Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Have you ever given up something before? I have known many people during my lifetime who were tobacco users in their past, but then they eventually kicked the habit. Sometimes people will turn their back on caffeine, and no longer partake of it any longer. Others have been addicted to alcohol or drugs for a period of time, and then gave them up completely.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
To abstain means to choose not to do or have something or to refrain from a certain action or a practice deliberately. Although some things in this life are a matter of personal conviction, one thing that you want to make sure that you completely abstain from is fornication.
1 Thessalonians 4:2-5 (KJB) For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 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:
Fornication has been defined in numerous places as consensual sexual activity, specifically sexual intercourse, between two people who are not married to one another, but sexual activity in and of itself can involve a lot of different things. It does not always require sexual intercourse, because it can be any type of contact such as intimate touching or passionate kisses that are meant for the purpose of arousing sexual excitement or gratification. God created sexuality, but it is meant to be exercised within the bonds of Holy Matrimony. In the Corinthian Church, some of them were committing incest, which is defined in numerous places as marriage or sexual contact between those who are close relatives, or related through marriage. This includes brothers and sisters, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, or aunts and uncles with nephews and nieces. The Apostle Paul rebuked the church for the fornication that was going on amongst them.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8 (KJB) It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
John the Baptist rebuked Herod for involvement in the same type of relationship
Mark 6:17-19 (KJB) For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
Rather than feeling terrible about what had happened, the Corinthian Church was puffed up instead. Think about a group of complete unbelievers who go to work on Monday morning and then brag to their co-workers about the wicked and lascivious things that they did during the weekend. Unbelievers commit fornication all the time, but this is something that is not supposed to be named once among those who claim to be followers of the Christian faith.
Ephesians 5:3 (KJB) But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
God hates fornication so much that He killed a large group of them who were committing this deed in the Old Testament.
1 Corinthians 10:8 (KJB) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
As a Christian our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and when you commit fornication, you are sinning against hallowed ground.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (KJB) Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 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, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Because all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, each of us have walked the path of sinfulness in our past, but when we are baptized into the Christian Life, the Lord Jesus washes all of our past deeds away so that we can become a brand new person. Sexual sin is especially grievous in the sight of God because the Apostle by the Holy Spirit didn’t want it to be named once in the church! So, people who cannot restrain themselves from sexual desires towards someone else, must either keep themselves chaste or marry them, (depending on matters of divorce or a wife leaving her husband, or incestuous relationships etc..) Some people will say that it’s only a passionate kiss, but remember that the Apostle Paul taught to distance yourself from any type of sexual contact. After all, he states that it is good for a man not to touch a woman at all!
1 Corinthians 7:1-5 (KJB) Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
You are never to forbid your spouse from having sexual relationships with yourself which is one of the reasons why divorce is so evil and bitter. This is why any future sexual activity was denied to any woman who left her own husband, because sexuality is a reward for remaining in your marriage.
But when it comes down to it, sexuality is a very small part of marriage because most of the time you are helping raise children, or other family oriented things. Just remember that physical contact and sexual relationships with others are meant to be used within the bond of marriage, and if that’s not on the horizon for you right now, just make sure that you continue….
……..Abstaining From Fornication
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
tlkjbc.com♥️
Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 