Summary: Creating moral margin on our lives.

Fast & Furious –Part 4

“Moral Margin”

QUESTION: How many of you know

someone whose life has been destroyed

by sexual sin?

(Pregnancy, abortion, aids, divorce, disease, etc.)

QUESTION: Have you ever met anyone that said, “My goal is to have an affair within 5 years?” NO!

Yet as a pastor, I hear people say quite often “I never thought this would happen to me!”

The reason? They lacked “Moral Margin”

DEFINITION: TEXT:

Moral Margin – “putting

distance between you and temptation”

13 When tempted, no one should

say, “God is tempting me.” For God

cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he

tempt anyone; 14 but each person is

tempted when they are dragged away

by their own evil desire and enticed.

15 Then, after desire has conceived, it

gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-

grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-

15

Drawn Away- Catch with bait.

Exelko (ex-el’-ko) “to

allure, entice, hook”

EXAMPLE: I spent 11 years as a full-

time Youth Pastor.

• Students would ask me “how far is too far”

• Even though the students were sincere, it is really a ridiculous question

o3 bullets in a gun oalligator’s mouth o snake

But we do that with sexual temptation! TEXT:

18 Flee from sexual immorality.

All other sins a person commits are

outside the body, but whoever sins

sexually, sins against their own body.

19 Do you not know that your bodies are

temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,

whom you have received from God?

You are not your own; 20 you were

bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

FLEE- Greek word pheugo (fyoo’-go):

“Put some MARGIN in there”

QUESTION: Pastor Tommy, why are you dealing specifically with sexual temptations when there are so many other temptations?

Some have said there is no “scale” to sin. And while that is true, there IS a difference in sin.

Look at what can happen when someone falls to sexual sins:

• lose their job

• lose their marriage

• lose the respect of their kids • lose their life

To runaway: to shun: to escape: to

distance oneself

• lose their reputation

The Bible says to “honor God with your

body”

The wicky, wicky.

The eee-awwww, eeee-awwww That is “normal”.

But notice what the Bible says......

Our culture says it is “normal”. I mean

come on Pastor Tommy, everybody

knows guys need the “bunga, bunga”

All other sins a person commits are

outside the body, but whoever sins

sexually, sins against their own body. 1

Corinthians 6:18

NOTICE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS...

3 But among you there must not be

even a hint of sexual immorality, or of

any kind of impurity, or of greed,

because these are improper for God’s

holy people. Ephesians 5:3

EXAMPLES THAT COULD BE A HINT

OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY......

• dressing inappropriately, causing others to sin

• “everything but” dating

• reading a magazine that says “5

Ways to Drive Your Boyfriend Wild”

And you are RIGHT. We should be weird!!!

You might say, “Pastor

Tommy.......dude that’s WEIRD!”

ARTICLE: 65% of men and 55% of women commit adultery by the age of 40.

That is NORMAL according to our society. But NORMAL is NOT working!

APPROPRIATE MORAL MARGIN:

• talking okay?

• Telling personal stories okay?

• Anticipating time together okay? • Flirting okay?

• Emotional connection okay?

• Talk about your feelings okay?

And then people say......”I never thought it would happen to me.”

8 Suggested Places to ‘Draw The Line” # 1 – Dress for Spiritual Success

# 2 – Keep Four Feet on the Floor

(Pants on the ground, pants on the ground....lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground)

# 3 – No Sleepovers or ‘Playing House’ # 4 – No Tonsil Hockey

# 5 – Avoid Dangerous Places

-bar –club –gym

# 6 – Monitor Your Internet Activity

(Covenant Eyes)



# 7 – Avoid Time Alone With the Wrong

People

# 8 – Guard Your Eyes, Your Heart and

Your Mind

• Probably shouldn’t be reading

certain novels

• 50 Shades of Grey

• I’m going to read 14 of the steamiest scenes

oBefore I knew it, he’s got both of my hands in his viselike grip above my head.....

oNO! I’m not REALLY going to read these excerpts!

oBut some thing nothing of reading the Novel.

oSports illustrated oVictoria’s Secret Catalog

CLOSE: The Bible says “flee sexual immorality” and it says don’t allow even “a hint” of sexual impurity.