Introduction:
A. One Sunday morning, the preacher began his sermon by telling the congregation that he was going to say a series of words, and he wanted them to sing the song that came to mind when he said each word.
1. The first word he said was "rock" They immediately started singing "Rock of Ages."
2. The second word he said was "Blood" and they sang "Power in the Blood."
3. The third word was "Cross" and they began singing "The Old Rugged Cross."
4. The fourth word he said was "Sex", everyone gasped and it got very quiet.
5. After an uncomfortable moment of silence a voice was heard from way in the back of the church an 87 yr old widow stood up and started singing "Memories."
B. Sex is not a word that we say too often in church, and there is certainly a time and a place and a manner for discussion of this subject.
1. I will try my very best to be sensitive to this fact while at the same time addressing this much needed subject.
2. Like the 87 year old lady who sang “Memories,” sex is a wonderful and powerful gift created by God himself.
3. It is to be treasured and protected and blissfully experienced by men and women in loving marriages.
4. Tragically, Satan has ripped it out of its intended context and is using it to enslave and destroy humanity and spirituality.
C. As you know, we live in a sex-saturated and sex-crazed culture.
1. Every day we are bombarded by sensual images used in the advertising of everything from cleaning supplies to clothing to cars.
2. The message of most of the media – whether it be the print media, Television, music or movies – is that sex is fun and should be engaged in without reservation and without relationship or commitment.
3. The big movie that premiers this weekend is “Sex and the City,” a much awaited film based on the hugely popular HBO series. It is not hard to guess what its overall message will be.
4. Today pornography has become a multi-billion dollar industry and there are more internet sites devoted to pornography than any other subject matter.
5. Today young people are getting involved sexually at a younger and younger age. And waiting for marriage before becoming sexually active is becoming laughably old-fashioned.
6. Today more and more teachers, both male and female, are getting sexually involved with their students in public schools.
7. Today the right to engage in any kind of sexual relationship is becoming more and more protected by law as we just saw the sanctioning of gay marriage announced this week by our new governor.
D. So this is the context we find ourselves living in as we attempt to obey the Scriptural imperative for sexual purity and to honor God with our bodies.
1. In 1 Corinthians 6, the apostle Paul confronts the issue head-on as he writes to a church made up of men and women living in a society every bit as sexually distorted as ours, if not more so.
2. Let’s take a close look at Paul’s argument and his instructions for the Corinthians and then apply them to our lives.
Explanation:
A. Paul’s argument in today’s verses is a little hard to follow. For years I found it very confusing.
1. It helps to understand that Paul adopts the diatribe style, in which he constructs and imaginary dialogue between himself and his Corinthian readers.
2. To understand the progress of the conversation, we must reconstruct the different voices in the imaginary dialogue.
3. The Greek conception of wisdom placed a great emphasis on personal freedom, and so a favorite slogan must have been “I am free to do anything.”
4. In order to counter that attitude, Paul opened this section (verses 12-20) by quoting a series of three Corinthian slogans, each followed by his own counter-slogan in rebuttal.
5. Certainly there is some guesswork involved in reconstructing this dialogue, because the ancient Greek manuscripts do not use quotation marks, so the translator must decide where Paul is quoting a slogan and where he is offering his own rebuttal.
6. Here is a slide showing the Corinthian slogans side by side with Paul’s counter-slogans.
B. In Paul’s first rejoinder to the slogan, “Everything is permissible for me,” Paul cleverly counters their “wisdom” with another philosophical term – “beneficial” – “not all things are beneficial.”
1. Even apart from any specifically Christian reasons, Paul suggests, the extreme Corinthian position is a bad philosophy.
2. The truly wise person will not act in self-indulgent ways but will seek to act in accordance with an enlightened understanding of what is beneficial.
C. Paul then restates their slogan and offers a second rejoinder, “Everything is permissible for me…but I will not be mastered by anything.”
1. The truly wise person will not surrender control to anything or anyone, except God.
D. Paul’s most emphatic rebuttal, however, is reserved for the slogan about “food for the stomach.”
1. Many translations, including the NIV, have put in quotations “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food” but then don’t include the next clause as part of the Corinthian’s slogan – “but God will destroy them both.”
2. I think the two are a part of the same slogan – “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy them both.” That is what the Corinthians were saying.
3. Paul’s rebuttal to that notion is – “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” (vs. 13)
4. The Corinthian wisdom viewed the body as transient and trivial, and therefore it makes no difference what we do with our bodies.
5. If we are hungry, then we should eat. If we are desirous of sexual gratification, then we should seek it wherever we can find it.
6. They would say that none of this makes any difference because it concerns only external physical matters which have no lasting significance.
7. But the idea that the physical body is unimportant is precisely the point that Paul is trying to refute.
E. And how does Paul refute it?
1. Paul says that the body ultimately belongs to the Lord, and God has confirmed his concern for the body by raising Jesus from the dead.
2. And He has promised to raise us in like manner.
3. So the body is not simply a husk to be cast off in the next life, rather the gospel proclaims that we are to be redeemed - body, soul and spirit.
4. The resurrection of the body is an integral element of the Christian story and hope.
5. Paul said it well in Philippians 3:20,21, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” That is our great hope!
F. Having emphatically asserted that God’s raising of Jesus validates the physical body, Paul then explored the implications of his statement that “the body is for the Lord.”(vs. 13)
1. Those who are in Christ have been united with Christ in a relationship of intimate union – we are one with him in spirit (vs. 17).
2. In our physical marriage to our earthly mate our body belongs to the other, so in Christ our bodies no longer belong to us, but belong to Christ.
3. Therefore, the person who is involved sexually with a prostitute is not only committing an act of infidelity, they are also taking something that belongs to Christ and are linking it to the sphere of the unholy.
G. Paul’s whole argument presupposes that sexual intercourse cannot be understood merely as a momentary act that satisfies a transient natural urge.
1. Instead, it creates a mysterious but real and enduring union between a man and a woman.
2. In support of this claim, Paul cites Genesis 2:24: “The two will become one flesh.”
3. The union of a member of the church with a prostitute is disastrous for the Christian community precisely because it creates a real bonding with her; therefore it creates an unholy bond between the Lord’s members and the sinful world.
H. In light of this explanation, Paul concludes with an emphatic imperative: “Flee from sexual immorality.”
1. Why? Not only because sexual immorality links Christ with what is unholy, but it is also a sin against one’s own body.
2. Our own individual body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
3. Earlier in chapter 3, Paul talked about the church as a whole being the temple of the Spirit, now he transfers the metaphor to us individually.
4. It’s important to note that Paul’s point isn’t - “Keep your body pure so that God might give you the Spirit.”
5. Rather, his point is - “Keep your body pure because the Holy Spirit already dwells in you.”
I. Paul closes this section with a return to the idea that our bodies are not our own property which we may use anyway we desire.
1. Paul reminds us we are not our own, but that we were bought at a price.
2. By his death, Jesus has paid the terrible price to ransom us from bondage to the powers of sin and death, consequently, we now belong to Him.
3. In light of that, Paul concludes, “Honor God with your body.”
Application:
A. How do we do just that – How can we honor God with our bodies? How can we avoid sexual immorality?
1. Let me offer a few principles to put into practice.
B. First, we must face the reality of our own sexuality and our vulnerability to its distortion.
1. A lot of trouble comes when we repress our sexual feelings.
a. We are all sexual beings. We have sexual feelings.
b. Some of us let our sexual feelings run with free rein which leads to all kinds of trouble.
c. Others of us deny we have those feelings, and attempt to push them down underneath the surface, only to have them pop up at moments when we least expect them.
2. Paul does not try to beat around the bush, he just directly addresses the subject, because he knows both the positive and negative realities of our human sexuality.
a. Because we are all sexual beings, we are all vulnerable to temptation and sexual sin.
b. I’m not pointing my finger at any single person or single kind of sexual sin.
c. We are all vulnerable, myself included.
d. Most, if not all of us, have not handled sexual temptation perfectly.
e. So, there is no room for a holier-than-thou attitude, and certainly not the dangerous thought that it could never happen to me.
f. How foolishly dangerous to think that we could never get caught up in an affair, or trapped in some kind of addiction to lust in thought, or an addiction to romance novels or pornography.
g. Paul warned in 1 Cor. 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Pride goes before the fall. Overconfidence and denial go before the fall.
C. Second, we must flee from sexual immorality and construct fences to protect us from our vulnerability.
1. Sexual sin, by its very definition and reality, is dehumanizing.
a. When sexual satisfaction is removed from God’s created context it is reduced simply to a selfish, animalistic pursuit.
b. Sexual sin reduces us to nothing more than body parts and nerve endings.
c. It destroys us and it destroys others.
2. That is why is God so strict about this matter.
a. The Bible declares, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Heb. 13:4)?
b. God wants what is best for us.
c. God created us as sexual beings and he gave us marriage as the place where sex can be a most positive and fulfilling activity.
3. Even for the person who is not a Christian and has no respect for the Bible, there are still some common-sense reasons for avoiding premarital and extramarital sex.
a. One reason is to avoid the possibility of pregnancy. There is no full-proof method of contraception except for abstinence.
b. A second common-sense reason for avoiding premarital and extramarital sex is the danger of disease.
1. I won’t go into all the statistics nor the suffering that accompanies sexually transmitted diseases – but they are epidemic and tragic in our society and around the world.
2. And again, the only sure way to avoid an STD is to abstain from sex until marriage and be faithful in marriage.
c. Another common-sense reason for avoiding premarital and extramarital sex is that it can be personally destructive – emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.
1. Premarital and extramarital sex is habit-forming and leads to emotional, psychological and spiritual fragmentation.
2. Our society has adopted such a casual attitude toward sex, like it is no more significant than eating a snack, but that’s not how God has designed it.
3. Sex is much more serious and significant that most people understand, and its misuse has devastating consequences for many people.
d. A final common-sense reason for avoiding premarital and extramarital sex is that it has marring and spoiling effects on marriage.
1. It can lead to guilt, resentment, insecurity, fear, and unnecessary comparison.
2. All these can inhibit the wonder of private, intimate, security in a monogamous marriage.
4. To sum it up - the smartest and wisest thing we can do is to wait until marriage for sex, and to remain faithful in marriage.
a. God’s way is the best way.
5. And so, if you are dating, set some boundaries.
a. Refuse to date anyone who is not equally committed to sexual purity.
b. Beware of too much private, secluded time – bedrooms are off limits.
c. Beware of late nights…very little that’s spiritual and good happens after midnight.
d. Decide on your own limits – for some people it is only holding hands for others it is kissing.
e. Can I bluntly say it this way – keep your clothes on and your hands where they belong.
f. I can attest to the fact that you will never regret going into marriage sexually pure.
6. And when we are married we still have to be aware of our vulnerabilities.
a. We need to guard our heart, our mind and our eyes – all of them can lead us astray.
b. That means we have to be careful about our exposure to different kinds of media, and protect ourselves from internet intrusion and opportunities. Even when we don’t seek things on the internet, they come looking for us through all kinds of spam and advertising.
d. If we find ourselves attracted to someone who is not our spouse, then we must reduce our encounters with that person, and keep all those encounters in check.
7. We need to be honest about what tempts us and try to avoid it – alcoholics trying to quit don’t frequent bars.
8. Certainly prayer and Scripture can help us with all these temptations, but there is also often a need for accountability. If need be, find someone you trust and ask for their assistance.
Conclusion:
A. Sexual sin destroys. It destroys individuals, it destroys families and it destroys churches and that’s why Paul addresses it so directly.
B. Let me end with two Old Testament individuals and their stories.
1. One can serve as a model of what to do, and one as a model of what not to do.
2. Samson was a man who played with his sexuality and that of others.
a. He was such a gifted man with so much potential.
b. He didn’t guard his life and he didn’t flee from sexual immorality.
c. Let’s remember the terrible price he paid and determine not to follow his example.
3. Joseph, the son of Jacob in the Old Testament is the example worthy of imitation.
a. Even after being sold as a slave by his brothers to foreign owners in a foreign country, he stayed close to God.
b. Even after being elevated to top servant in his master’s house, and having everything under his authority, he stayed close to God.
c. And even after repeated advances and all-out seduction from his master’s wife, Joseph stayed close to God and obeyed God’s standards for sexual purity.
d. Joseph did everything possible to avoid his master’s wife, and to overcome temptation – which in the end required his running shoes and leaving his coat behind as his master’s wife grabbed him and tried to drag him into bed.
e. For that reason Joseph is my hero and is a great example for us to follow.
C. We are called to sexual purity. Let’s not forget that we are not our own, we were bought at a price and therefore we must honor God with our bodies.
1. Let’s continue to aim toward purity and holiness in everything, especially in sexual matters.
2. When we have fallen and failed to remain pure, then we must turn to God and His grace.
3. let’s keep in mind a text from last week, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
4. Praise God for forgiveness and for the ability to break the bonds of sin.
5. May all of us experience God’s forgiveness and freedom.
Resources:
The (Im)Perfect Church (Studies in 1 Corinthians), Rubel Shelly, 21st Century Christian, 1983.
First Corinthians (Interpretation – A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching), Richard Hays, John Knox Press, 1997.
1 Corinthians (The NIV Application Commentary), Craig L. Blomberg, Zondervan, 1994.
1 Corinthians (Bible Study Guide), Charles R. Swindoll, Insight For Living, 1977.
“Sexual Immorality – or Beyond Body Parts and Nerve Endings,” Sermon by John Huffman, Jr. Jan. 8, 2006.
“Honoring God with Your Body,” Sermon by Don Jaques.
