a
spiritual life, how you relate to God, and you don't
compartmentalize your life by saying, well, in the spirit I'm holy,
(20:08):
but in the flesh, not so much that you would
be sanctified, made more and more like Jesus physically, mentally, psychologically,
and spiritually, that you would please God.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
That's what he's talking about here. I'm telling you.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
That there are no exceptions, there are no excuses. This
is for all who name the name of Christ. The
word immorality here is taken from a Greek word pornea.
When you can hear the word porn in that word
(20:55):
and literally the word pornographic is akin to this word,
but not just pornography on paper, on video, but pornography
in your life.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Where this obsession begins.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
To control you, you become an addict. You become habitually
disconnected from God. Again, God made sex for his purposes
and for your pleasure. Psalm eighty four eleven. The Lord
(21:30):
God is a son and a shield. He gives grace
and glory, or favor and honor, and no good thing
will he withhold to them who walk uprightly. And so
back to our text, for this is the will of God.
Your sanctification that you abstain. Is there anything unclear about
(21:54):
the word abstained?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
That you abstain.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Not accept as so many people have accepted immorality in
our culture, but abstain personally. Abstain. This is the will
of God for you. You see, everyone has a choice
in life to make, whether you will live to please
(22:22):
God or live to please yourself, whether you will indulge
your flesh or walk in the spirit. It should be
your desire to starve the flesh and feed the spirit
(22:44):
in your life. But Deuteronomy thirty verses nineteen and twenty
says this, but I call heaven and earth to witness
against you today that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life that you
and your offspring may live loving the Lord, your God,
(23:08):
obeying his voice, and holding fast to him, for he
is your life and length of days.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
What a scripture. You have a choice to live in
victory or to live.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
In misery, to live in God's blessings with all the
benefits that comes from walking with Him, or to live
under the cursing of judgment. You have a choice, and
that is your happiness or your unhappiness. You say, how
(23:41):
in the world can I do that? It really involves
a decision, a choice you make to choose Christ over
yourself to turn from your sin and trust in Him.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack and the message
a Life that Pleases God Part one. Nothing lights a
fire in your faith like experiencing the power of prayer firsthand.
As you begin to see God as a personal, loving
father who desires to hear and answer your prayers. It
transforms your life, and thanks to friends like you, more
(24:19):
people all around the world are hearing about their loving
God and his son Jesus through the TV, radio and
online outreach of PowerPoint. That's why your support of this
ministry is so vital. We'll say thanks for your gift
of ten dollars or more by sending you a copy
of doctor Graham's book Ask. This is a great resource
to help you strengthen your own prayer life and teach
(24:41):
you to approach God with boldness and confidence. So call
now to request your copy. When you give, call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word ASK to five nine
se eight nine, and don't forget to visit Jack Graham
(25:02):
dot org where you can shop our East door, give
a gift online or sign up for doctor Graham's free
daily email devotional. Our website again is Jack graham dot org,
and also be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's
podcast Bible in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint
for today?
Speaker 2 (25:23):
It's very important that you know that our God is
a happy God, and in his presence there is fullness
of joy at his right hand. According to the scripture,
is pleasure forevermore. Jesus said, my joy I give to you. So, God,
who is full of joy in Jesus, who wants you
to live not only in holiness but in happiness, has
(25:44):
promised you a genuine and lasting satisfaction and joy. Now,
the devil doesn't want you to know that. The devil
wants you to think that it's up to you to
find your own happiness, or even to turn to the
world or Satan himself to find happiness. And many times
we destroy our own happiness and we end up in
misery because we try to choose happiness in our own way. Everything,
(26:07):
anything we pursue outside of God's God's word is taking
a sledgehammer to the abundant life that he has promised us.
So when it comes to all of our desires, including
physical sexual desires. The world tells us that what we
need to do is please ourselves and that will make
us happy. That's the company line. That's what the world says.
(26:29):
And so we have a world full of really happy people, right, Well,
that's not right. We have a world filled with a
lot of unhappy, selfish, dissatisfied people. And the more people
feed their selfish desires and sinful desires, the more empty
and alone and dissatisfied they feel. You were made to
live in a loving relationship with God, to walk with Him,
(26:51):
and that should bring joy to your life. When you're
truly walking in the Word, when you're living for Jesus,
then you will experience satisfaction and the pleasure that He
desires for you to have. It's in that relationship that
you can find happiness. Any other attempt you make outside
of him is a failure. So trust in the Lord Jesus,
believe in him, live God's way, and I promise you,
(27:14):
as you live a life that pleases God, it will
please you as well.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And that is today's power Point. Remember when you give
a gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll
send you doctor Graham's book, Ask as Our Thanks Call
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word ASK to five nine
(27:40):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how you can experience
the joy God wants for you. That's next time on
PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored
by PowerPoint Ministry
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book. Asked, but first,
here's the message, A Life that Pleases God, Part one.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You could find our text in First Thessalonians chapter four,
So begin finding First Thessalonians chapter four. To please God
is the purpose of every Christian.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Jesus himself said I always please the Father.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
That should be the pursuit and the prayer of all
of us who follow Jesus, that we would be like
him more and more, and that we would live to
please him. The apostle Paul said Second Corinthians, we always,
(01:02):
we always make it our aim to do what to
please God.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
The great late.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Adrian Rogers used to say, if you please God, it
doesn't matter whom you displease. But if you don't please God,
it doesn't matter who you please. It is our purpose
and God's plan for each one of us that we
would pursue him, that this would be our holy ambition,
(01:35):
that we would please him. Unfortunately, in the Church today
at large, the church, there's a disconnect between what we
say we believe and how we live.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
In fact, surveys.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And statistics tell us that unfortunately, there's very little difference
between the lives of those who profess Christianity and those
who do not, very little difference or distinctiveness between those
who go to church and those who do not. Now,
(02:14):
God has called us to be unique and distinct. That's
what the word holy means. The word means that we
are to be different, as God is utterly and holy,
unique and distinct and separated from sin. And the God
who is holy has called us to this holiness. Yet
(02:34):
we seem to be lowering our standards, not raising our standards.
And so when you look at the key subject matter,
whether it be the divorce, the divorce rate is typically
the same in the church as well as out of
the church. Attitudes towards defining marriage, homosexuality growing dissent even
(02:57):
among people in churches regarding that issue, the rise and
I might say acceptance of pornography, whether you're talking about
hardcore are soft porn the kind you see on your
premium television stations, if you.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Have them, acceptance.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
We have about the same number of out of wedlock
pregnancies as people out of the church. Sexual addictions, unholy habits,
casual sets consensual sex in or out of the church,
it doesn't seem to matter checkups and hookups, anything goes.
(03:48):
The rules are set aside to do what I want
to do to.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Please me rather than to please God.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And as much as we hate to admit it, the church,
including many of its leaders, pastors, and others, have accommodated
to the culture and we are in a slide downward.
We are slouching towards Gomorrah and this moral epidemic, this
immoral epidemic, is spreading, and countless men and women who
(04:19):
name the name of Christ have fallen into sexual sin
and immorality. And the problem is not too many people
seem to care. It's las fair, it's just the way
it is, and so we're often silent on the subject.
We don't talk about it. It's a taboo in the
(04:42):
church to talk about these issues. After all, we don't
want to offend anybody. We don't want to name sin
and call sin for what it is lest people turn away.
Yet God has called us not to acceptance, but to
abstinence from sexual sin. And whether we are in the
culture are in the church, it needs to matter how
(05:04):
we live our lives we sadly have not been dealing
with a problem. We have not called one another into accountability,
not calling each other out, but calling each other up
into purity and holiness and godliness.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
We are to be living as followers of.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Jesus, transformed and triumphant lives, not defeated by our sin,
not destroyed by our sin, but living in this victory.
Our relationships are to be meaningful, and our sexual experiences
are to be godly. Why that we may please God
(05:50):
and live.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
For Him and Him only.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I tell you this, An unholy church will never reach
an unholy world.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
God has called us for more than this.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Sexual sin has physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual consequences in
our lives.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
God knows what is good for us, what is best
for us, and.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
If it will make you happy, if it will make
you holy, if it will make you wholesome.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
God wants you to have it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And remember, any time God says you shall not, he
is saying you shall help yourself to genuine happiness by
keeping His commandments. And yes, there is a moral law
that governs the universe. God has not set aside his
own moral attributes, nor has he set aside his word
(06:43):
and his will for us to live godly lives, and
that's the subject of First Thessalonians four. You know, these
verse numbers and chapters are are not in the original text.
These are written by the apostle Paul. This, in particular
written by the apostle Paul. This is the inerrant, infallible word.
(07:07):
Remember when we read this in just a moment, this
is not Paul's preference, This is not man's opinion. But
this is the word of God. This is Jesus himself
speaking to us. So you can't say, well, that's Paul,
and that's Paul's particular ideas.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
No, this is the.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Word of God, in errant and infallible. And so when
God's word speaks, God speaks. So Verse thirteen of the
end of chapter three says that he may establish your
hearts blameless in holiness before God, our father and Father.
(07:46):
And then he expends beginning of verse one of chapter
four this theme. Finally, then brothers, we ask and urge you.
This is a very strong word. It means I beg you.
Paul had a pastor's heart, and when he was writing this,
(08:08):
he was writing from Corinth, a very corrupt culture, a
very sinful culture sex saturated even more than our own
culture today, though we're headed there. He was writing from Corinth,
where Christian's new believers were facing the old sins and
the old temptations every day, to Thessal and Aka more
(08:31):
of the same. The Greco Roman world, the world of
the Romans and the Greeks, was a very sex saturated culture.
Even the worship of their idols and deities was accompanied
by sexual sin and behavior, prostitutes in the temple, and
(08:51):
on and on. It is vile, it is wicked. And
so Paul is writing in this culture. Just in case
you're thinking, well, that's the Bible. Of course, it talks
about who holiness. Paul is talking to a very unholy
and corrupt society or in the midst of that.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That's the background.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And now you have these Christians at Corinth, and these
Christians at Thessala and Iike who are trying to learn
how to live this brand new life.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Many of them have come out of deep sin and.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Shame in their life, and brokenness and pain in their lives,
and now call to a higher standard to elevate in that.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And that's what's happening.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Verse one again says how you ought to walk and
to please God. And here's a commendation. I love this
just as you're doing, just as you're doing. So let
me start with the commendation to those of you who
are in Christ and you're living for the Lord, and
you're pleasing God. You're doing this, but it's not easy.
(09:50):
It's a struggle. It's a challenge every.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Day to live to please God, to live a holy life.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And he says, I commend you as you were doing.
But then he says that you do so more and more.
There's some growing to do. There's more for you. The
Christian life is more than the beginning. It is a
wonderful life and life style in which we live, these repentant,
(10:18):
redeemed lives.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
That are different. They are holy unto the Lord.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
This is a sanctuary, unto the Lord. Lord, make me
a sanctuary.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
And verse two says, for you know.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ.
There it is, this is Jesus talking, this is God speaking.
These are the instructions I am giving you through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message a life that pleases God. Part one. In his
powerful book Ask, Doctor Graham helps you unlock the power
of prayer in your life using Jesus' teaching to ask, seek,
and knock. As you follow these three simple commands, you'll
completely transform how you pray. We want to help you
(11:14):
discover a deeper, more meaningful, and more powerful prayer life
by sending you a copy of Ask as our thanks
for your gift of ten dollars or more. Call now
to request your copy of this powerful resource. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(11:36):
You can also text the word ask to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
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a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress when you
(11:58):
sign up for email updates from Powerful Today. Just go
to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign up today.
Now let's get back to today's message, A Life that Pleases
God Part one.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Verse three for this is the will of God. You
want to know and do God's will for your life.
You're a young person today, a teenager or a young adult.
You want to find and fulfill God's plan, God's purpose
for your life.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You want to do the will of God.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Start right here first Thessalonians four three.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
For this is the will of God. What your sanctification?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
The word sanctification is a word which means to be holy,
to be pure, sanctification.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
It means separation from sin unto God.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
When you got married, maybe you were dating around, and
you know you had all these all these datables in
your phone. You call them up and go on a date,
maybe one, maybe two at a time, five at a time,
I don't know, but you've dated around. But then the
one walked into your life. That one the one of
(13:15):
God's own choice for you. And you said at an altar,
I choose you above all others, beyond all others, and
I separate myself to you. I commit to you to
leave all the others and to cleave to you. That's sanctification.
(13:37):
A man is sanctified to his wife, a woman is
sanctified to her husband. We are separated from all others.
And we cleave and cling to one another. We're separated
to each other. Now we are separated from our sin
(13:58):
and separated too God in this love relationship that we
have with Him. Remember, salvation is both a crisis and
a process. Salvation is both a crisis and a process.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
And here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, when you
become a believer, when you are saved, born again, that's
a crisis point.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
It's a conversion.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
You were going in one direction and you turned in
a new direction. That's repentance to turn around. But salvation
is also a process. There is no sinless perfection this
side of Heaven.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
We're all on the path.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
We're all on the journey, and there is a struggle
along the way. So it is the will of God,
therefore that you participate in this process of becoming more
and more like Jesus, that you walk with him.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And to walk with him is to be filled with
Him and.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
His presence, and that means purity and holiness and godliness,
not self righteousness, but his righteousness.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Remember this holiness is not the way to Jesus. Jesus
is the way to holiness. We don't become holy, or
we don't get.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
To Jesus by self righteous works of trying to act
holy or be holy.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Holy Jesus is the way to holiness.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
You'll never live a holy life apart from Jesus Christ.
You need to be saved. You need to come to
Christ and repent of your sins and to be cleansed.
You don't have to live in your sin. You don't
have to live in your shame. You don't have to
live a life of regret. You can be bade brand
new by the power of Jesus Christ. But with that said,
(16:12):
if you are in Christ, then your life is to
be different. It will be different if anyone being Christ,
He's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Everything
becomes brand new again. You haven't arrived there yet. You're
not perfect, but you're on the way. It's not perfection
right now that God is after it is progress, progress
(16:37):
that you would abound more and more. Sex is God's idea.
God's not holding sex out from you. He is holding
on to it for you. He is not keeping sex
from you. He is saving sex for you. Is his idea.
That's why the scripture says in Hebrews chapter thirteen and
(16:57):
verse four that marriage should be honored by all, and
the marriage bed be kept pure. But God will judge
the adulter and all the sexually immoral. So the marriage bed,
the physical intimacy between a man and a woman in.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Marriage is to be protected.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
There are to be boundaries both before we get married
and certainly while we are marriage.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And when the scripture here.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Talks about sanctification from anything that is immoral, look at
it again. In chapter four, verse three, it says, this
is the will of God for you. Your sanctification what
that you abstain, That you abstain from sexual immorality. That's
a very strong word there, abstained. Some translations give it
(17:47):
as a void. That's a bad translation. The language of
the New Testament is much stronger than avoid. It's not
like you know, I'm walking down the hall and you
know I try to avoid you. Is much stronger than avoid.
We're talking about total abstinence from any sexual behavior that
(18:10):
is outside of the blessing and the beauty, and yes,
the boundaries of marriage. I didn't say it, God said it.
God knows what is best for each one of us.
God has chosen a path for us that is pure
(18:31):
and real satisfaction and security is found in God's way,
not my way.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
We're not smarter than God.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Now there is a pure desire and an impure desire.
The problem is not sex. God created sex. The problem
is lust. The problem is sexual behavior outside of God's
parameters that He has chosen for us, whether it be
(19:07):
adultery or immorality before marriage. In mind and thought, indeed,
lust is uncontrolled passions.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
That's what lust is. Say what is lust? Well, most
people have an idea as to what lust is. What
he's talking about.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Is uncontrolled passions. That's why he says in this passage,
learn how to control your body. If you are a believer,
this is your passion. This is the passion that overwhelms
every other kind of passion. Paul says in First Thessalonians
(19:47):
five thirteen, it's just a verse or two over. You
would be sanctified body, soul, and spirit. You have a body,
physical life, you have a soul which a suitcase, psychological life,
emotional intelligence, and sol go on. Then you have a
spiritual life, how you relate to God, and you don't
compartmentalize your life by saying, well, in the spirit I'm holy,
(20:08):
but in the flesh, not so much that you would
be sanctified, made more and more like Jesus physically, mentally, psychologically,
and spiritually, that you would please God.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
That's what he's talking about here. I'm telling you.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
That there are no exceptions, there are no excuses. This
is for all who name the name of Christ. The
word immorality here is taken from a Greek word pornea.
When you can hear the word porn in that word
(20:55):
and literally the word pornographic is akin to this word,
but not just pornography on paper, on video, but pornography
in your life.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Where this obsession begins.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
To control you, you become an addict. You become habitually
disconnected from God. Again, God made sex for his purposes
and for your pleasure. Psalm eighty four eleven. The Lord
(21:30):
God is a son and a shield. He gives grace
and glory, or favor and honor, and no good thing
will he withhold to them who walk uprightly. And so
back to our text, for this is the will of God.
Your sanctification that you abstain. Is there anything unclear about
(21:54):
the word abstained?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
That you abstain.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Not accept as so many people have accepted immorality in
our culture, but abstain personally. Abstain. This is the will
of God for you. You see, everyone has a choice
in life to make, whether you will live to please
(22:22):
God or live to please yourself, whether you will indulge
your flesh or walk in the spirit. It should be
your desire to starve the flesh and feed the spirit
(22:44):
in your life. But Deuteronomy thirty verses nineteen and twenty
says this, but I call heaven and earth to witness
against you today that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life that you
and your offspring may live loving the Lord, your God,
(23:08):
obeying his voice, and holding fast to him, for he
is your life and length of days.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
What a scripture. You have a choice to live in
victory or to live.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
In misery, to live in God's blessings with all the
benefits that comes from walking with Him, or to live
under the cursing of judgment. You have a choice, and
that is your happiness or your unhappiness. You say, how
(23:41):
in the world can I do that? It really involves
a decision, a choice you make to choose Christ over
yourself to turn from your sin and trust in Him.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack and the message
a Life that Pleases God Part one. Nothing lights a
fire in your faith like experiencing the power of prayer firsthand.
As you begin to see God as a personal, loving
father who desires to hear and answer your prayers. It
transforms your life, and thanks to friends like you, more
(24:19):
people all around the world are hearing about their loving
God and his son Jesus through the TV, radio and
online outreach of PowerPoint. That's why your support of this
ministry is so vital. We'll say thanks for your gift
of ten dollars or more by sending you a copy
of doctor Graham's book Ask. This is a great resource
to help you strengthen your own prayer life and teach
(24:41):
you to approach God with boldness and confidence. So call
now to request your copy. When you give, call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word ASK to five nine
se eight nine, and don't forget to visit Jack Graham
(25:02):
dot org where you can shop our East door, give
a gift online or sign up for doctor Graham's free
daily email devotional. Our website again is Jack graham dot org,
and also be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's
podcast Bible in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint
for today?
Speaker 2 (25:23):
It's very important that you know that our God is
a happy God, and in his presence there is fullness
of joy at his right hand. According to the scripture,
is pleasure forevermore. Jesus said, my joy I give to you. So, God,
who is full of joy in Jesus, who wants you
to live not only in holiness but in happiness, has
(25:44):
promised you a genuine and lasting satisfaction and joy. Now,
the devil doesn't want you to know that. The devil
wants you to think that it's up to you to
find your own happiness, or even to turn to the
world or Satan himself to find happiness. And many times
we destroy our own happiness and we end up in
misery because we try to choose happiness in our own way. Everything,
(26:07):
anything we pursue outside of God's God's word is taking
a sledgehammer to the abundant life that he has promised us.
So when it comes to all of our desires, including
physical sexual desires. The world tells us that what we
need to do is please ourselves and that will make
us happy. That's the company line. That's what the world says.
(26:29):
And so we have a world full of really happy people, right, Well,
that's not right. We have a world filled with a
lot of unhappy, selfish, dissatisfied people. And the more people
feed their selfish desires and sinful desires, the more empty
and alone and dissatisfied they feel. You were made to
live in a loving relationship with God, to walk with Him,
(26:51):
and that should bring joy to your life. When you're
truly walking in the Word, when you're living for Jesus,
then you will experience satisfaction and the pleasure that He
desires for you to have. It's in that relationship that
you can find happiness. Any other attempt you make outside
of him is a failure. So trust in the Lord Jesus,
believe in him, live God's way, and I promise you,
(27:14):
as you live a life that pleases God, it will
please you as well.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And that is today's power Point. Remember when you give
a gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll
send you doctor Graham's book, Ask as Our Thanks Call
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word ASK to five nine
(27:40):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how you can experience
the joy God wants for you. That's next time on
PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored
by PowerPoint Ministry
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