"TO WAX WANTON"
“TO WAX WANTON”
1 Ti. 5:11
Sunday Evening Service
August 2, 2015, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Waxing wanton in scripture has three references, yet all are connected: (1) to feel the impulses of sexual desires and acting on those impulses-“katastreniao” 1 Tim. 5:11. (2) It also means to lead a voluptuous life, giving one self to pleasure and pursuing those things which will not profit- “spatalao”- JA. 5:5... (3) Unstable, inconsistent, restless – “aktastatos” (Gen. 49:4).
My reasoning or hopefully as I have been led by the Holy Spirit to pursue this study of “waxing wanton” is my conviction that this is a spiritual stronghold over our nation, a stumbling block to Christians and a hindrance to gathering in the Harvest of the earth.
I brought this forth for discussion this past Sunday evening. Our focus in the Sunday evening study is “Healing of the Soul”---addressing the stumbling blocks that prevent Christians from living in the Glory. As I began to bring forth the message, it became clear the unstable and restless spirit in the church as well as in the population gives place to sexual sins as well as a stumbling block of maturity. Not only a stumbling block to maturity but casting off their faith into backsliding.
James 1:8: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
1 Tim. 5:11 “---the younger widows refuse; for when they have begun to wax wanton (katastreniao) (grow careless) against Christ, they will marry; having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. Besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, giving no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned aside after Satan.”
James 5:5: “…You rich men…You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton (spatalao); you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed the just; and he does not resist you.”
Gen. 49:4: “Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it; he went up to my couch.”
Unstable in Gen. 49:4 is also translated as recklessness, wantonness, unbridled license, lasciviousness as boiling water, with reference to the incest of Reuben, frothiness – “pachaz”.
First let us address impulses of sexual desires. We are sexual beings and created to become one flesh as male and female. Paul in 1 Timothy encourages widows and, of course, widowers, to marry.
Yet, as a nation the people of have become moral degenerates waxing wanton in fornication, sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, incest, homosexuality, adultery, lewdness, lasciviousness, pornography, etc.
2 Peter 2:14: “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; and heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.”
These unstable people brought the Canaanite curse on themselves and bring curses on their children. I am persuaded that we have a nation of unstable souls – a pleasure seeking generation who are surely nourishing their hearts in a day of slaughter. In this nation, there is a slaughter of the unborn who are the children of unstable people – the spirit of “katastreniao”.
2 Peter 3:16: “As also in all his (Paul’s) epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
In the sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s, it became socially acceptable that if it feels good do it. Enjoy life. “Live in pleasure on the earth---wanton---nourishing your hearts—flirtatious (“saqar”) – Isa. 3:16). The pleasures of wantonness have produced the horrors of sexual compulsions and all sorts of sexual perversions. The revolution produced men and women who hardly know each other and worse they don’t even know if they are a man or woman.
2 Peter 2:14 – Amplified: “They have eyes full of harlotry, insatiable for sin. They beguile and bait and lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covetousness (lust, greed). (They are) children of a curse (exposed to cursing)!
They are children of a curse and bring curses on their children.
In the populace, when sex became separated from creation, mankind lost the ability to connect with the sacredness in life.
The creator of the Judeo-Christian man and woman did not speak of the engaging, pleasuring, person-integration, total relationship between a man and a woman as “making love” or the profane words used today. He used the simple rich word “yada”, “knowing”
Genesis 4:1: “And Adam knew (yada) Eve as his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have begotten a man from the Lord.”
These sexual compulsions quickly escalate into addictions. Addictions mean a surrender, or dedication, of anyone to a master. It is in a broader sense of losing control and becoming unhealthily dependent on another person, substance, or practice. The sexual compulsions have now escalated to socially destructive. What once was considered emotional and mental illness is now upheld by our civil government.
Who are these people?
- A friend, someone sitting beside you in church who is always restless, never stable, always disconnected, discontent and looking for love and/or fulfillment in all the wrong places.
- The woman who is so fearful of sex, that she becomes anorexic or obese.
- The man who can’t stop having affairs even though he has lost interest in them.
- The bi-sexual or homosexual male or female who continues to have multiple sexual encounters in spite of the fact that he or she knows they will be subjecting their partners to the likelihood of AIDS.
- The successful executive who cruises water front bars and picks up women or men who are dangerous.
- Pastors, statesmen, doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen, teachers, etc.
No longer is this spirit of wantonness confined to a few degenerates. All segments of society are affected.
At one time, the church was a strong tower upholding holiness and morality. Now, even the federal government is attempting to silence the moral banner of Christianity.
The spirit of wantonness has two heads. Both heads drive people to be unstable, restless, dissatisfied, ever searching, but never finding happiness or love.
There is a “rolling church” which came out of the Charismatic Renewal. I thank God for the Holy Spirit touching me during that revival, bringing me into the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
However, one of the side affects of this is people who are always looking and never at peace. Rather than seeking Jesus, they continually roll and roam looking for a new high. This “high” has the same effect as having to have more and more “spatalao”. “They are hastening after another god” (Psa. 16:4).
Oh yes, we want more of the glory of the Parousia of the Lord. This we should seek after with our whole heart. When we truly seek the Lord with our whole heart, we will find Him and he will be found in us. (Jer. 29:14).
This is the key to the joy unspeakable and full of glory, the peace of God which passes all understanding.
The world and many in the church are in spiritual drought, failure and famine. Our job as ministers is to raise up a house of greater glory and unshakeable peace, able to withstand a period of great global shaking.
In these days, we need preachers with a no-holds-barred preaching repentance.
Jude prophesied of this time and warned us that “we must earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. There are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Most people who are “waxing wanton” whether sexually, chasing worldly pleasure or another “word”, another Jesus, a new experience, a new high, have not entered the rest of God.
It doesn’t matter if we are on a world-wide tour seeing all the exotic places, if we are empty of God, we will be empty in our pleasure. If we were billionaires, it could not buy us that place of being loved, being fulfilled, and the joy of just being.
Only in God will we find unshakeable peace---unbreakable relationships, unbroken covenants, and undivided hearts.
Jesus is the source of unwavering peace, joy, love and happiness.
That certainly does not mean that we are not to fall in love and marry. All of us have a healthy impulse to find love. Healthy love develops after we feel secure. The Lord God made male and female in His image that they might reveal His glory.
The Word of God says that we are to love ourselves.
Once we feel secure in Christ, we can trust Him for our mate, our children, homes, extended families, provision, ministries, employment even our whole life unto death, then through eternity.
This is security! I don’t have to go any place looking for it. I have it. When I visit other ministries, it is for fellowship with the saints and to worship with them. I am not running to and fro looking for love, an open door, a ministry opportunity, recognition, or pre-eminence.
When we have entered into the “Rest of God”, we are at peace with ourselves, our ministries, friends, families and even our enemies.
Monday someone hacked my email. When I called Comcast to get it straight, the representative asked me if I had any enemies. I laughed --- I may have enemies who don’t like me, but I don’t have an enemy that is dislike. I am not going to have my heart corrupted with bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred or malice toward any. This is what the Lord meant when he said we are to love our enemies.
I told Comcast that I didn’t think I had any enemies smart enough to hack my computer. They did tell me they will investigate the source of the hacking and follow through on it.
One way we know we have the victory over attacks, is if we can laugh and keep our sense of humor.
In Christ we are full of love. We are not searching for love. We are complete in love. It is part of the fabric of our being. There is no separating ourselves from it.
I can be vulnerable, but never a victim. Our enemies cannot separate us from the love of God or from His Presence. The only way this could happen is if we allow anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and/or meanness to enter our soul. Then we are separated from His Presence.
Healthy love thrives on time alone as well as time with others. Addictive Love is frightened of being alone.
Healthy Love encourages us to be ourselves. We do not have to be an extension of someone’s ego. This is true in churches. Every pastor and person in leadership should encourage each member to have their own identity and not be an extension of another’s personality or standards. If we have to walk, talk and act like another’s person’s measure of themselves, that is religion.
Healthy love creates life, liberty, happiness, joy unspeakable, peace and fullness of glory which is the Presence of the Lord.
Psalm 16:11: “You shall show me the path of life; in your Presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
The path of life is a “key”. Those of you who may have observed my walk will by now KNOW that I am led by the Holy Spirit in all my comings, goings, decisions, and abiding. The Lord speaks to me many ways, but I never take action until I have received confirmation from at least two witnesses.
As we considered the property on Morton Road, the word of the Lord was “NO”, and confirmed by two witnesses. The Word of the Lord was “Stay Here”. I won’t move off that Word until the Lord speaks and it is confirmed. By vision and the prophetic Word, the Lord set me into ministry, started a church in Baton Rouge, and then sent me to Texas. By vision and the prophetic Word, he showed me Little White Church. By vision and the prophetic Word, we are told to stay here. We also know another property has been promised to us. When the time comes, the property will be made plain.
But, “ for those drifters, waxing wanton, raging waves of the sea, foaming out of their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever….there will be mockers in the last time, who walk after their own ungodly lusts. These are they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit, but you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Ghost.”
He is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
The path of life is strange to those who lean on their own understanding. However, this I know, I live in the joy unspeakable and full of glory. I have no aught against any. We are commanded to keep ourselves in the love God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
We cannot wax wanton giving into fleshly drives of lusts, passions and nourishing our hearts in that which will not profit.
The “wanton eyes” and flirting eyes of Isaiah 3:16, not only apply to lusts of the flesh, but flirting with the powers and principalities.
You have heard me say that each year the Lord commissions the conference and by faith and His provision, we give birth. Without fail, every year, we hit a power and principality in the realm of the Spirit. I really thought we had punched a hole in all of the brass ceilings over us in the past 15 years. However, we ran into another power and principality, a stronghold of wantonness, not only as sexual perversion in our nation, but an unstable and restless principality over Christians.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.