One of the tremendous things the Spirit of God does for the believer is that He makes you morally and spiritually pure. Of all three members of the Trinity, the Spirit is only One that His own adjective in His name. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and this is a reminder that He makes you holy.
Did you know that being holy is the quickest way to long-term happiness? If you want to be happy, strive to be holy. And the Holy Spirit will make you happy by making you holy. The Spirit of God is available to you to change you, to mold you, and to form you into the character of Jesus Christ. He is present in your life to shield you from temptation.
I want to challenge you to think about something. If you think about every regret you have in life, every do-over, or as golfers might want a mulligan in life… … everything you wished you hadn’t done, every word you wished you had not said, or place you wished you had not gone… For every person you wish you had not hurt, I would say without exception it is because you failed to handle temptation. The good news is everyone who knows Jesus, loves Jesus, and follows Jesus can overcome any temptation because of Jesus. Because when truly met Jesus, you enter in a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christ in the Christian. Now, the Holy Spirit is a Person just as Jesus is a Person.
In a recent survey, more than 50% of people who identified themselves as Christians said that the Holy Spirit is only a power. He’s not a person but only a symbol of God’s power. While He is a source of tremendous power, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person and He is Christ in the Christian. The Holy Spirit is also a tremendous gift given to believers, so we handle temptation.
Today’s Scripture
“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no 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 5:3-6).
To be frank, verses 3 through 7 are all a downer. It’s, “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Don’t do this. For the wrath of God will come upon the disobedient. For people who do these things will never inherit the kingdom of Christ and of God. Do not be partners with them.” Even though it’s a downer, we need every word of it. Let’s dig right in.
1. Elimination
There is no one immune to temptation. You never get too old to be tempted. You never get too good to be tempted. And you never get too strong to be tempted in this life. Temptation happens to everyone.
Watch how Paul mentions six items in verses 3 and 4 that should be eliminated from your life and our church’s life.
1.1 Not to be Named
Look at verse 3 with me: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
Notice your Bible says that there are evils that should be even mentioned among God’s people. The Bible does NOT just say, “Don’t practice these things.” Instead, it says, “Don’t allow anyone who claims the name of Jesus on the one hand to do these three evils on the other.” People outside of the church should never think believers are connected to these practices. There should be a bright yellow line of distinction between Christians and those on the outside.
1.2 Sexual Immorality
What are they? First up is “sexual immorality.” “Sexual immorality” is any kind of sexual activity that happens outside of the marriage bed. It’s fulfilling your sexual desires outside of marriage. And the Bible tells us that premarital sex is wrong.
1.2.1 The Gift of Sex
Scripture has a lot to say about sex. Most of the time, when we think about the two subjects of sex and the Bible, we think of sin. We think the Bible treats sex as sinful. Or that sex is simply a necessary evil to give birth to children. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We shouldn’t despise sex or deify sex. To deify sex is to let our instincts govern what we do. The Bible says your instincts are wrong. America has deified sex. But we shouldn’t go the other way by despising sex either, as God created our bodies, and He created sex.
1.2.2 What Does the Bible Say About Sex?
If you were to look up what the Bible has to say about sex, you might search the Bible for the word “sex.” Yet, a productive strategy would be to search the Bible for the term all things since sex is obviously a subset of all things. Here is a sampling of what this kind of search would reveal in God’s authoritative Word:
• Sex is created by God (“by him all things were created” — Colossians 1:16).
• Sex continues to exist by the will of Christ (“in him all things hold together” — Colossians 1:17).
• Sex is caused by God (he “works all things according to the counsel of his will” — Ephesians 1:11).
• Sex is good (“everything created by God is good” — 1 Timothy 4:4).
• We are to thank God for sex (“nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” — 1 Timothy 4:4).
• Sex is subject to Christ (“he put all things under his feet” — Ephesians 1:22).
• Christ is making sex new (“Behold, I am making all things new” — Revelation 21:5).
• Sex is lawful in the context of marriage (“all things are lawful”—1 Corinthians 10:23).
•When we have sex, we are to do it for the glory of God (“whatever you do, do all to the glory of God ”— 1 Corinthians 10:31).
• Sex works together for the good of God’s children –(“for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” — Romans 8:28).
• Sex is to be sanctified by the Word of God and prayer (“everything . . . is made holy by the word of God and prayer” — 1 Timothy 4:4-5).
• We must be on guard not to be enslaved by sex (“I will not be enslaved by anything” — 1 Corinthians 6:12).
In the context of marriage, sex is God’s gift to humans. The pleasure found in sex is not embarrassing for the Bible as God devoted one book inside the Bible to the celebration of marital love and sex: The Song of Solomon. While the movies portray marital sex as routine and ordinary, the Bible considers the lifetime sexual union between one man and one woman as both sacred and to be enjoyed. So God loves for His people to enjoy the gift of sex. But God places barriers or barricades around His gift so that we will not hurt ourselves. When your sex life is holy, your sex life will also be happy.
1.2.3 Toilet Water
The word “sexual immorality” is the Greek word “porneia,” and everybody knows this is the word from which we get our word pornography. Pornography is a tall glass of toilet water. When you go outside of the barricades God has placed to protect you, you are drinking toilet water. It’s a pleasure at first, but it’s disgusting afterward. Pornography clearly is driven by lust and incites more lust. And, lust for anyone but your wife is condemned by God as evil.
“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? … 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:27, 29).
1.2.4 The Ramp of Pornography
Pornography is the ramp that will lead you to do terrible things. Things you didn’t think you were capable of. One man in our church who’s no longer here began with pornography years ago. But soon, he found that wasn’t enough. When he took business trips, he found prostitutes. His wife discovered this because their devices were linked together, and she could see his texts to the prostitute in real-time. Even though she tried, he eventually left his wife and two beautiful children. He would later sit in this worship center alongside everyone else. He sang the same songs and read the same Bible verses as you are doing. I am sure he never thought he was capable of such things, but pornography was his ramp into deserting his children and leaving his wife.
Again, pornography is a tall glass of toilet water. It’s a pleasure at first, but it’s disgusting afterward. Pornography is the ramp that will lead you to do terrible things.
1.3 All Impurity
Look at verse 3 with me: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
You could translate the words “all impurity” as trashiness. Paul combines the words “sexual immorality” and “all impurity,” and together, the terms cover every kind of sexual sin. This word is used to described homosexuality in Romans 1:24. “Sexual immorality” and “all impurity” is saying you put the brakes on. So when you put this together, believers are to put the brakes on any one of the following acts:
Homosexuality…
Fornication…
Adultery…
Swinging…
Friends with benefits…
Bisexuality…
Rape…
Polygamy
Sexting
Prostitution…
Pedophilia…
Sinful lust…
Incest…
And anything else they invent next. If you want to be happy in this life, then you eliminate these from your life. Here’s a simple way to be both holy and happy. The only woman you should see naked is your wife. The only man you should see naked is your husband. This will be lead you to a lifetime of happiness.
Again, the Bible says there shouldn’t be even a hint of this among God’s people.
1.4 Covetousness (Greedy)
Look at verse 3 with me: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
To catch the force of Paul’s words, we need to understand that the word “greed” is sexually freighted in this context. It likely means greed for someone else’s body. This is likely sexual greed where you gratify yourself at the expense of others. Again, “Sexual immorality” is a fire in your lap, according to Proverbs, my friend.
Sex is relational cement that belongs only in marriage. Sex is a way for one person to say to another person, “I belong to you completely; you belong to me completely.” Sex is you saying, “I belong completely, permanently to you.” You need to know that Jesus Christ died on a cross to forgive you and cleanse you from such things. Remember Jesus was kicked, beaten, speared through His side. Then His hands and feet were nailed to a cross where He died within six hours. He took the punishment for you, Mr. Believer and Mrs. Believer. Yes, you can be forgiven your sins. You can be transformed if you work with the Holy Spirit to change your heart’s desires.
1.5 Filthy Talk
If verse 3 is about your actions, then verse 4 is about your speech. Turn your attention to verse 4: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).
Simply put, don’t have a filthy mouth. And don’t talk one way around believers and adopt filthy language when you’re with the guys.
The Welsh Revival
More than a century ago, the small nation of Wales experienced a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit. It swept through thousands of people and changed so many lives. I’ll give you just a taste of the results. During the time of revival, the police were left with virtually nothing to do, and the courts were empty. Saloons and bars shut down for lack of business. Public drunkenness was almost non-existent. People paid off old debts, many had long been forgotten, but they were paid off in full as the Spirit of God brought these to mind. Profanity disappeared. It was said that horses everywhere were in complete confusion. They had become accustomed to responding to their master’s profane shouts and kicks and cursing, virtually of all of which had disappeared.
1.6 Foolish Talk
“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).
When you are converted to Christ, your mouth changes.
1.7 Crude Joking
“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).
This means jokes about sex. Notice that the “sexual immorality” part is important because it’s actually named three times. First of all, “sexual immorality,” and then “impurity,” and then later on down the list, “crude joking” or obscenity. The Bible commands you not to joke about sex. You are to have verbal modesty like you have modesty in your clothes.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther used to have a terrible time with temptation. He lived a lifestyle of sexual immorality and carnal sensuality that would have made Hugh Hefner proud. Then he met Jesus. Later in life, someone asked him, “Martin, how do you handle temptation?” Here is what he said, “It's real simple. When Satan would knock on the door of my heart, I used to answer, and every time I did, he would defeat me. But now, when Satan knocks on the door of my heart, I just let the Lord Jesus answer, and He says, ‘Martin Luther used to live here, but he moved out. I live here now, and the devil turns and runs.”
1. Elimination
2. Certainty
Let’s pause for a second. Let’s slow down and acknowledge there’s a whole lot of sexual sin in Christians today. There’s more sexual immortality in our church than you or I would want. I wish we could say that it’s not named among the people of Cross Church and NRHBC. Oh, that would be so good for the family of God! So what do we do?
Notice the certainty of verse 5: “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:5).
Evidently, a lot of people in the church of Ephesus thought they had an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, but they had not given up their sexual sin. Paul says that doesn’t compute. That doesn’t add up. You will not march into heaven’s gate while practicing repeated sexual sin. When you experience the forgiveness of Jesus, a change takes place inside of you.
There is tremendous hope for those addicted this morning. The Bible teaches you can change from inside out – your heart and mind can change when the Spirit enters into your life. Yet, this is a certainty: you will not enter heaven persistently engaging in these sins. No, the Christian isn’t “sin-free” or perfect. But there will be a change when the Holy Spirit enters your life. The intensity of sin and the frequency of sin will change in the believer’s life over time. You may have a prodigal episode, but the frequency and intensity of your sinful nature will give way to the desires of the Spirit over time.
Ephesus was the slime pit of the first century. The temple of goddess Diana was in Ephesus and was one of the ancient wonders of the world. The idol, Diana, had multiple breasts, and she was the symbol of fertility. And yet, God raised up a colony of heaven there, an outpost of the kingdom of God. He changed these men and women, and He can certainly change you.
1. Elimination
2. Certainty
3. Change
How does this change happen? It happens on your inside, in your heart. When Woody Allen was asked to explain his twelve-year relationship with his step-daughter, he replied, “The heart wants what the heart wants.” And Paul would agree with Woody Allen on the heart. The gospel changes your heart so that you want that which is holy and good.
Remember, the Holy Spirit is Christ in the Christian. And the Spirit enters into you and changes your heart. Look, some of you may try to do the right thing for a period of time. You may be successful for a decade or more. But until you have a heart change at the core of who you are, you are going to be nothing more than stapling roses on a dead bush. The Spirit changes you, and He changes your desires. Remember that concept of that old movie, Weekend at Bernie’s, where they take the dead guy and make him look alive? Until you know Christ, your heart is dead. But the Spirit enters into you and makes you all.
Go back to verse 1 with me for a moment: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1). You don’t imitate the Father to become His child. Instead, you imitate the Father because you ARE His child. When you become a child of God, you take on the characteristics of your Father: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1).
The Holy Spirit is Christ in the Christian.
Conclusion - Exhortation
Have hope because the very Spirit of God is in you! Don’t despair - you don’t have to fight your spiritual battles alone. The Spirit of God is in you! Don’t be despondent - you don’t have to fight temptation of the world, the lusts of your flesh, and the roaring lion of Satan all by yourself. The Spirit of God is in you! The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the believer’s heart! Don’t be discouraged – the last enemy will be defeated! I will stand perfectly before God, the Father, one day because the Spirit is in me! You’re not alone in this life! He places the Holy Spirit in you! You can defeat temptation because Who’s inside of you.
Remember, it’s foolish to push a bus when Clark Kent is sitting inside of it. He didn’t place an angel inside of you. He placed God inside of you. He didn’t place a saint inside of you. You don’t have the spirit of your godly grandmother in you. You have the Spirit of God in you! You may just be as normal looking as Clark Kent. But I have good news for you, believer – Superman, lives inside you. You have the Spirit of God in you!
