The Danger of Decisionism: Why Raising a Hand Isn’t Salvation

• Sex and Relationships [00:00:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces sex as the central topic impacting relationships, noting its ubiquity and the church's historical silence or demonization of the subject.
• Theology of the Body [00:07:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor corrects the 'flesh is the devil' narrative, teaching that the body is a temple and the problem lies in the untrained soul (mind/will/emotions), not the physical body itself.
• Desire vs. Action [00:09:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the idea that feeling a desire justifies acting on it, using analogies of rage and animal instinct to show that human wiring often conflicts with flourishing.
• Divine Design and Flourishing [00:12:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a glass to explain that while objects (or bodies) can be misused, they have a specific design intended for flourishing by the Creator.
• Human Design and Flourishing [00:12:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that humans have specific 'wiring' designed by God for flourishing, using the analogy of a glass being misused as a hammer to illustrate that just because something *can* be done doesn't mean it's the *best* use.
• Definition of Sin [00:14:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Sin is defined using an archery metaphor as 'missing the mark' of perfection, resulting in death, rather than God being inherently 'anti-sex'.
• Neuroscience of Sex [00:17:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the biological effects of sex, detailing how dopamine (thrill) and bonding hormones interact, and how promiscuity 'cooks' the brain, leading to emotional numbness and a cycle of seeking new partners.
• Biblical Authority on the Body [00:21:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing 1 Corinthians 6, the pastor argues that while believers have freedom, they must not become slaves to anything, and that the body is a temple with value, contrary to cultural views that devalue the body.
• The Value of the Body [00:23:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the body has immense value because God designed it, and therefore should not be treated casually or used to cover up insecurity.
• Stewardship and Ownership [00:25:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using an analogy of a grandfather's pocket watch, the pastor illustrates that believers do not own their bodies but are stewards ('renting') them, and must treat them with care because they belong to God.
• Holiness and Purity [00:25:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines holiness as being 'set apart' and different from the world, establishing purity as the first goal for godly sex, which involves heart attitude rather than just physical abstinence.
• Critique of Cultural Standards [00:27:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the cultural/church standard of merely being a 'virgin' as insufficient, arguing that one can be technically a virgin but still 'nasty' or impure in heart and behavior.
• Serving in Marriage/Sex [00:34:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The second goal introduced is 'serving,' contrasting the selfishness often influenced by pornography with the biblical call to serve one's partner, noting that bodies belong to the other person in marriage.
• Selfishness vs. Service in Marriage [00:35:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses how pornography culture conditions men to be selfish in the bedroom, urging husbands to serve their wives and check if their actions are comfortable and enjoyable for their spouse, rather than just themselves.
• The Sacredness of the Temple and Holy of Holies [00:37:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Old Testament imagery (Ark of the Covenant, Holy of Holies, Tabernacle), the pastor illustrates the extreme holiness and danger associated with God's presence, connecting this to the value of the human body as the new Temple where God resides.
• Sexual Purity and Running from Sin [00:44:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing 1 Corinthians, the pastor argues that sexual sin is unique because it affects the body, and instead of 'fighting' it with strength, believers are commanded to 'run' from it, emphasizing the seriousness of pornography and sexual immorality.
• Overcoming Shame and Rewiring Habits [00:47:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the shame associated with past sexual mistakes and pornography, explaining how early exposure rewires the brain, and encourages honest conversation and the adoption of good habits to replace destructive ones.
• Habit Formation and Transformation [00:48:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the necessity of good habits alongside divine transformation, using the example of avoiding triggering environments like going out with friends who encourage bad behavior.
• Shame and Weariness [00:49:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the emotional burden of shame and weariness related to the topic, inviting the congregation to lay these burdens down through Jesus' kindness.
• Salvation and Surrender [00:51:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the concept of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, defining it as surrendering control and allowing God to lead, contrasting this with trying to fill internal voids through sex, money, or achievement.

• Sermon Illustration [00:11:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a childhood story about stealing a Larry the Cucumber squishy toy from a Christian bookstore and lying to his mother about it to illustrate how humans have wiring that leads to actions not for their flourishing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:12:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a glass, noting that while one could use it as a hammer or eat cereal out of it, it was designed for a specific purpose, paralleling how the body has a God-designed purpose.
• Sermon Illustration [00:11:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a childhood story where his mother caught him and his brother stealing, and he lied about having nothing in his pockets, only to be 'cooked' (disciplined) by his mother for doubling down on the lie.
• Sermon Illustration [00:12:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a glass: one *could* use it as a hammer or eat cereal out of it, but it was designed for a specific purpose, illustrating that human design has a specific intended use.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about a friend's grandfather's World War II pocket watch to illustrate the concept of value, ownership, and why one would not let a stranger use such a precious, non-owned item.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about his friend's grandfather's World War II pocket watch. He explains that he would never let anyone use it because it is not his and is too valuable, using this as an analogy for how believers should treat their bodies because they belong to God and are valuable.
• Sermon Illustration [00:26:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a childhood memory where his mother claimed they had 'the talk' about sex during a football game while waiting for popcorn, which he recalls as a terrible time for such a conversation.
• Sermon Illustration [00:28:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about a girl in his small group who claimed to be a virgin, but he suspected she was not, illustrating the difference between technical virginity and actual purity.
• Sermon Illustration [00:32:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about having an honest conversation with his wife Abby before their marriage, where they disclosed their past sexual histories to ensure transparency and avoid hiding 'pictures' of other people.
• Sermon Illustration [00:30:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor makes a humorous reference to 'demonic yoga pants' with a stitch up the butt crack, joking that his wife Abby won't wear them, to illustrate the absurdity and potential temptation of certain clothing trends.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical story of Uzzah, who died when he touched the Ark of the Covenant to steady it, illustrating the deadly holiness of God's presence under the Old Testament law. He also references David being barred from building the Temple due to his sexual sin with Bathsheba, and the tearing of the Temple veil at Jesus' death, symbolizing the removal of separation between God and man.
• Sermon Illustration [00:46:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'grenade in their pocket' to describe living with pornography or sexual sin, where people hope it doesn't go off but are constantly at risk, contrasting this with the command to 'run' away from the danger entirely.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of going out on the weekend with a friend ('homie') who knows all the girls, explaining that this is a bad habit because the brain's chemical responses will trigger old patterns rather than honoring a marriage license.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor illustrates the human tendency to try to fill an internal void with various worldly pursuits such as sex, money, achievement, or business success, noting that while these desires are legitimate, they are being pursued in the wrong way.

• Pastoral Charge [00:02:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asks the congregation to take a deep breath to prepare for the sensitive topic of sex.
• Pastoral Charge [00:16:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > Submit one's life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, acknowledging His authority and submitting to His Word.
• Pastoral Charge [00:25:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor commands the congregation to write down the statement 'God is holy' and internalize the call to holiness.
• Pastoral Charge [00:34:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor models and implicitly calls for the congregation to live above reproach and avoid compromising situations.
• Pastoral Charge [00:36:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges married couples to have open conversations with their spouses about comfort and enjoyment during intimacy.
• Pastoral Charge [00:44:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Flee from sexual sin immediately rather than trying to fight it or stay strong.
• Pastoral Charge [00:45:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > Quit your job if necessary to escape situations involving sexual temptation or pornography.
• Pastoral Charge [00:45:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Remove personal devices (like smartphones) that facilitate pornography and seek accountability or alternative methods for communication.
• Pastoral Charge [00:46:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Make a definitive decision to honor God by turning away from sexual sin and shame.
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > Bow heads and close eyes in prayer to lay down shame and weariness before God.
• Pastoral Charge [00:50:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Raise hands or type in chat to indicate a desire for prayer regarding the topic.
• Pastoral Charge [00:52:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > Raise hand to publicly declare surrender and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:00] Hey friend, I hope you're doing well. I want to welcome you to Transformation Church and specifically this sermon.
[00:00:06] We have been in a series called Relationship Goals in Real Life.
[00:00:11] And the honest truth is there is no other topic that impacts our relationships in real life like the topic of, drumroll please, that's right, sex.
[00:00:21] Today you have watched and are about to watch a sermon on sex.
[00:00:25] And the title of the sermon is You, Sex, and God.
[00:00:29] And it is my belief that this gift that God has given us is impacting us in so many ways.
[00:00:34] And there is a right way, a right goal that God created for all of us so that we can flourish.
[00:00:41] What I believe in when you watch this sermon is that you're gonna find clarity, you're gonna find wisdom from God's word, you're gonna find the truth of his word, but also you're gonna find freedom from shame.
[00:00:51] If you're carrying any shame from your sexual past, from your current situation or even pressure in the future, I know this sermon is going to help you. So I want you to take a moment, get your notes. I would encourage you to write these things
[00:01:03] down and let's jump into this week's message. Today's going to be great. Y'all don't even know what I'm talking about. Just wait a second. Keep that same energy. All right. Today is going to be
[00:01:16] great and specifically because we are talking about something that has impacted, will impact, and currently is impacting everyone under the sound of my voice. And we are in a series called Relationship Goals in Real Life. Somebody say in real life. There is nothing more than the subject
[00:01:41] that I'm going to talk about in just a moment that has affected and impacted our lives in a real way.
[00:01:48] And I wish I could say it differently, that this was a topic that we talked a lot about in church, but the honest truth is we don't.
[00:01:57] And I think we have a responsibility to, because it's impacting everybody.
[00:02:02] And so today, I need you to, before I tell you what the title is, before I tell you what we're talking about, I need everybody to take a deep breath in, let it out.
[00:02:10] Today we're talking about sex.
[00:02:14] Oh, yeah.
[00:02:17] Come on, single people, don't be shouting too loud.
[00:02:20] You're not supposed to be having it.
[00:02:21] Come on. Yeah. It's like, OK, you need to.
[00:02:28] Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. No, I'm joking. I'm joking.
[00:02:31] We got to talk about it because statistics say by the age of 19, 80 percent of people have been watching porn for five years, have had four or more sexual encounters and two or more sexual partners.
[00:02:49] 50% of marriages end because they're either unsatisfied or the other 50% says that someone went outside of the marriage to do the thing we're about to talk about.
[00:03:00] And sadly, the church's traditional response is to either create distance or to demonize.
[00:03:11] Or, option three, both at the same time.
[00:03:16] Even the fact, I didn't tell you the title of my sermon today, is use sex and God.
[00:03:21] use sex and God use sex and God it's so funny because people come to church and they're like man I need help I need to talk about relationships I need to talk about finances I need to talk about
[00:03:32] having faith I need to talk about but for some reason even the fact that this word is up on the screen in church some of you are like I don't what what is he about to oh my gosh I can't what is he
[00:03:43] gonna say I don't know if we should be talking about this which would be the exact tactic of the most powerfully created thing for the devil to make you avoid it and the church stay away from
[00:03:57] it but i don't know if you've noticed or not culture doesn't care that church isn't talking about it so just because we ignore it does not deny the impact of it on our lives everybody in
[00:04:12] here this is this is this is going to be a crazy statement but for some reason the church be freaking out everybody in here is a sexual being with sexual desires sexual needs but the church
[00:04:24] just like, oh, this is weird, and I don't know if, my gosh, my 11-year-old is in here. Let me tell you something. Your 11-year-old probably know more than you think they know. If you ain't going to
[00:04:35] talk about it, let me tell you, their phone is talking about it. Their friends are talking about it. They already know. Already. I promise you. Some are like, oh, my gosh, the youth are in here.
[00:04:43] I preached a sermon two weeks ago to the youth. They already know what I'm about to say.
[00:04:47] They ain't got it. They locked in with me. Just cheer on the parts that are good. Y'all remember.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:04:51] have to talk about this because it's affecting everybody we cannot ignore like this is not a

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:01] thing you in this room you either want to have sex you are having sex you were having sex you feel bad now you're not having sex but we can't not talk about this we have to because here's my
[00:05:13] first point we're gonna get right into it i don't know if you know this or not but god made sex god made sex genesis chapter number one he says you know what i want you to do go be fruitful
[00:05:26] and multiply he wasn't talking about arithmetic he's not like go fruitful and do you know subtraction division multiplication it could be said the first commitment ever given is go have sex this is scripture this is what it's saying here's what i want you to do be fruitful and
[00:05:50] multiply go do this thing that i made you to do that i created you to do that i gave to you as a gift that allows the world to be populated for my glory to be expanded through creating more
[00:06:03] image bearers that now reflect my goodness and grace and it'll connect you in a way that nothing else on this planet can go do that but for some reason the church has relinquished all rights
[00:06:18] to sex to r&b music and the world we don't do sex we know it's weird it's too much we don't want to be all up in people's business we don't want to be what what god god created this and here's the
[00:06:33] problem for too long the narrative has been i don't know about you i grew up in church and they're really what i said earlier the distance or the demon eyes were really the only two options
[00:06:43] you had it was either you go to church and people act like it's not happening it's like oh yeah no we don't even we don't even talk about that what sex what is that never heard of it meanwhile it's

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:06:51] like i think you've heard of it we've heard you've heard of it we you know some of y'all

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:57] you're new up in churches it's like we all know y'all sleeping together y'all and where's y'all like so there's distance or it's to demonize that your body is the devil you gotta kill your

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:07:08] flesh is the devil is the devil in your bones you just you gotta stop it don't do it no no

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:17] but the bible does not teach that the bible teaches that your bottle is body is the temple So which one is it?
[00:07:28] Is it the devil or is it the temple?
[00:07:29] You got to let me know.
[00:07:31] Because the thing you are demonizing is actually the Bible teaches this concept throughout Scripture.
[00:07:36] And I can't get into it.
[00:07:38] You're just going to have to wait.
[00:07:39] Maybe we'll release a Bible study later on this year about it.
[00:07:41] But there are three parts of you.
[00:07:43] Your spirit, you have a soul, and a body.
[00:07:46] And I'm not going to teach the whole thing, but your spirit has been justified.
[00:07:50] This is some churchy words.
[00:07:51] I can get down with these churchy words.
[00:07:52] But justified just means it's the part of you that know God, the part of you that was saved, your soul is being sanctified that's the process of going from ratchet to righteous some of y'all's you know it's a fluctuating scale your body is just the vehicle with which your soul
[00:08:14] acts out your body is just made up of chemicals and it has different things and what the scripture teaches us is your body is a temple that God created that he designed that he made that you
[00:08:27] do not have to demonize the natural desires that God gave you. The problem is your soul is out of control. Your mind, will, and emotions. So the problem isn't your body is the devil and it's
[00:08:40] terrible and if you feel something you should just feel terrible. The problem is you can't control your soul. You can't control your thoughts. You can't control your will. You can't control your emotions. So you see somebody and your soul's like, I think we should have sex with them. And
[00:08:55] your body's like, I don't know, man, I'm just chemicals over here. Something's happening. I don't know what it is. And then your spirit's like, Hey guys, don't think we should do that.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:09:01] Not really a good idea. It'll ruin a soul's like, yeah, we'll get back to you later. Let's do it.
[00:09:09] And your body's like, all right, man, I'm just doing whatever you say, man. I don't know.

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:09:15] We have to talk about your soul needs to be trained that, Hey, we don't, we don't do that.
[00:09:22] There are so many, when I was talking to you, I took some questions. And I also, this past week posted on my Instagram, a little question thing. And there were questions that came in and people are like, well, if sex is so bad, how come I be really wanting to do it?
[00:09:37] Well, that's a fair question. If it's so bad, how come God made me want to do it?
[00:09:43] He's like, well, I don't know if God made you. Well, let's talk about this.
[00:09:47] The premise of your question is, if I feel like I really want to do it, I should be able to do it.
[00:09:54] I don't know about you, but yesterday I was in my front yard. My kids were playing.
[00:09:57] somebody drove by fast on my street, and I felt like chasing the car down and kicking out all four of their windows. Metcalfes sometimes can get into an area called rage, but we're working on it.
[00:10:16] What is my premise? Just because you feel like doing it does not mean it runs your life. You know who's like that? Dogs. That's why your dog humps everybody when they walk in, because it
[00:10:31] can't control its urges. It's an animals do that. Your animal brain says, if I want to do it, I should do it. Using that as an argument is the dumbest thing in the world. There's a lot of
[00:10:45] stuff you're going to want to do that you shouldn't do. I just, if God didn't want me to do it, then why do I feel this way? Because you're dumb and your chemicals are off and that's such a bad
[00:10:57] argument. So we have to take that and just sit it over here. There's stuff that we got to have an understand there's stuff i'm gonna want to do that i shouldn't be doing if you ever i was four
[00:11:05] years old i'll never forget it we went to the christian bookstore and then walked in and it was back when uh larry the cucumber was a big deal and there was a little larry the cucumber
[00:11:12] little squishy thing i had stolen put it in my pocket oh what you talking about get out of here bro i stole it i got in the car and my mama knew too we got to the door and we walked right out
[00:11:25] the door and she said does anybody have anything in their pockets and what type of question is this

[00:11:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:11:32] you've never asked me this question before in my life and me literally my hand like this like whole

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:11:40] hand in my life nope nothing in my pockets so i not only stole but i doubled down on the lie she's like really nobody's got anything in their pockets no i'm like looking around my little
[00:11:50] brother like champ you got anything in your pockets we walk to the car i walk to the car i sit down in my i'm like trying to get in the car and sit down nothing in my pockets my mom cooked
[00:12:03] to me that day. Why? Because we all have human wiring that is not for your flourishing. And I could preach a whole sermon on this because God is the creator. He understands what practices are going to create the most flourishing for you. It's not that there's other stuff you couldn't be
[00:12:26] doing. If I wanted to, I could use this glass as a hammer. You don't believe me. Okay. Oh, no, no, but it's just not the best use of it. I'm not saying that it couldn't work. I'm not saying
[00:12:44] that it could, you can fill this up with coins. You could do whatever. You could eat cereal out of this glass cup. You'd look weird, but it's like, but there's a reason it was designed.
[00:12:54] And guess what? We can't leave it up to everybody's interpretation.
[00:12:59] There has, somebody has to be able to determine what do we use this for? Well, it's really up to you man you know just whatever you feel if you feel like hitting people in the head with it if
[00:13:12] you want to use it as a cell phone you can you know it's really got endless options no it doesn't it's just not true we can all like pretend like this and this is I'm saying a lot without saying
[00:13:24] a lot but there's a lot of things in culture that we just left up to like yeah just you whatever how you want to do it it's just it's not how it works so God made sex and here's the under the next point
[00:13:35] that's important for you to understand because church has confused this a little bit and culture has even tried to manipulate this. God is not anti-sex. He's anti-sin. God is not anti-sex. He is anti-sin. Sin is when we miss the mark of perfection. So sin is an archery term. It means
[00:14:01] you're trying to hit the bullseye. You miss. God has a mark. When we make mistakes, the Bible says that sin gives birth to death. Now people feel like, oh my gosh, the Bible is so intense. We
[00:14:12] all know this. If you lie in relationships all the time, eventually that relationship is going to die. It's not like this. We don't need like a Bible to tell us this. We all know we're broken.
[00:14:23] Something's off. It's not supposed to be like this. So God is not anti-sex. He's anti-sin. Why?
[00:14:29] Because he knows this thing is way too powerful for you to just be doing whatever with. Another question I got was somebody was saying, you know, Pastor Charles, why is it? And this was, this was
[00:14:42] a great question. One of the students asked this question. They said, why is it that I can't have sex? And then all of a sudden I signed a piece of paper. We married. Now I can't have sex. Come on.
[00:14:51] Some of you are like, dang, that's a good question. I didn't even. It's because some of us have misinterpreted the design and the most significant thing sex does. Sex was created by God to bond
[00:15:07] people eternally. When you have sex with someone, the reason it was made is to recreate. But there is a bond that happens forever, forever, forever, ever, forever, ever. Now, this is important to understand because if you don't understand this design, you will not understand how to utilize
[00:15:31] this. Now, I want to pause before we go any further in the message because we're about to start cooking and we're going to go. I first want to say, this is a, this is like one of the most
[00:15:40] complicated, nuanced subjects in some ways. And what I'm saying that is everybody in this room watching online have had different experiences, had different standards. You may be navigating stuff right now. The biggest thing I want to say to everyone is there is no shame in this sermon
[00:15:56] at all. If you have ever been shamed into trying to get better, that was a terrible thing. Shame is not a motivator that God uses to make you better. I don't care what pastors use it, what
[00:16:12] churches use it, what person on social media use it. Shame is not what makes us better. It is understanding. The Bible says it's his kindness that leads us to repentance. So I want to say
[00:16:23] this because I'm going to speak very clear because the Bible is very clear. I'm going to make some very definitive statements because the Bible does, but this is not an attack on anybody. And when you
[00:16:32] know better you do better so some of y'all you're in here and you're like i did not know that's what i thought it was just supposed to be all right that's okay but we're gonna have a restart and
[00:16:40] from here you're gonna hear this is this is the other thing if you have not submitted your life to jesus as your lord let me explain this to you there is savior which is you fell off the boat
[00:16:51] you ain't got life raft jesus saved you but we like to say he's lord and savior so he saved you lord means he's the boss he decides he knows best if you have not decided he's no best do whatever
[00:17:06] you want to go for it go i'm submitted we've submitted our church has submitted his word his scripture this is what determines what we do we don't get to just decide and do whatever we
[00:17:18] want to do we have submitted our life to his word so if you don't follow jesus right now this would be a great peer into of what it would be like to follow him i could give you scientific proof on
[00:17:27] the state of our world that having sex with any and everybody is ripping your soul out every time you do it. But we don't have to go down that argument. It's just science. It's just how it
[00:17:35] works. It just, it doesn't work when we don't do it God's way. Okay. I want to talk to you about the science of sex. This is a backing scientifically for the claim that I made of
[00:17:48] God's design of sex, which is a eternal bond. When you have sex, there are two chemicals.
[00:17:53] one is your thrill chemical dopamine it's like wow this is amazing that's kind of how that chemical works in like a summation without taking you into the science work that I did this past week
[00:18:06] the other one is a bonding hormone it's the same hormone that happens when a baby is born that tells the baby this is your mother you are safe here every time you have sex these two things
[00:18:19] happen. There is the thrill and there is the bond. What happens if you have sex with multiple people is your chemicals start to get confused because what it says is, is, okay, I had sex with this
[00:18:31] person. The dopamine went off. It was a thrill. And so I go back to have sex with them again.
[00:18:35] And the dopamine wasn't as much as it was last time. So it wasn't as fun. It wasn't as exhilarating and it wasn't as, as much. I thought it would be better. So your brain tells you, Hey man,
[00:18:45] you got to go find somebody else. So then you go to have sex with somebody else. And the dopamine is like we're back we are so back but guess what your bonding hormone does your bonding hormone is
[00:18:59] so disappointed it says oh maybe we shouldn't be bonding and emotionally connecting so every time this happens the dopamine what you are doing is the neural pathways of your brain how god wired your brain is you are telling your brain, this is only fun with someone new. And the more I do it,
[00:19:23] I should connect less. So your bonding hormone slowly gets to a point where it shuts off and you are emotionally numb because it's so detrimented that you were only supposed to do this with one
[00:19:38] person. So the chemicals of your brain are say, let's completely sever all emotional feeling completely because it's painful when we do this and it rips us apart. So let's sever all emotional feeling. And also let's go find someone new because if they don't know you, it won't be that
[00:19:57] bad when you have to sever the connection and you wire your brain this way to where your brain thinks, okay, I can't have sex with this person, but it's definitely going to be way better when
[00:20:10] I go find someone new and I'm not going to have to emotionally connect. Why is this important?
[00:20:15] And I'm going to make a very clear statement here. When you see things in the world that are terribly evil, it is because people's bonding, compassionate, emotional chemicals got fried to such a point that they could not see a human as a human.
[00:20:33] they saw them as an item to be used for their own sake and what I'm trying to connect here is that is the most extreme version of being outside of God's plan is having sex with tons
[00:20:48] of people and doing it with all these crazy things that we see happening all of that so we have to go back and say maybe the results and the studies and the data of culture are trying to tell
[00:20:59] us God has a way for this thing to work he has a way that doesn't kill us a way that doesn't crush us. I want to read to you this scripture that I read. I only read the end of it, but I want to
[00:21:09] read you Paul's writing in first Corinthians chapter number six. It says this, um, you say I'm allowed to do anything. This is, I mean, church people have been church people for a long time. They're like, Hey man, we got grace so we can do anything. And he says, but not everything
[00:21:25] is good for you. And even though I'm allowed to do anything, I must not become a slave to anything.
[00:21:33] I heard somebody say, you can drink as much as you want to until you can't stop.
[00:21:38] I can do whatever I want to.
[00:21:40] No, you can't because you can't go to sleep without drinking alcohol.
[00:21:43] So you are a slave to it.
[00:21:44] You're not doing whatever you want to.
[00:21:45] You're doing what you've wired your brain has to do.
[00:21:48] I can have sex with whoever I want to.
[00:21:50] No, you literally can't sleep without having sex or looking at porn.
[00:21:52] You are a slave to that little phone.
[00:21:55] Get out of here.
[00:21:55] I can do whatever I want to.
[00:21:56] You lying to yourself.
[00:21:58] Oh, yeah, man.
[00:21:59] It's the time I'm on.
[00:22:00] Y'all real quiet up here.
[00:22:01] Okay.
[00:22:03] You say food was made for the stomach and stomach was made for the food.
[00:22:05] but you can't say our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord.
[00:22:12] Here's the key point. The Lord cares about our bodies. The Lord cares about your body. He cares about your body. He cares about your body. The end of that scripture says your body is the temple.
[00:22:23] He paid a high price for it. And here's the problem with culture's view on sex and how that is completely opposite of God's view on sex. Culture's view on sex, the only way it explains
[00:22:38] it is for you to devalue your body. It doesn't matter. Sex is just a feeling. It's just about pleasure. It's just habit. It's fine. No big deal. And what it has to do is lower your standards to
[00:22:50] that of an animal that is just moving off instincts. I just got to, you know, I got to sow my wild oats. I got to, you know, I got to do my thing. That is dumb. That is you are literally
[00:23:02] like the dog you have in your house which cannot control itself so you just go do whatever and you're trying to use it as a sign of your symbol but the truth is I know the chemicals in your
[00:23:12] brain have cooked you so bad that you are extremely insecure and you're trying to cover it up by doing this thing that you think is going to fix it but it's a never-ending hole that you keep on digging
[00:23:20] it's just it's just you can't argue the fact of it so he says you can't say that just because you can do anything you can do so he's talking about your body has value and some of us might
[00:23:36] question would be, is the way we treat our bodies, do you know that it has value? Because God's vision of sex and why he designed it is that your body is so important. It's so valuable.
[00:23:53] It's so meaningful that you shouldn't just let anybody have it or do whatever with it.
[00:23:59] I'm going to illustrate this way. My friend, he showed me this a couple weeks ago.
[00:24:03] this is my friend's grandfather's pocket watch from World War two now I did not pay for this pocket watch but if you were like yo Charles let me let me use that pocket watch I was like no what do you get out of here no don't ask me a
[00:24:25] question like that yeah why because the first understanding is this ain't mine this this isn't and it's too expensive I don't know you like that you may not understand how valuable this is you just saw it and you think oh I think I saw one of those on Amazon that might
[00:24:44] be like no no no no this ain't from Amazon this ain't this ain't cheap this ain't this ain't no no no you don't I'm not letting anybody do whatever with this because the first thing is it's not mine
[00:24:54] and I understand its value even though I didn't have to pay for it I am very clear someone had to pay for it. And my submission is God says, hey, the scripture told us, don't you realize
[00:25:10] your body is not your own? This ain't even yours. You just rent that thing. The Bible tells you you're going to get a new body. But while you got this one, you better be taking care of this thing.
[00:25:23] You better not be letting anybody do whatever with it because you matter. You matter. Here's what we're going to get into. The last big point I have, and then we're going to go into three
[00:25:35] points. The last thing is that you have to understand is God is holy. Write this down.
[00:25:40] God is holy. God is holy. What that means is God has set a part. And the scripture says, I'm asking you to be holy like I am holy. Be holy as I am holy. What does it mean? It means you be
[00:25:54] different like I am different. And I think it's important we all have to address, we all have a lot of different views and understandings of sex, what the goal of sex is, who we learned it from.
[00:26:06] The truth is, many of us, you did not learn it when your parents think you learned it.
[00:26:12] Yeah, I don't know. But like, I remember I asked my mom, like, did y'all have a talk with me?
[00:26:17] Because I don't remember no talk. I know the talk. And my mom, of course, she's like, Charles, you know, we talked with you.
[00:26:24] Do not say that. I don't really remember, mom. She said, you remember that one time we was at the football game and dad.
[00:26:33] I remember y'all went to go get some popcorn and dad took was with me. Y'all was waiting on the popcorn.
[00:26:38] I was like, mom, listen, I'm going to tell you, even if that was the time, that's a terrible time.
[00:26:44] You know, son, speaking of popcorn, one of the things one day that's going to, yeah, no, I'm going to stop.
[00:26:51] But it's like, we have to agree.
[00:26:58] Here's my premise.
[00:26:59] We have to agree God is holy.
[00:27:01] He has a different way.
[00:27:02] And so today I want to talk about three goals for godly sex.
[00:27:05] Three goals.
[00:27:06] And this is for everybody.
[00:27:07] If you're single, if you're married, if you're engaged, if you're divorced.
[00:27:10] three godly goals based off of scripture that we can look at that we can focus on that we can set as an objective in our life that can steer us that can make us live a pure sexual life the first one
[00:27:22] is three goals for godly sex the first one is purity purity purity purity purity here's why this is important for church i grew up thinking the goal was virginity the church will teach you this just be a virgin i'm not gonna lie to you man i'll never forget this i remember being in
[00:27:44] school and y'all we talk about sex so we already down the road come on chill if you got questions text sex to 828282 no i'm just i don't know who's gonna respond but see what happens
[00:27:57] brie will personally answer all your questions

[00:28:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:00] text confused to 8282 no but i'll never forget in church it was like just you just be a virgin you just gotta save yourself from marriage don't have sex be a virgin save yourself from marriage

[00:28:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:28:17] and I'll never forget there's this one girl in school and she was walking I'll never forget her she was like we were in like a small group or something and she was like yeah I'm a virgin
[00:28:25] and I was like I was looking around I was like you might technically be a virgin but I think we all know you be I'll be knowing that you ain't really come on man hey you done
[00:28:40] because I knew because my some of my homies I knew here's what I'm saying the summation of that is you can be a virgin and nasty some of us that's what we holding on to well I'm a virgin

[00:28:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:57] yeah I mean technically yes but you are nasty with any and everybody you're and here's one

[00:29:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:29:06] God's standard is higher than just barely sliding by and this is the problem we like to be asking

[00:29:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:29:14] like how close this is the classic question any 16 year old will ask you how far can I go and it not be bad that is not the right question I get it I ask the same question but you cannot live

[00:29:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:29:28] your life thinking how close can I get to murder before it's technically like you know considered

[00:29:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:29:35] breaking the commandment how close to stealing can I get before it's like technically is it like

[00:29:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:29:42] first base second like what is the the standard is not just being a virgin it's being pure and Jesus raises this standard because he says, if you look at a woman lustfully in your heart,
[00:29:53] you've already committed adultery. Purity is about your heart, not your outside actions.
[00:30:01] And let me say this very clearly. There are a lot of us. I'll talk to us men who are in marriages, but your heart isn't pure because you follow a bunch of people. You just go on your phone,
[00:30:10] scrolling just to see what will happen. And you know what's going to happen because you follow a bunch of ratchet workout people who are not trying to work out because why your pants got to be up your butt while you're trying to work out. That don't make no sense. Y'all see these

[00:30:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:30:24] new demonic yoga pants? It's like, it's got a stitch right up the butt crack just to help with your glute workout. It's the devil who made those pants. Now I did get some for Abby, but we are in
[00:30:38] a covenant relationship. It's different. She's never worn them. She won't wear them. Oh, that's

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:30:53] the only joke I make, babe. That's the only joke I make. I'm saying this for real. God's standard for whether you're single dating married is for you to be pure not just not be technically having
[00:31:06] sex with people and i gotta say this because so many of us our standards are so low you you know what you're doing well i'm just gonna go see what they talking about you know in between breaks you're
[00:31:17] not gonna see you know what they're gonna be wearing get out of here that's so to quit lying no man i got i just i just my friend you know i gotta be quiet purity purity now here's the other
[00:31:32] thing too this is not a shaming thing this is not like a oh i've got a growing up in church too specifically which now i was looking at statistics it is almost even men and women struggling with
[00:31:44] pornography so this is not like an exclusively men thing when i was growing up it's like yeah men watch porn and girls love god like it's like i know we did the mutt sermon but i've met some

[00:31:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:31:56] girls who were mutts, just to be clear. Don't be, don't be, don't be coming for me. We ain't got a

[00:32:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:32:03] name for it, but some of them watching me preach right now, so calm down. I'm just saying. Y'all out here, we see you. Okay. No, I can't even really, okay, I'm not gonna say nothing. Just
[00:32:19] saying. Okay. Purity. What is your standard for purity? How you, whether you're dating, whether you're married, this is something I would say specifically for dating people. When me and Abby got married a couple weeks before we got married there was one night where we sat down and we told
[00:32:42] each other everything we had ever done with somebody else and it was for two reasons one is because I didn't want to enter into marriage with a bunch of ideas and pictures of other people
[00:32:51] that I was storing and trying to hide and the second thing is is I is I don't know what that

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:33:00] was God or what that was it's crazy that was that was scary low-key I'm not even gonna lie

[00:33:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:33:09] But the other reason is, is now growing up, being together for 13 years, four kids later, all these things, what I'm realizing is there are a lot of times I was moving through life.
[00:33:31] And now even specifically for me having three daughters, that's like if any boy tried to treat my daughter the way I was out here running around, I would.
[00:33:44] Thank you.
[00:33:47] But I'm saying this, this purity, purity, purity.
[00:33:50] What does that look like?
[00:33:51] It looks like being honest.
[00:33:53] being honest, being honest, being honest. It's not about, okay, I just, I'm going to try not to technically cross the line. No, I want to be as further, far away from the line as I can.
[00:34:04] I want to live above reproach. I don't want to be seen in a compromising situation. I want to live pure. Okay. The second point, goal for godly sex is serving, serving, serving, serving.
[00:34:17] It's interesting to me that everywhere in the Bible, God talks about serving, but in sex we wouldn't necessarily connect those two things together and here's my premise why in the world would God create the whole Christian life about serving someone else but in sex is
[00:34:37] where it becomes selfish this is about me I gotta make sure this is good for me it's gonna be okay like and I said we gotta be honest about this because if your approach in sex is about me
[00:34:49] how it feels for me how i look all these different things you are not living a christian life according to his standard of serving someone the bible tells us in scripture that even a husband
[00:35:00] and wife their bodies don't belong to themselves it belongs to the other person i am supposed to approach this with a serving attitude what do you need how do you feel how can i see you what where
[00:35:13] are you at and the truth is so many of us have been formed by culture and our society and watching pornography that we are selfish when we enter the bedroom. Selfish. And we got to talk about this
[00:35:26] because the truth is, and again, I can only do this and you know, yes, but I'm going to talk to the man for a second. The truth is a good amount of men grew up watching pornography. You got married
[00:35:35] and now you're trying to do stuff. You grew up watching and are you serving your wife or are you serving yourself? I want my girl to be like, that's first of all, that's not real. Those people's souls
[00:35:47] are empty. God can save them and reach them, but that is not, it's a movie that they're making.
[00:35:51] It's not real life. And when you enter into a sacred bedroom with someone who you're supposed to be intimate with and you're in that mode, it is not serving. It's selfish. Have you asked, do you, is this, do you enjoy this? Is this okay? Are you comfortable with that?
[00:36:11] But we're so nervous. We're so nervous to even talk about it. No, this is great. Well, you may be surprised according to statistics you might be getting bamboozled there brother i don't want to i don't want to go too far but just double check just saying man just that conversation what
[00:36:36] is that hey is this is this comfortable for you what because christians we be using the marriage bed is undefiled oh yeah it's like first of all you to be old to be yelling at like that i've
[00:36:48] only heard older people yell out that scripture and it makes me nervous. More power to you, but just, yeah. Are, are you serving the other person? What would, hey, are you, is this okay? Asking
[00:37:05] those questions. Purity, serving. Last point. Sacred, sacred, sacred, sacred, sacred, sacred.
[00:37:15] Um, in the old Testament, the most sacred thing was something called the Ark of the Covenant.
[00:37:28] Ark of the Covenant, um, was in short this, this box where inside of it was the 10 commandments.
[00:37:37] Um, Moses staff, there were a couple of things in there that were of high value in the history of Israel and this Ark of the Covenant, it represented the presence of God.
[00:37:46] i mean this is the most powerful item throughout the entire new testament the story really centers around this ark of the covenant children of israel having it some of it being stolen there's a crazy story where they're carrying the ark of the covenant and um it was actually
[00:38:09] only supposed to be carried by these guys who is their job but they were kind of lazy and they put it on a wagon and they're like come on man let me just put it on this way and it goes to fall
[00:38:17] and there's a guy who's like oh no i don't want it to fall and god had told them hey i'm so holy like you can't touch this this this is before grace so it's like god's like yo this is the
[00:38:29] rule don't touch it and the thing is he had given them instruction not even to put it in the wagon so like his grace was like you ain't supposed to be doing this in the first place but don't
[00:38:35] touch it whatever you do don't touch it and the guy even out of a good heart it goes to fall he go to touch it bam he dies right when he touches it because what it represented was the purity
[00:38:44] of the holiness of God and it reaches a point in the story where they first create something called the tabernacle and it's pretty much this big tent system and there's layers to it but in
[00:39:00] the deepest layer was this thing called the holy of holies and the holy of holies was special because the priest would only get to go back there at a distinct time a distinct number of
[00:39:13] times and there were all these rituals and things they had to do and washing their hands and sacrificing a bull and enter into each stage and the priest at the time they would tie a rope around
[00:39:23] them and put bells on them and so if they walked into the holy of holies and their heart wasn't pure they would stop hearing jingle bells and people would drag them out because they were not
[00:39:34] in a right place with God this is why specifically even though we are not under the law anymore as a preacher i still carry that image with me that the lineage of people who do what i do there's a
[00:39:46] reverence you must carry with this thing because the law used to have you dropping dead when you entered into the holy of holies and then the holy of holies it progresses from this tabernacle to the temple and god gives david this beautiful vision for a temple and it's immaculate the
[00:40:04] problem was david's there was too much blood on david's hands david couldn't control himself and this is why my little note, why we have to talk about sex. Do you know so much of the Bible is
[00:40:12] about sex? Like over 40 characters of the Bible, their story arc involves sex. David, why he didn't get to build the temple is because he was sleeping with Bathsheba, had a baby with her, killed her
[00:40:23] husband after having sex with her. So this is all throughout the Bible, but he gives the plans to

[00:40:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:40:29] his son. Solomon's temple is the most immaculate thing you've ever seen in your life. Covered in

[00:40:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:40:36] pure gold. And the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. And the Bible tells us that there was a curtain that would separate the Holy of Holies. And in a couple of weeks, we're about
[00:40:50] to celebrate Easter. What we're celebrating is that the scripture says that from the top to the bottom, that the veil was torn. And essentially, this is the elimination of this place physically where God's presence resides. The Holy of Holies is not a place you go to anymore because Paul
[00:41:14] says it later in scripture that God does not live in man-made temples. But you know what?
[00:41:23] And where he does live is that there's a new temple. There's not just a new temple. Do you know there's a new Holy of Holies? God, the value of the temple when it was built equivalent would
[00:41:39] have been 10 to 20 billion dollars to build this temple but God takes all that value and the scripture says for we have this hidden treasure in earthen vessels here's the dot I'm trying to
[00:41:58] connect why sex is so sacred is because it's one of the only few remaining temple activities it's if your soul is the holy of holies not everybody can just come back there and do whatever there has to be a standard and might it be that the reason sex is such high impact
[00:42:30] because us as the temple of God the Bible says that he paid a high price for you so when you see this thing it's not just about what's happening in the physical but there is a super
[00:42:48] natural thing that is happening a sacred that bonds you at the deepest level and this is not pain or shame or guilt what I'm trying to say to you is that God views you as so important
[00:43:04] as the temple that he died for that he no longer wanted there to be separation so he died on a cross. So the presence of God would not be in a box that is carried around, but it would live in
[00:43:17] your soul. And now you are the place that carries his presence. And when you walk in somewhere, it's his grace. And when you walk in somewhere, it's his mercy. So what I'm trying to say to you
[00:43:29] is, is you are so important that you are so valuable that how you relate to sex and how you understand it, it matters. It matters. It matters. It matters. It matters. It matters. It's not
[00:43:41] something to be thrown around it's not a tool to make your spouse do something you want to with it's not a means to control somebody to hold it over self or to be like well you ain't had sex

[00:43:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:43:52] with me so i'm not gonna no it's more sacred than that it's more valuable than that all i'm saying

[00:44:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:44:01] is is if we could for a second realize what the scripture says that you were bought with a high price look what the bible says i'll close i'll just read it again don't you realize your bodies
[00:44:17] are actually parts of christ so should a man take his body which is part of christ and join it to a prostitute never and don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute he becomes one
[00:44:33] body with her for the scripture says the two are united into one but the person who is joined to the lord is one with him in spirit so run from sexual sin no other sin so clearly affects the
[00:44:49] body as this one does for sexual immorality is a sin against your own body some of us this is a quick note as we close we're trying to fight stuff you ain't got no business fighting the bible does
[00:45:06] not tell you to fight sexual sin i just gotta put my dukes up i gotta be strong it never tells you to do that it says brother you need to get out of there run but i gotta be strong no run but i gotta
[00:45:23] What do I do if I work with somebody up run away?
[00:45:27] What if what if but my promotion I would quit your job. Oh, it ain't that serious. Okay Ask a bunch of people who are alone at 65 because they couldn't control themselves if it's that serious
[00:45:40] It's not that big of a deal. Oh, it's not that if you're struggling with pornography get a flip phone How am I gonna? How are you gonna what?
[00:45:51] Please how how am I gonna email?
[00:45:55] You don't read your emails first of all dummy me. Second of all, get a computer. Ask somebody else. Because people will live their whole life with a grenade in their pocket, hoping it doesn't go off. I just got to stay connected. No, no,
[00:46:14] you don't. You actually don't. Run. Get away. But I think we're going to get married. Okay, awesome. You might get married, but you're not right now. You're not married right now. But I know it's my wife. No, you don't. You don't know. You don't know what tomorrow holds. You don't
[00:46:30] know. No, you don't. So make a decision. I'm going to honor God because this is the last thing I'll say. When you honor God, I promise you it's better than you could imagine. I promise you, I promise
[00:46:48] you, I promise you, I promise you, you make a decision. You know what? Maybe God knows something I don't. Maybe this is affecting me in ways that I haven't been honest about. Maybe just doing
[00:47:02] whatever with whoever watching all this stuff is doing something to my soul. Some of you, I feel it so strong. The reason you are so cold in life is because this is draining your soul. It's crushing
[00:47:15] you every time something happens. Some of you in marriages, you need to be honest. You need to have a conversation. You're all at different points. You're going to have different desires, different levels, all these different things, but it's valuable enough to have a conversation about.
[00:47:31] It matters enough because if you don't have a conversation about, I promise you it's still affecting you. My request and desire really today is really for one last thing, which is this specific area is such an area of shame. There's so much shame that is associated with this,
[00:47:53] of mistakes that you've made, things that maybe happened to you that you didn't even know what to do. And the truth is early on, your brain was rewired in a way that you can't even
[00:48:07] explain. You feel like I'm doing this, but I don't even know. I don't even want to. And I don't, it doesn't even feel like it doesn't matter. And, or you've shut off this whole side of you.
[00:48:21] That's a gift from God. My prayer, um, as we close out service today is I just want to pray that there will be no more shame in this area.
[00:48:34] If you're struggling right now, you feel like, man, I just feel like I can't get this under control.
[00:48:40] I promise you, there's a God who can help you.
[00:48:47] And there are habits you can start that can be you helping you.
[00:48:53] God will transform you in a moment.
[00:48:56] And you still have to have good habits.
[00:49:00] So going out on the weekend with your homie who knows all the girls, that's not a good habit because when you get married guess what the chemicals of your brain aren't going to be looking at a marriage license the chemicals of your brain are going to go we
[00:49:16] need to go out because it's saturday night and what we do on saturday night i want to take a moment ask everybody to bow their heads and close your eyes if you're in here under the sound of my
[00:49:27] voice and there's been any shame anything at all i'm gonna really ask everybody to bow your heads close your eyes, just out of a moment of focus. And some of you may be, I haven't had a sense,
[00:49:42] some of you, you've never been honest about some things, some things that have happened, things you've done. And really, if you don't want to carry that weight anymore, the scripture says in Jesus kindness, he says, come to me all who are weary.
[00:50:01] Truth is many of us are weary because of our relationship to this topic. And if you're weary today, the invitation is easy. You can lay it down. You can lay it down. It's that easy. It seems
[00:50:18] too good to be true, but that is the gospel that in one moment, moment of grace and moment of kindness, you can lay down everything. So with every head bowed, every eye closed, if you're in
[00:50:30] this room and you say, you know what? I just, I could use some prayer. I could use some prayer about this area in this topic. Every head bowed and every eye closed. I'm actually lift your hands
[00:50:41] all over this room, online, in the chat.
[00:50:43] You can just say, I'm raising my hand.
[00:50:47] So proud of everyone who took the brave step to do that.
[00:50:50] I want to pray for you, Lord God, I thank you for every hand that was raised saying, God, I want to do it your way.
[00:50:55] I want to honor you.
[00:50:56] I want beauty.
[00:50:58] I want trust.
[00:50:58] I want purity.
[00:50:59] I want a serving heart.
[00:51:00] I want to acknowledge the sacredness of this.
[00:51:03] God, would your spirit empower our spirit to be able to honor you in this way with our body?
[00:51:14] every head bowed, every eye closed still. You can put your hands down if you're in this room and you've never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I said it at the beginning, but we
[00:51:25] acknowledge him as Lord and Savior. And the Savior part is really the greatest news of all time. And that is in some ways, God saves us from the worst part of ourself, that there's this part of us that
[00:51:36] is searching and we will do anything to fill that void. And we try to do it through sex. We try to do it through money, through achievement, through trying to build a business to succeed. And all of
[00:51:46] those things are legitimate desires, but we're trying to fill them in a wrong way. And if you're in here and you've never accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, what it is is saying, I surrender.
[00:51:55] I don't want to run my own life. I don't want to govern my own life, but I want to do it God's way.
[00:52:00] And I want him to lead my life. If you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and savior, I'm going to count to three and you're going to raise your hand. When you raise your hand, you're saying on
[00:52:08] the outside, what your heart is believing on the inside. And that is, I want to surrender everything to him. So I'm going to count to three. And if you want to accept Jesus, I want you to boldly
[00:52:17] raise your hand. One, he loves you. Two, today is the day of salvation. Do not wait another day.
[00:52:23] Three, right now in this room and all over the world, would you lift your hands? I see you over there. So proud of you. I got you over here in the back. All of you. I got you, brother. I see you.
[00:52:33] so proud of you a family up here together I got you I see you so proud of you hey listen out loud together with every head bowed every eye closed would you pray with me everybody together for
[00:52:45] the benefit of those who are coming to Jesus today everybody say dear God I admit I've made mistakes I pray you would save me change me make me new in Jesus name I pray amen hey can we
[00:53:01] celebrate for people who just made that choice and listen standing up all over this room um what we're going to do our worship team's going to sing and uh if you feel led to you can stay we're going
[00:53:15] to have some of our team come forward and these team are part of our altar team and that's it if you need prayer for anything at all i would encourage you come receive prayer today um but
[00:53:26] i believe this is going to be the best week of um our life and even as we get close to easter make sure you invite somebody with you. But Lord God, we thank you. I thank you that this week, Lord God,
[00:53:35] that we would see you in every part of our life. God, would you bless us and keep us is our prayer.
[00:53:40] It's in Jesus name we pray. And everybody said, amen. Hey friend, I pray that that message was a blessing to you. And I want you to know that like I said, the scripture actually says there
[00:53:51] is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. What does that mean? That pressure, that shame, that guilt that really makes you less of yourself. Because of Jesus, you do not have to carry it. So
[00:54:02] I want you, as you leave this moment, this is a fresh start. This is a new day. The Bible says his mercies are new every morning. So regardless of what your past has been, you can make a decision
[00:54:13] today to live a brand new life. Listen, here at Transformation Church, we love you so much. And we have tons of content and sermons, even worship to help you on your journey of following Jesus.
[00:54:26] We love to say that it's not about perfection, but it's about progression.
[00:54:30] So our prayer is that this YouTube channel and our church would serve you, your family, that you can make progress in your walk with Christ.
[00:54:38] We love you so much.
[00:54:39] And like we always say, go out and live a transformed life.