The theme of this entire series is “Giving God Glory Everyday” I want to talk to you about “Giving God Glory Through Your Bodies.” Listen to what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “…Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have [received] from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (NASB).
The most obvious way to give God glory with your body is by remaining pure. Now most Christians here this word and think of sexual purity but I doubt you will want to discuss that subject in your groups, especially if you have struggled in this area. So we’ll broaden the subject of purity in our group discussion time to deal with having a pure thought life. But often our thought life leads to desires that we actually act on if we are not careful. So I want to clearly define God’s view of purity in the sexual arena. You need to listen closely to what I have to say because this is a huge opportunity for you to receive God’s blessing. Let’s look at Proverbs 5:15-21 together.
“Drink water from your own well – share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Don’t share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving doe, a graceful deer. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, with an immoral woman, or embrace the breasts of an adulterous woman? For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes” (Proverbs 5:15-21, NLT).
It’s obvious that Proverbs 5 is dealing with the subject of sexual purity. Now it’s easy to pick on the sins of those that make up the minority of the population like prostitution or homosexuality. But quite often in the Bible, when those sins are listed, they are listed with adultery and pre-marital sex (which are definitely the sins of the majority of our population). For example look at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 with me: “…do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).
This teaching is so important because I have had a number of Christians who have asked me, “Where in the Bible does it say pre-marital sex is wrong?” I’ve had engaged couples ask me this during pre-marital counseling. I’ve had parents ask me this because their teenage kids have asked them this very question. It’s a good question. However, the question implies a couple of things:
1. First of all, it implies that for something to be wrong it has to be mentioned verbatim (word for word/phrase for phrase) in the Bible. Just because the phrase “Thou shalt not have pre-marital sex” isn’t in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s okay. In fact, there are lots of activities that we know are sinful that are not specifically stated as being wrong in the Bible. But we know they are wrong because of the clear implications of other Scriptures. Let me illustrate it this way. As much as our Sr. Pastor dislikes cats because he’s allergic to them. Now, just because the Bible doesn’t specifically say it’s wrong to kill a cat doesn’t give him permission to do whatever we wants with cats! Sorry Dudley. Just because the phrase “Thou shalt not have-pre-marital sex” isn’t in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s okay.
2. Secondly, the question implies, that pre-marital sex is not immoral. The Bible specifically says sexual immorality is wrong. Most versions or translations of the Bible, such as the NASB, translate this phrase as “fornication.” The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “fornication” as “consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.” And based on 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, fornication (which is pre-marital sex) is just as immoral and just as dangerous to our spiritual condition before God as adultery, prostitution and homosexuality (and other forms of extra-marital sex). So the Bible clearly says that pre-marital sex is wrong.
Now, I don’t want to focus just on pre-marital sex. I’ve just mentioned it because those who are not yet married are in the most danger of losing out on the blessings God has in store for them if they disobey this command. But the question of sexual purity applies to those who have never been married. It applies to those who are currently married. It applies to those who are now divorced and widowed. And God’s word says that sex is wonderful and beautiful and right and holy within the context of a committed married relationship of a husband and a wife. Outside of this context, sex is impure, immoral and unsafe. It’s like fire, wonderful in the fireplace but dangerous outside of the fireplace.
Now, why would God confine this wonderful activity of sex to the marriage relationship? Well, because He wants what’s best for you. His word says, “He has plans to prosper you not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). That’s what God wants for you; He wants you to have the best sex life possible. He wants you to have the best life in every arena of your life. You just need to trust him and obey him (even if it doesn’t make sense at first). Then watch the blessing pour into your life as a result.
In Josh McDowell’s book, “Why Wait?” He lists several reasons the world gives for not following God’s advice on this subject. He then gives you reasons from God and nature and common sense about why we should have sex only within marriage. I don’t need to duplicate his efforts, but let me give you just a few reasons for taking God at his word and waiting:
1. Waiting Builds Character. Whenever you face temptation and come out victorious it gives you more confidence to face future temptations.
2. Waiting means you have will have no risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases that could result in your life being lost or your inability to ever have children.
3. Waiting means Children are born into a home with a father and mother.
4. Waiting means there are No comparisons of your spouse with previous partners
5. Waiting means Guilt Free Sex
I could go on and on with reasons why you should take God at his word, but basically I’m saying that purity often means denying what we want for what God wants; knowing that what He wants is the best thing for us. Think about it. Does the world really need more children on welfare? Does our healthcare system really need more people being treated for sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer which are often life threatening? Does our world really need more unwanted pregnancies that result in abortions or single parent homes?
No, What the world needs now is love, God’s love. Christians need to show a godly love that proves our commitment to our marriage partners through fidelity to them. The world needs a godly love that proves our commitment to our girlfriends and boyfriends by showing our faithfulness to God instead of acting selfishly on our desires. Think about it, if you and your girlfriend or boyfriend are faithful to God’s standard ahead of marriage won’t that increase your confidence in their faithfulness within marriage? Don’t you want that kind of confidence?
We’ve already read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 but did you notice v.11?” Let’s read it again: “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 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” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NIV).
God’s word says that you can be pure even if you’ve messed up. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” These verses tell us that you can achieve a type of second virginity. You can start over with God. He will forgive all of your sins. He can even provide you with a spouse that will do the same.
I know it’s hard to be pure after having messed up. I’ve counseled many people that have fallen short in this area of purity. Usually they ask me how do I stop once I’ve started. And I usually joke with them about once you’ve had ice cream it’s really hard to go back to never having ice cream again. And I’ll say, “I Scream U Scream We All Scream for Ice Cream”. You see, once you’ve had sex, it’s really hard to say no to sex. But through the power of the Holy Spirit you can obey God in this area. God’s word says, “No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not allow you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As you go to your groups for discussion, I hope that the answers to the following questions are clear in your mind:
• What does sexual purity mean for those who are not yet married.
• What does it mean for those who are currently married.
• What does it mean for those who were married but are now widowed or divorced?
I also hope that you don’t walk away from this by saying that’s just unrealistic, I mean who can live up to this. If you do you are only hurting yourself and robbing yourself of the blessings and the joy that God has in store for you. I know how hard it is, when I was dating and engaged for 2 ½ years, I struggled. I jokingly tell people that my wife couldn’t keep her hands off me. I needed the help of the Holy Spirit to stay pure. And we are no different than you. If you’ve accepted Christ as your savior and been baptized in His name, then you have the same Holy Spirit to help you stay pure.
If you truly love God it will be evidenced by your obedience. 1 John 5:3 says, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” In fact, God’s rules and commands are for our own good.
So, as you go to your groups, ask yourself, “How can I practice purity right now?” Hopefully, you’ll come up with answers such as:
• By being careful of the places I go: such as bars, nightclubs, and parties where these temptations would be more prevalent.
• By being careful of what I see on TV, at the movies, and on the internet so as to have a pure thought life.
• By making the decision ahead of time to be pure. The Life Application Bible in Proverbs 5 has these notes. “When temptation strikes, it is too late to ask for advice. When desire is fully activated, people don’t want advice –they want satisfaction. The best time to learn the dangers and foolishness of going after forbidden sex (or anything else that is harmful) is long before the temptation comes. Resistance is easier if the decision has already been made. Don’t wait to see what happens. Prepare for temptation by deciding now how you will act when you face it.” That’s great advice.
Most importantly, remember that you are far too valuable to God for the pain and suffering and consequences that come with an impure lifestyle. That’s why he says in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee immoralty. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but this immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (NASB).
