{"id":303193,"date":"2014-09-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood\/"},"modified":"2014-09-11T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-09-11T15:00:00","slug":"were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood\/","title":{"rendered":"We&#8217;re Not Fighting Flesh and Blood"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Russell Moore, President of Southern Seminary, shares some timely advice on how to address a sexually confused culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-09-11.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.47M","filesize_raw":"26705550","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[5424,5426,5425],"podcast_series":[8035],"cwp_profile":[9177],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303193","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-analysis-paralysis","tag-decisions","tag-steer-where-you-stare","podcast_series-preach-the-whole-gospel","cwp_profile-russell-moore","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303193\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303193\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"zetQQIACK9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood\/\">We&#8217;re Not Fighting Flesh and Blood<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/were-not-fighting-flesh-and-blood\/embed\/#?secret=zetQQIACK9\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;We&#8217;re Not Fighting Flesh and Blood&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"zetQQIACK9\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dr. Russell Moore, President of Southern Seminary, shares some timely advice on how to address a sexually confused culture.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-09-11.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Do you feel like the culture is sliding away from Christian values?\u00a0 Russell Moore says, \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be surprised by that, but we should be strategic about that.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell: <\/strong>The way that we are going to be able to speak to the people in our culture is not by more posturing but by a Christ-shaped counter-revolution that takes seriously what the Bible speaks about sexuality, about marriage, about human dignity, and focuses that upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, September 11<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. So, how do we stand for godliness and righteousness in an increasingly ungodly and unrighteous culture?\u00a0 We\u2019ll explore that today. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Thursday edition. I think our friend, Russell Moore, is trying to give Bill O\u2019Reilly a run for his money; don\u2019t you think?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think he is. I think\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>No spin. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>No spin with him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>No baloney. [Laughter]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Man, I\u2019m telling you\u2014he shoots straight from the hip. Before we get to his message, let me just say something to our listeners\u2014in fact, I just got this letter from a listener, who is a young lady in college. Her name is Karen. She listens to our broadcast every night\u2014she says she\u2019s addicted. You know, that\u2019s too bad she\u2019s addicted to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>; but if you\u2019re going to be addicted to something, that\u2019s a good thing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe said, \u201cLast night, I was listening to your broadcast and learned all about generosity in marriage.\u201d\u00a0 She said: \u201cI\u2019m not married or even engaged, but it\u2019s the principle of the thing. I was reminded that God says, if you sow generously, you will also reap generously.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe said, \u201cThat\u2019s one reason why I\u2019m sending you 60 bucks. It only leaves me with $12 in my checking account because the other reason I gave is that God is clearly teaching me to trust Him. He\u2019s been doing that for the past couple of months.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe goes on to say: \u201cI became a Christian when I was 12 years old, but my home was broken. Now, we are restored because of God. I prayed like crazy,\u201d she said, \u201cfor my parents to be restored, and I get to hear God\u2019s commands from <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> that my parents never communicated to me.\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cThey are both Christians now.\u201d\u00a0 And she said, \u201cI love God more than anything.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, Bob, here is what I just wanted to say to our listeners\u2014this broadcast is brought to you by young ladies, like Karen, who cared enough to send some money. In her case, it was truly a sacrificial gift. I just want to say, \u201cThanks,\u201d to the Legacy Partners\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014who keep this ministry on the air on this station\u2014and to the rest of you, as well, who give to support this broadcast. It\u2019s needed, and appreciated, and I want you to know\u2014extremely timely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, and I think that the message we\u2019re going to hear today is also extremely timely. This is Dr. Russell Moore who was speaking to a group of pastors a few months ago about the spiritual condition of our culture and how we represent Jesus in this climate. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Bob, I <em>love <\/em>featuring messages like this for our listeners because you are getting a chance to hear from some world-class communicators, who are the best of the best. Russell Moore is a good man, a great preacher, and you need to hear this message\u2014and your children as well\u2014because we\u2019re all living in a day where our faith is on trial. We need to know how to best represent Jesus Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You and I are going to be going to Nashville to be with Dr. Moore, at the end of October, for a conference called <em>The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage<\/em>. We\u2019re going to spend a couple of days looking at the defining issue in our culture today, in terms of what the state of the family is going to be over the next generation. If folks would like more information about that, they can go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click the link that says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d\u00a0 You can find out about the conference in Nashville. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut this is Part One of a message from Dr. Russell Moore about how we represent Christ in our world today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Recorded Message]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell: <\/strong>Had a conversation several weeks after taking this office that turned out to be determinative for me in many ways. I was having a conversation with a woman who could probably be best described as spiritual but not too religious. She was someone who believed in spirituality, but she didn\u2019t have confidence that there was a God. And she, certainly, did not believe in Christianity or Evangelical Christianity. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe wanted to have a conversation about the things that we believe as Christians and as evangelicals. Most of the questions that she was asking me had to do with the Christian sexual ethic because these are the sorts of things that are in the newspapers and across the internet so often. She was asking me: \u201cWhy do Christians believe <em>this <\/em>about sex?\u201d and, \u201cWhy do Christians not believe <em>this<\/em> about sex?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI answered all of her questions. She said, \u201cYou know,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat you have to understand is I don\u2019t know anyone who believes the things that you all believe about sexuality.\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cThese things sound incredibly strange to me\u2014that there would be people that you would be attracted to \/ there would be people that you would be in a relationship with that you wouldn\u2019t have sex with.\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cThat there would be certain sexual relationships that would be sinful and other sexual relationships that would not be sinful.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe said, \u201cDo you realize?\u2014I don\u2019t know anybody, in my entire life, who believes these things; and what you are saying sounds so incredibly strange to me.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 My response was to say: \u201cI know that, and I believe in even stranger things than that. I believe that a previously dead man is going to show up in the sky on a horse.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe central claim of Christianity is one that does not sound normal when it is being proclaimed. As a matter of fact, the typical reaction, when the gospel is being proclaimed in Galilee, in Judea, in Jerusalem, and then as the gospel marches forward in the book of Acts is for people to say: \u201cThis sounds insane to us. It seems as though you have lost your mind because you believe these things\u2014that this ex-corpse is now the ruler of the entire universe and that \u2018every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, \u201cJesus Christ is Lord\u201d to the glory of God, the Father.\u2019 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThat does not seem normal.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou and I are moving into a time in which, in this country\u2014and in many places around the world\u2014a Christian understanding of sexuality is going to seem strange, will seem freakish, and may, in many cases, seem even subversive to the people around us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat I think we ought to commit to do, as the people of God, is not to run away from the strangeness of Christianity but to reclaim the strangeness of Christianity as it is found and focused on a crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ. The way that we are going to be able to speak to the people in our culture\u2014and increasingly, in some ways, sexually-confused culture\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014is not by more culture-war posturing but by a Christ-shaped counter-revolution that takes seriously what the Bible speaks about sexuality, about marriage, about human dignity, and focuses that upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOften, when people, in our day and in our context, describe themselves with the language of prophetic, that often means a jerk. Often people will speak of themselves as prophetic\u2014simply meaning, \u201cI am speaking to you exactly what I have on my mind; but if I say it\u2019s prophetic, it\u2019s spiritual and you can\u2019t really say anything to me about it.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut that\u2019s not the way that the Bible defines prophetic. Biblically-defined\u2014the message of a prophet and the mission of a prophet is to speak words that have been given to give a word of revelation\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014as God says to the prophet, Jeremiah, \u201c\u2026to tear down and to plant\u2026to build up and to reconstruct.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe Scripture also tells us that, although John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets, up to the point of the coming of Jesus, Jesus says that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. The ministry and the mission of John the Baptist is not a different mission than the mission that has been given to us\u2014it is the same mission, that we have been granted, to point and to say, \u201cBehold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, what that means is we have to understand what is happening in the world around us. We have to understand that we are part of a world in which something has gone terribly wrong. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe have to understand that, as we speak prophetically within the church and outside of the church\u2014when it relates to issues of sexuality or any other issue\u2014we have to do that in a way that opposes the devil without <em>acting<\/em> like the devil. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is easy to demonize opponents. It is difficult to oppose demons. The Scripture says that we have been called to wrestle, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly places. One of the easiest things that we can do is to decide that somehow we are going to fight like the devil in order to please the Lord; but Jesus, speaking to Peter, says to him, at a moment in that ministry, \u201cGet behind me, Satan.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe says that Peter\u2014when he attempts to do the work of Christ but bypassing the cross\u2014is actually <em>empowering<\/em> the powers of darkness. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt would be easy for us, as we take the mission\u2014as we look around and we see the changes that are happening in the culture around us\u2014to do much the same thing. But the Scripture calls us to a different way. Jesus says that He, by the power of the cross, has bound the strong man. Therefore, he may plunder his house. You and I have to understand that the powers at work around us in this universe are working in two ways. We must oppose both of those ways at the same time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re living in a world, right now, in which, right now, while I am talking to you, there is probably someone, just blocks from this place, contemplating walking away on a marriage \/ on a family tomorrow morning. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe live in a time where, right now\u2014perhaps, right now, while I am speaking\u2014there is a young woman who is looking at two lines on a pregnancy test and wondering whether or not she is going to go into a building and have that child eradicated from her life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe live in a world in which children have unspeakable things done to them by predatory adults. We live in a world in which so many of our young women are being told, implicitly and explicitly, to see themselves and to see their entire identity in terms of their sexual attractiveness and availability to men. We live in a world where concepts of marriage, and of love, and of fidelity, and of family are contested all over the place. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt would be easy for the people of God to respond to all of that with hand-wringing. It would be easy for the people of God to respond to all of that with panic. It would be easy for the people of God to respond to all of that with surrender, and it would be easy for the people of God to respond to all of that with simple outrage. But we are the people who have been given a mission which means we understand what is going on in the universe, and we are to wrestle principalities and powers through the cross. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe power that the power of darkness has is a power that comes, first of all, through deception. That\u2019s exactly what John is addressing in that passage that we just read some moments ago. John stands up and is speaking a word that is calling the people around him to repentance:\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou are walking in a way that seems right to you. Turn and be reconciled to God.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe power that the evil one has we see in the biblical story from the very beginning\u2014is a power that first wants to deceive\u2014to say, on the one hand, \u201cHas God really said\u2026?\u00a0 Has God really spoken?\u00a0 Is the Word of God really clear on these issues?\u201d\u00a0 And then, secondly, to turn around and to say: \u201cThere is no accountability. You will not surely die. There will be no judgment for you.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t know any man or any woman in any situation I\u2019ve ever dealt with\u2014and there have been countless situations, and I know for many of you as well\u2014in the middle of an extramarital affair\u2014I don\u2019t know any of them who concluded an extramarital affair is a good thing to do and, then, went and sought somebody with whom to have an affair. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMost of the time, what happens is\u2014there is a slow and gradual process in which a person is being led and directed by his own heart \/ by her own heart, by the circumstances around that person into a situation in which the person now finds justification why\u2014\u201cIn this case, in this instance, in this circumstance\u2014this is acceptable and this is alright.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe power of the evil one is to say, \u201cGod has not clearly spoken, and God will not clearly hold you accountable for this.\u201d\u00a0 You\u2019re able to somehow be a god\u2014discerning good and evil in your own life\u2014and, at the same time, you\u2019re simply an animal, driven along by instincts, and not driven and directed by the Word of God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut what John does\u2014in speaking to those around him\u2014is to speak <em>honestly<\/em> about the revelation of God\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014to speak <em>honestly<\/em> about the judgment that is coming\u2014to speak <em>forcefully<\/em> and <em>urgently <\/em>in a line that has to be one of the most astounding lines in all of Scripture\u2014found in verse 18. After John the Baptist has stood up and talked about the winnowing fork of God\u2014talked about unquenchable fire\u2014this is hellfire and brimstone preaching as it is originally defined. And then, Luke says this: \u201cSo, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.\u201d\u00a0 Good news!\u00a0 He\u2019s standing up and saying: \u201cYou are under the judgment of God!\u00a0 You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI have never, in my life, stood up in any preaching assignment and said, \u201cYou bunch of snakes, who warned you to get out of the way of the judgment of God?\u201d\u00a0 John does; and Luke says, \u201cThis is good news.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019s speaking good news to the people. Well, why is that the case?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is because God has given a word. The word that calls to repentance is a word that does not leave us alone in the path that we want to go on our own. If the Scripture is right that there is a judgment and if the Scripture is right that the human conscience testifies to that coming judgment, then, the refusal to speak to those consciences clearly and openly is a refusal to love. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf the Apostle Paul is right when he says that sexual sin \/ sexual impurity is a sin against one\u2019s own body and that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God, the question is \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 The Scripture tells us why\u2014because the sexual union isn\u2019t simply a biological act. It isn\u2019t simply the rubbing of body parts together to fire neurons and to have a sensory experience. What the Scripture tells us is that, in the sexual union, there is a joining together of a one flesh union. That means something is happening, spiritually. Paul says, \u201cYour body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 When that body is being given over sexually, something is happening within the temple of God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd the temple is not simply an edifice\u2014it isn\u2019t simply a building. It isn\u2019t simply a geographic point. The temple is the place where God is marked out by its holiness. There are deep spiritual realities involved in the sexual act, which is why the Apostle Paul speaks so clearly to it. It\u2019s the reason why John, when he finds himself before Herod, speaks to the issue of Herod\u2019s sexual infidelity and sexual immorality. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you and I have been given the mission to speak to the world outside of us, calling them to Christ\u2014and to speak to the world inside of the church, calling one another to holiness\u2014we must understand the stakes of the judgment seat of Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe must speak every word that has been given to us. It is about coming under the lordship of Christ, which means \u201cHow is this new lordship going to change the direction that I want to go?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>You and I are living in a world, right now, that, culturally, is not built around a Roman imperial cult but is often built around a Dionysian understanding of what it means to pursue one\u2019s sexual freedom and one\u2019s sexual autonomy. But the question remains the same: \u201cAs the message is being preached, what must we, then, do?\u201d If we are preaching, authentically, the Word that we have been given\u2014an almost gospel is no match for the sexual revolution. And we have had, in too many of our circles for too long, an almost gospel. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0[Studio]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, we\u2019ve been listening to Dr. Russell Moore\u2014Part One of a message that he shared with pastors, not long ago, on how we live for Christ in this culture. As you like to say, \u201cWas there anything unclear about what he was saying?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. And here is the message for all of us, who are followers of Christ: \u201cWe are not merely supposed to pound the table about what we see on TV, what we are hearing in the marketplace, what\u2019s taking place in our culture and rail against people. In fact, the best thing we can do is not be silent but to step into the discussions and offer a reasonable defense for our faith and why, more than ever, people need forgiveness.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI mean, Bob, on Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u2014now, there are over 50 different choices of sexual orientation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>The Bible begins with two\u2014male and female. Now, because Facebook is offering choices, we\u2019ve got to decide\u2014whether we are single people, married folks, parents, grandparents. How are we going to respond to that?\u00a0 Are we going to go after those issues; or are we going to present the gospel, which offers the hope of forgiveness of sin and an eternal destiny with Almighty God?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, and this is going to be at the heart of the event that you\u2019re going to be speaking at in Nashville next month, called <em>The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage<\/em>, being hosted by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention that Dr. Russell Moore gives leadership to. I\u2019m going to be there as well. There is a great lineup of speakers: Jim Daly from <em>Focus on the Family<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> is coming\u2014J.D. Greear, Dr. Al Mohler. Of course, Dr. Moore is going to be speaking\u2014David Platt, John Stonestreet, and others. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can find out more about this event by going to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the button at the top of the page that says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d There is a link right there to information about the upcoming national conference being hosted by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Again, you can find out more, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link that says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d The information you need is there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>And by the way, while we are on the subject of conferences and events, this is the last week that you can register for one of our upcoming FamilyLife <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em>marriage getaways for this fall or next spring and take advantage of the special offer that is currently available for <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners. It\u2019s a buy one\/get one free opportunity. You pay for yourself, and your spouse comes free. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDetails are online at FamilyLifeToday.com. Again, click the button that says, \u201cGO DEEPER,\u201d and look for information about the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway. We hope you\u2019ll take time this fall to invest in your marriage relationship by attending a <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>The special offer is good this week only. So, if you want to take advantage of that, we need to hear from you today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we want to encourage you to join us back again tomorrow. We\u2019re going to hear Part Two of Russell Moore\u2019s message on how we live and how we represent God\u2019s truth and God\u2019s standard in a culture that is slipping away from it more and more. We\u2019ll hear Part Two of that message tomorrow. Hope you can tune in for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2014 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303193"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303193"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303193"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}