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The Rebel In Our Midst Song: Satan shame unto you, all power belong to Jesus (2x) Introduction A rebel is a person who rebels. He/she is s dissenter. Fights against or refuse allegiance (support given to a sovereign cause) to established government or conventions; resist control. So they are in our midst but wagging war against the faith – children of disobedience! Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:3-4) “ I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. ” (Ezekiel 20:38). But read the entire text if you can Ezekiel 20:1-38 “for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!" "I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD . (1 Kings 21:20). Satan's special efforts are now directed toward the people who have great light. He would lead them to become earthly and sensual. There are men who minister in sacred things whose hearts are defiled with impure thoughts and unholy desires. Married men who have children are not satisfied. They place themselves where they invite temptations. They take liberties which should only be taken with their lawful wives. Thus they fall under the rebuke of God, and in the books of heaven adultery is written opposite their names. Satan is making determined efforts to overcome those who advocate the commandments of God, that their principles shall become tarnished, and their lives corrupt. How it begins “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3) They originate first in the heart: “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21) And the scripture calls them the works of the flesh: 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21). "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Luke 16:18). They spring from an evil lust: “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6) 3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). Because lust is especially aroused by the sight of the eyes, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28). The Word of God specifically exhorts Christians to "adorn themselves in modest apparel" (1 Timothy 2:8-9; 1 Peter 3:3; Isaiah 3:16-24).Genesis 34:2 "saw" Genesis 38:1-24 "saw" Genesis 39:7-12 "cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, 'Lie with me'" Judges 16:1 "saw" 2 Samuel 11:1-5 "he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon" David’s sin 2 Samuel 11:1-5 "he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon" Amid the perils of his earlier life David in conscious integrity could trust his case with God. The Lord's hand had guided him safely past the unnumbered snares that had been laid for his feet. But now, guilty and unrepentant, he did not ask help and guidance from Heaven, but sought to extricate himself from the dangers in which sin had involved him. Bathsheba, whose fatal beauty had proved a snare to the king, was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's bravest and most faithful officers. None could foresee what would be the result should the crime become known. The law of God pronounced the adulterer guilty of death, and the proud-spirited soldier, so shamefully wronged, might avenge himself by taking the life of the king or by exciting the nation to revolt. Solomon and Samson’s sin Fornication and Adultery Fornication is the illicit sexual intercourse of unmarried persons. 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders. 18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. ( 1 Corinthians 6:9, 18 ). To commit adultery is to have sexual relations with someone other than one's own spouse (husband or wife). “For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives and in my name have spoken lies, which I did not tell them to do. I know it and am a witness to it," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 29:23). 7 "Why should I forgive you? 8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, Jeremiah 5:7-8 29 So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. 32 But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. ( Proverbs 6:29, 32 ). Adultery and fornication are serious offences. Under the law, such acts were counted worthy of death. a. Burned 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" Genesis 38:15, 24 " 'If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire. (Leviticus 21:9). b. Stoned 22 If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. 23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must purge the evil from among you. 25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Deuteronomy 22:22-25 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" (John 8:4-5). c. In the days of the early church, fornication was considered just cause for excommunication from the fellowship of believers. Expel the Immoral Brother! 1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). d. Fornication justifies divorce. Deuteronomy 22:13-21 Marriage Violations 13 If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her 14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity," 15 then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. 16 The girl's father will say to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. 17 Now he has slandered her and said, 'I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.' But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, 18 and the elders shall take the man and punish him. 19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives. 20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you. “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:32). “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9). “And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." (Mark 10:12) Why is this considered such a serious offence? : "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you...? therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." ( 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 ), especially in verse 18. God desires a walk of consecration and holiness within His people: 7 " 'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. 13 " 'The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, (Leviticus 21:7, 13-14), “As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1). “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (Titus 2:11-12). Remember that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit: “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:13-20) Fornication has been common since the beginning of time. Not the oldest profession, it is one of the oldest sins of any society. It was so common in Paul's time that when he wrote the letter to the church at Corinth he needed to say, "now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord." This same warning needs to be sounded in our day, where there have been advances in sin over the society in which Paul lived, so that today sexual promiscuity is even publicised and glamorised. Although by the corrupt moral standards of today's permissive society premarital and extramarital sex are considered acceptable and blameless in the eyes of man, nevertheless, the Word of God clearly declares that God (Who never changes – Malachi 3:6) considers it sin. Genesis 20:9 "a great sin" Genesis 34:7 "which thing ought not to be done" 2 Samuel 13:12 ‘such a thing should not be done. “Your adulteries and lustful neighing, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?"(Jeremiah 13:27). 15 " 'But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. Such things should not happen, nor should they ever occur. 17 You also took the fine jewellery I gave you, the jewellery made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. 19 Also the food I provided for you—the fine flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD. 20 " 'And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood. ( Ezekiel 16:15-22 ). What makes this sin so common is its allure. Many strong men have been slain by the whorish woman ("who flatters with her words..."), “It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words (flatters with her word),” (Proverbs 2:16). “That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.” (Proverbs 7:5) and many strong women have been slain by the temptations of the amorous man, whose mouth is full of promises. The temptation to succumb to this sin is powerful, and nearly universal. Since this is a sin, it must be called that. The 21 st century is noted for its euphemisms, its refusal to call something by its real name. We've all heard this. That's why we hear very little about fornication or adultery, our society preferring rather to speak of being "sexually active" or "having affairs." We ought to call this sin what it is: Fornicating. But professed Christians largely commit the crime of adultery. Both clergymen and laymen, whose names stand fair upon the church record, are alike guilty. Many who profess to be the ministers of Christ are like the sons of Eli who ministered in the sacred office, and took advantage of their office to engage in crime and commit adultery, causing the people to transgress the law of God. Remember what the sons of Eli did: “Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” (1 Samuel 2:22) “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2), ministers, evangelists, ordained, leaders etc please take note. “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” (2 Timothy 3:5) Dangers Apart from the sin, there still are reasons to avoid fornication/adultery. Avoid HIV/AIDS and other dreaded diseases. 1. You run a high risk of getting one of the many sexually transmitted diseases that are out there (including AIDS). Thus engaging in them puts your health at risk. And health is important. Very important. Bad health is like a pebble in your shoe as you walk through life, something you have to live with. A wise man is concerned about preserving his health. 2. If you are married you risk destroying your marriage and causing great emotional upheaval in both your life and your spouses' life. If you have children your actions threaten great upheaval in their world and deep emotional problems for them, deeply wronging them. Your actions threaten your entire family. 3. If a child results from your actions it will be illegitimate. By producing an illegitimate child you have wronged that child. For example many cases of broken homes, marital discord, spouse abuse, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency have their root in sexual sin. Sexual sin produces large numbers of divorces and remarriages, thereby producing children being raised by stepparents, children who often end up angry (stepparents often do not have the patience and love of the true parent). 4. If, as many people do, you produce a child you are not able to support, you have wronged society --- for society must then support the child. 5. Adultery is cheating. You can't be an adulterer and be an honest person. If you are an adulterer you are also a liar and a cheat. 6. Hurt and guilt: in the form of personal anguish, suffering, anger and hatred; hurt in the form of messed up lives; hurt in the form of financial distress. Furthermore, no other sin does so much damage to a society as a whole. The costs of the sexual sins are very great to a society. Many of the problems of our society have at least part of their root in sexual sin. Covenant (lost of virginity – blood spill out). Youths should exercise caution during courtship. The Bible is not silent on the subject of premarital relations. Sexual intercourse is to be confined to marriage.Genesis 34:1-7, 31. Marriage is God's provision for the release of sexual desire. “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4) Avoiding it “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:2). Having said these things now, it is important to be honest and recognise that fornication and adultery are indeed the Achilles' heel of mankind. Those forces can pull us all if we are careless. For all of us there is this conflict between flesh and spirit, between desire and conscience. 16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For 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. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18). "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God ... For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 7) 1. Christians are commanded to "flee," "avoid," and "abstain from fornication." “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” (Genesis 39:12). “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22) 2. Avoid any occasion or environment that can lead you into sin. This demands mortification and self-control. Remember that King David was supposed to be at the war front but he chose to be at home idling away and thereby committed evil with Bathsheba Uriah’s wife. Avoid unnecessary visits and pornographic magazines and films. “Mortify (put to death) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23). “Can a man walk on hotcoals without his feet being scorched? “ (Proverbs 6:28). Avoid the first approach to danger. But some are still tempting the devil to tempt them. 3. Parental examples: Especially, parents teach their children about this sin by giving them the positive example of their own behaviour in marriage: they remain married to the wife of their youth; they don't flirt with other's spouses; they show affection toward their spouse in the home; and are chaste in all their behaviour before the children. 4. Possession of pure heart: If the sisters were elevated and possessed purity of heart, any corrupt advances, even from their minister, would be repulsed with such seriousness as would never need a repetition. Minds must be terribly befogged (confused) by Satan when they can listen to the voice of the seducer because he is a minister, and therefore break God's plain and positive commands and flatter themselves that they commit no sin. Home study D. Consider the following accounts of fornication in Scripture. 1. Schechem and Dinah Genesis chapter 34 2. Tamar and Amnon 2 Samuel chapter 13 Conclusion Whoever commits fornication without repenting "destroys his own soul" (Proverbs 6:23). This must be taught our children, and taught from their youngest days: sex is for marriage; sex is ruinous outside of marriage; fornication destroys the existing marriage; fornication dishonours God. I've Fallen, But I CAN Get Up “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. “ (Hebrews 12:1). Think about the times that we have done or said something outside of God’s will but quickly repented once the conviction of the Holy Spirit set in. Those instances are equated to small stumbles, much like physical stumbling which simply require a few quick steps to balance ourselves and prevent a full-fledged fall. Once we have made the recovery and are back in God’s will we can look back and chuckle about our foolishness. You see, falling down is not the worst thing that could happen. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again, but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” (Proverbs 24:16) We all fall; even those who consider themselves to be spiritually stable. The tragedy arises when we make the choice to remain in our sin rather than lift ourselves out of it. God considers us just, not when we have fallen, but when we have enough Christ within us to cause us to get back up again. The enemy and his cohorts love nothing more than to see believers stumble and fall, but we can rejoice in knowing that we may be down but we are not out. “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” (Micah 7:8) You may have fallen, but today I challenge you not to stay there. I challenge you to speak to the enemy with boldness. Say to that devil, “Yes, I have fallen, but I WILL get up!” Shalom Evang.John Bamidele Oseh |