How Far is Too Far? ~ Part 2

How Far is Too Far? ~ Part 2

By Pastor Gary Wayne

What is the difference between giving a man a fish, or teaching a person to fish? That is my goal for this message.

Not to give a list of things we shouldn’t do. But to teach us to take every activity into the light of God’s presence and ask Him, “God, what’s going to glorify You in this?”

A HUGE problem is that on many activities in question, we have already made up our minds what we want God to say, so we live with our pre-conceived believes of what we think is ok with God.

When culture tells us over & over something is ok, the tendency is to think it’s not that bad.

So I go to church, read my bible once in a while, yet live with things in my life that give the enemy legal right to harass me. Then I wonder, “why is this God stuff not working?”

Text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

A question I want to work towards an answer, is “How Far Is Too Far?”
When I was growing up in the “church world” I could give you a list of sin, that today seems ok to do - so ??? What’s the standard – How do you know how far you can go before something become sin??

Depending on the intention of my heart when I ask this question, it’s not likely I will get an answer.

Asking how close can I get to the line before it’s sin is like asking, how bad can I be and still go to heaven, or how good do I have to be to just barely get in?
When I ask this question this way, I won’t hear an answer, BUT if I ask “God, what’s going to glorify You in this?” I will hear His voice every time!

So how do we know God’s standard for sin? How far is too far?
1Co.6:12-20

Paul has just established a rule for absolute and variable sin.
What is an absolute sin? Take a gun and kill someone – is it a sin? Yes. Who said so? God’s Word - The absolutes are spelled out.

So what about areas that seem variable? How do I answer that question?
Ver. 12 "Everything is permissible for me"- (unless the Bible says no) but not everything is beneficial. (even if it’s legal)
"Everything is permissible for me"- but I will not be mastered by anything.” NIV

What are some variable illustrations? Movies, Cloths, Parties, Music, Alcohol, What else?

Everything is ok for me to do - unless it takes mastery, or enslaves, or it takes over.

Keep in mind that mastery is a key – and God talks about two things that take mastery like nothing else in the next 9 verses.

The first one… Food. Food is tough – but compared to sex, food’s a piece of cake. (pun intended)

The Bible says sexual intercourse with someone you are not marred to is adultery / fornication. (Adultery if one person is married, fornication if you are not married)
Is it an absolute? Yes! It doesn’t vary according to the circumstances.

Ver.18-20 Sexual sin has the greatest potential for mastery than any other sin.
And God treats it differently than other sin.

He says it’s an internal violation of the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Every other sin is considered external.

Why? My guess - we are made in His image. He created us Body, Soul, Spirit.
Our body is what we see and feel – Sour soul is our intellect, emotions, reasoning, feelings, etc. – Our spirit is that part that is born again and comes alive to God.

He puts His Spirit within us and He lives and dwells within you and me.

I believe when you have sex with someone, the three parts of us are involved.
The physical is obvious, but it’s like your soul and spirits intertwine and you “become one flesh.” (Gen.2:24) You create a soul tie.

But let’s say two people start making out. How far can you go before its sin?
Tough question. I believe it depends on the age of a person, their personal experiences, and their relationship with Jesus.

Some say, lighten up, but the Bible says tighten up – to a Godly level – And according to 1 Cor.8:11-13, the level of your weaker brother or sister.
Especially in sexual areas when you add what Jesus said – if you look at someone with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery. (Mt 5:28)

I want to conclude with this MAJOR POINT. Because I am a follower of Jesus, my overall passion is to please Him, so I bring everything I do into the light of His presence and ask, “Jesus will this glorify you in my life?”

There might be things I set down that are not even sin. But in my desire to love Him, those things are irrelevant.

1 Cor.6:19-20
Because I’m a Christian, Paul is asking us to make pleasing Jesus the standard by which I measure everything and anything I do.