Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 07 Sep 2014
There should be nothing in our lives which constrains the Lord Jesus to work as He wishes. He must be in complete control.
Matthew 28:16-17
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
This is an amazing word. We find the disciples in that place where the Lord Jesus told them to go. Unfortunately, “some doubted”. There was something wrong in their lives and the Lord Jesus brought it to light when He admonished them that He had “all authority…”.
Pray that God would put His finger on that thing in your life that should not be there, so that you might bring it to the light and confess it and receive cleansing from the Lord.
Dr Edwin Orr was a very gifted man. But he specialised in revivals. He said a revival starts when people start to confess their sins and it stops when people stop confessing their sins.
It’s troublesome when people sit on their sins and refuse to bring it to the light.
If you haven’t had a bath for a week, month, or a year, you will stink and the same applies spiritually if you don’t cleanse your life regularly. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
Search your heart if there’s not perhaps a sin that constrains the Lord Jesus. Do not leave a stone unturned.
With some of the disciples the problem was doubt. What troubles you? You might think all is in order since you’ve obeyed Him in everything you can think of just like the disciples were obedient. But the Lord can see even the hidden things in your life.
Immorality causes a lot of harm and damage to the Gospel. If God should examine you would He find immorality in your life? It grieves the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wrote seven letters to seven churches in Revelations. He first mentioned the things which pleased Him in those churches but then also the things which troubled and grieved Him. He mentioned ten things which troubled and grieved Him. If you go to those places today where those churches were, there’s no sign of those of them any more. It’s just history that informs us that once upon a time there were churches in those vicinities.
When Billy Graham started his ministry he got together with his fellow workers, Cliff Barrows, George Bev Shea and Grady Wilson (and others). They made a study of what causes preachers to fall. The first they identified was the love of money. Jesus said do not worry what you will eat or drink for the heathen seek after these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33). The second thing they identified was sexual sin. It’s a shame when preachers cannot control their body. The Bible says that your body must be your slave.
The Billy Graham team made a vow to remain faithful in their marriage and to never be alone with a woman that was not their spouse.
By immorality you bring a curse upon yourself, your wife and your family.
A certain married man seemed very spiritual and would have quiet times studying the Bible and praying till the early hours of the morning. One night, his wife decided to take him a cup of tea and took it to his study very softly so as not to disturb him during his quiet time with God. She went on tip-toe and entered his study without him noticing. As she looked over his shoulder she almost dropped the cup, for it was not the Bible in front of him but pictures of naked women, pornography.
Nowadays all of this and much more is available on the cellphone. If you as a parent give your child a cellphone you place access to all this in their hands. Be sharp and watch over your house.
Scientists say that when you look at pornography there are chemicals that are automatically released in the brain which changes the brain in such a way that it alters it’s structure. Porn rewires you. Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked, but when they sinned they became aware of it and were ashamed. God Himself then slaughtered an animal and clothed them with the skins. This was a pointer towards the time when Jesus would be slaughtered for our sins on the Cross.
The Bible says marriage should be honoured by all and the marriage bed undefiled, for God will judge the adulterers (Hebrews 13:4).
Pornography is an evil drug, worse than dagga (marijuana) and many other drugs. Looking at pornography makes you a slave to it. It’s easier to stop smoking or drinking than to get free from pornography.
With the pornography plague South Africa has become the rape capital of the world. If you continue to watch pornography then eventually watching it doesn’t satisfy you but you have to practice it and rape is often the result. Those bound by porn are headed for hell. Think about this before it’s too late as it says in Psalms, “sela”, stop and think about this.
Read this passage carefully and with understanding.
A person that’s immoral is bold and proud and doesn’t want to be told (Prov 7:10-12).
Statistics tell us that at least 12% of all websites are pornographic and at least 50% of people with cellphones use it to also access pornography. You cannot enter heaven with such defiling things.
There was a pastors’ conference in a certain American city and the conference goers booked into a certain hotel. After the conference a cleaner asked what conference it was. Upon hearing that it was a minister’s conference he was amazed for he said that their pornographic channels were never as busy as during that time, even with worldly people having a conference! How can such ministers care for their flock? Their judgement and damnation is just!
Many serial killers acknowledged that their way downward started with pornography. (Jeffrey Dahmer is one of many examples.)
We read in Numbers 25 how an Israelite man, son of a leader in Israel, took a worldly girl and walked brazenly past Moses and the leaders in Israel, and went into his tent with her. Phinehas the grandson of Aaron, took a spear and entered the tent after them and thrust it through both of them, and God blessed him for that (Numbers 25:11). Do this to your porn addiction and the Lord will bless you.
If you hear this today and don’t part from these evil things your hell will be worse than those who have never heard.
You may come to the Lord, confessing your sins.
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