If you want to Deconstruct the Church, then don't learn from Examples PT II

2. They were Sexually Immoral (v. 8) speaking Number. 25. – the children of Israel had camped near Moab. The king of Moab tried to curse Israel because they were afraid of them. They went to Balaam the prophet to curse them. Yet he was unable to. After different attempts , Balaam told the king of Moab to send over the women of Moab into the people of Israel. The intermingling with them sexually would be their demise. This is what they did. SO in chp 25 , you have the men sleeping with the women from Moab. And God’s anger is aroused. He has the men rise up to kill those who had committed harlotry with the Moab women. They killed 2,400 people that day. - the principal is the same. The enemy will often try to redirect our paths and cause us compromise with the introduction of sexual immorality. The simple allowing myself to listen to certain things, to watch certain things. The entertaining of sexual thoughts in our minds and hearts, will eventually lead to having to take action. This will be the sexual immorality . - the word immorality is speaking about pornea, and is where we get the word pornography. But we should not be fooled into thinking that pornography is the only sexual immorality that this is speaking about. - it is anything that is outside of God’s ordain order for marriage and sex. God created sex, therefore He has made a way for sex to function and when it is done in accordance to God’s design, he is pleased, - When it is taken outside of marriage, when we do sexual things with anyone that we are not marriage too, doesn’t just mean sex, but it means when you are too close with your boyfriend and girlfriend and do things you shouldn’t. when you think of the opposite sex in a sexual manner, - when you watch things with nudity, porn, movies etc….. all of these things are sexual immorality . And satan loves to use this in our lives. He loves to distort what God has made beautiful by distorting it. Making it feels normal and acceptable to have sex with anyone even if you are not married. to be normal to lust after people in your mind, to distort God’s design in a man and woman in a marriage relationship. if he can distort our view of sex, he then can distort how sex is used. It no longer becomes a way to glorify God in it, but it becomes a dirty thing that is against God’s will. And many many people have fallen prey to the lure of sexual immorality just like the Nation of Israel with the Moabite women. A little watching of something , the people we follow on Instagram, the movies we watch, the music we listen to …. eventually this will make the sexual lusting in my mind and heart normal. and it will lead to acting on it either in porn or in a relationship with a person. it all starts with what we allow into our lives through our eyes. that will make its way to our hearts 3. They Tempted God (v.9) 4. They were Complainers (v. 10) -speaks of the people in Numbers 21:4-9. The people spoke against God and Moses saying why have you brought us out to the wilderness to die. Complaining about God’s leader and God’s plan. - So God sent serpents to bite the people and many people died. They then cried out to Moses to go to God on their behalf and to plead for them. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole and whoever looked at it would be healed. But it was their complaining against God and His plan that tempted God and made him not pleased with the people. III. These Examples are for our benefit (v. 11-13)-Paul warns the believers not to assume that they are in a place where they cannot fall or cannot be made to stumble. There is an importance in being watchful, and a person is only watchful when he understands that there is a danger. When a person assumes there is no danger, their guard is let down. Paul makes a few things known that are important for us to pick up on. 1. Man is subject to temptation (v.13) - As long as we are on this earth, we will be tempted by satan to disobey God and to pursue the things that are against God’s will. Remember Satan even tempted Jesus in Matt. 4 - We are also told that these temptations are common to man. In other words, we all go through temptations. - We must understand that a temptation is not a sin, it is the giving into that temptation that becomes the sin. We see Jesus was tempted Matt.4 and we know that HE was sinless. - 2. God limits our temptations (v.13) - This is an awesome thing. That God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what he know we can handle in His power. 3. God makes a way for us to escape that temptation (v.13) - God is faithful and allows a way of escape from the temptations. It is not always what we assume, that God is miraculously going to bring someone into my life at that moment to stop me from going into sin. Sometimes it is. - But most of the time the way out is found in the biblical principals He has established in His word. - God has given us all that we need including the empowering of His holy spirt to live Godly. 2 Pt. 1:2-4

2 Peter 1:2–4 NKJVGrace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Escaping Temptation 1. We need to avoid Temptation – Prov. 4:14-15.

Proverbs 4:1–15 NKJVHear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

We often know the places, the things or people that will bring us into temptation. We are to stay away from these people, places or things. 2. We need to flee the temptation- 2 Tim.2:22 , 1 Cor. 6:18.

2 Timothy 2:22 NKJVFlee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1 Corinthians 6:18 NKJVFlee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

The moment we find ourselves in a place of temptation, we need to run from it. 3. We must resist temptation – James 4:7,

James 4:7 NKJVTherefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

the more we resist the temptation, the more we will be able to bear it and escape it. Conclusion- God has placed many examples around you to learn from. Both to follow and examples not to follow. Either in His word or the people brought into your life. As leaders this is the biggest thing that we bring to the table, we bring experience of our short comings and also a pattern for you to follow. - We need to take advantage of what God has done in our lives and who he brings into our lives.