Saint Valentines.

From Pastor Bill’s sermon on “Avoiding the sex God”

Romans 1:18-32 - God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

James 1:13-15

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

- Valentine’s day over the years have been taken out of context. It was about Saint Valentine who were helping Christians into marriage even though back then, the roman empire didn’t want or like that. In the end, he was martyred. So valentine’s day is a day to spend with your loved one and be appreciative of that they are able to be together (?). What I found surprising is when Pastor Bill said that there was a flower shop selling a balloon that says “Happy valentine’s night.” Really? That makes me frown. It’s true though, that the media and advertisements paints a different picture of this holiday (is it a holiday?). That it's all about sex? To enjoy the night? What about the day?! :P

- Don’t give into your own appetites. Just like how Francis Chan says in one of his sermons, satan is there with a fishing rod and constantly luring you, fishing you in. If a gummy worm doesn’t work, then he is going to use money. If that doesn’t work, then he will think of something else. He doesn’t stop. But the next thing Francis Chan says is how it is a hat full of temptation – women, cars, money, men, etc. – I feel that sometimes we’re blind to the temptations. I agree that it’s everywhere but maybe we are agreeing to some of the temptations so we don’t know, but it’s everywhere! ANNND, whenever you’re tempted, NEVER BLAME GOD. DO NOT DARE to say that you are being tempted by God (James 1:13). Because the Bible clearly states that you’re the one to blame. It’s your own desire that you’ve tempted yourself.