GALATIANS 5:19 | SINS OF IMMORALITY

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

v.24, 26, 28 - “God gave them over (up)”

The judgment of God that we find in Romans 1 is not in the form of a natural disaster, but rather the allowance of the outpouring of works of the flesh.

Last week we saw Paul’s warning to the believers of Galatia in Galatians 5:16-17

Galatians 5:16–17 KJV 1900

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

To put it simply, he was telling them they can choose to yield themselves under the control of the Spirit of God… or they could give in to the lusts of their flesh.

And now in the following verses Paul begins to point to a list of a few of those lusts.

Paul calls them the “works of the flesh”

And the works that he mentions sound awful familiar to the works that we find taking place in the world in Romans 1

APPLICATION: You know, the truth is, as a Christian, you don’t have to go searching for the lusts of the flesh… because the world does it’s best to surround you with them.

The works that we are going to look at today and in the coming weeks are not hard to find because we see, in many ways, that God has allowed judgment to come on our nation in the form of the outpouring of these sins.

They are blatant and in your face.

They are on billboards, commercials, tv shows, on podcasts, in stores, at your work, and in the schools your kids go to.

The opportunity to indulge in these sinful works has been made easy to access.

It’s so easy to walk through that door and to become trapped in those sins, and it seems impossible to find your way out!

And one of the sad realities is that their are so many Christians today that feel trapped in these works of the flesh.

Christians living defeated lives instead of the victorious life God desires for you to have!

Friend, my prayer is that this mornings message and the messages in the coming weeks will serve as a sign on the door that encourage you, “don’t go through there!”

“You’ll be trapped”

And if you are here this morning, and you are already trapped in these sins of the flesh, I hope you will seek forgiveness from Christ and find help to overcome!

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I do not enjoy preaching about the subjects we will look at in these coming days, but as we make our way verse by verse through the Bible, neither can we simply skip over what God has brought us to.

As we walk the uncomfortable path of the works of the flesh, would you pray for wisdom for me to give God’s Word carefully and clearly.

And would you ask God to convict your heart where needed and to protect you from walking down this path in your life!

EXPLANATION: These works of the flesh could be broken into 4 different groups:

Sins of Immorality

Sins of Idolatry

Sins of Animosity

Sins of Indulgence

Over these coming weeks we will walk through what is not an exhaustive list by Paul…

But I can imagine has he looked around in his day, these were just a few of the many works of the flesh that were abundant in his world.

And not much has changed as they are still abundant today.

For a few moments this morning, let’s carefully and cautiously begin to walk down this path of these works of the flesh.

And he begins with the SINS OF IMMORALITY

V.19, ADULTERY

Galatians 5:19 KJV 1900

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

EXPLANATION: Paul begins down the path of the works of the flesh with Adultery.

Adultery is any intimacy outside the bounds of marriage.

Paul knew that the attacks on the Christian would begin within the confines of the marriage relationship!

Because the relationship between spouses was to be a picture of Christ’s love for His bride.

Ephesians 5:22–25 KJV 1900

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Paul is comparing Christ’s relationship with the church, the bride of Christ, to the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife.

But God knows the danger of the heart of the Christian to forsake our love for God and to indulge in spiritual adultery

In 1 John 2:15

1 John 2:15 KJV 1900

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you love the world, you cannot love the Father the way you should… it’s spiritual adultery.

Over in the book of Ephesians, 17 times in the 6 chapters God talked to them about their love.

Around 30 years later, John wrote his epistle to the Christians at Ephesus in 1 John and 37 times in that small book John addressed the matter of their love.

What is stunning is when you come to the final book in the Bible, John is writing the 7 letters from God to the 7 churches and when he found his way to the church at Ephesus do you remember what he wrote?

Revelation 2:1–4 KJV 1900

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

The had committed spiritual adultery.

As Paul wrote these words to the church at Galatians, his first warning to those believers was protect your marriage!

He knew that the world, the flesh, and the devil would do everything it could to destroy the relationship between the husband and the wife.

APPLICATION: Friend, can I encourage you this morning, guard your marriage!

Invest in your marriage.

That’s why next week’s family conference is so important, because God wants you to have a marriage that resembles Christ’s love for you and for His church!

And this world and the flesh is trying so hard to destroy your marriage relationship through physical and emotional adultery!

Guard your marriage with all you’ve got!

Pour into your marriage every chance you get!

ILLUSTRATION: I love ice cream.

How many of you, you’re favorite ice cream is strawberry?

How many of you, you’re favorite is chocolate?

How many of you, you’re favorite is vanilla, and you don’t know what joy is in your life?

I love chocolate in general and I love chocolate ice cream.

But did you know it gets better than just chocolate ice cream?

I love chocolate runs through it!

But it doesn’t stop there… you can put chocolate fudge on your chocolate runs through it!

And that isn’t even the end, you can add pieces of Reeses to it!

You see when it comes to my ice cream, I don’t want to settle for it being good when I know it can be so much better!

APPLICATION: Friend, you want to know a great way to stay away from the work of the flesh with adultery?

Don’t just settle that your marriage is good enough.

It can be so much better!

If you are focusing all your attention on your side of the fence, you won’t be looking for what’s on the other side of the fence!

THE FIRST SIN OF IMMORALITY IS ADULTERY

V.19, FORNICATION

Galatians 5:19 KJV 1900

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

EXPLANATION: The Greek word that is used for “fornication” may sound familiar to you… it’s the word “porneia”

I want to be careful with the way I say things because I recognize the audience and the young ears we have here today:

When Paul referenced this word in it’s historical context, it referenced those involved in the act of selling themselves and their bodies for the gratification of others.

APPLICATION: Friend, there is an epidemic in our country today.

The addiction to pornography is running rampant.

Things that once would have made people blush are now plastered on billboards and tv screens everywhere you look!

Things that once had to be intentionally sought after are now readily accessible in the palm of your hand.

A study performed in 2023 found that 12% of all websites on the internet contained some form of pornographic material.

Pornography is viewed by at least 70% of men and 40% of women in America.

These websites were on track in 2023 to match the revenue of the NCAA at $1.15 Billion

One of the websites that contained this wicked filth shared that they had 115 million visits to their site ever day or 42 billion visits in a year.

In one of the most heartbreaking statistics, it was found that 93% of boys and 62% of girls were exposed to internet pornography during their teen years.

This wicked industry is only growing each passing day, and the lasting damage it is causing is unmistakable.

A test performed by neuroscientists found that the same parts of the brain that shut down in a person addicted to cocaine, shut down in the brain of the person addicted to pornography.

The physiological damage is very real and detrimental.

But it isn’t only the physiological damage that is real, the relational damage is also real.

50% of marriages where pornography is involved end in divorce.

The emotional scars that are left will never fully disappear.

For those who are unmarried, pornography creates an unrealistic world and expectation that can cause lasting damage on any future relationships.

So what does the Bible say about this subject?

Psalm 101:3 KJV 1900

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Ephesians 5:3 KJV 1900

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Colossians 3:5 KJV 1900

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Matthew 18:9 KJV 1900

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

God is serious about this matter of what we allow to enter through the eye gate and into our minds and heart.

Just like the married person must guard themself from adultery, so we must guard our hearts and our minds from this matter of fornication.

And by the way parent, you are responsible for helping guard the heart of your children.

There is an incredible weight you have placed on your kids if you decide to put one of these (phones) in their possession.

ILLUSTRATION: I’m so thankful that I grew up at the time I grew up.

Computers were just becoming a normal thing when I was a teenager.

We had one computer in our home and it was in mom and dad’s room

We had dial up internet, and I can still hear the dial tone as it tried to connect.

I’m so thankful the opportunity for this stuff wasn’t readily available when I was growing up.

APPLICATION: Friend, with the opportunity at every corner for your kids to be introduced to this garbage, you cannot take a backseat approach and just hope everything works out!

You must be intentional with your kids.

Know what is on their phone or tablet.

Have programs downloaded that can help protect them.

Put barriers in place that will stop them from having free access to any site they want.

And if you don’t know how to do it, find someone who does, because your kids will figure things out themselves!

Ignorance is no excuse for inactivity.

And if you are here today and you are already struggling in this area, you must get help!

One of the primary steps in overcoming addictive behavior is finding someone who can help you out of it… and that goes for this area of fornication as well.

The world, the flesh, and the devil want to destroy your life…. you must be intentional to ensure it doesn’t happen.

V.19, UNCLEANNESS

Galatians 5:19 KJV 1900

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

EXPLANATION: Uncleanness literally has the idea of being dirty and impure

In the Mosaic Law ceremonial impurity barred one from participating in worship rituals in the temple.

They did not have access to God until they were cleansed of their impurity.

We find that in the life of someone who had become a leper, they were ostracized from their family and all opportunities to worship.

If someone came near to them it was required by law that they cry out to them, “Unclean”

It led to separation from everything they once knew… and it continued that was until they were cleansed.

APPLICATION: Purity used to be a big thing

I grew up in a time were purity was heavily emphasized.

We didn’t go to a youth conference or a week of camp without hearing at least one message about being pure.

One thing that always threw me for a loop was when the preacher would say, “Commit to God to stay pure until you get married.”

I always wondered, why does purity end when you get married?

Friend, there is a skewed perspective that purity is just something for the teenager… but that isn’t true!

God wants each and every Christian to be pure before Him!

2 Timothy 2:20–21 KJV 1900

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

God wants you to be a vessel that is clean and pure and ready to be used!

James 1:27 KJV 1900

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

ILLUSTRATION: The ermine is a cool little creature.

It is about the size of a squirrel and in the winter time it adorns itself with a beautiful white fur.

The fur is highly sought after for its purity.

To catch this creature, hunters will ensure the ermine is out of it’s hole in the ground and then surround the hole with mud.

Then they will set lose the dogs to chase it.

The ermine will race back to it’s hole but when it sees the mud that surrounds it, it will turn and face the dogs and certain death.

It’s spotless fur is so precious to the animal that it would rather die that to have it’s fur spotted with the mud.

APPLICATION: Christian, your purity to God is precious.

And it doesn’t matter if you are a little kid or a grandparent, your purity is still precious to God.

And we must fight in this world to keep ourselves pure.

If you have failed than pray like David in Psalm 51:1-2

Psalm 51:1–2 KJV 1900

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

WE’VE SEENS THE SINS OF IMMORALITY: ADULTERY, FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS

V.19, LASCIVIOUSNESS

Galatians 5:19 KJV 1900

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

EXPLANATION: Lasciviousness is unrestrained pleasure.

It was the throwing out of all standards, all restraint, all decency.

APPLICATION: Sometimes I see things on tv or social media and I think, how can people think that is ok?

How can someone live such a lifestyle?

But then I’m reminded, the Bible said it would be this way.

2 Timothy 3:1 KJV 1900

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

And then he goes on to mention a bunch of sins taking place without restraint.

It is indeed the world described in Romans 1

But what a scary thought that such things could be taking place in the life of the Christian.

ILLUSTRATION: A while back I was thinking about some of the guys I graduated with from Bible college.

There were only a handful of us that graduated as evangelism majors and I was looking some of them up.

One of the guys, Bo, I hadn’t seen or heard anything from in years.

When I found him on social media, it only took a moment or two before I had to quickly close the page.

Nearly every post was of him in clubs with those he would have called his “friends”.

And the scene was exactly the scene that could be imagined in such a place.

And it was all over his social media for everyone to see!

Friend, it was the very definition of Lasciviousness.

CONCLUSION

APPLICATION: How do these things happen?

How does a guy that was once a Bible college graduate end up boasting about his licentious lifestyle on social media?

It’s the same way the husband and wife find themselves in the middle of an adulterous situation

It’s the same way the man or woman find they are bound by pornography addiction.

It’s the same way a person, young or old, find that they are covered in the impurities of the world!

They chose to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Friend, as we discussed last week, don’t start down that road, crucify your flesh every moment of every day!

Galatians 5:24 KJV 1900

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If you have already started down that road and you find yourself stuck in one of these sins of immorality, why don’t you begin down a new path today of seeking God’s forgiveness.

In most cases you may need to talk to someone about your struggle so you can get help and experience real victory!

Maybe you are on the outside looking in… Friend, don’t start down that path of destruction!

Guard your heart!

Proverbs 4:23 KJV 1900

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

Let’s be intentional about this today, so you don’t end up with a life of destruction tomorrow!

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