Flirt Or Flee, It's Your Choice (Part Two)

The Church in a Messy World Series

Flee or Flirt, it’s Your Choice (Part Two)

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

June 25, 2017

Introduction:

Last week we began a walk through one of the most intense passages of Scripture regarding sex in the New Testament. Like us the church of Corinth was located in a morally perverse culture. Many members of their church were flirting with and fulfilling illicit sexual desires. As I said last week, there’s good sex and there is bad sex. By this I don’t mean the quality of a sexual experience. By good I mean healthy robust sex celebrated within the confines of marriage. By bad I mean that which is “immoral” and “destructive.”

I have been a pastor now for over 35 years. My first 17 were spent in youth ministry, another 12 in family ministry and as you know I am now a senior pastor. Now let me say this: I can’t remember one person that ever said to me something like, “Bob, I am so glad that I ignored what the Bible has to say about sex!” after living in immorality for an extended period of time. I had many plead for help putting their broken lives back together but not the other way around.

God is pro-pleasure

And let also state that God is pro-pleasure. He created our sexual organs with the ability to give great pleasure. He didn’t have to but He did. He did the same thing with our sight. God could have made us so that we see black and white like dogs. He could have made the earth black and white too. Instead He gave us a tremendous variety of colors to enjoy. He could have created food with no taste, but He chose to make food so wonderful that it explodes with flavor. It’s important we remember this for it’s really easy to think that God is angry and anti-fun, but that isn’t God. In the Song of Solomon God said to the newly married couple to “drink deeply” of sexual pleasure. (SOS 5:11) Numerous passages in the Bible speak the same way.

It’s the enemy, our old sinful nature and the world system under the control of the enemy that destroy sex, not God.

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Fire is good, as long as it is contained within a fireplace but destructive when not. Make a fire, but within the confines of monogamous heterosexual marriage relationship! And keep putting logs on the fire. It’s easy to think that sex is for young couples but the writer of Proverbs says “Rejoice in the wife of your youth…be intoxicated always with her love” (Proverbs 5:18, 19). I take it that this verse is directed toward those who have been married for a number of years.

At my last church, I asked our senior’s pastor what sex was like at the age of 80! I was 50 at the time and I was used to asking Cliff just about any question. With a smile and a wink he said, “The caper berries are still on the vine.” Now let me tell you I have no idea what caper berries are. I didn’t ask. I got what he meant by the way he smiled.

In a couple weeks we will take a close look at the opening verses of 1st Corinthians 7 which implores married couples to keep the fires of passion burning. And let me stop right here to advertise a one-day marriage training seminar we’re doing this fall called, The Art of Marriage. Slide (Explain)

Again, I am going to use the terms good sex and bad sex throughout this sermon, meaning moral and immoral sex. The Corinthian believers went after bad sex not realizing it was costing them dearly.

Reading of Scripture

I invite you to take your copy of the Scriptures and read along as I read 1st Corinthians 6, verses 12 thru 20.

(READ)

We see here The Problem, The Purpose and The Plan for our bodies and sex. Last week we looked at The Problem. (If you weren’t here I strongly encourage you to listen to last week’s sermon)

Today we will look at The Purpose and The Plan but let me quickly review their four-fold problem.

The Fourfold Problem: 1 Corinthians 6:12-13, 16

Problem #1: They used grace as an excuse for bad sex. (6:12)

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful [profitable]. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.”

1 Corinthians 6:12

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.”

Galatians 5:13a-b NIV

They allowed their old “sin nature” to talk them into thinking that they are free to do whatever they want because they are covered by God’s grace. It’s true that God’s grace covers all our sins past, present and future, but we must not use that as an excuse for bad sex. God forgives but He often doesn’t take away the consequences.