Islington Baptist Church June 17, 2001
Series: Big issues/problems for Christians
Text: I Corinthians 6: 12-20
Scriptures: Romans 6-8, Ephesians 4-5, I Corinthians 5
Sexual immorality
As you might know, we are in the midst of a 6 week series entitled “Big problems for Christians—the reality is they are not just big problems for Christians—they are big problems for everybody. So far we have considered these two topics: the tongue and forgiveness.
Today we are going to talk about sexual purity. It just so happens that we live in a culture that has sexualized just about everything in sight. It’s gotten so bad that even the Ontario Milk Board uses sex to sell milk. Everywhere you and I turn sex is being peddled and used to attract our attention.
To a degree we have become desensitized to this continual bombardment. Evidence of such is this: What used to be scandalous is now passe, acceptable, and tame. Children born out of wedlock, people living together in sin, common law arrangements, sex education—or should we call it sex promotion in the schools, acres of flesh visible on 90% of the women walking on the street and sometimes even in church, illicit sexual behavior in T.V show after T.V show.
We accept these things almost as if nothing is wrong. This is not right.
Today I come with a basic assumption in mind: My assumption is this: If you are anywhere past the age of 10, sexual purity is most likely an issue for you.
It could the magazines and books you read (men—visual porn, men: verbal porn—romance novels, Cosmo magazines, etc). It could be the conversations you have and your speech. It could be television. It could be the relationships you are in or have been in. It could have to do with your computer use. It could have to do with your mind as walk down the street or through the mall. It could be the clothes that you wear and the attitudes towards sexual behavior that you have or are forming.
Today we are going to consider I Corinthians 6:12-20. As you might be guessing: this is a text that calls us to sexual purity.
Before we read this passage though I want to make one important point: This is not a sermon that makes sex into a bad thing. The sex drive that God gave you is a good thing. However, with that said, sex is something that God invented exclusively for married people, and for their enjoyment.
READ TEXT
As you may or may not know, Corinth was one morally bankrupt city. Corinth was a city known for sexually immorality. 1000 temple prostitutes plied their trade each night on the cities streets. Every imaginable sexual perversion was practiced in the city of Corinth.
By the grace of God a number of the citizens of Corinth came to Jesus Christ and faith in him alone. Unfortunately, their past sins continued to haunt them and the church of Corinth began to be known as sexually loose church. Paul, who founded the church was obviously distressed by this and as the books of Corinthians indicate, he spent much time correcting them in this area.
I. WHY THEY WERE DOING WHAT THEY DOING- a consideration of the reasons they had for sinning sexually. v.12-13
When you and I act we always have reasons for why we do the things we do. Sometimes the reasons we have and the rationale we have is sound and good, sometimes not.
When it came to what Paul and the Bible terms as “immoral sexual practice –and here the term in our text refers to a wide range of sexual sins”, the Corinthians, believe or not had reasons for they were doing what they were doing—and of course they thought that their rationale and reasons were good and sound—but they weren’t.
In v.12-13 of our text Paul takes them head on in respect to the reasons they had for involving themselves in sexual immorality—which by the way—they didn’t completely see as a spiritual problem.
Reason #1 for their rampant and immoral sexual practice: Christian liberty: “All things were lawful for them”
Over and over again Paul had preached to them and to us (Romans 6-8—encourage you to read if want a fuller understanding of this discussion), that in Christ, we are no longer under law. The Corinthians took this message to heart and became so “liberated” that they found themselves enslaved to sin all over again.
In this text Paul does not rescind or shoot down his teaching regarding Christian liberty—for indeed we have been set free and liberty is an important subject. But note this: he does temper it by saying two things “all things are not helpful” and, “I will not be brought under the power of anything”.
What’s his point? Liberty and freedom from the law is not a license to sin. The grace of God is not something that is there for us to abuse. When God set us free from the demands of the law and free from slavery to sin, it was not so that we can run out and do whatever we please. God’s holy standards are still in place. We have been set free from the law to serve Him. We have been set free from the clutches of Satan. We have been set free to be free of sin.
Reason #2 for their rampant and sexually immoral practices: sexual hunger and craving is natural, normal, and needs to be satisfied
“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food” v.13
In other words “indiscriminate sexual behavior is completely natural and normal”. Just as you need to eat, so you need to have sex. Just as your stomach gets hungry and you satisfy your hunger, so to when you get sexually hungry you are supposed to satisfy your sexual urges. “Sexual expression is just part of being human and its no big deal.”
Shockingly enough, these were the two reasons the Corinthians gave for doing whatever they wanted sexually.
1. a pseudo Biblical reason-- Christian liberty
2. a pseudo logical reason --get hungry feed stomach—get sexually hungry, satisfy desire
It is against these arguments and reasons that Paul responds.
NOTE: We all have our excuses for sinning. You might have reasons of your own for sinning sexually and being in an immoral relationship. Your reasons are just as baseless and faulty as the Corinthians were.
Now having addressed their reasons for sinning, let us consider the reasons Paul gives for our staying sexually pure.
II. WHY YOU AND I SHOULD BE AND STAY SEXUALLY PURE
“Why should I stay sexually pure.”
“Why should sexual expression be reserved for the marital relationship alone”
“Why should I stop seeing so and so”
“Why should I move out of my girlfriends house and rent my own apartment”
“Why should filter my internet connection”
etc etc
As people who ask questions and very importantly “Why should I stay sexually pure?” we need good answers—answers that Paul gives us.
6 reasons for why we as Christians should flee from all sexual immorality
1. We need to flee from sexual immorality because: Our bodies—which here refers to our total person, were designed and created for something better: relationship with the Lord and service given to the Lord’s
Note v.13 “Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and Lord for the body”
God created us and designed us so that we might enter into relationship with Him and enjoy the blessings and benefits of being in His service.***
When you and I corrupt ourselves sexually and pursue after the things of the flesh and relationships that are forbidden, we violate our creators intended purposes for our very lives.
It’s hard to be a useful vessel in God’s service when illicit sexual relations and behavior are at the forefront of our minds.
In Ephesians 2:10 it says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2. We must flee from all sexual immorality because there is a future for these bodies of ours: The future resurrection of our bodies
Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so to we will be raised up by the power of the Lord. Note v.14
The coming resurrection of our bodies proves that our bodies and what we do with them are important to God.
What we do in this body in this life is quite important. Our bodies are more than just expendable shells—they are an integral part of our personhood. Since we will have bodies in Heaven and not just be spirits floating about, the importance of what we do with our earthly bodies is hereby emphasized.
Since we will have this/a body, though it be glorified and indeed changed (I Corinthians 15) what we do with it in this life is important: In this life we must keep our bodies free from sexual defilement.
3 We must flee from sexual immorality because our bodies are members of Christ, and we are one with him in spirit v.15-17
One of the images and pictures of the church in the scriptures, here spoken of, is as the body of Christ- with Jesus as the head. As ones whose bodies are one with Christ, sexually defiling ourselves is not an option. Note Paul’s question of v.15.
When you and I came to Christ we became united spiritually with him. We are so connected by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We are now 1 with Christ and as such it can be said that our bodies are members of Christ. Our total person belongs to him and is part of his kingdom.
As ones who have a share in Christ and who are members of him we must stay sexually pure. We must not associate our Lord with that which is evil.
Note: it is at this point in our text that we become aware that the Corinthians were sinning in a particular area: sex with prostitutes (note though: the term for sexual immorality in this text implies more than just this—refers to any sexual sin)
4. We must flee sexual immorality because such acts cause us great personal harm-- in that we sin against our own bodies v.18
As we have been examining this morning, our bodies are very important. Our bodies are an essential part of our person hood. God made our bodies for relationship with Him and the service of Him. In Heaven we are going to have glorified bodies. Spiritually speaking, our bodies are members of Christ.
When we sin sexually we not only sin against God and others, we sin and bring harm against our own bodies—our entire persons.
Think about how this is true:
-think about the person who has defiled themselves in such a way: think about the physical consequences they may face, think of how many have shattered self esteems by their actions, think of all those burdened by a load of guilt and shame
When we sin sexually it is an assault upon self and body.
When we sin sexually we sin against our bodies which just so happens to be the temple of the Holy Spirit
5. Flee sexual immorality because your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
When you and I turned to Christ, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us and indwell us.
Since God dwells within us by His Holy Spirit it means that we must be sexually pure.
6. Flee sexual immorality because your body is not your own: you have been bought with a price and God’s purpose is for you to glorify him in your body
A slogan you might have heard before is this: “My body, my choice”.
It’s a completely false statement: Our bodies are not our own and neither are to be our choices—for every decision ought to be surrendered to the will of God.
With his own shed blood Jesus purchased us and redeemed us from sin, Satan’s clutches, and the eternal consequences of rebellion against God.
Jesus has a claim on you and me. We are his and we owe him our willing and loving service.
If Jesus is to be Lord of our lives we must be fully surrendered to him, recognizing that our bodies are not our own, but his. This is truly deep theology. God is the potter we are the clay, we are his property, to do with what He wills. His will in context of this passage is that we flee from all forms of sexual immorality-such brings glory to Himself for we then reflect something more of the glorious character and worth of God.
We must daily affirm this: This is God’s body, his property to do with as He wills, that He might be glorified.
That God be glorified in our bodies must be a driving goal of ours….****. We must seek to bring him glory and honor by the way we live our lives in the body.
CONCLUSION
One flesh experiences and sexual expression is intended solely for the marital relationship v.15-17
We must flee sexual immorality. As Joseph ran out of Potiphar’s house and his sexually charged wife, so we in a like manner are to respond to sexual immorality and temptation in our lives.
The fleeing of sexual immorality in your life is perhaps going to look a bit different that the person beside you.
For some “fleeing” might consist of putting your computer in a high traffic area of your house and putting internet filters in place. For others it may mean that you stop trolling the malls and streets with eyes fixed below peoples necks. For some it may mean the end to a relationship or at least some significant changes in your relationship—i.e getting your own apartment. I could go on—but I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.
If in a dating rel. set limits…
Resolve not to have sex before you are married
If you are in a state of sin currently, repent of your sins that their may be times of refreshing and take heart that God indeed forgives and cleanses those who truly call upon Him.
Sexual purity is something that we must daily strive to maintain. As a church we must take this subject ever so seriously that according to Ephesians 5 their might not even be a hint of it in our midst.
