August 28
Overcoming Immorality, Pornography, and Lust – Part XX – Critical Transformations – Caring Deeply About the Souls of Others
“Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Revelation 22:15)
“For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them;” (Ephesians 5:5-6)
| FROM Conformed to the World | TO Transformed in Christ |
| 3. Not caring about the eternal damnation of the souls that participate in evil deeds. | 3. Caring deeply about the eternal damna-tion of souls that participate in immorality. |
Let me offer an illustration to get us thinking about this transformation. Suppose we were addicted to practicing witchcraft, or worshipping idols, or lying and deceiving people. Now suppose there were an abundance of pictures and videos and movies of people doing these things, and other people were addicted to watching them do these things and imagining themselves doing these things with them. Perhaps they devise a YouTube channel that has real world cons and people being lied to and deceived out of their money and valuables, or perhaps reality shows depicting people deceiving other people, leading them on, taking what is precious to them, leaving them broken and destitute, while viewers laugh at it, mock the person being deceived, delighting in it, imagining themselves do it to others, heaping honor and praise on the people doing the deceiving, etc. Or imagine a televised contest of how extravagantly and excessively participants can worship idols, perhaps even like the worship of Baal in Elijah’s day they might cut or mutilate themselves, or even sacrifice their babies to the detestable idols as they did in the days of the Old Testament prophets of old.
How evil! Even writing this illustration makes me feel disgusted and creepy. Words cannot express the outrage we would feel, the horror, the sickening feeling in our stomachs, like we were watching the annihilation of our society and everything good! As Christians (I hope) we would rise up and cry out for justice! We would speak up and condemn such behaviors! We would abhor those who delighted in it! We would warn them that engaging in such behavior is a sure indication that they are going to hell!
Then why is it, O Christian man or woman, that you can view pornography, or entertain lustful fantasies in your heart, or even participate in immoral activities and not feel the same sense of concern for the souls of those who participate in such evil deeds? How is it that you can delight in the activities of persons who obviously have no hope of eternal life and await only the eternal fires of hell? How can you find enjoyment in that which is making so many stumble and turning so many away from the truth? How can you participate in these deeds of darkness and give hearty approval to those who do such evil? How can you commit adultery in your heart with them and desire to be with them, those who are on the road to destruction? How can you not have a deep compassion for their souls?
We who are guilty of immorality and immoral lusts must come to grips with the reality that those who practice such things will spend eternity away from Christ. Are we not concerned? Do we not have compassion? Do we still want to delight in these people’s nakedness and lewd, immoral activities, or do we want to have compassion on them, see them clothed and in their right mind, see them repentant and worshipping the true God in holiness and truth, and enjoying the presence of the Blessed Lamb of God throughout all eternity? They may be behaving worse than animals and dancing to the deceptions of demons, but they are people, with souls and hopes and dreams. How can we not feel pity and compassion for them?
ASSIGNMENT: Pray that God would give you an overwhelming compassion for the souls of others, for those who commit immorality in particular. Ask God to take away any delight you have in their immorality, which is their condemnation, and ask Him to give you a desire to reach souls for Christ first and foremost. Ask Him to clothe these people, remove the demonic spirits from them, give them a right mind, draw them to Himself, and grant them eternal life. Ask Him to give you far more of a concern for the souls of others than in indulging in your own lustful passions.