Articles From Our Bulletins
Building Walls Against Sexual Immorality
As I sit here watching the rain fall outside my window, I think, Walls are a good thing. They help keep us dry when it is raining, cool when it is hot and warm when it is cold, and give us a place to hang a family photo. In ancient times, walls went up around communities to protect them from attacking forces.
A dangerous enemy is present seeking to destroy us every day. The apostle Paul identified it as sexual immorality. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;… For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 7). Yet, how many genuinely sincere Christians have you known over the years that have struggled with sexual immorality? Turned away from the Lord because of this enemy? What we need are walls for protection.
Build a Wall of Self-Control
One of the great lies society has told us—particularly to our young people—is that we can’t control ourselves. When we have failings, it wasn’t because we couldn’t control ourselves; it was because of some “disorder.” To be sure, there are some people who suffer from such conditions, but likely not as many as we think. Many people just haven’t adopted the attitude of Paul when he wrote, “But 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)—but they desperately need to.
Self-control is demanded because we live in a world where the opportunity to lust is literally all around us—from riding down the street to surfing the internet. It is very likely the secret sin plaguing the church right now. We aren’t just talking perverts, folks—we are talking about fathers and mothers, Bible class teachers, preachers and elders—all normal people who want to be committed to purity, but they struggle. Forget about the H1N1 virus—THIS is the epidemic we need to be concerned about.
Just how serious of a threat did Jesus think lust was to His creation? “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:28-30).
If lust is not controlled, it will destroy. It can destroy our reputation (Genesis 38), our family (2 Samuel 12- 18) and as our Savior pointed out, our soul as well.
Let’s commit ourselves to building a wall to protect us from lust. How?
First, make a covenant with your eyes. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1). If we are ever to overcome the sin of lust, it must first begin with a simple commitment—I will not make it a practice to look to lust. When I find myself doing that, I will stop. This is a simple, but crucial step.
Second, remove areas of temptation from your life. “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Ask yourself: where are the areas I go where I am tempted to lust? Don’t go there. What people tempt me the most? Don’t hang around them. If that means you have to change jobs, get rid of cable or the internet, then do it. The biblical basis for this is found in Matthew 5:28-29—get rid of anything that causes you to sin regardless of the cost.
Third, seek help from others. One of our greatest resources in this struggle will be a caring Christian. Find a brother (men) or a sister (ladies) who wants the best for you and to whom you can tell your struggle to without fear of condemnation, but certainty of support. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
Finally, turn to God. If you do all the others without this one, you are doomed to failure. One of Joseph’s motivations for fleeing from Potipher’s wife was a fear of disappointing God (Genesis 39:9). “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). How do we do this? Spend more time in His word, prayer and people who are committed to glorifying His name through a commitment to personal purity. Build a Wall of Modesty If ever there was a time when immodesty ruled, this is it. From billboards to beaches, magazines to malls, sidewalks to schools, skin and shapeliness is king (or should we say “queen”). The message from Hollywood and New York is simple: a woman’s source of power is her body; use it, sister! Christian women (and to some degree Christian men) are constantly tempted to look “sexy” and “hot” to gain the attention of the opposite sex and compete with those around them. In the best of situations, it is done ignorantly by those unaware of how their bodies affect others. At its worst, it is flaunted by those who know full well what they are doing.
What constitutes immodest dress? Scripturally, dressing in a way to draw attention to yourself (1 Timothy 2:9- 10; 1 Peter 3:3-5). Note, Paul and Peter’s inspired statements have less to do here with dressing in a sexual way as much as they do dressing in a loud or gaudy manner. Second, when one dresses in a way to promote unlawful sexual desires in others, they have dressed immodestly. Such attire (or lack thereof) seeks to glorify self and can elicit the lust. The Christian’s life is never one to seek glory for self, but for Christ (Matthew 23:6; 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; Philippians 3:2).
The answer to this problem is to build a wall of modesty—dressing in an appropriate and proper manner. How does one do this?
Adopt the right attitudes. Adopt a pure attitude. Ask yourself, “Why do I wear what I wear?” To look nice, or to look sexy? There is a huge difference between these two. The virtuous woman looked nice (Proverbs 31:22), but the cougar of Proverbs 7 exuded sexuality. We send a message in the way we dress. Also, adopt a pilgrim attitude. Peter called Christians “sojourners and pilgrims” (1 Peter 2:11). Dress like someone trying to be different, not someone who wants to be like everyone else. Set the fashion trends with modesty—don’t simply follow what others decide. Then, adopt a role model attitude. Ladies, there are younger Christians watching you and often admiring you. Send them a powerful message: they don’t have to be objects of sexual desire to be important.
Second, realize that modest dress is the protective thing to do. It protects those members of the opposite sex around you. When a spiritually minded woman understands that by wearing tight or revealing clothing she can be a source of sexual temptation for men around her, what do you think her attitude should be? She should want to protect them! Men seeking to be godly have a difficult time today maintaining their purity; don’t make it worse for them! Your also protect yourself when you dress modestly. Many women have found themselves unwittingly seduced by a man they aroused with sexual and suggestive clothing. Your own purity is at stake when you give into the temptation to toy with the male sex drive.
Third, look to godly women of the church as a pattern of appropriate clothing and follow their example. If you admire their godliness, you should also admire their modesty.
Finally, dress to please the Lord, not the opposite sex. He made you for good works, not good looks. He made you to glorify Him, not yourself. Our obligation as Christians is to allow Christ to be our focus, not our sexuality. When in doubt, ask yourself the age-old question: would I want to be wearing this as I stand before God in judgment?
Our sexual purity is in great danger today. So many have thrown it away and paid a great price in doing so. God wants us to protect it and gives us the means to protect it—build walls today for your sake and the sake of others!
