Take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10. Look at several passages of Scripture, but I want to speak tonight on God's standards regarding touch. I'm afraid for many Christians we've lost our bearing as well as our focus in the Christian life. I think we need our focus to be finely tuned. For many people feel like the Christian life is a series of do's and don'ts. And in one sense, this is true, there are some things that we should do, and there are some things that we shouldn't do. But at the same time, that's really not the Christian life. The Christian life is Christ. And our focus should be upon Him, and anything that He would ask of us, of course, we should be willing to do. Anything he tells us that we shouldn't do, we should be willing to set aside and not do. You know, when my family took a holiday just about a month or so ago, and we went down to Knott's Berry Farm, we went on a lot of different rides. And you know, on a lot of those rides, they had height requirements. And so, especially with Julia and Jay, we had to make sure that they were at least as tall as the red line. If they fell short of that red line, they couldn't ride that ride. That wasn't to keep them from having fun. That was so that they could go on and have fun. There was one particular ride that they actually had us get in and we had to see if the harness fit. Because what they would do is they'd sit you in these seats and they'd take you way up in the air and then they'd drop you. And you wanted to make sure that the little ones would stay in the seat. You didn't want them flopping out all over the place. It was bad enough when you did fit. And, you know, I think it was Jay got in there and he couldn't go on because of the fact that he was just a little bit too small. And so there were some rules and regulations that we had to follow. You know, I didn't walk around that day and I don't remember any of our children walking around that park going, oh no, another red line. Boy, this is no good. Wow. I mean, there's red lines everywhere. Every ride we get to, they say, here's some things we can't do. And hey, I got to take my glasses off. And because they don't want my glasses to stay on story 30 when it drops 27 floors. You know, they want to make sure that I can see when I get off this ride. Yeah, we didn't walk around that way. You know, many Christians, they walk around saying, yeah, you know, in the Christian life, you can't do this and you can't do that. And boy, you know, just, man, everywhere you go, you just can't, can't, can't, can't, can't. Right? I remember when I took a trip to Israel. I went with, on a familiarization tour. And what they do is they try to get a bunch of preachers to go on these fam tours, they call it. And you go and you visit a lot of the sites. that you would normally take a church tour group through. There were like, out of about 25, 27 of us, 8 of us were Baptists. I went with Pastor Mark Bowman. There were a couple pastors in the community that went there as well. And what they did is like a whirlwind tour. We would have free entrance passes. I think it cost us, I think, 600 US dollars. for a two-week trip. How many of you remember when I went on that thing? I think I came back and showed slides of everything. And we would go into these five-star... we'd sleep at a five-star hotel, and then we'd eat at another one, so that we could all get an idea that if we wanted to come back, we could maybe choose that particular restaurant, that particular hotel, to bring our church group. So they were sort of just dangling a little carrot before us. You come for a cheap rate, and then you bring 20 others with you at full rate, you know, later. So that was the whole purpose. But, you know, many of the sites that we went on to, they were called holy sites. And you know, we'd walk up to the entrance gate, and they would have a large sign there, and they would have dress standards, they would have speech standards, they would make you many times take your shoes off, and things of that nature, and they had people standing there to make sure that those rules were enforced. And you know, I stood there, And I watched at some of these places, and I didn't see one disgruntled person trying to get into those places. You know, they wanted to see the sight. And so they were saying, hey look, I'm willing to forego this, I'm willing to forego that, I'm willing to do this, I'm willing to do... Take my shoes off, no problem. And there were some folks who were just all caught up in the excitement, and the crowd was pushing to the gates, and so they would just sort of try to meander on through. And those guys there, they'd stand, and they'd say, hold it, you need to take your shoes off, that kind of thing. And a couple of places, hey, you've got to put a covering on. And you know, they even had blankets for some people, because they said, hey, you've got to be covered. You can't come in here looking like this. And you know what? I never saw anybody go, oh, man, what are you doing? I mean, that's not fair. Don't you realize where I'm from? They weren't doing that. They just said, oh, okay. You know, oh, sorry. And they'd go over here and they'd take care of business. You know, they'd come back and they'd go into the site. It wasn't a big deal. Why? They weren't focused on what they couldn't do, what they could do. They were focused on the object at hand, what they wanted to see, what they wanted to do. Amen? And in the Christian life, I'm afraid that many times, especially once the newness of everything wears off, if we're not careful, especially if it's those issues that we've had to make what we would deem major adjustments, then we balk at those and we focus on the adjustment rather than on the Savior. Amen? Who redeemed us. Amen? Are you with me? You know, there's a lot of things and this is getting where we live. I hear people say, oh, if I, if I, you know, now that I'm saved, you know, I can't even go swimming. Preacher says I can't even go swimming. I've never said you can't go swimming. In fact, you can go swimming all you want to. I can't keep you from going swimming. Contrary to some people's public opinion that I am the dictator around here and that I come into people's homes And they got get you got to get rid of this and you got to get rid of that And all that kind of stuff and I tell you how to live and how to dress and all that Folks I may lay it out there give you suggestions, but it's up to you. It's really up to you but you know, I enjoy swimming my family enjoys swimming and And you know, having to dress appropriately and modestly should not hinder us from having good Christian fun. Who ever said that to swim you have to wear less than your underwear? Amen? Are you with me? I said, Pastor, we've got guests here. But it's an amazing thing how our rationalization is. The world says, hey, this is the way, if you're going to have fun, it's got to be. And if we want to have that same fun, and we can't do it like they can, somehow we are getting gypped. We're cheated. Nothing could be further from the truth. God's standards are in place so that we can have fun, we can have life, have it more abundantly, and have a clear conscience afterwards. Amen? I've never heard anybody say, boy, I'm so sorry that I had high standards in my life. But I've heard a whole lot of people say, boy, I wish I was a bit stricter. Right? Amen? I'm talking about horseback riding. A lot of people say, oh, a girl can't ride horses, you know, unless she's in a pair of tight blue jeans. Spandex shorts. Even before pants were ever even dreamed to be upon a woman, ladies rode horses. You can ride horses, ladies, and be modest, and be a lady, amen? Sports, I mean, Oh, you can't have fun anymore because you've got to wear shorts, guys, that go past your knee there. You know, you've got to wear those short, hot pant shorts so that you can jump up and get that basketball. What does that have to do with playing basketball? Amen? When I played high school basketball, there was a couple of guys that were part of a children's home, Good Shepherd Children's Home, out of our home church. And they wore sweatpants. And they wore t-shirts. And you know what? They were the best players on the team, and one of them got to be all-conference player in our conference at the TACS, the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools for the State of Tennessee. You see what our rationalization is? In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, Verse 31, it says, "...whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God, even as I please all men in all things, and seeking mine own profit..." Not seeking my own profit, excuse me. "...but the profit of many, that they may be saved." I think Paul kept that in the forefront of his mind, that whatever activity he was engaged in, it was for one supreme purpose, and that is the supreme purpose of each and every one of us, so that souls could be saved. You know, when we have activities here, it's so that souls can be saved. You know, we have an equipping service on Wednesday night, Sunday morning, for Sunday school, Sunday morning service, Sunday night service. And those services, even though we may address believers in those services, they're to equip us and strengthen us. and encourage us and to motivate us so that we can fulfill the great commission of seeing souls saved. When we have a Canada Day celebration, it's so that we can be encouraged and we can have another venue to get together, to fellowship, enjoy one another's company, but also see souls saved. Amen? Every activity we have. And you know, so we never walk around saying, well, I don't like doing this, I don't like doing that, or I wish we'd do something else sometime and say, hey, we get to do this so that maybe we can have another venue of reaching somebody for Christ. That's what Paul was saying. He's saying he lived his life, he did what he did, and there were some things he didn't do because he was concerned that he would give no offense to the Jew, to the Gentile, or to the Church of God, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to address the one topic, as you know I've been going through this series, I took one night and just touched on the seven areas, and I've been trying to take a Wednesday night, and then being a little bit more specific, and I want to address the subject of touch. Number one in my outline, touch is one of the senses. We have seeing, we have hearing, tasting, smelling, and of course, touch. And as far as the senses go, they are strong if they're not kept in check. They're strong even if they're kept in check, I should add. And it's very difficult at times unless we are disciplined and determined and we have the Holy Spirit of God controlling our lives. Amen? Because believers, we know, we can give in to the evil one and to the depravity of our flesh in any area. And we've got Bible examples that would touch in every single one of these areas that blew it because they were not determined. And they were not decided that they would not defile themselves in that particular area, and they left off the control of the Holy Spirit of God. So it's one of the senses. Number two, touch, if you really look and study, and there's almost a whole page in the dictionary in regards to touch and its various aspects. When you look at it in the Bible context, it has to do, yes, with not touching, say, an inanimate object, but it also has to do in the area of intimacy. Touch has to do with areas of intimacy. Like Mount Sinai, for example, in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, God said, I don't want anyone coming near the mount. If they touch the mount without permission from Me, then they are to be killed. Even an animal, if it would wander aimlessly and just by accident touch the mount, they were to be killed. An individual the same way. God said, no one is to touch this mount, and he meant business. But also we have, as we think in maybe a little bit of an extra-biblical sense, every one of us have what we call a personal space. You know when your personal space is invaded. And it's hard to say that a personal space is, you know, two feet or three feet. There's nowhere in the Scriptures that says that that's where you're invading someone's personal area, when you get into that intimate area of someone's life. But you know when you feel like someone is just a little bit too close to you. A good rule of thumb in regards to that, I guess, would be the distance of a handshake. If you'll come here, Nate. Hi, how you doing? That's usually a pretty good stopping point right there, where if you come any closer than this right here, you're probably going to get into their personal space. And all of us feel just a little bit funny when someone gets up right here like this and starts talking to us. Feel like you want to kiss him or something, amen? Thank you. You see? But that's a good rule of thumb as far as personal space. Now, this is going to make a little bit more sense as I go into the message, but we've got to be very, very careful when it comes to the matters of touch. Being one of the five senses, we talked about some weeks ago in regards to our depraved flesh, and how if we don't keep things in check, we can give in to these areas, and God has some warnings for us. Now, one thing that I saw as I was going through the Scriptures in regards to touch and the various aspects, that we are encouraged in our intimacy with Jesus Christ. I mean, we are encouraged to touch Him, to be a part of Him, to be intimate with Him. I mean, He is to be the lover of our soul. Amen? We are to love Him and develop a relationship with Him. We are the bride. He is the bridegroom, so to speak. In fact, in one particular passage of Scripture, and it's mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it talks in Matthew chapter 8 about the woman with the issue of blood. and how she says, if I could just touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole. When someone touches the Lord Jesus and is intimate with Him, healing takes place. It says that virtue went out of Him. In Matthew chapter 10, it talked about how when Jesus came to a certain community, it says all the people heard He was coming, so they brought all those that were sick and diseased so that they could just reach out and touch His garment and be made whole. So in that particular sense, Him being the Great Physician, when we develop a relationship with Him, when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are touched by Him. That song says, He touched me. Oh, He touched me. Oh, the joy that floods my soul. See, Jesus wants to develop an intimate relationship with us. And so if you're looking for that special touch, then you find that intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Mark chapter 8 verse 22, we find that Jesus touched the blind man and he received his sight. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus touched the little children and we see that they were dedicated to Him and to His service. So we're encouraged to develop an intimacy, a loving touch with our Savior. Number four, we are encouraged in developing intimacy in other relationships as well. I can just imagine how your mind was probably going when I was talking about developing an intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ. You might be saying, oh pastor, be real. I mean, surely you don't expect us to walk in a bubble, in a vacuum, and just think only in the spiritual when we think about intimacy and touch. And we are encouraged in the Bible to have that intimacy with husband and wife, and the touch between parents and children, and friends and so on. And there's nothing wrong with that in its proper area, in its proper place. Even the Scriptures tell us and indicate that for us. But we are also warned in regards to certain areas of touching and intimacy in relationships. In 2 Corinthians, I invite you to turn there, 2 Corinthians chapter 6, we see the phrase, touch not the unclean thing. But I want to begin reading verse 14 so that you get the context and understand with the whole aspect of intimacy. It doesn't mean in this passage of Scripture that we cannot know unsaved people. We're to reach the unsaved. It doesn't mean that we can't spend time with the unsaved. But there are some safety measures involved here that the Lord has put in His Word to keep us from sin, keep us from making mistakes, keep us in having the most brilliant witness, the brightest witness that we possibly can have. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them, who's the them? Those who are unbelievers, right? Amen? Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. There is a familiarity, there is a breaking down of inhibitions just by our touch. Our touch does that. We might touch something for the first time, and we are sensitive to that touch. Have you ever run your bathwater, and then you dip your hand in your bathwater, and all of a sudden, ooh, that's hot. But you put it in there again, it's not that you've added anything, you've put your hand back in there, and your touch is not quite as sensitive as it was before. It's because there's a conditioning process that is taking place. And see, that's why the Lord says, hey, you've got to be careful, believer, in some of your associations, because the touch is so sensitive, and He wants you to remain that way. But if you keep dabbling, if you get intimate with that, it's going to affect your sensitivity. And if you're going to be less sensitive to the world, you're also going to be less sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God, who is holy. Amen? And the world is unholy. Are you with me tonight? See, so when you put your hand back in there, you say, oh, it's not as hot as it first was to the touch. It's not that a great cooling took place from the first touch to the second touch. It's the conditioning of your touch that was affected. And that's what God is trying to point out here. He is not scolding these Christians here in 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians is one of the most encouraging books of the New Testament written to the local church. Yes, 1 Corinthians, he did a bit of scolding. He saw a mess there, and he was trying to straighten things up. But when you come to 2 Corinthians, the whole tenor of the book changes. And so he's encouraging these believers. And he says, look, I've got these height requirements. These weight requirements and all these things, not to keep you from having fun, but so that you can have fun. So that you can be effective, in other words. Amen? And so that's why he's saying here, he says in verse 17, "...wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate." So here you're part of something, you separate yourself from that something. The unbelieving crowd. We've got to be careful about that. Amen? In other words, What it's talking about, those intimate periods of our life, those times of our life, we have to be careful that like fellowships with like. the birds of the feather flocking together kind of saying, you see. We've got to be very, very careful, because if we're not, what happens is, we in the integrity of our heart, walk into the venue with the unsaved, we become intimate with them, and then those things that they participate in, those sins that maybe they're involved in, they don't remain exceedingly sinful to us, we then become desensitized the temperature of our touch is less sensitive just like the bath water the second time. We say, oh, it's not that big of a deal. What do we find rationalizing, the rationalization going on in regards to the redefinition of marriage? What do we find happening in our Christian communities in regards to alcohol? It used to be, oh, it's wicked, it's evil, it's no good, we ought to make sure it doesn't come back in. But with each successive vote, there's less and less people taking a stand. It does not seem exceedingly sinful to us anymore. And then we have many, many of our young people, because the older generation is not taking a stand, it's the old saying, what we do in moderation, they do in excess. I eat four Oreo cookies and the kids want twelve. Amen? Isn't that the way it goes? What we do in a little bit, they want to do in a lot. And see, that's what we find happening. We are slowly but surely being desensitized. And we've got to be careful about that. Are you with me? I mean, I just want to make sure that we're understanding this principle in the area of touch. And when we talk about areas with a loss, we are to reach them. But we don't reach them by becoming like them. We reach them by showing them a better way. I've said that until I'm blue in the face. I mean, the Lord Jesus Christ didn't say, hey, let me party with you. Let me just go out and have a good time with you. And just by you seeing my righteous life, you'll be one to me. Oh no. He preached repentance. He preached. He preached. That's verbal. Amen? So yes, he backed up with his life, his words, but he had the words. Amen? And so we need to have the verbiage, we also need to have the life to back it up. And so the Lord's laying a principle here saying, look, be careful with your associations. Be careful with those intimate moments of life. Be careful with those fellowship times. Be careful with those close-knit times that you have, those leisure moments. In other words, when you and I mix in any way with the unsaved, it ought to be with a specific purpose in mind. We've got to have purpose. We don't just say, hey, wouldn't it be good to get together with so-and-so and spend an evening with them? They're nice people. Oh, no. It's, hey, look, let's get together so that we can win them for Christ. Maybe tonight's the night. And so when you're grilling a burger, when you're grilling a hot dog, when you're playing a game, when you're having a conversation, you're looking for an opportunity. You're trying to develop a relationship to win them to Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that you have to break off into the plan of salvation every time, but I am saying that you are seeking to win that individual for the Lord Jesus Christ. You're not just killing time. You're not just seeking out fellowship. You're not just going to chit-chat. You may chitchat, but it's for the purpose of seeing them saved. Amen? You see what I'm saying there? That's what 1 Corinthians 10, 33 says, Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. So we're going to be careful about touching, spending those intimate times with the unsaved. And then we find with the backslidden, we have to be careful. If you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 5, you know the passage well. It's a church-disciplined passage. But it talks about in verse 11. And I'm not going to take the time tonight and lay the entire foundation. It says, "...but now I have written unto you not to keep company." If any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, was such a one know not to eat. There you see that intimate moment, one of the most intimate times a family has when they eat together. You see, and we've got to be careful because you have the tendency in those times to let your guard down. And God knows that. God understands that. And you see, when someone is off into sin, if we're not careful by participating in those types of activities, then we become, again, desensitized to their sin. Their sin is not exceedingly... When I worked at the prison, And I would see some of the sin that would take place, hear some of the language that takes place, even when it was not something that was happening consciously, there was a subconscious desensitizing that was taking place in my mind and in my life. You see, I could be sitting there reading a paper and hear someone say some foul word, and my wife, Brenda, she would pick up on it and say, You know, you need to turn that off. I can't believe they use that word. What word? You see, we've been desensitized, see. And there were some instances where I had to ask the Lord to just renew a hatred for certain sin in my life because there were things that I witnessed on a continual basis that just got to be where it was so commonplace, it wasn't a big deal anymore. But what I had to realize in the light of Scripture, sin is a big deal. It's a big deal to Him and it ought to be a big deal to me. And if I'm not careful, if it's not a big deal to me, then I might open the door for participation, or when someone's watching my life and testimony, give the impression that that is an activity that's okay to be engaged in. And that's not right. Have to be careful. Paul said, hey, I'm going to do this, and I'm not going to do these, so that many might be saved. Amen? And it says here, it says, With such a one know not to eat, for what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? So you see, the backslidden, the lost, we have to be careful. And then I'm going to spend a little time here because I want to touch on this area in the next chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Because I want to let you in on some whys and wherefores. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, Let every woman have her own husband. Now, the Bible is very clear here. It says that we should not touch those of the opposite sex, and it's talking in an intimacy that's reserved for a marriage union. Not just the act itself, but those things that lead to the act. And we find the context for this entire passage of chapter 7 in the last few verses of chapter 6. And so the scripture says, now concerning the things wherever you wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But if you look at verse 18 of chapter 6, flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without body, but he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." The context there is talking about harlotry, being a whoremonger, being unfaithful to your marriage vows, being sexually active outside the bounds of matrimony. And it says here, it says there, look, it's good for a man not to touch a woman. And then in verse 2, he clarifies that, fine-tunes it, because right away people say, boy, that is just ridiculous, that's not even reasonable. How do you expect anybody to live accordingly? And it says, nevertheless, to avoid fornication, sexual sin, let every man have his own wife, not let every man have his own man. Not every woman have her own woman. It says, let every man have his own wife. If you go back to the original Greek and Hebrew, one is masculine and one is feminine. Okay, so we've got an up-to-date Bible. It says, "...and let every woman have her own husband." So there you find marriage is honorable in all, Hebrews 13, the bed is undefiled. But whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. But you see, there's an aspect of the Christian life, being that touch desensitizes us in some areas of our inhibitions, It affects our will in some respects because not only is the touch a gateway, it excites other areas, the feeling and so on and so forth. And I can't get into the graphics here, moms and dads, you help me out later, okay? When you have your family devotions and you talk to your children. But by the same token, we've got to be careful that there are some standards that we institute in church and in home, in our home life, so that we are not keeping our children from having fun. We are protecting them so that they can have a clear conscience and fun within the bounds of an Almighty God, that only by His fulfillment you have contentment. Amen? That's why we say, don't touch. That's why we say, we put in some safeguards. He said, Pastor, where in the Bible does it say you've got to have a chaperone? There's nowhere in the Bible I can't take and say, have a chaperone. But it's smart. I've never regretted having to have a chaperone. I've never regretted having a chaperone. You say, but you can't do anything on a date with a chaperone. What do you want to do? That you can't have a chaperone. What do you want to do? Well, you don't understand, that's so old fogey-ish, you can't even moon-strike at anybody, you can't just sit there and just Google and goggle at each other. Sure you can. You can look at each other. But you know, when Brenda and I dated, we took a chaperone with us, and we had her sister. Her sister got a lot of free meals. Because it was my responsibility, if I dated her, I took care of the chaperone as well. Are you listening, guys? Okay, are you listening? Amen? He said, that can be expensive. Don't look at it as an expense. It's an investment, amen. Hey man, I was making investments back then, alright? And so, you know, it doesn't mean that that chaperone has to be with you, I mean, like glue. You know how you've got some of these chaperones that feel like they've got to be Dick Tracy, and they've got to sit there with the old magnifying glass, six inches, you know? I'm not talking about that. You know, there were times where when I would take Brenda out, her sister would sit at our table. There were other times where, hey, she would sit at another table, and Brenda and I would sit at a table by ourselves, and we could talk, and we could enjoy each other's company. But you know what? When we have somebody with us, there wasn't even the hint of temptation to do something that we shouldn't do in a sexual way. Right? Folks and parents, wake up. Wake up to this. Wake up to this. This is serious business. Chaperones are a good thing. Don't give staff and faculty and preachers and other parents a tough time because they want to have standards of righteousness for their young people. We ought to hold up a high standard. And I guarantee you there's a whole lot of people that said, you know, if I'd had a chaperone, I wouldn't have done this and that. I wouldn't have taken liberties that I shouldn't have taken. I was saving myself for my husband, but because I was not really strong in this particular area and I didn't set up those safeguards, I gave in. And I regret it. And many people have a life of regrets and situations that they have to go back before the throne of grace and He's quick to forgive, but that doesn't heal and take the scars away. And so what are we trying to do by maintaining a high standard? We're trying to say, look, we don't want the young people scarred. We don't want to have to go back and spend some sleepless nights, and we don't want them to go back and say, oh, I wish I never had, or I wish I would have had somebody who helped me to do right. You ought to encourage those in leadership to do right and take the high road and say, boy, I sure am glad we have some standards. I sure am glad that we don't want our young people just running around like animals in a barnyard. holding hands, laying all over each other. We don't want that in our youth activities. We don't want that in our churches. We don't want that in our homes. We want to maintain a high standard, and we ought not be involved with boys touching girls, because you know what that does. Amen? And that's why the Bible here says, look, it's good for a man not to touch a woman, but to avoid fornication. Get married. So the only time you're supposed to be touching those of the opposite sex in any kind of a sexual way is in the bonds of holy matrimony. Amen? When you get married. Wouldn't it be nice, young people, to be able to stand up as two pure young people and know that the first one you'll hold hands with will be your husband or wife? The first one that you will hug will be your husband or wife. The first and only one you'll kiss will be your husband or wife. The first one you'll be physically intimate with will be your husband or wife. And until you get married, you don't know that that will be able to be true. People say, oh, but we're engaged. You're not married yet. Oh, but we love each other. My mom and dad say it's okay, but you're not married yet. And if you just say, look, I'm going to have this high standard for my life, then you'll never have to say, oh, I'm sorry, there's something I got to tell you. You weren't the first. Or then when you kiss that one, you're starting to compare. There's a whole lot of marriages where people have to overcome a lot of baggage because they didn't maintain a high standard in this area. And just because you say, well, I turned out all right now, understand, your children may take it a step further. Your children will look at your life and they'll say, well, mom and dad are still married. They seem to be happy, so it must be okay. We'll turn out all right, too. Let's go ahead. And you have to say, look, children, Just because our home is the way it is now, it's by the grace of God, not because we did it right. And don't you think that you can get by with sin and have it not affect you. Be honest with them. Please be honest with them. But is the Lord telling us these things? Am I preaching about this because I have an ax to grind, because I want to keep people from being fulfilled in life? No! Ten thousand times, no! We're preaching this and showing these principles so that we can be free in Christ. And we can have that clear conscience when we pillow our head at night, that we're okay, we're right with God. Amen? I know a lot of you. If you could stand up tonight, you'd say, preach it, preach it, preach it. And I'm seeking to preach it. But one of the best things you can do is you can pray for us. You can monitor your home. You can lift up a high standard. And you can encourage those who are seeking to lift up a high standard, even if it's higher than yours. Don't belittle it. Children in the back seat, hearing you belittle this standard and that standard. What do they think about all standards at that point? Amen? Folks, it's serious business. Lord knows what He's doing. These are not my words. These are not just the words of the Apostle Paul. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, if He was standing before you right now from this pulpit, He'd turn in His Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 7, and He'd say, It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. In the bonds of holy matrimony. Amen? He'd say it. Because it's right here. Is that a bad thing? Is it a bad thing? Or is it a good thing? It's a good thing. Young people, I realize you say, well, it's just so much effort. The effort's worth it. The effort's worth it. It's worth it. It's worth it. You know one of the things I hope to accomplish by a message like this? When one of our young people Go out there to do something wrong. And they're engaged in doing something. I hope that the bars come down, the railroad tracks, the lights flash red, and the bell rings. I mean, just, I want them to be so miserable that finally they say, no, we can't do this. and where some godly girl says, don't touch me. And let me say this, if a guy can't keep his hands off of a girl, then girls, I'd walk away from him. Just walk away from him. Just say, no, you're not the one for me. If you can't respect me enough, and girls, if a guy needs to paw all over you, then he doesn't respect you. Slug him one. Pack a brick in your purse and let him have it upside the head. Amen. And guys, one of the things that would help you out is if you'd say, look, we're going to have a godly relationship right from the start. Let's read our Bible. Let's pray. Let's lay down some ground rules here. This is where moms and dads could come in handy. You know, some parents are so wimpy when it comes to this. Well, I'm afraid that if I come down on my teenagers, they're going to get mad at me. They're not going to like me. You're not called to have your kids like you. You're called to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. You're called to give them the truths of the Word of God and to teach them in the way that they should go. Amen? Well, you see, Pastor, it doesn't always work out the way you think it should, but it's still right to do right. Amen? And that's easy to say. I know as a parent, it's easy to say it's another thing to live it, but it's still right to live it. Amen? Are you with me? Well, what happens if my teenager rebounds? You're still doing right. You're still called on to do right. Amen? Touch not. Chaperones, just go along for the ride. Don't be a policeman. But don't let sin take place either. Don't sit there and just look the other way. Well, let's have so-and-so as our chaperone because they'll let us get by with anything. You know, flesh is flesh. And we just, I mean, we've got to come to the brass tacks of it, parents, that our children have flesh and blood like our flesh and blood. If I say, don't, don't, I don't want anybody going out that door tonight. Every single one of us want to go out that door tonight. If somebody said, don't touch that, every single one of us want to touch it. If I say, you know that room back there by the corner cabinet there? That's Sarah's office. You don't want to look in there. I guarantee you, you don't want to look in there. Every one of us right now is saying, I wonder what's in there. Right? So when God comes to us and says, hey, don't do that, every single one of us is like, I wonder what that's like. And that's where we simply have to take God at His Word. And when He says, don't do it, then we ought to say, God, I believe you. I may not understand it. My body may seem to want to dictate otherwise, but that's where Paul says he beats his body to keep it under subjection. I mean, he just tried to discipline himself. Discipline yourself. And if it comes to the point where you can't contain, get married! But don't go sin. And don't go hiding around in corners. Don't go trying to find dark places. Don't try to meet people someplace. Don't be involved in that stuff. Because you're playing with disaster. I can say that based upon the authority of the Word of God and the examples given, and been in ministry enough to know and hereby experience the regrets of those who violated these biblical principles. And when we hold a high standard, then we don't have to worry about it. But it's the low ones. And when we lower them, we're in trouble. Amen? Well, I know good Christians that don't do that, and their children all turned out right. Well, praise God for that, but that still does not negate the truth of the Word of God. Just because somebody else can violate a principle and seemingly not have any difficulty does not prove, and you definitely don't want to build your life on an exception. You want to go by the rule. Amen? And we've got a lot of Christians out there looking for the exception. Well, how about this? Girls, don't go after some unsaved guy. Don't even, oh well, I'll get him saved. How many hearts have been broken? Because a girl went with a guy who was unsaved, thinking that she'd win him, and that's not the way it worked out. Well, I know one and they serve on the mission field. And how many thousands do you know that have broken hearts? How many good godly women would say, oh, I wish my husband were saved. Or, I wish my husband would sell out to God. I'm wanting to serve the Lord. He's cold as ice towards spiritual things. Says he's saved. Doesn't want anything to do with God. Girls, you find yourself a good godly young man who has a heart for God. And that's the kind of guy you want to be with. And guys, you find a girl, you say, well, you know, they don't look good. How are you going to look in 30 years? You changed a lot from your baby pictures already, Mr. Casanova. Right? How important this is. You ought to be drawn to that meek and quiet spirit, that godly woman, and for you ladies, that godly inner man. Yes, I think you ought to take care of yourself. You ought to be appropriate. I mean, you ought to take care of yourself. I'll leave it at that. I can preach a whole lot of messages on that one. Help. You know what I'm saying? How important this is. Young people, why don't you determine? I'm going to marry a guy or a girl who's sold out to God. Not just, well, they're Christians. I can't believe some of the parents that come in, well, they're Christians. They go to church every Sunday. What does that mean? Every night when I was working at the prison, three Muslim men sat down and prayed toward Mecca. What does that mean? Somebody goes to church and prays, that makes them a Christian and okay to marry. Uh-uh. You'll live to regret decisions like that, and I'm trying to keep some hearts from being broken. And that's where I get blamed for being a dictator, trying to run people's lives, but God is the one who sits there and says, look, hey church, It's good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife and every wife her own husband. Be careful. Don't let your guard down. Hold a high standard. It's for our good. It's so that we can enjoy the park. It's so that we can go into the sights and we can see and we can enjoy the object instead of getting all hung up on what we can and can't do. When I was with Brenda, I wanted to be with her. So what if Becky was there? So what if other people were there? I was with her. Amen? I know it seems so far removed to the way we see Christianity practiced today, but it's a standard we're seeking to uphold in our college and our young people here, something that we need to keep holding up. We've got to hold a high standard. I'm glad that Jeremy wasn't allowed to go on some of those rides, because he may have gotten hurt. Have you ever, as a parent, Your child begged and begged and begged and begged and begged to do something, and you didn't feel good about it, and you said no and no and no, but finally you said, boy, you know, I'm afraid they'll get hurt. Hey, you may fall and hurt yourself, but you say, okay, go ahead, but don't come crying to me if you get hurt. How many have said that? Yeah, I have too. And what happens? They get on that bike that's a little bit too big for them, you warn them about it, and then they wipe out. And they come crying. What do you do? Ah, yeah, see, I told you so. And they're bleeding and all that kind of stuff, you know. No, you say, oh, I'm sorry. You know what? Go out there, and you'll sin, and God will take you back and love on you and try to bring the healing to you. Amen? He'll do that. Wouldn't it be better if you had just listened to Dad to begin with and waited until you were big enough and the time was right to enjoy the ride? Amen? But instead, you had to have it when you wanted it. But then when you got it, you surely didn't want it. Amen? That's why there's the do's and there's the don'ts in the Christian life. It's for our good. It's only for our good. Let's all stand with our heads bowed, our eyes closed. Oh, if you're here tonight, I know I didn't preach a salvation message. But if you were to die tonight, where would you spend eternity? You've got a choice of one of two places. There's nothing in the Bible that speaks about purgatory, speaks about heaven, and speaks about hell. And we prepare in this life for the next. And if your life were to be taken right now, if your life here on this earth were to be ended, where would you spend eternity? Betty's going to play the invitation hymn in just a moment. Brother Gary's going to be standing right down here by the communion table. And if you'd like to be saved tonight, we'd encourage you to come. We'll have someone take the Word of God. We wouldn't embarrass you for the world. and show you how you can be 100% sure if your life were to be taken tonight, that you'd go to heaven. My what assurance. You can go to bed tonight knowing you're saved. Christian, how's your perspective of the Christian life? Are you negative? Are you down on it? Or do you see the do's and don'ts of Scripture as being a help and an aid to you? Maybe there's some area of your life that you need to have shorn up. You say, God spoke to my heart in a particular area. Young people, I want to encourage you. Why don't you determine that in your relationships, you're going to have a high standard. You're not going to dabble with sin anymore. You're not going to try to get around the rules. You're going to try to honor God and honor your parents. and honor one another, and respect God, respect your parents, and respect one another. How about it, young people? Will you determine in your heart that when you walk forward down that aisle, should God bring a mate into your life, that you're going to be pure? Say, Pastor, I've already blown that. Why don't you determine right now? Ask God's forgiveness for the past. He'll bring healing. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And you say, from this moment on, preacher, I'm going to do right. I'm going to do right. As Betty plays, do you need to come? If you need to come, come right on. Say, Pastor, how do I know whether I ought to walk an aisle or not? Do you feel that tug? Is there something there right now saying, hey, you need to go forward? You say, how do I know if that's the Lord or not? Well, I would say that the devil wouldn't want you to make a decision for the Lord Jesus Christ to hold a high standard. So that's one indicator. The devil would have you, oh, I'll just wait. Oh, it could be pride that keeps you there. What will everybody think of me? They may think he was preaching about me tonight. Maybe you need to come and just bend the knee and overcome pride in your life. Say, God help me. God help me. God help me. As she continues to play, I was talking to a loved one once, several years ago, And they said, Mike, it seems like when I sit in some of our churches and the preacher preaches like I did tonight, it's like they're beating me over the head. I can't ever seem to forget what happened in my life. And I said her name, and I said, you know, I said, don't blame the preacher. I said, if there's one person out there that ought to be saying amen under the breath, and praying that the message sinks deep, it ought to be you. Because you see, there's a whole crowd of people that may not have participated in the sin. He's trying to keep them from experiencing what you experience now. So if in your past, you blew it in some of the areas that I preached about, claimed God's forgiveness, recognized that He has forgiven you, Then why don't you determine that you're going to hold a high banner, that you're going to say a hearty amen, and that you're going to encourage others to not go through what you're having to live through. Take that negative and make it a positive. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your word. Lord, I know we touched on several different areas tonight. Lord, I pray that we've been able to help somebody tonight. Lord, you know our heart. We don't have an axe to grind. We're not seeking to get our own way. Lord, we truly love people. Lord, you love people. You love the world. Lord, you don't want to see anyone suffer for a moment. Dear God, I pray that you would just keep our young people from sin. Lord, put a hedge of protection about our homes. We know the devil would like to just split it apart. Lord, for those who are going through difficult times, we pray for strength. We pray for grace. Lord, I pray that You would just give them particular insight. Lord, help them as the devil badgers. Help them as the devil comes and tries to discourage. Lord, I pray that they'd be able to let Your Word dwell in them richly so that they might be able to take every thought captive to Your obedience. And Lord, that they might live a victorious life. Lord, equip them, I pray, Help us, I pray. Every decision that was made tonight, Lord, I pray You'd take it and seal it. Lord, I pray especially for the young people who are at a very volatile, sensitive time of life. Lord, I pray that You'd sharpen their conscience. Lord, that they wouldn't soon forget the message. And Lord, should they be tempted to sin in the areas that we talked about, I do pray the Holy Spirit would smite them. Help us, I pray, as we seek to do your business in just a few moments now. In Jesus' name, amen.