Well, it is an honor to be following my brother. I could go on and on about the graces of God in my life through John Knight, and I praise God for him. I do praise God because from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory. And this glorious God is with us now. He is here to do us much gospel good because He is with us and for us in Christ Jesus. And so that’s why we pray, “Oh Lord, show us your glory. Show us your glory.”

This seminar is specifically designed to serve those of you who are pastors or current or future church leaders for the sake of your sexual purity and spiritual pleasure in God. And these two go together, thus the title of the seminar, “The Pastor’s Purity and Pleasure.” If you’re not a pastor, you’re welcome too. If you have a soul, then God loves to pursue souls and satisfy them. So you are welcome as well. And our hope and prayer is that what the Lord Jesus does in us in the next 50 minutes or so will serve to advance sexual purity in our lives and in the lives of the men and our families and churches that we care deeply about.

I’m not going to waste a lot of time looking at statistics or retelling heartbreaking horror stories of how the lustful fires of sexual sin have literally destroyed the lives of countless pastors and ministry leaders along with their families and ministries and entire churches. And you know some of those heartbreaking stories. When I typed this, I wept. I wept. I said, “God, please no more moral failures in gospel ministry. Please help us. Please help me. Help me and my brothers. Grant us to be joyfully pure. Grant us the greater pleasure that’s in yourself, because at your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. Bring us deeper into that kind of pleasure.”

Listen, brothers. The Lord Jesus Christ does not only set men free from the chocolate-coated chains of sexual sin, but he also out-satisfies sexual sins, deceitful sweetness with the infinite sweetness of himself. So Father, come and out-satisfy the lies of all forms of sin in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Gospel Call to Purity

Pastors especially, the call to sexual purity and gospel ministry should feel overwhelmingly urgent to us because of the holy words that we read from Paul’s sermon manuscript recorded at the first ever pastors conference held in Ephesus. If you remember, he says to the Ephesian pastors in Acts 20:28:

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Brothers, feel the gravity and accountability of this. If you are not a pastor, feel the gravity and accountability of this reality and pray for your husband, pray for your pastor. This holy command comes from the holy, holy, holy Lord of heaven and earth. So we see in Paul’s sermon to these Ephesian elders, to these pastors, who is it that made us caring overseers? The Holy Spirit of God, the invisible and all-powerful third person of the Godhead who is infinitely opposite of all corruption and all creation. He’s the one who has made us caring overseers. Feel that.

And who has this holy God made us caring overseers of? The verse says God’s very own flock of people called the church. They belong to God. And what has God done to make his church his very own? What did Paul say? He obtained them. He purchased his people with his very own blood. Oh, the eternal preciousness of the very blood of God.

Brothers, do you see the trinity here in this one verse, Acts 20:28? What does that mean to add to the wonder and the weight of our pastoral calling? God, the Spirit has made us overseers of God the Father’s church which was purchased by God the Son’s own blood. The divine force of this Trinitarian charge should make us fall back like the man in John 19 when Jesus says, “I am.” We should feel that.

The holy God of the universe who is worshiped by burning beasts left his throne, lived a sinless life, was slaughtered on the cross to purchase a people for himself. And from those people he has entrusted a local portion of this blood-bought flock into our hands, pastors, so that we might care for them and guard them and protect them. This is a weighty responsibility. You, pastor, have been given a holy charge by the Father, Son, and Spirit to protect the beloved sheep in your local flock.

The Wolf in You

Acts 20:29 says, “Protect them from fierce wolves who seek to devour them.” Yes, that is our call, to protect the blood-bought flock of God from fierce wolves. But first, you need to protect the flock from the wolf in you, which is your remaining sin. This is why the opening words of Acts 20:28 say this: “Pay careful attention to yourselves.” That word “attention” also can be translated “watch,” or, “beware.” Beware of the wolf in you. Brothers, how I often feel the sharp, lustful fangs of the remaining wolf in me. Brothers, beware the wolf of remaining sin. Put it to death continually by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

It’s the word of God that charges another pastor along these same lines, Pastor Timothy, the word of God through the apostle Paul on this very same issue. You can look in 1 Timothy 4:16. He says the same thing, right? He says:

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Yes, there must be right doctrine rooted in the gospel, but you need to watch yourself. And to show us that he’s not just talking about watching your preaching but his passions — though we got to have sound doctrine — we read in 1 Timothy 4:12:

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

In All Purity

Also just a few verses later in 1 Timothy 5:1–2, we read:

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Now notice something. This was eye-opening to me, brothers. This word for “purity” is the Greek word hagneia. This is powerful. The word hagios means “holy,” and porneia (from which we get our word pornography) includes all forms of sexual sin brought together. He says, “Young pastor, you must have a holy sexuality (hagneia).” Timothy, give yourself to moral holiness. Live sexually clean, pastor. This is a holy call to a sanctified sexuality, set apart to God and for God. Listen, pastors, church leaders, the holy call from the Spirit of the living God is to live sexually clean lives in all things. And watch this. It is significant. It is sobering to note that the only two uses of this word in the New Testament are right here in this pastoral epistle, exhorting the pastor to beware and to be on guard and to watch himself closely in regards to sexual holiness.

So pastors, leaders, future church leaders, you are in the right seminar. Don’t feel like you’re weird or strange or perverted or awkward because you’re engaging with this topic because you’re just a church leader. You’re a pastor. And we learned from this pastoral letter written to Pastor Timothy around AD 62, that Christian leaders have needed to hear this holy call for sexual purity in gospel ministry ever since the very first local churches were established in the first century. Timothy needed to hear this, Kempton needs to hear this, and you need to hear this.

Gospel Grace

So the question is why has the call for sexual purity and ministry always been needed ever since the very first local churches? Well, because we’re sinful men. Pastors are sinful men. And we need to tell our flocks that we’re sinful men. We’re weak men. We are men who never outgrow the need for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for a strong, satisfying Savior.

So it doesn’t matter where you are this afternoon in regards to the battle for purity. Whether you’re the guy that’s trying to avoid that second glance or you’re currently having an emotional connection with a woman who’s not your wife, or you are currently trapped in the clutches of internet pornography or anywhere in between, it doesn’t really matter. Listen, the problem is still sin and the answer is still the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ pushing itself deeper into the corners of your redeemed soul.

Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Since your and my main problem when it comes to sexual lust is our own remaining sin, not the need for another internet filter. That’s not the main need. It’s not the need for more consistent accountability with the guys. Our one glory solution is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so how did God expect Timothy to live a sexually holy life as a local pastor in one of the most sexually charged cities in his day, Ephesus?

Was it legalism? Was it “try harder”? Was it “keep your eyes enhanced to yourself, Timothy”? Was it “meet up with Paul a little bit more often, Timothy”? Was it these fleshly empty outward things? No. Just two words: gospel grace. I get that from 1 Timothy 1:2. All of Paul’s commands toward Timothy come from the establishment of the gospel in this young pastor’s life. And that’s why 1 Timothy 1:2 says, “My true child in the faith.” You’re in the faith. You believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. And then the next word is what? Grace. It’s grace from Jesus and grace from God the Father. Gospel grace. That’s how you remain morally clean. That’s how you fight the battle for sexual holiness. It’s because you are in the faith. The roots of your redeemed soul are wrapped around a tree, a blood-soaked tree. That’s your hope. That’s your happy hope.

Freedom from Sin

So brothers, we’re talking about gospel-powered purity. So with the Spirit’s help, I just want to highlight one gospel reality from one phrase in the book of Revelation that has really been serving my soul because this glorious gospel is our hope. We could have gone to many different places, but I want to go to Revelation 1:5 because it seems shocking at first glance. At least it does to me. But if you and I, by God’s grace, believe this gospel truth, listen, we will know increasing measures of joyful freedom in Christ — and I want to note this — not just from sexual sin but also from sinful anger, laziness, gluttony, and self-promotion. This is a word of gospel hope not just for sexual sin but for all sin in all of its forms because that’s how broad and beautiful the gospel is.

So here it is. I’ll just say the 10 gospel words and by God’s grace we will fall into the wonder of them. Here they are: Jesus has freed us from our sins by his blood. Revelation 1:4–5 is a great triune blessing to the churches with Revelation 1:5–6 zooming in on the blessing that comes to the church through the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. There it is. Revelation 1:4–5 says:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

This is probably the most amazing feature of the blessing of Christ towards us: He has freed us from our sins by his blood. Praise the Lord. If, and that’s eternal if, if you are trusting Jesus right now, he has freed you. The gospel says he has freed you (past tense) from your sins, which means that you used to have no other option but to sin. Did you know that? Pornography, masturbation, second glances, flirting with attractive women — sin was your evil slave master. But now, through the cross of Christ you have been freed. This is amazing. You have been freed.

Released, Destroyed, and Broken

This word for freed has been translated into several different words in the New Testament to help us taste the sweet and sovereign scope of the freedom that Christ has purchased for us. Let’s just look at a few of them. In Revelation 9:14, this word is translated “release.” John records:

Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.

So this word “freed” means released. Think about your sins. Think about that picture, released. In Matthew 21:2 this word is translated “untie.” This is when Jesus commanded two of his disciples to untie or “loose” the donkey. In John 11:44, this word is translated “unbind.” Again, it’s where Jesus commanded the people to unbind resurrected Lazarus. Remember that?

This word is used in 1 John 3:8. It’s translated as “destroy.” John writes:

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

That context has to do with the practice of sin. Jesus destroyed the devil’s power through sin in your life. It’s destroyed. And then in Ephesians 2:14, this word is translated “broken” where Paul says, “Jesus’s death has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile.” He’s broken it. That’s why I love that gospel anthem. We get to sing at Bethlehem, “You are stronger. You are stronger. Sin is Broken. You have saved me.”

Listen, brothers in Christ, sisters in Christ, he has freed us from our sins. He has released us. He has untied us. He has loosed us. He has destroyed the sin that was holding us. Jesus has broken the chains of sexual slavery and we have been set free from the dark hold of guilt and shame related to past sexual failure.

The Four P’s of Blood-Bought Freedom

Really? Really? Then why do I still sin? This is the Christian’s biggest dilemma, right? What’s up with all this past tense talk, freed? It’s Romans 7, right? I still do the sin that I don’t want to do. I think he’s in Christ at that time.

So how can Revelation 1:5 say that Jesus, past tense, has freed me from my sins? Does the gospel really teach this? What does this mean? Well, listen, here are four Ps, four words that begin with P, and there’s so much more than this but we have limited time, that helps us to understand and experience this blood-bought freedom that is already ours in Christ. And you push this into wherever your sin struggle is, even though we’re zeroing in like the Bible — as the pastoral epistles teach us to do — in the area of sexual holiness. And for most of you, this will not be new information, but I pray that it will bring about new transformation as we encounter Christ afresh by the Spirit through the gospel. So help us Lord.

Freed from the Penalty of Sin

Number one, what does it mean to be past tense freed from sins? It means that you have completely been set free from the penalty of your sins, including your sexual sins. This is the sweet gospel truth. I want to say it that way. I don’t like saying, “The doctrine of justification.” That sounds too rigid, too technical. The sweet gospel truth of justification. It means you will never, it’s time to celebrate, never, ever, ever suffer any form of punishment for your sins. Meditate on that and chain links begin to pop, pop, pop, when you understand that you’ll never be punished ever for any of your sins. It’s incredible. This means that you will never get what your sins deserve.

Listen to God’s word in Psalm 103:10, which says:

He does not deal with us according to our sins,
     nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Why? Why? Why is it that you and I will never, never, ever suffer any form of punishment for our sins? Why is it that you and I will never get what our sins deserve? Why is it that the Lord does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquity? Why? Because Jesus suffered punishment for your sins in your place, and because Jesus got what your sins deserve in your place, and because the Lord dealt with Jesus according to your sins and repaid Jesus for all the wrong that you have done in your place, the cross is the heart of justification, and that’s where we find the basis of our freedom from all forms of sin.

Oh God, open up the cross and drop us in it. It is simple but beautifully bottomless. And as we fall, we find freedom in the cross. This is the place where Jesus Christ took the fiery tsunami wrath of God towards us crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” It was for you and for me. Second Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way: “For our sake, God the Father made God the Son to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” We have to get this. What does that mean? Does that mean, what, he became sin? I mean, did he become a sinner? Well, we know that’s blasphemy. What?

One word that helps me so much is the word “treat.” What happened in that double amputation? What happened in that great gospel exchange of justification on the cross? God, the Father treated his infinitely holy Son Jesus like he was the one who lusted after that woman. God, the Father treated Jesus like he was the one who watched porn on his laptop. God, the Father in those three hours treated Jesus like he was the one who had lustful thoughts, like he was the one who masturbated over and over again, like he was the one who slept with his girlfriend, like he was the one who committed adultery. Why? For us. For us. For us.

So that now by faith in Christ, the Father treats us like we never lusted. The Father treats us like we never watched porn. The Father treats us like we never had a lustful thought, or we never committed sexual sin, or any sin of any kind because of justification. In Christ alone, the Father considers us — this is almost blasphemous except for the cross — the Father considers us as holy as Jesus is, and the Father counts us as righteous as Jesus is, and the Father sees us as perfect as Jesus is before his beautiful presence. Listen, Jesus truster, because you are justified in Christ, you are free from the penalty of sin forever and you are now as holy, righteous, perfect, accepted and clean as Jesus is before the Father. And that’s power to break sin.

Freed from the Power of Sin

But also number two, freed from sins means that you are not just freed from the penalty of sin, that’s the past, but in the present it means that you are progressively being set free from the power of your sins. This is the sweet gospel truth involved in sanctification. I get so much hope from 1 Peter 2:24 where it says:

[Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that . . . we might go to heaven?

What’s the rest of that? It says this:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Most of us grew up where the death of Jesus was for heaven and quiet time was for sanctification on earth. No, he bore our sin so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. This is a gospel-powered purity, a gospel-powered sanctification. This is the power of the gospel. Listen, this is good news. You can say no to your favorite sin now, and remind that sin that Jesus has dealt it a death blow at the cross. It’s weak. It’s getting weak. It’s still there. It’s kind of like my little three-year-old just letting her get the pleasure of killing a bug. I go and I smash it and it’s a death blow. It’s just kind of still. Then I say, “Go kill it.” Then she steps on it and says, “I did it, daddy.” That’s what Jesus did to your sin 2,000 years ago and he says, “Now go kill it. Apply what I did.” The power is broken.

This practically means that when sinful desires rise up inside of you, you can resist them and run to Jesus. Whatever that sin is, we can now say when the urge comes, “No, sexual lust, you no longer have power over me. I will find my joy in God because Jesus destroyed your power at the cross.” When self-gratification rises up in all of its ugly forms, you can say, “No, self-gratification. You no longer have power over me. I will be satisfied in God because Jesus destroyed your power at the cross.” Just fill in the blank. For any sin struggle — pride, anger, envy, gluttony, laziness — rejoice if you are in Christ because sin no longer has power over you. Just meditate on Roman 6. Meditate on Roman 6. You have been made dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. Don’t yield your members as instruments of sin again, but slaves of righteousness.

The Infinite Value of His Blood

Charles Wesley got it right. He breaks the power canceled sin. What? He sets the prisoner free. He breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free. Jesus continually breaks the power of sin throughout our Christian lives based upon, listen, his canceling the penalty of our sin through the cross when we first believed.

Does this mean I’ll never sin? No, it doesn’t mean you’ll never sin. But it does mean if and when you do sin, you have an advocate, a defense attorney with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is perpetually bringing up the infinite value of his blood before his Father on your behalf and all the Father sees is Christ when you sin, right there in front of the computer. Shall we sin that grace may abound. God forbid. That kind of grace breaks the power of canceled sin. Brothers:

Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea A great High Priest whose name is love Who ever lives and pleads for me

He breaks that power. Brothers, this is the truth of the gospel that progressively sets you free from remaining sin. This is what it means when John records in Revelation 1 that he has freed you.

Freed from the Pleasure of Sin

But not only that. Not only Jesus freed us from the penalty of our sin and progressively frees us from the power of our sins — this is beautiful — but freed from sins also means that if you are in Christ, you are gradually being set free from the pleasure of your sins. Oh, this is where we get to the heart of it. This is the sweet gospel truth of satisfaction. Listen, brothers, the powerful truth that we overcome, sinful, temporal, pleasure with superior, eternal pleasure in God is all over the Bible. I like to call this the overcoming power of a superior pleasure, the overcoming power of a superior pleasure. But it doesn’t matter what I like to call it. Is it in the Bible? Let’s just look at a few places.

Psalm 84 is a very popular psalm. In Psalm 84:10, the psalmist writes:

For a day in your courts is better
     than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
     than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Do you see that? House of God, wickedness. The psalmist is like, “There is one thing that has the power to pull me away from the shiny allurements of wickedness. And it’s not the fact that wicked is wrong.” No. Wicked is wrong, but we need more than moral conviction to overcome sin at the heart level. The psalmist says, “I refuse to choose wickedness not because it’s wrong, but because God is better.” You see what he says? Better is one day. David says the same thing in Psalm 63:3, remember, “God, your steadfast love is,” what? “Better than life.” That word just keeps echoing in my soul. Better. Better. Better.

Brothers, until God is better to you, you will remain enslaved. You need to cry out all night long if you have to. Go back to your hotel room, go back to wherever you’re staying and cry out, “Better, better, better.” You wake up in the morning and the guy at the hotel says, “People just kept complaining that some dude was crying out ‘better’ all night.” If that’s what it takes, it has to be better to you, deep down at the ocean floor of your affections. Is he better? Is God better than that attractive woman? Is God better to you than food? Is God better to you than your wife and kids? Is God better to you than Super Bowls? And is God better to you than a fruitful ministry? Is God better to you than a DG conference? Is God better to you than an amazing tweet from your spiritual hero? Is he better to you, Kempton?

Oh for the grace to be poured out in this room right now, to be able to say to the Lord Jesus, “Jesus, your love is better. Jesus, your kindness is better. Jesus, your goodness is better. Jesus, your faithfulness is better. Jesus, your power is better. Jesus, your glory is better. Jesus, your cross is better to me than all these other things. Whom do I have in heaven but you? And there’s nothing I desire on earth besides you. You are the portion of my soul.”

Superior Pleasure

That’s what it means to be freed. The cross presses in a superior pleasure and chain links pop and you become released, brothers, released. So we pray, “Better, God.” Men, anything that has come to taste better to your soul than our beautiful Savior is evil. Evil? Isn’t it just a preference, right? Well, not according to Jeremiah 2:13. Remember that? “My people have committed,” what? “Two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and they have dug for themselves broken cisterns, that could hold no one water.” Idols.

The Lord is appealing here to our affections again as he presents himself to us as our superior pleasure. So you can have a broken cistern, you can build this big hole and try to get water in it, but what is it going to turn into? Muddy sludge. Or you can have living water. Muddy sludge. Living water. God himself appeals to his people based on his superior pleasure for them in Christ. Jesus says the same thing in John 4 to that woman. He says, “You had all these men, but oh I’ve got water for you. You don’t have to settle for sex, sin, and sleeping with guys and relationships. I am your pleasure. I’m your pleasure.”

We also see one more example of the overcoming power of a superior pleasure in Ephesians 5:18. I never really saw this, but it’s here too. So remember Paul told the Ephesians:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit . . .

There it is again, a lesser to greater argument, wine versus Spirit. Notice that God didn’t say, “Okay, Ephesian drunks, go to AA. Obey the Old Testament law. Try harder to quit.” No, God says, “Listen, Ephesians. The way you overcome the sinful pleasure of alcohol is by enjoying the superior pleasure of my Spirit. Get drunk on me.” That’s what we need, brothers. We don’t mainly need Covenant Eyes to enjoy freedom from sexual sin. That can be good. We need the covenant keeper, and the satisfaction that is found in him. And as those who have been freed and released from sins enslavement, we have been set free to fight pleasure with pleasure in the battle for sexual purity. It’s the sweeter, greater, stronger pleasure that flows from God because in his presence is the fullness of joy. And at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So listen to this. The greatest power against sin is not more laws and more rules and more effort. It’s more of God filling me, captivating me, and satisfying me with himself.

A Better Taste

Now can I just be real, everyday practical? That’s how it works in everyday life, at least for me. Do you know why I stopped going to Taco Bell? Can I tell you guys why? I just stopped. I stopped going to Taco Bell. It wasn’t because I saw people protesting out there, saying, “Taco Bell uses squirrel meat. Taco Bell uses squirrel meat.” That’s not why. I stopped going to Taco Bell because I tasted the superior goodness of Chipotle. Man. I mean, yeah, it’s good stuff. My taste buds were won over by a superior pleasure and I started going there instead. Chipotle simply tasted better.

And that’s what God is presenting to us, brothers and sisters. Jesus tastes better than sin. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. If you by grace simply believe the truth that Jesus Christ is better than any form of sexual sin, that truth alone, watch this, apart from anything practical will set you free.

I’m not against the practical. If I have time, I’ll get to it. If I don’t, it’s okay. Guys come up to me all the time and say, “Just give me the practical, man. Where’s the next book?” So Jesus is strong enough to look death in the face, break its neck, and rise from the dead, but you need an internet filter? That’s your problem? They have their place: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.” They have a place, but it is the strong medicine of a superior pleasure in Christ that frees us.

Freed from the Presence of Sin

Finally, lastly, he tells us that we’re freed from sin by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’re freed from the penalty of sin. We’re freed progressively from the power of sin. We’re gradually freed from the pleasure of sin. And one day we’re going to be free from the presence of sin. Amen.

This is the sweet gospel truth of glorification. First John 3:2 says:

We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

We will be sinless and glorified. What kind of being is Jesus? What kind of God is this? You look at him and you’re changed. I look at you and I’m just like, “What’s your name? Hi.” You look at Jesus and it’s like, “I don’t sin anymore.” That’s what we need in sanctification and we’ll have it in glorification.

Can you imagine what it’ll be like to never sin again or ever be tempted again? Just imagine. It will be non-stop, undistracted pleasure in God. Can you imagine what it’ll be like to never again wrestle with loving things more than God? Can you imagine what it will be like to never again battle lustful thoughts? Can you imagine what it’ll be like never again to battle overeating? Can you imagine what it’ll be like to never battle snapping at your spouse or your children? Can you imagine what it will be like never to know what prayerlessness is, never to have a lack of desire for the living and abiding word of God, never knowing what it is to coward out on preaching the gospel to that person the Spirit is prompting you to. Never again. There will be only nonstop undistracted, infinitely pure worship and adoration to God because of the cross, because of the cross.

Brothers, this is the truth of the gospel that sets you free. And that last little portion in Revelation 1:5, it says, “He has freed us from our sins by his blood.” The precious and powerful blood of Jesus. Jesus is God, and he became a man so that he could be crushed. And the blood that flowed from Calvary would set us free from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, the pleasure of sin, and one day the very presence of sin. That’s why we love to sing. What can wash away my sins? What’s the answer? “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Oh, do you believe that? Oh Lord, may the blood, may the blood find its way to the sin that it already destroyed 2,000 years ago and gradually set us free and satisfy our hearts.

The Fight Against Sexual Immorality

In these five minutes I just want to, can’t unpack them, but I’ll give you a closing acronym that might be helpful for application. I’m going to hang out here at the conference. And so if you ever want to talk, want to pray, go a little deeper, please, I would love to serve you because this flows out of my own testimony of freedom that I didn’t get a chance to get into today.

Here’s an acronym. Pastor John has one, my friend and pastor. We were in the same small group for three years and I love him and he has one called Anthem. And I was like, “That’s good, anthem. Lord, can you give me one that kind of links up a little more with me. I want to sing an anthem. Yes. That’s good. And it is really good.” So the Lord said, “Fight.” Okay, fight. All right. Fight the good fight of faith. So the acronym is F-I-G-H-T.

Flee

F is for flee. Paul tells us to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). So flee, anything that stimulates lust, flee it. You see a pretty woman coming. She might think you’re weird, but just say, “Ah, I don’t need to go in that room now.” You know a billboard there, it’s like, “No.” Or maybe it’s that piece of cake there. You see it on the table and say, “I think I need to go back home.” Flee it. Whatever it is. Lead us not to temptation, right? I mean, people ask me, why am I not on Facebook anymore? Fleeing. Why don’t you have a TV? Fleeing. Is your life boring? No, it’s better. I get to actually sing and talk and spend time with my children now. Jesus says cut it off. Cut off your hand, pluck out your eye, or go to hell. Which one? I’ll be the dude with one eye, saying, “Hey, praise God.”

Intimacy

I is for intimacy. Oh, I wish we could linger here, but we can’t. This is intimacy with Christ. That’s where it is. That’s where that pleasure is developed. We get up and we pray with Moses, “Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love” (Psalm 90:14). And we get in this Bible and like I did this morning by his grace, and on this little Bible reading plan and get in the Revelation 7 and see, see the coming king. But it’s not just intimacy with Christ. Intimacy with your wife. I’m talking to men, obviously. It’s not that obvious these days. If you’re married, Proverbs 5 says, “She’s your well.” And I like hanging out by my well with my well. Praise the Lord. We could get going on that one, but we won’t.

One of the greatest ways to guard against sexual sin is to have regular satisfying sex with your spouse. And one of the main reasons this does not happen is because of our lack of tender understanding, prioritizing, loving, servant-leadership of our wives. You say, “Well, yeah, I would if we would . . . ” Well, dwell with her in an understanding way as a co-heir of the grace of life.

Gospel Accountability

G stands for gospel accountability. Fight brothers, fight. Now I say gospel accountability. A lot of guys have accountability that’s like, “Hey, Brad,” “How are you doing Tom? I messed up.” “Me too, man. Let’s pray.” I mean no. This is 1 John accountability. Walk in the light as he is in the light, and you have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses you. So you are in the light. You’re in the word. You see sin and you point each other to the cross together. Gospel accountability.

Helps

H is for helps. Helps and resources. They do have their place. I’m not against filters. Get Covenant Eyes. There’s also a program called Setting Captives Free. You can walk through it with a brother and have an accountability partner there. I’ve recommended some resources because resources are helpful. There’s a book called Delivered by Desire that kind of hones in on the gospel and the superior pleasure we have in God. Check that out in the bookstore.

And I do want to note that I know you have a heart for men and your family and church to walk in gospel purity. We did a conference at Bethlehem called Pure Pleasure last year. And you can go to hopeandgod.org and I share more of my testimony and get into a little bit more of these things. And Lord willing, Pure Pleasure 2014 will be on May 2–3 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. You’re welcome to bring a group of men. You can find out more about that by connecting with Bethlehem or even Desiring God. People over there can point you there.

Talk

T is for talk. Talk to God all day in prayer. Enjoy communion with your God all day long. I’m convinced that the sweetest way to walk with God is to talk with God. And Jesus made a way for us to commune with this God because we have union with Christ and communion through prayer with our God.