Okay, so I'm going to teach tonight on man is the glory of God. Man is the glory of God.
And I could also title this freedom from sexual immorality. But there's a reason we don't use that as the leading thing.
That is a lot of what this is about. But there's a reason sexual immorality is treated with the severity of the Bible.
Treats it. And it's because it's in light of something.
Sexual immorality is singled out in the Bible and treated in a more pronounced way in light of the impact it has.
In 1 Corinthians 11, 7, this is where we get this phrase, man was created for man is the glory of God.
That says, for a man ought not to cover his head since he is the image and glory of God.
But woman is the glory of man.
For man was not made for woman, but woman for man.
In other words, man created for woman, but woman for man.
So there's a lot in that, but we pull something out of there. It is that man is the glory of God.
Which seems kind of weird.
Okay?
But we're going to talk about how that is meaningful.
Genesis 1, 26-28 says,
Then God said,
So, you have here, it's man and woman.
It's God created man, and he created them, so he created woman.
Alright?
But 1 Corinthians 11, 7 here says something unique about man.
Okay?
So they're both created in the image of God, but man is created in the image and glory of God.
And woman is the glory of man.
And there is a mystery here.
But it has to do with the unique creative purpose that a man has.
Distinct from that of the woman.
They both image God, but the man is particularly the glory of God.
Okay?
And we have a responsibility.
Man was created first.
There's agency.
And this has to do with unique characteristics of God as the one who rules.
He has power.
He has glory.
He has agency.
And we're called to that.
Psalm 8, verse 4-6 says,
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, and have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands, and you have put all things under his feet.
The word glory is the Greek word doxa.
I think that's how you pronounce it.
It means splendor, brightness, dignity, majesty, honor.
Other ways of translating are radiance.
You know, the glory of God.
Every time someone was in the presence of God, there's just this glory that comes forth, and they always fall down.
You know?
It just happens every time.
Any one time someone sees God, they fall down, and they say things like,
Woe is me, or I fell down like a dead man, like John in Revelation.
There's a glory that is inherent to God's nature that just strikes awe in them.
It also means a most glorious condition, a most exalted state.
So, it seems weird because we see men, and that doesn't happen to us.
I've never seen a dude, very impressive men.
I've seen some impressive guys.
I've never been tempted to fall down on my face and feel like I'm a dead man.
Okay?
Part of this is because, you know, we're creating an image of God.
We're imaging something.
It's not the full Monty.
The other part of it is we've fallen.
Okay?
There was a state of created glory that was part of God's original purpose, and we fall short of it.
Things aren't like they're supposed to be.
It also has to do with rulership.
This majesty, this glory of God, this agency that he has is reflected in the masculine aspect of the Dominion Mandate.
Okay?
This is why men are desirous of honor.
Okay?
There's a reason little boys are, Dad, look at this awesome thing I did.
And we want men to respect us.
And if we feel disrespected, it's like, we're going to go fight about it.
Okay?
That's not a particularly feminine trait, and there's a reason for that.
It's because this is baked into the hard code.
Glory.
Honor.
It's not just sinful ego that we have a desire for those things.
It's actually reflective of our created purpose.
God did create us in a glorious state, and he did it to image something about himself that is unique.
And part of that is being a ruler, not being ruled.
It says that, like back to that psalm, the verse in Psalms 8, 4 through 6, the very end, it says,
You've given him dominion over the works of your hands, and you've put all things under his feet.
That's the calling.
Well, that's part of our created purpose.
But, like I said, that's not where we're at right now.
In Romans 1, verse 21 through 28, it says,
It says,
Romans 3, verse 21 through 28, it says,
For all have sinned and fallen short of what?
That applies to men and women.
But this is hitting the stuff about the men right now.
This is the language he's using when he's referencing our fall.
Is it just all men have sinned and aren't acting righteously in the line?
The reference point is the glory of God.
For all have sinned and fallen short of what?
The glory of God.
That was the reference point.
We were created good.
We were created not just asexually good, okay, but masculinely good.
Demonstrating and communicating something with our being that has to do with the eternal adverts of God.
Okay?
And that part is the glory of God.
The radiance of God.
So, anyway, the point is we've fallen short of the glory of God.
We've exchanged the glory of God for a worship of creation, which you can still see this play out now.
I mean, what are the things that guys are into?
Money.
Stuff God made.
Okay?
Stuff.
Things.
Toys.
Things.
Um.
God made it.
Is it good?
Yeah, he said the whole thing's good.
He created the heavens and the earth, and he said it's very good.
Nothing wrong with any of these things.
What's wrong?
They worship the creature rather than the creator.
What was the consequence?
God handed them over to something.
And there is, there's sin that's just an offense against God, but there's actually sin that the Bible calls out as a judgment from God.
What's unique about this passage, he actually hands them over to a thing.
The sin that they're now ruled by, sexual immorality, is a debasement of their created purpose.
Okay?
And it's interesting that it's sexual immorality.
You know?
The consequence of this exchange of glory taking something, the glory of God, it says they exchanged it.
Or, images resembling moral man, birds, animals, people, things.
Consequence, sexual immorality.
You're now ruled by something.
The original purpose was, rule, take the knee.
Now you, it's all flipped.
Now you're ruled.
Okay?
So that's the problem.
That's the situation we're in right now.
This is why you don't fall down on a dude walks in.
Okay?
Sexual immorality.
I want to talk about this a little bit.
This is an exhaustively colored topic in the Bible.
There's really no way to cover all the verses in the New Testament, much less all the verses in the New Testament, the Old Testament, about this topic.
But I want to give it at least an overview.
Sexual immorality.
What are we talking about here?
The Bible defines sexual immorality as any sexual activity outside of a marriage covenant between one man and one woman.
Okay?
I mean, full stop.
That's it.
Well, there's a lot outside that.
Okay?
And the Bible's very specific.
And it actually goes into a lot of detail.
Actually, like, uncomfortable levels of detail.
The Bible's very, very specific about the breadth of what is not this one God-sanctioned category.
That's pornography and lust.
Matthew 5, 27 through 30.
Fornication, which is sex outside of marriage.
1 Corinthians 7, verse 2 talks about that.
Adultery.
Deuteronomy 5, 18.
And this is part of the 10 Commandments.
Hey, what's up, Charlie?
10 Commandments.
You know?
Don't covet your neighbor's wife.
Don't commit adultery.
They're both in there.
Lust and adultery.
Homosexuality.
1 Corinthians 6, verse 9.
Bestiality.
Leviticus 18, 23.
Incest.
1 Corinthians 5, 1.
And it goes on.
Okay?
What's the consequence?
Bad life?
You know?
The Bible has very severe language when it talks about sexual immorality,
what the consequences of sexual immorality are.
I'm just going to read through a number of verses here, starting with what Jesus says
in Matthew 5, 27 through 30.
You have heard it said, you shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body going to hell.
Okay?
That's Jesus.
Galatians 5, verse 19 through 21 says,
Now the works of the flesh are evident
Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, pits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
About half that list is in some way related to this, sexual immorality
Discovered heart, impurity, lust, actually acting in it, sexual immorality, orgies, these are all works of the flesh
It says, those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
We can't put it any blunder than that
It's very straightforward
If you do these things, some translations say, make a practice of doing these things
Is this your lifestyle?
I'm sorry, you're not inheriting the kingdom of God
Ephesians 5, verse 5-6
This is not a unique passage, by the way
Ephesians 5, verse 5-6
It says something similar
For you may be sure of this
That everyone who is sexually immoral or impure
Or who is covetous, that is an idolater
Has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ in God
Let no one deceive you with empty words
For because of these things, the wrath of God
Comes upon the sons of disobedience
Both of these passages are written to churches, to professing believers
And they're at the end of the letter that he's writing to this church
He talks about a whole bunch of other stuff
He talks about the gospel, he talks about the way of salvation
And he puts a caveat in the end
Listen, don't be deceived
If the fruit of your life is this pattern
And you're going on living this way
Don't be deceived, you will not inherit the kingdom of God
1 Corinthians 6, verse 9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God
Do not be deceived
Again, don't be deceived
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers
Nor men who practice homosexuality
Nor thieves, nor degreed, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers
Will inherit the kingdom of God
Again, do not be deceived, nor enrich
Written to Christians
Professing believers
1 Corinthians 5, verse 9-13
I wrote to you in my letter
Not to associate with sexually immoral people
Not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world
Or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters
Since then, you would need to go out of the world
Because this is the universal problem
Okay
But now I am writing to you
Not to associate with anyone
Who bears the name of brother
I mean, like a professing believer
Someone in your church
If he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed
Or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler
Not even to eat with such a one
For what have I to do with judging outsiders?
Is it not those inside the church
Whom you are to judge?
God judges those outside
Purge the evil person
From among you
Okay
Ongoing unrepentant sexual immorality
Is cause for church discipline
In churches that obey
What he is talking about here
Remember the
The example of
Church discipline
That he is exhorting him to
In the context
Is a guy sleeping with his
His mother-in-law
Okay
Incest
And he is rebuking him
Saying, hey, no, no, no, no, no
Like, you have to put away
Even professing believers
Who by the fruit of their life
Are showing
That they are not
Perfitting from this stuff
Oh, that's a lot of heavy stuff
There is
There is good news
But I'm going to continue
Working through the bad news
Because it's very important
1 Corinthians 6
Verse 12-20
All things are lawful for me
But not all things are helpful
All things are lawful for me
But I will not be dominated
By anything
Again, back to the creation language
What was man created for?
To rule
Part of his glory
It's the attribute of God
That is particularly masculine
But I will not be dominated by anything
Food is meant for the stomach
And the stomach for food
And God will destroy
Both one and the other
The body is not meant
For sexual immorality
But for the Lord
And the Lord
For the body
You see, they're being dominated
By sexual immorality
They're not in charge
It's ruling them
And God
He goes on
And God raised the Lord
Beating Christ from the grave
And will also raise us up
By his power
Do you not know
That your bodies
Are members of Christ?
Shall I then take
The members of Christ
And make them members
Of a prostitute?
Never
Or do you not know
That he who is joined
To a prostitute
Becomes one body with her?
For it is written
The two will become one flesh
But he who is joined to the Lord
Meaning someone who's savingly believed in Jesus
Becomes one spirit with him
Flee from sexual immorality
Every other sin a person commits
Is outside the body
But the sexually immoral person
Sins against his own body
So there
Paul is pulling this out
And he's treating it different
Okay
Why?
Why is he treating this different?
People
I've heard this said
Like you know
All sins say
It's all the same
Well there's a sense in which
That's true
Because it all proceeds
From our fallen nature
Okay
When we sin in Adam
We all have this
Indwelling sin
That all the particular
Manifestations
You know
Are fruits up
The fruits on the tree
I got a sin tree
I bear
You know
Different looking sin fruit
So in that sense
Yes it's true
But the consequence
And severity
Of these sins
Do bear
And the Bible
Does treat them differently
And sexual sin
Is treated very uniquely
And it's the only one
Against your body
So he goes on
To say here
Do you not know
That your body
Is a temple
Of the Holy Spirit
Within you
Whom you have from God
You are not your own
For you
Were bought with a price
So
Glorify God
In your body
This sin
Defaces
The glory of God
In our body
Because our body
Is a temple
Of the Holy Spirit
Okay
You see all throughout
The Old Testament
When the Israelites
Would go astray
Idols would come
Into the temple
And God would get
Passionately angry
About it
You see Jesus
The only time
He's in
A state of
Almost like rage
He's clearing out
The temple
Why?
Because they were
Defiling his father's temple
He's zealous
For the purity
Of his temple
Well
Jesus died
And was buried
And was resurrected
And in his resurrection
Our bodies are now
The temple of God
God
He sent his Holy Spirit
To live inside of us
And
That change
It's a whole
Different ballgame
It changes
How seriously
The Lord
Looks at this stuff
Especially for believers
So
Anyway
Point being
Sexual immorality
Is a sin
Against the created
Purpose of our body
As a temple
Of the Holy Spirit
Okay
So we call this man
Is the glory of God
Because we need to
Think about
Why am I
What's my purpose
It's not just to
Glorify God
Which is
The purpose of men
And women
It's that I am
Okay
Whether I like it or not
I'm saying something
About God
By being
Me
Okay
And this
Attacks it
It attacks it
It attacks the character
Of God
And therefore God
He singles it out
And he treats it
With much more severity
Second point is
If we didn't get it
From just reading
These passages
Don't be deceived
It will send you to hell
If you continue it
He says it over and over again
And there's a lot
Other passages
That we can include here
We can spend all night
Just reading every passage
In the Bible
That talks about this
This is not my opinion
If you believe
What the word of God says
This is just what it says
If you continue in this
You will go to hell
Okay
So
That is the bad news
You were created for a purpose
A glorious purpose
You've fallen short of that purpose
As a consequence
You've been handed over
Sexual immorality
Not only do you put statistics
You guys are the statistics
Okay
I'm the statistic
Which is true
If you're honest
I know it's true
That's the bad news
The good news is that
God has not left us alone
He sent His Son Jesus
Okay
Christ has come
To restore
The glory of God
In man
I'm going to read a few passages
In Hebrews 1-3
It says
The Son
In Jesus
Is the radiance
Of God's glory
In the exact representation
Of His being
Sustaining all things
By His powerful word
After He had provided
A purification for sins
He sat down
At the right hand
Of the majesty
In heaven
So you see here
The Son
Is the radiance
Of God's glory
One of the definitions
Of that word
Doxa
Is radiance
When they get into
God's presence
You know
There's prophets
Here and there
And then
John
In the book
Revelation
When they
See God's glory
There's a radiance
It's always radiance
It's always super bright
You know
That's what the Son is
He's the radiance
Of God's glory
In the exact
Representation
Of His being
Jesus is a man
He's God
In man
The Bible calls
Him the second
Paddle
He's not falling
Short at all
John 1 14
Says something
Very similar
The word became
Flesh
And dwelt among us
And we have seen
His glory
Glory
As of the only
Son from the
Father
Full of grace
And truth
So the point
Here is
Jesus
Is
Walking in
He created
A purpose
For man
The Bible
Calls him
The second
Adam
There's a lot
Of implications
With that
But one of them
Is
He's not
Falling short
He's
Fulfilling
The
Intended
Purpose
For which
God created
Man
As the
Glory of
God
Hebrews 10
Verse 9
Through 14
This speaks
Of Jesus'
Mission
Okay
Then he added
Behold
I have come
To do your
Will
That's meaning
That's Jesus
The first person
And by that
Will
We
Have been
Sanctified
Through the
Offering of
The body
Of Jesus
Christ
Once for
All
Every priest
Stands daily
In his service
Offering repeatedly
The same
Sacrifices
Which can never
Take away sins
And speaking
Of the old
Covenant here
Speaking of
The sacrifices
That the Jews
Offered to try
To pay for sins
He's basically
Saying is
It didn't work
Okay
He couldn't
Cleanse you
Couldn't make you
Restored
To your
Creative purpose
But when
Christ
Had offered
For all time
A single
Sacrifice
For sins
He sat down
At the right
Hand of God
Waiting from
That time
Until his
Enemies
Should be
Made a
Footstool
For his
Feet
To provide
A single
Offering
He has
Perfected
For all
Time
Those
Who are
Being
Sanctified
So
No one
Was
Obeying
The call
To return
To your
Created
Purpose
So God
Did
He sent
His son
And Jesus
Did it
He says
Behold
I have
Come
To do
Your
Will
What is
That will
To
Sanctify
His
People
Hebrews 2
Verse 5
Through 10
Says
For it
Is
Not
Angels
That
God
Subjected
The
World
To
Come
Of
Which
We
Are
Speaking
It
Has
Been
Testified
Somewhere
What is
Man
That you
Are
Mindful
Of
Or
The
Son
Of
Man
That you
Care
For
Him
Sound
Familiar
Psalm 8
Speaking
Of
The
Created
Purpose
Of
Man
You
Made
Him
For
A
Little
While
Lower
Than
The
Angels
You
Have
Crowned
Him
With
Glory
And
Honor
Putting
Everything
In
Subjection
Under
His
Feet
Speaking
Of
Man
Now
In
Putting
Everything
In
Subjection
To
Him
He
Left
Nothing
Outside
His
Control
We
Are
Created
To
Be
In
Dominion
Over
Everything
But
At
Present
We
Do
Not
Yet
See
Everything
In
Subjection
We
See
A
Bunch
Of
Guys
Who
Are
Created
In
The
Image
Of
God
With
A
Created
Purpose
To
Be
The
Glory
Of
God
To
Rule
But
I
Don't
See
It
They
Are
Ruled
Okay
So
We
Don't
See
Man
Generally
Fulfilling
This
Created
Purpose
It
Goes
On
But
We
Do
See
Him
Meaning
Christ
Who
For
A
Little
While
Was
Made
Lower
Than
The
Angels
Namely
Jesus
Crowned
With
Glory
And
Honor
Because
Of
The
Suffering
Of
Death
So
That
By
The
Grace
Of
God
He
Might
Taste
Death
For
Everyone
For
It
Was
Fitting
That
He
For
Whom
And
By
Whom
All
Things
Exist
In
Bringing
Many
Sons
To
Glory
Should
Make
The
Founder
Their
Salvation
Perfect
Through
Suffering
So
We
Don't
See
Men
Walking
In
Their
Created
Purpose
We
See
Men
Rule
Specifically
By
Sexual
Immorality
Universally
Okay
But
We
See
Jesus
We
See
Another
Man
Come
And
We
See
Him
Bringing
Many
Sons
To
Glory
Through
His
Sacrifice
2nd
Corinthians
5
Verse
14
17
And
Verse
21
For
The
Love
Of
Christ
Controls
Us
Because
We
Concluded
This
That
One
Has
Died
For
All
And
Therefore
All
Died
And
He
Died
For
All
That
Those
Who
Live
Might
No
Longer
Live
For
Themselves
But
For
Him
Who
For
Their
Sake
Died
And
Was
Raised
Continuing
On
Here
Says
From
Now
On
Therefore
We
Even
Though
We
Once
Regarded
Christ
According
To
The
Flesh
We
Regard
Thus
No
Longer
Therefore
If
Anyone
Is
In
Christ
He
Is
A
New
Creation
The
Old
Has
Passed
Away
Behold
The
New
Has
Come
For
Our
Sake
He
Made
Him
To
Be
Sin
Who
Do
No
Sin
So
That
In
Him
We
Might
Become
The
Righteousness
Of
God
So
Remember
We
Started
With
The
Glorious
Creative
Pur
For
Worship
Of
Creation
For
A
Lie
As
A
Constance
We
Been
Handed
Over
Sexual
Immorality
Well
God
Comes
And
He
Makes
Another
Exchange
What's
The
Exchange
He
Made
Him
To
Be
Sin
And
We
Know
Sin
He
Took
Our
Sin
And
Our
Position
Of
Being
Under
The
Wrath
Of
God
And
Our
Position
Of
Being
Lawfully
Handed
Over
To
Be
Ruled
On
Himself
And
Then
He
So
That
In
Him
We
Might
Become
Righteous
Of
God
He
Puts
His
Righteousness
On
Us
Okay
This
Is
Why
It
Says
If
Anyone
Is
In
Christ
He
Is
New
Creation
Okay
How
Could
This
Happen
Well
The
First
One
Has
To
Die
The
First
Guy
Who
Fell
And
Was
Handed
Over
Can't
Work
Himself
Back
Into
That
State
Of
Grace
Okay
You
Can't
Do
It
By
The
Works
Of
The
Law
No
Flesh
Will
Be
Justified
You
Can't
Take
A
Self
Improvement
Class
To
Work
Yourself
Out
Of
Romans
Three
Situation
All
Having
Sinned
And
Falling
Short
Of
The
Word
Of
God
Being
Handed
Over
To
Depravity
That
Guy
Was
So
Hopelessly
Lost
He
Had
To
Be
To
Death
And
That
Is
What
Jesus
Did
On
The
Cross
He
Died
Him
He
Traded
Places
We
Deserve
That
But
He
Took
It
For
Us
Okay
In
Exchange
What
Do
We
Get
His
Position
He
Hasn't
Falling
Short
Okay
We
Just
Read
A
Little
Bit
About
Some
Of
His
Attributes
He
Is
The
Radiance
Of
God's
Glory
In
The
Exact
Representation
Of
His
Being
That's
What
He
Gives
Us
That's
The
Exchange
We
Exchange
The
Glory
Of
God
For
Debauchery
God
Takes
Our
Debauchery
On
Himself
And
Gives
Us
The
Glory
Of
God
Christ
Has
Come
To
Restore
Man
To
The
Glory
Of
God
Colossians
1
27
Such
A
Precious
Promise
Says
How
Great
Among
The
Gentiles
Are
The
Riches
Of
The
Glory
Of
This
Mystery
Which
Is
Christ
In
You
The
Hope
Of
Glory
Now
The
Hope
Of
Glory
It's
Not
In
Your
Performance
It's
Not
On
How
Well
You
Can
Digest
All
This
Stuff
And
Try
To
Figure
Out
A
Being
Planned
Working
Yourself
Out
Of
The
Backlog
Of
Sexual
!
Morality
That
Is
Ruling
You
It's
That
Another
Person
Into
Your
Life
In
The
Dominion
That
He
Has
He
Already
Has
It
He
Doesn't
Have
To
Earn
It
He
Doesn't
Have
To
Work
For
It
He
Has
It
Everything
Is
Under
His
Feet
It's
Not
Under
Your
Feet
But
It's
Under
Christ's
Feet
So
How
Does
God
Bring
Your
Passions
Under
Your
Tip
Of
The
Iceberg
But
One
Of
The
Big
Ones
And
One
Of
The
Ones
That
Usually
For
Guys
Is
At
The
Top
Of
The
List
Of
Things
That
Are
Keeping
Them
In
A
Cycle
Of
Bondage
And
Condemnation
Is
Sexual
Morality
You
Should
Go
Figure
Okay
Create
An
Image
Of
God
Baked
His
Sex
!
Drive
Into
The
Hard
Coat
And
He
Said
It
Was
Good
It
Was
Good
For
A
Particulate
Reason
And
There
Is
Anyway
I
Want to
Talk
About
A
Little
Bit
About
What
Jesus
Did
On
The
Cross
For
Us
That
Gives
Us
Confidence
This
Can
Be
True
In
Our
Life
Romans
6
Verses
3
14
Do
You
Not
Know
That
All
Of
Us
Usually
We
Think
Of
The
Sacrifice
Of
Jesus
We
Think
Of
The
Blood
Of
The
Deals
With
Every
Aspect
Of
Our
Fallen
State
And
There
Is
Aspect
That
Has
To
Do
With
The
Power
Of
Sin
In
Our
Life
And
That
Is
What
I
Want
To
Read
Right
Now
Romans
6
Verse
3
14
Do
You
Not
Know
That
All
Of
Us
Who
Have
Been
Baptized
Into
Christ
Jesus
Were
Baptized
Into
His
Death
We
Are
Buried
Therefore
With
By
Baptism
Into
Death
In
Order
That
Just
As
Christ
Was
Raised
From
The
Dead
By
The
Glory
Of
The
Father
We
Too
Might
Walk
In
Newness
Of
Life
For
If
We
Have
Been
United
With
Him
In
A
Death
Like
His
We
Shall
Certainly
Be
United
With
Him
In
A
Resurrection
Like
His
We
Know
That
Our
Old
Self
Was
Crucified
With
Him
In
Order
That
The
Body
Of
Sin
Might
Be
Brought
To
Nothing
So
That
We
Will
Be
No
Longer
Enslaved
To
Sin
The
Old
Man
Is
Unreformable
This
Guy
Who
Is
In
Bonded
To
Sin
Handed
Over
By
God
Unreformable
There
Is
No
12
Step
Program
That
Fix
That
Situation
I
Mentioned
This
Earlier
That
Is
Why
He
Had
To
Death
So
Why
So
We
Would
No
Longer
Be
Enslaved
To
Sin
For
One
Who
Has
Died
And
Set
Free
From
Sin
Now
If
We
Have
Died
With
Christ
We
Believe
That
We
Will
Also
Live
With
Him
We
Know
That
Christ
Being
Raised
From
The
Dead
Will
Never
Die
Again
Death
No
Longer
Has
Delenion
Over
Him
For
The
Death
He
Died
To
Sin
Once
For
All
But
The
Life
He
Lends
He
Lives
To
God
So
You
Also
Must
Consider
Yourselves
Dead
To
Sin
Counting
Term
So
This
Is
A
Synonym
Of
Faith
What
We're
Doing
Is
Looking
Backwards
2000
Years
Ago
A
Man
Died
On
The
Cross
And
The
Bible
Says
That
This
Happened
When
He
Got
On
The
Cross
That
My
Body
Of
Sin
Was
Brought
To
Nothing
On
The
Cross
Question
Is
Do
I
Believe
That
Your
Faith
Be
It
Up
To
You
That
Is
What
He
Means
By
Reckon
Consider
Yourselves
Dead
To
Sin
And
Alive
To
God
In
Christ
Jesus
Let
Not
Sin
Therefore
In
Light
Of
This
Truth
That
My
Man
Of
Sin
Was
Crucified
With
Jesus
Don't
Let
Sin
Reign
In
Your
Mortal
Body
To
Make
You
Obey
Its
Passions
Do
Not
Present
Your
To
God
Is
Right
Is
Instruments
For
Righteousness
And
Here's
A
Promise
It's
One
Of
Glorious
Promises
I
Think
In
New
Testament
For
Sin
Will
Have
No
Dominion
Over
You
Since
You
Are
Not
Under
The
Law
But
Under
Grace
The
Law
Says
Be
Righteous
And
It
Doesn't
Help
You
Do
It
Just
Shows
You
Your
Sin
That
God's
Commandments
Okay
God's
Commandments
Are
Sufficient
To
Show
Us
What
We're
Not
Doing
Grace
Is
Different
Grace
Is
God
Doing
For
Me
What
I
Can't
Do
For
Myself
It's
God
Doing
Sin
Is
The
Promise
Sin
Will
Have
No
Dominion
Over
You
For
You
Are
Not
Under
Law
But
Under
Grace
This
Is
Again
Christ
In
You
Hope
Accord
This
Is
God
Coming
In
And
Doing
Something
Through
His
Spirit
That You
Can't
Do
For
Yourself
Promise
First
Corinthians
Nine
Or
Six
Verse
Nine
Through
Eleven
Do
You
Not
Know
That
The
Unrighteous
Will
Not
Inherit
The
Kingdom
Of
God
Don't
Be
Deceived
There's
Another
Don't
Be
Deceivers
Don't
Be
Deceived
Neither
The
Sexuality
In
World
Or
Idolaters
Nor
Adulterers
Nor
Men
Who
Practice
Homosexuality
Nor
Thieves
Nor
But
You
Were
Washed
You
Were
Sanctified
You
Were
Justified
In
The
Name
Of
The
Lord
Jesus
Christ
And
By
The
Spirit
Of
God
Okay
If
Any
Man
Is
In
Christ
He
Is
A
New
Creation
It
Says
It
Right
Here
Galatians
5
Verse
16
Through
18
But
I
Say
Walk
By
The
Spirit
And
You
Will
Not
Gratify
The
Desires
Of
The
Flesh
For
The
Desires
Of
The
Flesh
Are
Against
The
Spirit
And
The
Desires
Of
The
Flesh
These
Are
Opposed
To
Each
Other
To
Keep
You
From
Doing
The
Things
You
Want
To
Do
I
Think
We
Probably
All
Resonate
With
That
Tension
You
Know
What
You
Supposed
To
Do
And
You
Want
To
Do
Something
Different
Part
Of
You
Wants
To
Do
The
Thing
That's
Right
The
Other
Part
Of
You
Wants
To
Do
The
Thing
Wrong
And
It
It's
A
Battle
Okay
And
Before
The
Holy
Spirit
Comes
And
Jesus
Sent
The
Holy
Spirit
Says
I
Will
Send
The
Holy
Spirit
Okay
And
The
Holy
Spirit
Is
The
Game
Changer
The
Holy
Spirit
If
You're
Led
By
The
Spirit
Says
You're
Not
Under
The
Law
If
You
Walk
By
The
Spirit
There's
A
Promise
You
Won't
This
Is
Dependence
Okay
Like
Just
To
Disambiguize
This
Is
Not
Some
Weird
The
Holy
Spirit
And
The
Promises
He
Is
Actually
The
One
Who's
Going
To
Keep
Me
From
Saying
Yes
To
Desire
To
The
Flesh
I
Know
My
Track
Record
I
Depend
On
My
Own
Effort
I
Can
Muscle
By
For
A
Little
While
Get
Some
Covenant
Eyes
Get
Some
Accountability
But
I
Always
Find
A
Way
Around
It
Okay
Because
Wherever
I
Go
There
I
Am
And
There
I
There
That's
The
Game
Changer
Is
That
The
Power
Of
The
Holy
Spirit
Gives
Life
To
My
Body
And
Helps
Me
Say
No
Okay
Galatians 5
Verse 22
Through 25
By the
Way
This
Is
Right
After
He
Shares
The
Long
List
Of
The
Deeds
Of
The
Flesh
That
If
You
Do
These
Things
You
Won't
Inher
The
King
Of
God
But
Then
He
Has
But
Galatians
5
22
25
But
The
Fruit
The
Spirit
Is
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleman
Self
Control
Against
Such
Things
There
Is
No
Law
And
Those
Who
Belong
To
Christ
Jesus
Have
Crucified
The
Flesh
With
Its
Passions
And
Desires
If
We
Live
By
The
Spirit
That
Is
Also
Keep
In
Step
By
The
Spirit
This
Is
The
Double
Whammy
Against
The
Power
Sin
He
Crucified
The
Power
Sin
The
Old
Man
Has
Lost
Its
Power
And
Authority
In
My
Life
Because
Of
What
Jesus
Did
On
The
Cross
If
I
Believe
It
Is
Mine
And
He
Put
His
Holy
Spirit
In
Me
To
Produce
His
Fruit
So
Christ
Will
Dwell
In
Your
Hearts
Through
The
Holy
Spirit
It
Is
Actually
Jesus
Through
His
Spirit
Establishing
His
Deme
In
My
Life
And
Bringing
Everything
Under
His
Feet
For
Me
First
Thessalonians
4
Verses
3
Through
5
Says
This
Is
The
Will
Of
God
Do
I
Know
What
God's
Will
Is
For
Your
Life
Here
It
Is
Okay
This
Is
The
Will
Of
God
Your
Sanctification
What do you mean by
Sanctification
That is
Specifically
That
You
Abstain
From
Sexual
Morality
Okay
That
Each
Of
You
Know
How
To
Possess
His
Own
Vessel
In
Sanctification
In
Honor
Not
In
Lustful
Passion
Like
Do
Not
Know
God
Again
Vessel
The
Symmetry
Of
We're
A
Temple
We're
A
Place
Where
God
Lives
In
And
We
Ought
To
All
Know
How
To
Possess
Our
Body
In
Light
Of
That
Glorious
Truth
Okay
So
Then
Brothers
Romans
8
Verse
12
Through
17
Just
Got
A
Few
More
To
So
Then
Brothers
We
Are
Debtors
Not
To
The
Flesh
To
Live
According
The
Deeds
Of
The
Body
You
Will
Live
For
All
Who
Are
Led
By
The
Spirit
Of
God
Are
Sons
Of
God
For
You
Did
Not
Receive
The
Spirit
Of
Slavery
To
Fall
Back
Into
Fear
But
You
Received
The
Spirit
Of
Adoption
As
Sons
By
Whom
We
Cry
Abba
Father
The
Spirit
Himself
Hears
Witness
With
Our
Spirit
That
We
Are
Children
Of
God
And
Children
And
Heirs
Of
God
And
Fellow
Heirs
Of
Christ
Provided
We
Subtle
With
Him
In
Order
That
We
May
Be
Also
Glorified
With
Him
Again
What's
The
Eternal
Glory
Of
God
And
The
Spirit
Activity
In
Our
Life
Is
Conforming
Us
To
That
2nd
Corinthians
3
Verse
17
Through
18
Says
The
Lord
Is
The
Spirit
And
Where
The
Spirit
The
Lord
Is
There
Is
Freedom
And
We
All
With
Unveiled
Face
Beholding
The
Glory
Of
The
Lord
Being
Transformed
Into
The
Same
Image
From
One
Degree
Of
Glory
To
Another
For
This
Comes
From
The
Lord
Who
Is
Not
Only
Justifies
Us
The
Blood
Of
Jesus
Not
Only
Pays
For
Our
Sins
It
Also
Sanctifies
Us
It
Was
A
Death
Blow
To
The
Power
Of
Sin
To
Grow
My
Life
Okay
It's
Package
Deal
It
Goes
Together
Okay
They're
Both
A
Free
Gift
But
They
Go
Together
Okay
And
That
Includes
Freedom
For
Sexual
Sins
So
Anyway
It
Went
A
Little
Bit
Longer
But
I
Have
Some
Exhortations
And
We'll
Walk
Through
Here
Number
One
Think
About
Practicals
The
Bible
Has
Got
A
Lot
Of
Practicals
Okay
This
Isn't
Going
To
Be
Like
Get
Some
Self
Help
Get
Some
Covenant
Eyes
This
Is
What
The
Bible
Says
Are
Practical
Steps
Okay
See
We're
Convicted
Say
Our
Experience
Is
Like
This
I'm
Ruled
I'm
Not
Ruling
I'm
Being
Ruled
Here's
What
To
Do
Number
One
Walk
In
Light
Which
Is
In
Other
Words
Be
Honest
Okay
First
John
One
Verse
Five
Through
Ten
Says
This
Is
The
Message
We've
Heard
From
Him
And
Proclaimed
To
You
That
God
Is
Light
And
In
Him
Is
No
Darkness
At
All
If
We
Say
We
Have
Fellowship
With
Him
When
We
Walk
In
Darkness
We
Lie
And
Do
Not
Practice
The
Truth
If
You're
Hiding
Sin
No
You're
Conceive
Ourselves
And
The
Truth
Is
Not
In
Us
But
If
We
Confess
Our
Sins
He
Is
Faithful
And
Just
To
Forgive
Us
Our
Sins
And
To
Cleanse
Us
From
All
Unrighteousness
We
Say
We
Have
Not
Sinned
We
Make
Him
A
Liar
And
His
Word
Is
Not
In
Us
So
Dishonesty
Not
Just
Admitting
The
Truth
About
What
Your
Actual
Experience
Is
Walking
!
God
Is
Light
And
No
Darkness
At
All
So
What's
The
First
Step
Be
Honest
Confess
Your
Sins
Look
At
The
Promise
Behind
This
We
Confess
Our
Sins
He
Is
Faithful
And
Just
To
Forgive
Us
Our
Sins
And
Cleanse
Us
From
Unrighteousness
You
Want to
Get
Clean
First
Step
Confess
Your
Sins
Number
Two
Repent
Which
I
Think
It's
Important
When
We
Think
About
Repentance
We
Not
Talking
About
Feeling
Sorry
This
Is
Taking
Responsibility
Don't
Blame
Others
James
1
Verse
13
To
15
Says
Let
No
One
Say
When
He
Is
Tempted
I
Am
Being
Tempted
By
God
May
Be
Do
It
He
May
Be
This
Way
No
For
God
Cannot
Be
Tempted
With
Evil
He
Himself
Temps
No
One
But
Each
Person
Is
Tempted
When
He
Is
Lured
And
Enticed
By
His
Own
Desire
Then
Desire
When
Is
Conceived
Gives
Birth
To
Sin
And
Sin
When
Is
Fully
Grown
Brings
For
Death
You
Are
Responsible
Your
Life's
Not
Responsible
Your
Sex
Drive
Isn't
Responsible
The
Temptations
You
See
Around
Your
Life
It's
Not
Their
Fault
You
Know
What
God
Says
It's
You
Buddy
It's
You
And
That's
The
First
Step
To
True
Repentance
Is
Just
Taking
Responsibility
And
You
Know
What
I
Have
Anyone
Else
To
Blame
I
Am
The
Problem
Okay
Acts
3
Verse
19
20
Says
Repent
Therefore
And
Turn
Back
It's
Basically
Saying
The
Same
Thing
Twice
Repentance
Is
You
Going
One
Direction
And
You
Turn
Around
And
Go
The
Other
Direction
Repent
Therefore
And
Turn
Back
That
Your
Sins
May
Be
Blotted
Out
That
Times
Of
Refreshing
May
Come
From
The
Presence
Of
The
We
Got
Own
It
And
We
Got
To
Turn
Around
Okay
But
What
Do
We
Do
What
If
I
Repent
And
Then
I
Go
Back
Into
It
It's
One
Of
Biggest
Hindrances
To
Repentance
Is
I
Know
This
Cycle
I
You
Know
I
Have
Made
Decisions
You
Know
Mustered
Myself
Up
Like
I
Making
A
Resolve
Now
I
Repent
I
Get
In
The
Light
I
Just
I
It's payment.
All have fallen short of the glory of God and are justified, that means made right with God, freely, by what Jesus did for us on the cross.
That's a free gift.
We can receive that by faith.
Romans 5, verses 6-10 said,
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
For while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.
Much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
The blood of Jesus reconciles the relationship with the living God.
It puts us right with God.
And then he, by the power of his life, saved us from the power of sin.
It's his work.
I can't get victory over sin until I'm forgiven for my sin.
Okay?
This is why the very first step here after repenting and turning around is,
I need to trust Jesus to forgive all my sins as a free gift.
There's no amount of works I can do to pay off the massive debt of sin I owe God.
But God says, his Son did it.
And I can receive that payment that was made on my behalf by simple faith.
I receive it as mine.
And then I'm restored to fellowship with God.
And then he, by the power of his own life, saves me.
Okay?
From the power of sin.
The blood of Jesus saves me from the penalty of sin.
Justifies me.
The life of Jesus.
The power of Jesus, which is executed through the Holy Spirit.
Okay?
That's what saves you from the power of sin.
That's a promise.
That brings me to my fourth point.
Believe the whole gospel.
Grace frees us from the power of sin.
We've already shared a number of these verses, but I'm going to share one from Titus.
Chapter 2, verses 11 through 14.
The grace of God has appeared to offer salvation to all people.
We believe that we're saved by grace through faith.
Grace is God doing for me something I can't do for myself.
Okay?
So what's that grace do?
It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.
To live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.
While we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.
And to purify for himself a people that are his very own.
He here to do what is good.
The true grace of God makes us clean and sets us free.
It's both.
It's a package deal.
Justification.
Sanctification.
Finished work that Christ accomplished on the cross.
I receive it by faith.
And the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, is what makes it effectual in my life.
He's the one who brings sin under his feet.
Okay?
So what you can tell the difference between false grace and real grace, the true grace of God teaches you to say no.
Okay?
Okay.
Number five.
Cut your hand off.
Okay?
This comes from Matthew chapter 5, verses 29 through 30.
We read this earlier.
This is Jesus.
He says,
Okay.
So like, if I lust with my eyes at a woman, it's just like, you know, like one and done.
Like I've got to, like, literally gouge my eyes out.
You know?
If I do something ungodly with my hand, I'm supposed to cut it off.
All right?
Is that what he means?
Colossians 3, verses 1 through 8, I think gives a little light on this.
It says,
So what Jesus is saying is,
Listen, if there's things in your life that lead you into sexual immorality, put it to death.
Okay?
And you can do it because the power of that old man to rule my life under the dominion of sin has been crucified 2,000 years ago on the cross.
And if I believe it, it's mine.
He can't tell me what to do anymore.
And in light of that eternal truth, I can put to death the deeds of the flesh from a standpoint of victory.
Okay?
I can't climb a ladder of successive victory until I feel good about myself.
God put me in a position of victory in his son.
And that sin that has ruled my life has been destroyed.
It actually took the son of God himself from me dying to destroy it.
That's how powerful it was.
And if I believe what the Bible has written about this, it's mine.
Okay?
Maybe you've never even had an experience of ever being victorious in this.
So my question for you is, do you believe what the Bible has said?
Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of Christ.
If God said it, you can take it to the bank.
Who cares what your experience is?
This is what it says.
And in light of that, we can put to death the deeds of the body.
This is what Jesus means when he says, yeah, cut your hand off.
And make no mistake, he says, the consequence is hell.
So I hear, you know, I've talked to guys, I've done this before.
You have maybe, it has a particular application.
You know what you're doing that leads you into temptation.
Okay?
Guarantee you do.
Maybe it's Instagram.
Maybe it's just doom scrolling on your phone.
Maybe it's getting on the internet late at night and playing games.
You're like, you're setting out, you're not setting out to go look at porn.
But you're doing something that's on a computer late at night by yourself.
And that's bad.
And you don't really want to tell anybody that you think that's probably the pattern.
Because if you do, you kind of know that you probably just need to get rid of your computer.
Or your Instagram account.
Or whatever it is.
And you've got this justification built up.
It's like, well, I need that.
No, I need that.
That's fine.
You need.
Well, how bad do you need your hand?
Or your eye?
Yes.
You're going to lose convenience.
You're going to lose things that you actually aren't beyond convenience.
They're things that you actually depend on.
I feel like I really need both of my hands.
And both of my eyes.
You only get 2D with one eye.
You know?
But he says it's better.
It's better.
Better be maimed.
Than enter whole into hell.
Okay?
So this is what Jesus calls counting costs.
When we realize the consequence of our sin.
And we believe the truth that when Jesus died, I died.
I lost all my rights.
Zero.
He died for all that.
All who live would no longer live for themselves but for him.
Nothing's off the table.
Okay?
And I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
Now I'm not going to depend on cutting off temptation as the ground of my ability to say no and walk in victory.
But I'm going to obey the Holy Spirit.
Because it says if you walk by the Spirit, what?
You will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
And it's the Holy Spirit who's convicting you and saying, you know what?
Maybe you should throw your computer away.
Or cancel.
You know, if you're saying Instagram.
It's because I've heard so many guys look at porn through Instagram.
Okay?
It's just normal.
You're making opportunity for the flesh.
That's what it says in Romans 6 there.
In light of this fact that you were crucified with Christ, don't present your members anymore to sin.
Stop presenting your body to opportunities for temptation.
Put it to death.
Cut it off.
Turn around and say, Lord, far from you, I have no hope.
But I believe in you.
I believe the power of the resurrection of Jesus.
And I believe that you're going to set me free from this.
Keep me from temptation.
I trust in you.
And then you know what?
When temptation comes your way, you're going to find out something.
The power of Jesus will help you say no.
It's called grace.
It teaches you to say no.
But if you're going and you are living in rebellion to the Holy Spirit, and you're giving all kinds of opportunity in your life for sin, it says God is not mine.
Okay?
Number six.
I'm sorry.
I'm going over time here.
But I think these are important.
You can get through them.
Number six.
You need to have right expectations.
Temptation isn't going away, and it's not a sin.
Okay?
Yes, you need to cut off temptation.
You need to cut off obvious temptation.
But my boys and I were just talking about this in the car.
Temptation's here, man.
It's easy to say.
As long as there's sin in this world, there's temptation.
And guess what?
Jesus was tempted.
Hebrews 4 says,
He's been tempted in every respect, just as we are, yet without sin.
If temptation was a sin, then Jesus was a sinner.
But it's not.
Saying yes to temptation is a sin.
There's a big difference.
This is an important distinction because the devil likes to condemn us just for being tempted.
If you really walk with God, you wouldn't even want to look at that woman's boobs.
Well, I'm sorry.
That's not true.
It's called temptation.
And you have grace to say no.
Okay?
And it says, in light of that fact, the fact that Jesus became a man and was tempted in every way, just like we are, it says,
Let us then with confidence draw near the throne of grace that we will receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
And right before that, actually, I remember the part before.
It says, we do not yet have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but who in every respect has been tempted as we are now without sin.
That's how we can come boldly to God in our time of need.
It just says, now there's another verse that says mercy and grace.
But we need two things.
We need mercy for our sin and we need grace to say no.
And I know that Jesus knows exactly what it feels like.
He sympathizes with my weakness.
He's not some lofty, distant God.
He came down and he suffered the same pressure of temptation to sexual sin that I do.
And he's victorious.
You know what I need?
I need his victory in my moment of temptation.
And you know what?
He sympathizes with me.
He says, come to the throne of grace.
I'm going to help you.
Come with me.
Another promise in 1 Corinthians 10, verses 8-13 on this topic.
It says, therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands take heed.
Lest he fall.
No temptation has overtaken that is not common to man.
And God is faithful.
He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.
But will with the temptation also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure.
It is a lie that you have faced temptation that is too much.
So be happy again.
Not true.
It's good to tackle that head on and say that's just not a category.
Okay?
Because that's a lie to get, that's a lie from Satan to get us into like a victim mentality.
It's like, I can't, you know, what am I to do?
You know?
God really wanted me to walk into here and he wouldn't give me this like raging sex drive.
Right?
And all these hotties walking around.
You know?
Like, who can say no?
Not true.
You don't believe what God says.
With the temptation, he'll provide a way of escape.
Okay?
Number seven.
Join a church that takes purity and accountability seriously as if your life depends on it because it does.
Okay?
Galatians 6 verse 1 through 3 says,
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
Keep watch on yourself whilst you keep tempted.
Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he's nothing, he just sees himself.
You can't do it alone.
God made it that way.
Okay?
He made you to be in church where people can hear your confession and pray for you and walk with you.
That's just how you made it.
Okay?
Practically, number eight, you need to seek a wife.
If you're not married, you need a wife.
Okay?
You need a wife.
The Bible is very practical about this.
In 1 Corinthians 7 it says,
Now concerning the matters about which he wrote, it's good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.
But because of the temptation to sexual morality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
And I've heard guys talk about like, you know, singleness and kind of glorifying singleness.
And, you know, maybe I'm calling him singleness.
I just asked him, maybe you're looked at porn.
Like, I've never met a guy who said no.
So guess what?
It's not you, buddy.
It's not you.
You're in a pattern, especially if you're in a pattern of sexual temptation, sexual morality.
It's not your kid.
Guess what?
God is very practical.
He made a woman.
All the way back from the beginning, he said it's not good for a man to be alone.
All right.
But she needs a wife.
Okay?
That's not like, that's not a cop-out.
That's part of God's created design.
Number nine, that's not the end-all.
Your wife is not just your lawful sexual outlet, even though that is that outlet.
Okay?
Number nine is you need to raise godly children and realize this is part of the eternal purpose of marriage and sex.
This goes back to the glory of God as a father.
This is part of why marriage exists in the first place.
He says in Malachi chapter two, he's talking about the husband and the wife.
He says, did he not make them one with a portion of the spirit and communion?
And what was the one God was seeking?
Godly offspring.
So guard yourselves in your spirit and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your need.
The purpose of marriage is a lot bigger than just Hollywood romance and a genuine outlet for this powerful drive God's put in you.
Well, what is that?
Praise God, we get all that.
But it's a lot bigger.
He wants godly offspring.
It's a picture that's a lot bigger than ourselves.
Okay?
It has to do with the glory of God.
So we need to have our minds renewed about the eternal purpose, even of sex and marriage.
Why do I have a drive that's so powerful?
Do you think about that?
Well, it has to do with something that's way bigger than me.
It has to do with the character of God as a father.
Okay?
The last one is get a vision for your created purpose, which is the glory of God, and depend on Christ to fulfill it.
Romans 8, verse 29 through 30 says,
For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be performed in the image of the Son,
and ordered that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
All us who trust in Jesus, that's us.
For those whom he predestined, he also called.
For those whom he called, he also justified.
For those whom he justified, he also glorified.
It's God's job.
Okay?
When we respond.