Loving Righteousness: Fleeing Immorality
I. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A COOPERATION WITH GOD’S GRACE
A. God requires us to cooperate with Him as an expression of His desire for partnership with us. God will not do our part
and we cannot do His part. If we do not do our part then God withholds some of the help and blessing He would have
given us.
B. Our part includes making quality decisions to deny ourselves (saying no to sin), to feed our spirit on the Word,
to ask for God’s help through prayer with fasting, and use our authority in Christ against Satan and to embrace godly
activities (serving) and relationships (fellowshipping, confessing our weakness). God’s part is to release supernatural
influences on our heart (power, wisdom, desires), body (healing), circumstances (provision), relationships (favor), and
ministry.
C. It possible to receive the grace of God in vain by not cooperating with it to overcome lust.
As workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain…4 In all things we commend
ourselves as ministers of God…7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right
hand and on the left, (2 Corinthians 6:1-7)
D. We must make quality decisions to abstain from (deny) lust that wars against us.
11 I beg you as…pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul… (1 Peter 2:11)
E. Denying our lustful desires is the theatre God chose for us to express our love to Him. Each of us has a different
struggle, thus, a different assignment from which we offer our gift of love to God.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If
anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… (John 14:21-23)
F. God “approves” some on the Last Day for leadership in the age-to-come by declaring that they were consistently
faithful to obey Him under the pressure of temptation.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the
Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)
G. Those with the crown of righteousness are champion in righteousness in this life. The “crown of life” is the reward
we receive for enduring (persevering) in our obedience in our war with lust.
8 There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day,
and…also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)
H. The positive side of our struggle is that saying, “no” provides an opportunity to express love to Jesus and receive
His reward for making righteous decisions in the midst of temptation. There is great reward in warring against lust. We will
only see or encounter God with purity.
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. (Revelation 3:18)
7 The law of the LORD is perfect…11 in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7, 11)
II. WARRING AGAINST IMMORALITY
A. We must how to possess or steward the passions of our vessel (mind, emotions, body) in purity.
3 This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should
know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust…6 that no one should take
advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we forewarned you…
8 He who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-10)
B. We must learn the processes of temptation and how they affect our personality make up. We need to know what
specific situations make us vulnerable to specific sinful desires. We understand how our fatigue, moods, music, movies,
locations (lonely park, private room, bar, party, etc), alcohol, disappointing circumstances, various stresses all work
together in our personality to trigger us into great temptation.
C. God’s House has both vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. We all have the opportunity to be a vessel of honor
by cleansing ourselves from dishonorable deeds and desires.
20 In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some
for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful
for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness… (2 Timothy 2:20-22)
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EYE GATE
A. Jesus exposed how the operation of the spirit of immorality operates. It is rooted first in the mind (sexual
imaginations) and is fueled by sight or “looking with lust” (in person or by the media). We operate in the spirit of
immorality with thoughts that are fueled by sight and words.
28 Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye
causes you to sin, pluck it out…for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole
body to be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:27-29)
B. The Progression of adultery: eye adultery leads to heart-adultery which leads to physical adultery. Sexual purity
is established first in area of our eyes. It is much easier to close the eye gate than to try to put out the raging fires of
immoral passions.
C. Job understood the power of establishing purity in the eye gate.
1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman? 9 If my heart has been enticed by a
woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door... (Job 31:1, 9)
14 Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin… (2 Peter 2:14)
9 I was crushed by their adulterous heart…by their eyes which play the harlot… (Ezekiel 6:9)
D. David affirmed that the eye gate was the battle front to walk perfect (mature) before God.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect (spiritually mature) way ...I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set
nothing wicked before my eyes… (Psalm 101:2-3)
E. A common question concerns how far one can go in lust before God considers it immorality. In other words,
where is the line? This question is proof that darkness still has strong hold in the mind of those asking this sincere
question. This is like asking the question, how much cancer can I inject or how much poison can I drink before it is
dangerous. All traces or expressions of the spirit of immorality will injure our heart and minimize our ability to enjoy
God’s presence.
IV. ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES – NOT SPARING WHAT IS MOST VALUABLE TO US
A. Immorality defiles one’s body making it a vessel of darkness giving Satan access to them.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against
(by granting access to Satan defile) his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
B. We refuse to present the members of our body to sin by aggressively avoiding situations that inflame sin. We
must not go to places, buy items, look at or talking about that which stirs up lust.
12 Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 and do not present your
members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin (Romans 6:12-13)
C. We must be ruthlessly honest in refusing to stir lust by identifying it as “innocent touching.”
1 It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Corinthians 7:1)
D. The Scripture requires that we say no to immorality.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire….6 Because
of these things the wrath of God is coming... (Colossians 3:5-6)
I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
(1 Corinthians 9:27)
V. GOD WILL JUDGE ALL WHO REFUSE TO REPENT FROM IMMORALITY
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification (purity): that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you
should know how to possess his own vessel (body and soul) in sanctification and honor…6 that no one should take
advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned
you and testified…8 He who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Spirit.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you…that a man has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed
up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you…5 deliver such
a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (to become sick) that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord
(instead of losing his salvation). (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)
29 For he who eats and drinks (at the Lord’s table) in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself…30 for
this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (dead). 31 For if we would judge ourselves (repent of
our sin), we would not be judged (by the Lord). (1 Corinthians 11:29-31)
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man…has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ. 6 Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience. (Ephesians 5:5-6)
9 Do not be deceived...neither fornicators...nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves...nor
drunkards...will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
20 I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and
seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality… 21 I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not
repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they
repent of their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the
minds and hearts. (Revelation 2:20-23)
Sexually immoral...liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire (Revelation 21:8)
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through
the gates into the city...outside are...sexually immoral…(Revelation 22:14-15)
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person…has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no
one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
(Ephesians 5:5-6)