The Conquest of Compromise, Part 2

This morning we want to finish our study of Genesis chapter 19. I believe this is the 11th message out of Genesis chapter 19. And I want to finish today because I think it's imperative that we understand the conquest of compromise. We've looked at, number one, the cause of compromise, and that, of course, is worldliness.

We've looked at the consequences of compromise, and that is wretchedness. And now we want to look at the conquest of compromise, and that is wholeness.

It's imperative for the church to understand that they need to be able to stand and say no compromise in their lives corporately as well as individually. Not like Lot, who would compromise his life in such a way that he would lose everything, whether it be his testimony, his credibility, his family, his legacy. He left so much behind because he would not say no to the world. We need to be able to say yes to Christ and no to the world. So we began by looking at the conquest of compromise last week by looking at point number one, and that is installing Christ as our priority.

That's number one. And we talked about how do we know Christ is our priority by looking at whether or not we are the kind of people who proclaim Christ, who portray Christ, who pursue Christ, who please Christ, who praise His holy name. And now we want to move on to point number two.

And as we finish this outline, you're going to see something very significant about what this outline points to as you examine the first letter of each word as we go down this outline.

Not only do we need to install Christ as our priority, but we need to nurture our spirituality. We need to nurture our spirituality. We need to be able to spend time with God, cultivating a relationship with Him that glorifies His holy name. Over in Mark chapter six, it says these words in verse number 30. And the apostles gathered together with Jesus and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while. For there were many people coming and going and they did not even have time to eat.

And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Christ knew that His men needed a time of nurturing. They needed a time in which they would be able to grow, a time in which they could be replenished, a time that they could come together and regroup, a time in which they could come together and refocus and recall God's call upon their life. A time in which they would nurture their own spirituality. It's a marvelous thing because the New Testament closes not with words to preachers and not with words to the church, but it closes with words to those who are willing to listen.

Let me read it to you. Revelation 22 verse 18. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book. God's last words are to those who hear, to those who listen.

And isn't it ironic that the majority of people have spent their time, whether it be the Mormons or whether it be the Jehovah's Witnesses or whether it be the Roman Catholics, taking away from the scriptures or adding to the scriptures. Then God says, don't do that.

For if you do, the plagues that are written in this book, they will be added to you. Blessing and cursing centers around how you hear the words of God. That's why in Revelation 1 verse number 3, the writer says, listen, blessed are those who hear, blessed are those who read, and blessed are those who keep the words of this prophecy. Blessing centers around how you listen to God's word, how you respond to what you hear. That's why we need to spend time nurturing our spirituality, spending time with God, growing deep in our relationship with the living God.

How are you at doing that? How are you at spending time with Almighty God? If we're going to say no to the world, we must install Christ as our priority. We must nurture our spirituality. And number three, we must turn from all iniquity.

We must turn from all iniquity. Not some iniquity, but all iniquity. Let me take you back to Lot for a moment.

Remember, Lot didn't spend time building his altars. Abraham did, right? Abraham would spend alone time with God, nurturing his spirituality. But Lot never did that. Abraham would repent because he wanted to turn from his iniquity. Lot, we never read of him repenting and turning from anything. Except turning toward the way of the world. But if we're going to say no compromise, then we must turn from all iniquity. Turn with me to Psalm 97.

And let me share with you just a few verses out of the Psalms that speak about how we need to hate the way of the world.

Psalm 97, verse number 10 says, Hate evil you who love the Lord. Do you hate evil? If you love the Lord, you need to hate evil. Turn with me to Psalm 101.

Listen to what David said. In Psalm 101, verse number one, I will sing of loving kindness and justice.

To thee, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will give heed to the blameless way. When wilt thou come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. When was the last time you put something empty before your eyes? Something worthless before your eyes? David said, I'm not going to do that. We need to be willing to turn from all iniquity. The conquest of compromise begins when you install Christ as your priority. It moves from there when you begin to nurture your own spirituality.

It moves from there when you begin to turn from all iniquity. Fourthly, you need to enter into accountability. Enter into accountability. Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse number nine says this, two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one who lifts up his companion, the one who lifts up his companion, but a woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together, they keep warm. But how can one be warm alone?

And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. If you're serious about no compromise, then you need to enter into accountability. Number five, you need to make sure that you guard against the enemy. You guard against the enemy. You know, first Peter five, verse number eight, how Satan is like a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour.

You need to guard against the enemy. Paul would say in Ephesians chapter six, that we need to put on the whole armor of God. We need to be girded with the belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness needs to be attached to our bodies. The helmet of salvation. Our feet need to be prepared with the gospel of peace. We must take up the shield of faith. We must have in our hand the sword of the spirit. We need to guard against the enemy. So important. Are you doing that? Are you doing that? In the military, they have a term that they call FEBA.

It's a word that stands for the forward edge of battle area. F-E-B-A, FEBA, forward edge of battle area. There is an area in which you win the victory. And that's it's at the forward edge of the battle area. For our lives as soldiers of Christ, if the battle area is the magazine rack, the forward edge of the battle area is outside the store. If our battle area is the internet, then the forward edge of battle area is the computer. It's that area that keeps you from entering into that combat that will bring you down.

And we need to be able to guard against the enemy. If we're willing to turn from all iniquity, then we're going to spend our time in Ephesians 6, arming ourselves with what God has for us to equip us to stand against the wiles of the devil. And we need to be able to say no compromise. To do that, we have got to guard ourselves from the enemy. And we've got to take every measure possible to make sure that the enemy doesn't have an inroad to me personally, or to my family, or to my church, or to anything that I'm involved in.

Are you guarding against the enemy? So important. Next, you need to respect your ministry. You need to respect your ministry. God has given you a ministry. First Corinthians 12, verse number seven states it this way.

But to each one is given a manifestation of the spirit for the common good. God has given you a gift that you might be used in the ministry. Therefore, our job is to respect that ministry. Do you know that when you enter into sin, you tell God that the ministry that he's entrusted to you is not worthy of being respected? Think about it that way. God has given you a ministry. Do you respect that ministry enough to say no compromise? Next, you need to identify. Identify with the godly. Identify with the godly.

We know Psalm 1, the godly man doesn't walk with the wicked. The godly man doesn't sit with the scoffers. He doesn't stand with sinners. That's Psalm 1. Why? Because his delight is in the law of the Lord. And if you delight in the law of the Lord, we already read in Psalm 1, tiny hate every false away. Why? Because you love the law of God and you want to make sure that you take any of those influences out of your life that will lead you down the wrong way. Therefore, you want to identify with the godly.

Listen to Psalm 16, verse number three. It says this, as for the saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is my delight. That's good. Psalmist wants to identify with the godly. Over in Proverbs chapter one, listen to what Solomon said. He said, hear my son, your father's instruction. Verse number eight, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Indeed, they are graceful wreath to your head and ornaments about your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, come with us, let us lie and wait for blood.

Let us ambush the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, even whole as those who go down to the pit. We shall find all kinds of precious wealth. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Throw in your lot with us. We shall have all have one purse. My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path for their feet run to evil and they hasten to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the net in the eyes of any bird, but they lie in wait for their own blood.

They ambush their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence. It takes away the life of its possessors. Solomon says to his son, don't go the way of the wicked. They're going to entice you. They're going to do all they can to persuade you to go the way. Don't go that way. Instead, identify yourself with the godly ones. Over in Psalm 101, we read it earlier, but toward the end in verse number six, David says, my eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me.

He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me. There's a man who wanted to identify with the godly. Think about Lot's life. Did Lot identify with anybody who was godly in Sodom? No. He had a chance to identify with the godly. He was the nephew of Abraham. He had a chance to be with the man who had the promised seed. He chose not to identify with the godly. And where did it lead him? It led him down a path of destruction. Who was Lot accountable to? Who would Lot go to and ask prayer, ask for prayer for he and his family?

Who would Lot go to to make sure that he was loving his wife properly and raising his children properly? Nobody. That's why it's so important that we identify with the godly. That we are willing to enter into accountability and guard against the enemy. Why? We got a ministry. Lot had a ministry. Lot had a ministry. And that ministry was forfeited. And therefore, he lost drastically. You ever ask yourself the question, why his wife was turned into a pillar of salt? Why not a pillar of marble, a pillar of stone?

Why a pillar of salt? Simple, because Lot was not salt in Sodom. He was not what he should have been. He was not salt even to his own wife. And God left her as a monument to say, you blew it Lot. You didn't testify of me before your wife. You didn't testify of me in Sodom. I'm going to turn your wife into a pillar of salt to remind you that you were not the salt of the earth like you should have been. And therefore, we need to identify with the godly. Who do you identify with? Who are the people you hang around with?

Who are the people having the most profound impact on your life? Are they godly people? Are they people, as David said in Psalm 101, who walk with the Lord, who are blameless in their lives? Listen, if you work in the world, you've got to make sure that there is somebody godly you can trust. Somebody godly you can call. Somebody godly you can be accountable to. Somebody who will not compromise on the standard Scripture that will hold you accountable so that you don't compromise on the stands of Scripture.

Identify with the godly. The next, treasure your family. Treasure your family. Do you know why we compromise? Because we don't treasure our family. We don't. Why do men have affairs? It's because they don't treasure their family. They don't treasure the fact that God has given them a beautiful bride. God has given them gifts and children. That's not a priority to them. That's not a treasure to them. And yet, we need to be able to treasure our family. People who say no compromise are concerned about how their children and how their wife view them on a daily basis.

I mean, this is real serious stuff. You know, and it's harder for me than it is for you. You know, my wife sits down here every Sunday, and my children sit down here, at least the ones who can stay awake, sit down here, and they hear every word I say. And they know whether or not I'm a liar. They know. They know whether or not I'm telling the truth. And not every Sunday do I live up to what I say. And I know that. And I have to ask forgiveness. And I have to get my life right with the Lord and get my life right with my wife and my children.

I understand that. And sometimes I do it quickly. And sometimes I wait a couple of days and do it after that, just like you do. But my children know whether I'm a liar. Whether or not I'm a whole man, I speak the truth. And so, I got to make sure that my life is right. You know, I want to treasure my family. I don't always do that, but I want to. And you who are men, and I can speak to men a lot better, I can speak to women because I is one. But we need to be able to make sure that we treasure our family.

We love our wives as Christ loved the church. Sacrificially, giving ourselves away for them. We need to raise our children, love our children, and discipline our children. Let me tell you something.

If you treasure your family, you're going to discipline your children. But we have all these parents who don't want to discipline their children. They want to spank their children. You know, I'm in the store, you know, and I watch these parents. And they struggle with their kids. And they say that, you know, one, two, three. And the kid just keeps running away. And I'm saying, you know, and I want to go through and say, excuse me, would you like me to discipline your child for you? Let me help you in this process here.

But watch these kids in the store, you know, these temper tantrums, you know. And they scream, and the parent has no control over their kid. And I want to say, what is this? And I want to say, let me assist you with your child.

Because evidently, maybe you shouldn't have any children because you don't know what to do with them. Think about that. I mean, for crying out loud, why let them behave that way? Discipline them. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If you treasure your family, you want them to reflect a godly life. And so you nurture them in the ways of God. I love what the psalmist said in Psalm 78, verse number five. For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children.

That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God. And not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. And not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. A generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God. That's a man who treasures his family. Do you treasure your family? If you want to say no compromise, if you want to conquer a compromising spirit, you must install Christ as your priority.

You must nurture your own spirituality. You must turn from all iniquity. You must enter into accountability. You must guard against the enemy. You must respect your ministry. You must respect your ministry. You must identify with the godly. You must treasure your family. And by now I think you know what the word is. You must yearn for eternity. You must yearn for eternity. You'll note that the first letter of each phrase spells what?

Integrity. That's a man of wholeness. Integrity. You don't have a little bit of integrity. You either have integrity or you don't. It's like saying, well, I'm almost pregnant. What does that mean? You are either pregnant or you're not. You are either a man of integrity or you're not. If you want to be a whole man, integrity is just matching life with lip. It's matching who I am with what I say and what I believe. And therefore, lastly, you must yearn for eternity. Hebrews chapter 11 verse number 13.

All these died in faith without receiving the promise, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things, make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country, which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

There was something about those in the Hebrew Hall of Faith, those people who lived the life of integrity, that there was a desire in the heart, that there was a better country. There was a greater city. Paul said it this way in Philippians 3 20. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We eagerly await for something. We yearn for something. We yearn for something greater than what is here. You see, the reason people compromise is because they see what is before them as greater than that which is above them.

But those who yearn for eternity won't compromise on earth. They'll stand strong, because there's something of greater value to them than their own lives. It's the fact that God is not ashamed to be called their God, and God smiles upon their life because they live for him. They yearn for eternity. That's the conquest of compromise. I trust that you will journey with me, that we as a church could say corporately, no compromise. Let's pray.