 And so this morning we're going to turn the corner a little bit, and we're going to look at a woman who pleases the Lord, and we're going to look at purity. A woman who pleases the Lord is pure. And I was asked to speak especially to the single women, but you know what? A woman who is married needs to be pure also. In fact, we just had a very sobering event in our church. A woman I've known since she was three years old. I used to babysitter. She was a triplet, and I've discipled her for three years, and just about six weeks ago she was excommunicated out of our church for committing adultery at least four times last year with four different men. And so this was a heartbreak to my husband and I because we've known her and her husband since they were little children. My husband married them. We did their premarital counseling, and it was a grieve to my heart because she's like a daughter. So women who are married need lessons on purity as well, right? So anyway, we're going to be looking this morning at this topic of a woman who pleases the Lord is pure. And so if you would turn with me to Ephesians chapter five, Ephesians chapter five. Around Christmas time, I have seven grandchildren. I don't know how many of you know that, I have three that live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the four of them live in Louisville, Kentucky, and the ones in Louisville are all adopted from Africa. And so we have a good time. But anyway, at Christmas time, I was keeping the three that live in Oklahoma, and they're all boys. And we were watching, I don't know, some little Christmas program that we were watching on television. And I have my youngest one. His name is Ethan. And I was sitting on a chair, and Ethan was across the way on a couch, and he was standing up and a commercial came on during this Christmas program. And it was a commercial about moisturizer. And the woman was really digging in and just slathering it on her face. It wasn't sensual or anything, or I would have turned it off. But anyway, it was just this commercial about that. And so anyway, the Christmas program, the little kid program resumed. And I looked over on the couch, and Ethan was standing there, and he was going. He was re-enacting the whole commercial. And I know I can't do what he did, but I started laughing so hard. I was crying because I was watching him mimic this woman and imitate this commercial. However, around the same time that this illustration was going on, there was also something else going on in our church. And that is some Christians, I use that term very loosely, some Christians who were partaking of sexual sins and thought nothing of it. In fact, they were making accusations that people in our church were not forgiving, even though they had no intention of giving up their sexual sinning. And I thought to myself, wow, both of these events, Ethan re-enacting that commercial and these people in our church involved in sexual sinning, both of these events happening at this time that I was studying this passage were certainly under God's sovereign control in my personal Bible studies, because we're going to see this morning, that's exactly what Paul is saying. We are either imitators of God, like my son, grandson Ethan, was imitating that commercial, or we are partakers of sin. You can't have it both ways. And so we're going to look at this this morning as we look at Ephesians 5.1-7. Read along with me, if you would. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ has loved us and given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling saver. But fornication, uncleanness and covetousness, let it not be named once among you has become saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, no fornicator, unclean person, covetous man, idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of God and in Christ. Let no one deceive you because of these things. Because of this the wrath of God has come on the sons of disobedience, therefore do not be partakers with them. Now ladies, a woman who pleases the Lord, pleases the Lord by being pure as she imitates God and she puts off sexual sins. And so you have an outline there I think before you and your brochure. We're going to look first of all the call to imitate God as dear children. We're going to look at the call to not involve ourselves in sexual sin. And then we're going to look at the call to isolate ourselves from those who practice sexual sinning. Let's consider the call to imitate God. Notice what Paul says, therefore be imitators of God. Now you'll have to look up at the verse before. Okay, we're in chapter five verse one. But remember the Bible translators came in and added chapters and verses. So when Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, he just wrote it as a letter. But men came in and put chapters and verses. So this was a letter. Like if I write you a letter you're not going to break it off in chapters and verses. And so when you look at the verse before, look at the verse before. Be tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. And then he goes on to say, be therefore imitators of God. What did he just say? Imitate God by what? Being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving. But also it's interesting because he talks about being imitators of God and the next verse is what? Walk in love. So we not only do what was seen before, but we do what's seen after. And it's also very interesting because Paul says put on love which was just the opposite of sexual sinning, which is what? Lust. And you know if we're being imitators of God and if we're loving like God loves, then we're not going to have time to go around and do sexual sinning, right? We're not going to be lusting. We are going to be loving others as God's daughters. Ladies, this is the nature of God. We are to be like Him. Now what does it mean to imitate God? If we're to be imitators of God, what does it mean to imitate Him? Well it means to emulate Him, to impersonate Him, to mimic Him, to copy exactly what He would do. His characteristics, His actions, His thoughts, everything, we are to imitate Him exactly. That's what my grandson was trying to do with that commercial, even though he wasn't quite as good looking as that woman, but you know he's pretty cute for a two year old. You know it's really like the phrase, remember several, well this will probably date me, but that's okay, I'm gray-headed, but remember many years ago they wore those bracelets and they said WWJD and you know the acronym was What Would Jesus Do? And then hopefully we would go out and reenact, you know, What Would Jesus Do? That's really what Paul's saying, be imitators of Christ. What would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? What would Jesus think? And then we're supposed to go out and do exactly what He would do. We mimic Him. Now as I brought out last night, the only way you're going to know how to mimic or emulate Christ is to know this book. You know I meet a lot of women at a lot of conferences and they have a lot of funny ideas about what Jesus would do. I'm like really? You know like fornicate before you get married? I don't think so. What God told you to do that? You know? We have some really bizarre Christians out there that are telling you funny things that have nothing to do with this book. Ladies, we are to mimic God. And so you must be saturating your mind with the word of God. That's why I'm such a big advocate of scripture memorization. Because if you do not know what God's word says, you're not going to know how to emulate or mimic God. It's not by chance here, ladies, that Paul follows with the words as dear children. Imitate God as dear children. As a dear daughter of God, you should mimic your father, your heavenly father. And ladies, one of the most essential ways we imitate God is by love. Look what Paul says next. Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us a sacrifice for us. As I mentioned, it's very interesting that Paul mentions we're to walk in love because he's just talked about forgiveness because you know what? Forgiveness is at the core of loving, right? That's what Christ did when He died on the cross for us, right? He forgave us of every dirty rot and sin we've ever committed, right? And so that's not by chance that Paul, at the order here, and then right afterwards he says, so don't be involved in fornication and filthiness and foolish jesting. Walk in love. Mimic Christ. Now, what does Paul mean when he says we're to walk in love as Christ did? As a sweet smelling sacrifice. Well, the word offering means to bring, like in the case of an offering that they would bring in the Old Testament. When they would offer a peace offering or a sin offering, they would bring usually a lamb unless they were poor and then they would bring a dove and sometimes two pigeons and they would bring them to the altar for a slaughter sacrifice. Ladies, that's what Christ did. We've been singing about him. I think the passage was read in Revelation that who is worthy to open the seal, the lamb. He is the only one. Christ brought himself as that perfect lamb sacrifice and he was a slaughter for us, for our sins. As Isaiah said, he was oppressed. He was afflicted. He did not open his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He offered himself willingly for us as a slaughter sacrifice. And Paul says, guess what? You want to imitate Christ? Then you do exactly what he did. You offer yourself. Now you can't go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. But ladies, we are to offer ourselves as a slaughter sacrifice. In fact, during that what Jesus said in the upper room discourse before he went to the cross, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater thing than this than a man lay down his life for his friends. A man give himself up as a slaughter sacrifice by loving. Or the verse we quoted last night, have you seated you there for a brethren by the mercies of God? Do you present your bodies, what? Living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Ladies, that's just what we ought to do. We ought to love others like that as a living sacrifice. That means you do whatever is needed, whatever is asked of you and you do it with a joyful heart, a cheerful heart. In fact, we're not going to get into this passage. I know you want me to, but in Ephesians later on, Paul tells the husband they have to love their wife like that. The way Christ loved the church. Now ladies, after I studied that passage, I was so glad that God made me a woman. Because I don't know, I mean that's hard. That's hard. Our husbands have a hard job loving us the way Christ loved the church and gave himself as a sacrifice. That's hard. And Paul goes on to say this offering and sacrifice of Christ to God was a sweet smelling savor. Ladies, have you ever come home from, I don't know, work or church and you have a roast cooking? I mean, we were over at Nicky's the other night and we walked in. There were some, I don't know what those were, beef jerky, beef jerk beef or something. I don't know what it was, but I mean, I was telling her this morning, I'm still dreaming about that. Hopefully not lusting or sinfully or anything. I mean, the smell is like, I couldn't wait and it was delicious. That's what Paul is saying here. The sacrifice of Christ to God was like a sweet smelling savor. In fact, Leviticus talks about that. They talk about the sacrifice and they remove the fat from the offering and that sweet smelling aroma. In fact, I like that passage. It says, all the fat's the Lord. I think that's, I know that's not what it's meant to take out of context, but it is a sweet smell. The word sweet smell would indicate the Lord's offering of himself was pleasing to the Father. Remember Isaiah said, it pleased the Father to bruise his son. It pleased him. It was a sweet smelling sacrifice. Ladies, the things that we do which are a sacrifice and an offering are a sweet smelling, not only to God but to others. How many times in your life has someone done something for you? I mean, they've really sacrificed on your behalf and it's like that sweet aroma. It's like, wow, I can't believe you did that for me. Really? I mean, you really did that for me? I remember last year, I had mentioned last night, my husband was in the hospital seven times last year and almost died and our body just came together and loved us and helped us and, you know, kicked in and I thought, that's what it was. It was like a sweet smelling sacrifice on our behalf. Well, Paul moves on from our responsibility to imitate God to now our responsibility to not partake in certain sins. And ladies, think about it very carefully. The order here, always think context, okay? If we are offering ourselves as a sacrifice to God and to others like we should, loving, we're not going to have time and we're not going to want to involve ourselves in sexual sin, are we? Shouldn't anyway if we're loving like Christ loved. So he moves on to our responsibility to not partake in sexual sins. Notice what he says, fornication and uncleanness and covetousness, let it not be named once. Once, not once among you. So in contrast to walking in love, some of us walk in sin. Some of us walk in lust. Now, these are all sexual sins and I'm going to define each one of them, okay? The first one is fornication, fornication. Now the Greek word for fornication is porneia. We get our English word pornography from this word. And so ladies, many times when we think about fornication, we just think about a man and a woman who are having sex before marriage. That is not the Greek term here. Fornication is a very broad term and it pertains to any type of sexual sin. It could be sex outside of marriage. It could be adultery. It could be homosexuality. It could be incest. It could be bestiality. We had a woman in our town about two years ago who was arrested for having sex with her dog. It could be any type of sexual sin. That's mentioned in the Old Testament. So I heard some of you go, ah, well, it's mentioned in the Old Testament. I remember I had a woman who lies down with a beast. As she does a man, they should both be stoned. And so, you know, bestiality is as old as the Old Testament. So nothing new under the sun. But ladies, I want to be very frank with you this morning. We are faced with sexual temptation like no other generation. And I know you young women and there's a lot of you, you have no idea what I'm talking about because you're not as old as I am. But you know, the computer and the internet has only been around for a short time. And so, because I'll probably, every one of you have an iPhone, a smartphone, some type of device where you can get on the internet, because of that sexual sins are rampant. Do you know seven out of ten pastors now are addicted to pornography? Seven out of ten. Do you know pornography is the number one engine that is searched on the internet? And so, the temptation for us is huge. And I will tell you, I counsel, my husband and I counsel more husband and wives who this is the main problem in their marriage. And it's not just men now that are addicted to pornography. The statistics are rising rapidly with women who are addicted to pornography. And ladies, many, many Christians, their families have been ruined due to this terrible sin that has started on the internet. And not just the internet, movies, you know, magazines, billboards. I mean, sometimes I'm just billboards or just walking around the mall. You know, it can be hazardous to your purity. I think I've told you the story before. I quit walking at the mall. I used to walk there before I found a track, indoor track in our hometown. And I wrote a letter to Victoria's Secrets. I was so sick of every morning I'm walking. I have to go like this, you know? Because of the things that are in the storefronts of these windows. And it's not just Victoria's Secrets anymore. It's now Bed Bath and Beyond and all these places. I mean, I remember walking in front of a bath and body shop. And there was a picture of a completely naked man. And all he had was a watermelon right here. I'm like, really? I don't want to look at this. And so, you know, just driving sometimes through town can be hazardous to your purity. Sex is presented to us all the time. One man says this, elicit, I'm going to back up a little bit. You know, it's not just a problem in our day. It's a problem in Paul's day as well. One man says this, elicit sexual activity was an enormous problem for new Gentile Christians to overcome in the early church. Listen to this. Adulterous relationships, men sleeping with their slave girls, incest, prostitution, sacred sexual encounters in the local temples and homosexuality were all a part of everyday life. And Paul says, put it off. Stop. Let it not be once named among you. Any type of sexual sin. Now, the second sin Paul mentions is uncleanness. Uncleanness. This is any type of moral or physical impurity. This might be passions, ideas, fantasies. Maybe you, you know, I'm very concerned about the new Christian novels that women read. They're nothing more than, you know, little saucy novels with some Christian slang, you know, thrown in there. Ladies, stay away from that stuff. You know, before I became a believer in Jesus Christ at the age of 30, I was addicted to soap operas. And, you know, I started at 11 and I went to three. And, you know, that's all I did all day. And I built my whole life around that. And, you know, my husband was in the ministry then, and most of you have heard my testimony. I didn't come to faith in Christ until I was 30. But, you know, he never knew I was doing that until after I got saved. And then I had to confess my that sin and many others to him. But I can remember just sitting around and just, oh, wishing I had a, you know, man like that. And, I mean, lusting all, it was ridiculous. And so these things that you fill your minds, and that's what Paul's talking about, put that off because lusting after someone else's husband or lusting after, you know, another woman or whatever, a dog or whatever, that's sin. That's uncleanness. And Paul says, stop. In fact, he's already talked about this in chapter 4, verse 19. He's called it uncleanness with greediness, which is really the third sin here that he talks about, covetousness. Fornication, cleanness or covetousness. Ladies, do you know that's what sexual sinning is? It's coveting. It's wanting something that is not yours to have. You know that's one of the 10 commandments that God gave to Moses? You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet his wife, his servant, his ox, his donkey. Nothing. You shouldn't covet anything that's your neighbor's. Sexual sins are nothing more than greed because they're taking something that is not yours to have. In fact, right now most of us are probably just in shock and horror at these three women that were rescued in Ohio. I read last night on my news that I can get on my phone that guy that they have arrested now and put in jail. Do you know what he said? Sick. He said, I am addicted to sex and I am unable to control my impulses. That's what he is. He's coveting. He's uncleanness with greediness. I bet you when they start looking, this guy's got a pornography habit that you won't believe. He's filling out all his fantasies up with these three women that he had for ten years in his basement. Ladies, sexual sins are nothing more than coveting. You're coveting someone else's body for your own pleasure. Paul says, put it off. Paul says, these sins are not to even be named once among us. We're not to be involved in those things. It's not fitting. In fact, in verse 12 he says it's a shame to even talk about those things that are done of them in secret. Now, Paul doesn't say, he's not saying we shouldn't talk about sexual sins or name them but we shouldn't talk about the details of that. We don't participate in them. Ladies, I would encourage you to flee like Joseph did. Remember when Potiphar's wife tried to, every day, tried to get him to have sex with her? Every day she pressed him. Have sex with me, have sex with me, have sex with me. And the Bible tells us he fled and he got out. He was a wise man. He fled temptation. In fact, I was really encouraged. A couple of months ago I had my four grandchildren from Louisville stay with me and the three of them from Rwanda have only been here two years in July. The one from Uganda has been here six years. Anyway, I don't remember what was going on and we were out doing something and all of a sudden the two boys, there's two boys and two girls. And Isaiah and Judah, we were doing something and all of a sudden they turned their head and I said, what are you doing? We're not to look at any woman to lust after her. Well, that's good. I don't know what we were out, maybe somebody, how the women dress today or something, but already in their home, their mom and their dad, my daughter and her husband are training them to not look upon a woman to lust after her. And it's hard in this day and age. You kind of have to walk with blinders on your eyes, but that's what we need to do. We need to flee, we need to run from these things. Ladies, we should not have anything to do with these sins. We shouldn't even hint at them or flirt with them. One man says this, what does it mean that there must not be even a hint of immorality among the saints? It must mean something. In our sex-saturated culture, I would be surprised if there were not least a few hints of immorality in our text, our tweets, and our inside jokes. And what about our clothes, our music, our flirting, and the way we talk about people who are in the room? We have to take a hard look at the things we choose to put in front of our faces. If there was a couple engaged in sexual activity on the couch in front of you, would you pull up a seat to watch? No, that would be perverse, he says. So why is it different when people record it first and then you watch it? What if a good-looking guy or girl barely dressed came up to you on the beach and said, why don't you sit on your towel right here and stare at me for a while? Would you do it? No, that would be creepy, he says. Why is it acceptable then when the same images are blown up the size of a three-story building? If we're honest, we often seek exposure to sexual immorality and temptation to impurity and call it innocent relaxation. He goes on to say, try turning off the television and staying away from movies for a month and see what new things you see when you come back. I fear many of us have become numb to the poison we are drinking. When it comes to sexual immorality, sin looks normal, righteousness looks very strange, and we look a lot like everybody else. Paul goes on to list some more sins for us to shine in verse 4. Notice what he says, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting. So the next sin on the list is filthiness. What's filthiness? Filthiness is obscene or indecent language, dirty talk, disgraceful speech. I would give you an example, but if I did then I would be doing what Paul says for me not to do. But ladies, all you got to do is go outside, go to the store this afternoon. I'm appalled sometimes at some of the things that I hear coming out of people's mouths. Like why do they have to use those words? And it's not just the world, I hear it from Christians too. Shame on us, shame on us. I don't know about you, but ladies we need to put off filthiness. Now the next on the list of sins we are flee from is foolish talking. What does that mean? Well it's interesting, foolish talking is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. This is the only passage that it's mentioned in. This means stupid talk, foolish talk, idle talk. It would entail sexual talk, dirty jokes. Again I would encourage you not to participate in those. I would encourage you not to tell dirty jokes. I would encourage you not to listen to them. The next form of speech to rid ourselves of is coarse jesting. This means sarcastic ridicule. This is someone who will say anything to get somebody else to laugh even if they have to cut people down and embarrass them. In fact the word also connotes filthy or sexual talk, coarse jesting. Ladies this type of talking is not fitting or appropriate for God's children. And let me say a word to you as young mothers. Please do not allow your children to participate in these things. I hear young children say things that should not be coming out of there. I remember when I was a little girl my mom used to put soap in my mouth when I would say things I shouldn't say. I mean and I did that to my kids and they still remember. Now I don't think they've passed that on to their grandkids or to my grandchildren but they both remember, maybe I won't get a Mother's Day present tomorrow, I don't know. But they both remember that I put soap in their mouth, you know. One time my son came home and he said the F-word and I said excuse me. Oh no he put a road on the sidewalk and I said where did you hear a school? I said I don't care, but the soap goes in the mouth. That is not a word, that is appropriate. And I see children doing it and mothers just ignore it. Ladies it's not appropriate. Instead of using our mouths for that kind of speech notice what Paul says. Instead of talking and acting like that we're to do what? Give thanks. And we saw last night this is a sign of a woman who's devoted to the Lord. She doesn't use her mouth for filthy talking. She uses her mouth to give thanks. That's what's fitting. Paul says in Hebrews 13, 15 therefore by him let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Ladies a woman who is pleasing the Lord gives thanks. Now perhaps you think it's odd that Paul injects right here that we are to give thanks but think about it. If we're using our mouths for thanksgiving to God and others then we're doing the opposite of what he's just mentioned, right? Instead of being selfish with sexual perversions and sexual talk we are being selfless by praising God. Instead of being selfish we're being thankful. Ladies could you imagine how our lives would change and be challenged if every time we gathered with the saints we obeyed this verse alone would change everything wouldn't it? Instead of foolish talk we praise God for his goodness instead of course justing we encourage a sister who's going through a struggle. In fact when's the last time you took a verse like this and applied it to your conversation your motives, your YouTube clips tweets, Twitter, television and commercial intake. Ladies I think one of the most motivating verses in scripture in regards to our speeches where Jesus says every idle word that men speak they will give an account in the day of judgment for by your words you will be justified or by your words you'll be condemned. That is a frightening verse. Now just in case you might be thinking like some well-meaning Christians do today that these things are okay and you know Susan you live in the little house of the prairie days get with it what is wrong with you you know it's okay maybe you think these things are becoming of a dear child of God Paul wants to remind us it's not okay in fact it's not only not okay it's worthy of damnation and we're not going to see the call to isolate ourselves from those who practice these things look at verse 5 for this you know no fornicator, unclean person who is an idolator has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God Paul says you know this just like ladies you know this I shouldn't have to even be telling you this this morning right you know this if you know God's word you know this no fornicator will enter the kingdom of heaven those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven in fact when well-meaning Christians come to me and they say Susan you know in fact that girl is just telling about she's I said you're going to spend eternity in the lake of fire and she said I am not I'm a Christian I'm like really are you kidding me are you ignorant of what God says what do people like that do with passages like Galatians 5 19 and 20 now the works of the flesh are these adultery, fornication and cleanliness, lewdness idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, factions wrath, heresies, seditions murders, invings, revelings and the lives of which I've told you past again those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God I mean what do you do with that I didn't say that God said it he said it or 1st Corinthians 6 do you not know the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God in fact Paul says don't be deceived because your Christian friends are going to tell you it's not so bad Paul says don't be deceived fornicators, idolaters adulteries, adulterers homosexuals, sodomites thieves, covetous drunkards that we looked at last night drunkards revilers, extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God they won't I didn't say it God said it, you can take it up with him later today I didn't say it, he said it Paul goes on to say in verse 6 let no one deceive you with empty words my friend we are living in an age where everyone does what is right in their own eyes and well meaning Christian friends go ahead and fornicate it's okay go ahead and commit adultery it's okay go ahead and have that homosexual relationship it's okay I mean 13 states now have adopted same sex marriage it's okay the day is going to come where it's going to be in the church I don't know what we are going to do I was in a church in Kansas a few weeks ago and the pastor's wife told me that all the pastors in this area in Salina Kansas had gotten together that they were going to stand firm when the government started saying let the homosexual couples come into the church even if they had to go to prison they were going to stand firm ladies Paul says don't be deceived or someone says yeah in fact there was a movie that came out about four or five months ago and some of my Christian friends said Susan you really need to go see this and I said really so I got online it had like 25 times that God's name was taken in vain what? what are you serious go ahead and see it's a good movie the good outweighs the bad Paul says don't let anyone deceive you don't believe it ladies God does not change his character to suit our sexual pervergence God is holy he can't look upon sin Paul says the same thing in the sister epistle Colossians 3 he says therefore put to death your members fornication a covetousness idolatry because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience in fact I had lunch about six months ago five ladies I had lunch with once a month and Christian my Christian friends Debbie was there she wasn't doing what I'm getting ready to tell you but there was five of us who get together once a month and the subject of homosexuality came up because it's a big topic now we're adopting it and by the time the lunch was over I had a couple of my friends snarling their teeth at me and you know what we're not having lunch anymore they've completely cut off the lunch because I took a stand one of the ladies says well we're just born that way and I said yeah we're all born that way we're all born to pray we're all born for the propensity of sexual sinning but God comes in and changes that and anyway I tried to pay the price but I tried to go away rejoicing for the sake of Christ but it's hard to lose your friends and you know ladies it's going to get more and more difficult it's going to get more and more difficult as Christians become persecuted for the cause of Christ Paul says don't be deceived do not be deceived let no man deceive you he says because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience ladies since they have no inheritance God those who practice these things the wrath that is coming would be what eternal torment in hell just as I told my my young discipley if you continue in this lifestyle you will spend eternity in hell if you don't repent that's a high price to pay for temporal pleasure isn't it high price to pay ladies I would ask that we would be like Moses who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy pleasures of sin for a season sin does have pleasure but only for a season and then payday comes and you do reap what you sow and I've lived long enough and I could tell you some of the situations in my life where I have reaped what I have sown in the past some of those are not so pleasant before my life in Christ it's not worth it Paul ends his call to flee by saying this therefore do not be partakers with them Paul says do not co-participate with them Paul says in first Corinthians 511 I have written to you before do not keep company with anyone who is called a brother or a sister who is involved in sexual immorality a covetous person idolater or a vile or a drunkard or an extortioner do not even eat with such a person ladies I would caution you to not have as your bosom buddy someone who claims to be a Christian and is involved in sexual sinning Paul says we're not even to eat with such a person now maybe you're saying this morning I wouldn't do that I mean I wouldn't fornicate like Paul's talking about use my mouth for dirty language I wouldn't do that but ladies we'll listen to it we'll watch it on the television the movies the internet we will let others speak in these ways without correcting them and so we become partakers with them Paul says don't participate don't participate so we've seen the call to imitate God as dear children we imitate God by being kind tenderhearted forgiving loving to the point of offering ourselves up and being thankful secondly we see the call to not involve ourselves in sin we're not to involve ourselves in sexual sins of fornication and cleanness covetousness filthiness foolish talking or jesting and then lastly the call to isolate ourselves from these who practice these type of sins we are not to be deceived by well-meaning friends and involve ourselves in these things ladies we must remember these sins are worthy of hell and prohibit one from entering the kingdom of God now in closing are you an imitator of God are you studying with carefulness the word of God so that you know how to behave like my grandson who studied the commercial to know how to fully reenact it are you participating in any type of sexual sin fornication adultery homosexuality bestiality incest lust pornography fantasies or have you become a partaker with those who say it's fine to watch smut and tell dirty jokes are you participating in sexual sins by watching them on TV the movies or the internet do you remain silent when people tell dirty jokes do you love Christ enough to stand up for Him and confront sexual perversion like Panias did remember Panias the number is 25 the Israelite and the Midianite woman who was having sex right on the temple door I mean the steps and Panias took a javelin and threw it and it went through the abdomen and killed him both and God said he gave him a covenant of peace for what he did he stood up he was zealous for the Lord's sake now I'm not telling you to go out and take your javelin you know the next time you know someone in your church this committee okay I've come over I'm Panias I'm gonna thrust my sword or take your Glock and shoot him I'm not saying do that then you'll go to prison but I'm saying are you zealous enough to confront it ladies there's no middle road I wish there was but there isn't no I don't wish there was but there isn't one and I don't want to be in the middle road there's only two a woman who pleases the Lord walks on the road the one that imitates God she's kind she's tender hearted she's forgiving she's loving she's sacrificial she's thankful and she doesn't participate in sexual sins the other is walked by the woman who doesn't please the Lord she partakes of fornication uncleanness, greediness, filthiness foolish talk, coarse gesting and she has no inheritance with the master in heavenly places are you pleasing the Lord by being pure loving as he loved and avoiding all sexual sins I pray that you are let's close Father forgive us I pray that you will forgive our nation Lord we have turned our back upon you we are so filled with adultery and homosexuality and fornication and pornography and on and on it goes and Lord it's really hard to even go through a day and not have these things thrown at us even though we don't ask for them and we desire to walk pure in this world that is filled with immorality and yet Lord I know that it is difficult and maybe in this room it's more difficult for some of us than for others but oh God I pray that we would think very carefully upon these things because we know your word says without holiness no one will see the Lord and so Father whatever women and I know in a group this big there's got to be women that are struggling with sexual sinning and so I pray Lord that they will whatever it takes cut off their arm gouge out their eye curious about these things for Lord it would be better for them to go into heaven without an eye or an arm than to spend eternity in hell with their full body so help them Father help them to see the seriousness of it help them to secure the prayers and the accountability of an older woman that can help her that can help her fight the battle Lord that we would be women who love you women who imitate you by giving up our lives not for sexual immorality but to love others with the same type of sacrifice as you loved us and giving your son to die for our sins all those dirty sexual sins that you died for Lord help us not to participate in them give us grace give us unction from your spirit because we can't do it on our own and I pray this in your name Amen