This morning we continue our study in going through
the Word of God. Today, looking to the book of
1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 12 through 20.
We're going to be reading this here in just a
moment. But I would just like to say once again
that the Word of God is eminently practical to
our lives. It speaks directly to us. even sometimes
in ways that might be a little bit uncomfortable.
And of course, the job of the preacher is also
to preach the Word of God as it is. So today,
we are going to be looking at the subject of
sexual immorality. The title is, Flee Sexual
Immorality. Your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit. Let's read the passage, beginning in
verse 12. All things are lawful for me, but all
things are not helpful. All things are lawful
for me, but I will not be brought under the power
of any. Food for the stomach and the stomach
for foods, but God will destroy both it and them
now. The body is not for sexual immorality, but
for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And God
both raised up the Lord and will also raise us
up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies
are members of Christ? Shall I then take the
members of Christ and make them members of a
harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know? That
he who is joined to a harlot is one body with
her. For the two, he says, shall become one flesh.
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit
with him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that
a man does is outside the body. But he who commits
sexual immorality sins against his own body.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Let's ask the Lord's blessing on this time. Father,
we come before you, Lord, in this... is indeed
an impactful chapter, Lord, and this passage,
Lord, one that is extremely relevant to us. It
speaks to us, Lord, and it calls us to a life
of holiness and purity amidst a world that is
awash in immorality. So, Lord, we pray that you
would be with us, Lord, as we go through this.
Captivate our hearts, O Lord, by your Spirit.
Let us think your thoughts after you and help
us, Lord, to understand. as you would have us,
Lord, through the elimination of the Holy Spirit.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Dear brothers
and sisters, we are the church of Jesus Christ.
We have been bought with his blood, and we are
the temple of God. We have been washed. sanctified
and justified as we heard last week. And our
hearts and our minds have been and are being
renewed. We have been made new. And the transformation
that has happened to us truly matters. We are
not merely concerned about outward forms or rituals
or a checklist of do's and don'ts. But it is
important for us that we have personal, sincere,
abiding and true faith in the Lord Jesus. From
the depths of our hearts. As I preached last
week. Nevertheless, the outward body matters.
Your body matters. Spirituality is not just some
super ethereal pie in the sky type of thing.
But it is real. It is enfleshed. The spiritual
life that is within must be demonstrated by our
actions, by the fact that our body is not some
worthless piece of the flesh that must be abandoned
in order to have the Spirit. No, as God speaks
in His Word today, our bodies matter as well
as other outward things. Order matters. The sacraments
matter. Faithful marriages matter. And your body
matters. So much so that your physical body,
your flesh and blood body, is a temple. It is
a sanctuary and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the
Trinity, God the Holy Spirit. Your body belongs
to God and God the Holy Spirit dwells in each
and every one who is born again and who has faith
and trust in Christ. If your body is holy and
is a temple of the Holy Spirit, then you should
not hate your body. God made you. He created
you. He created you to worship your God in an
embodied fashion. Your true person, the real
you, that is, is not just your inner person like
is sometimes said. No, a true and real man and
woman consists of both body and spirit. When
your body is dead, part of you is missing until
the resurrection when your body and your soul
will be reunited together again. This time, In
a resurrected body. We will worship in heaven.
After the resurrection. As a whole being. Body
and spirit. We will again. Not be some kind of
ethereal angel. Sitting on a cloud. Some kind
of disembodied spirits. No. This is not a biblical
understanding. We will be together. Body and
spirit. In light of this. We cannot fall into
extreme asceticism, the doctrine that teaches
us that we must be detached from the material
world in order to draw closer to God. And this
detachment is often professed to be done through
denial of food or other pleasures, or through
renouncing material possessions, or abstaining
from sexual relationships, which then leads to
hatred of the body and denial of the gifts that
God gives. has given us. Some forms of asceticism
go so far as to even whip oneself or to wear
chains or spike devices or have prolonged sleep
deprivation or to wear a hair cloth shirt or
sleep on a bed of nails. No, this is not the
biblical view of our body. In the passage today,
the Apostle Paul develops the subject of God's
view of your body and how sexual immorality is
a sin against God the Father, against Christ,
and against the Holy Spirit. Sex is a gift from
God, designed by God for procreation and for
pleasure, as we will see in the next chapter.
But God puts fences around it, and when those
fences are broken, great trouble comes. It is
a powerful tool that used rightly in a marriage
covenant, brings forth abundant blessings, begetting
children, and giving enjoyment and fulfillment.
but wrongly used. It is a weapon of destruction
that creates hurt, betrayal, abandoned children,
sex trafficking, rape, and other sins against
a holy and just and right God. And it is also
a sin then against our own body. The lies being
taught and lived in the city of Corinth. Are
very much like the lies of today. Have you heard
the words. My body. My choice. My body. My choice.
Or if it feels good. Do it. These lies are pervasive.
And they were pervasive at the time in which
this book was written. So common was immorality
in Corinth. That to act like a Corinthian. became
a universal shorthand for gross immorality, promiscuity,
and drunken debauchery. To be a Corinthian was
to be that kind of person in those deeds. Nevertheless,
as the word tells us today, man is not an animal
to do whatever his instincts desire at any place.
Man is created for covenant, both to be in covenant
with God and to be in covenant with one another.
As Paul will bring out in chapter 7 verse 2.
He says because of sexual immorality each man
is to have his own wife and each woman to have
her own husband. Man is created to worship and
this includes the use of his body according to
God's rules. Not only simply a physical impulse.
The human body is not created to live like the
beasts or the birds. In our passage today, Paul
deals with five reasons why a Christian is to
flee sexual immorality. Five reasons why sex
outside of the marriage covenant is contrary
to the will and the law of God Almighty. The
central command is found in verse 18. Flee sexual
immorality. All illicit sexual intercourse. harlotry,
adultery, fornication between unmarried persons,
homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest,
or those who are unlawfully divorced. All of
that is contained in this word. Ephesians 5 verse
3, But sexual immorality and all uncleanness
and covetousness, let it not once be named among
you. As is fitting for saints. This is the law
and the word of God. And Paul goes into great
detail and explains why. Why this is so. And
he does this in a way that is not really given
in any other passage. With attention to the detail
that he gives right here. At least not that I'm
aware of. The content or the prohibition. An
explanation is in many passages. But in this
particular one. He goes into detail about a proper
view of the body. That is not found any other
place in the scripture just like this. Let's
look now to this passage in God's word. Beginning
in number 1. In verse 12. Sexual immorality is
contrary. to the principles of christian liberty
sexual immorality is contrary to the principle
of christian liberty he says verse 12 all things
are lawful for me but all things are not helpful
all things are lawful for me but i will not be
brought under the power of any paul begins with
a statement all things are lawful for me Now
this could sound contrary to what he's about
to say, but there's two ways to understand this.
First of all, some commentators think that he
could be repeating a statement that the Corinthians
made, and then he answers it, both here and in
verse 13. That they say all things are lawful,
and Paul responds with all things are not helpful.
However, I think, along with other commentators,
that he is making a true statement because it's
one that is repeated at other places in the New
Testament. He's referring to principles of Christian
liberty. For indeed, we have great liberty that
God has given us, and that liberty extends to
many aspects of the Christian life. Paul himself
says in Romans 14 and verse 14, I know and am
convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing
unclean of itself. And later in this book, he
says in the context of foods in chapter 10, verse
23, all things are lawful for me, but not all
things are helpful. All things are lawful for
me, but not all things edify. But while all things
are lawful, he says, not all are helpful and
some things enslaved and a Christian should not
be enslaved to things. We can easily see this
in food and drink. These are wonderful gifts
of God, but they can be enslaving through gluttony
or through drunkenness. Many things are lawful,
but they're not suitable at all times or in all
circumstances. So it is with the gift of sex
that God has. created and that is today's subject
he says to flee sexual immorality this in today
we're going to be look again at the negative
effects of this and the actions next week lord
willing we're going to be getting into principles
for married life in chapter 7 looking more on
the positive side Now our liberty extends to
many things. We're not to be subject to the regulations
and commandments of men. As Paul says in Colossians
chapter 2 verse 20 to 22. By he's saying that
not that you can't necessarily do things that
men say or have certain practices. But you're
not to look at that as the word of God. Therefore,
he says, if you died with Christ from the basic
principles of the world, why, as though living
in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations?
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which
all things concern with perishing with the using,
according to the commandments and doctrines of
men. But in the all things, Law and liberty are
defined by God Himself in His Word. God gives
us great and incredible freedoms. Look at all
the different foods we can eat. The tastes and
the textures and the colors and the varieties
of them. And He says in 1 Timothy chapter 4,
For every creature of God is good, and nothing
is to be refused if it is good. received with
thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word
of God and prayer. God gives us incredible variety.
Aren't you glad that we just have to exist all
of our life? And are you glad that we don't exist
in all of our life just by eating one kind of
fish? Or just one kind of vegetable? No, we look
at the textures and the tapestries and the flavors
and all the sorts of things. Look at what comes
out of a pig versus what comes out of a cow versus
what comes out of a sheep. You know, and all
of the wonderful meats that we have and the ways
of preparing them. All the wonderful foods and
then there's spices and there's flavors. God
gives it all to us because He is a rich God and
He gives us all things richly to enjoy. We're
free to choose any job that we want, as long
as the function of that job is not breaking God's
law, such as theft or prostitution or something
like that. You can live where you want to. You
can choose to marry or to remain single. You
can choose to get further education and pursue
a different career path. But all of this freedom
is fenced with the law of God. We have this glorious
freedom, this Christian liberty that he gives
us. But on some things God says no. Or some things
he says yes in this context and no in that context.
And such is the subject of today. Sexual conduct
is one of the bodily functions that God speaks
directly to. In different scriptures of both
the Old and the New Testaments. Therefore, freedom
to do what you want is simply not an option.
It is not a matter of Christian liberty. For
immorality is against the law of God and contrary
to the principles of Christian liberty. Number
two, verse 13 and 14. Sexual immorality is against
the sanctity and the purpose. of the body food
for the stomachs and the stomach for foods but
god will both will destroy both it and them now
the body is not for sexual immorality but for
the lord and the lord for the body and god both
raised up the lord and will also raise us up
by his power three things we're going to note
in here first of all the body is not for sexual
immorality the first portion The Romans and Greeks
viewed sex as a natural bodily impulse. It was
a function of the body, just like eating or drinking.
And the church at Corinth still had some of this
mindset. It was seen as a thing indifferent,
not immoral in any kind of circumstances, with
the exception of incest. as we saw in chapter
5, described as sexual immorality not even named
among the Gentiles. They reasoned from analogy
that it was okay to eat all kinds of food which
are adapted to the stomach, so it is right to
gratify any other natural desires. And so they
did, in every way. Roman masculinity was strictly
defined by dominance, and so a man would dominate
sexually over his slaves. or over prostitutes,
or with social outcasts, or even, very sadly,
young males. Understanding this culture, you
can see why this was such a problem. And in almost
every letter to Gentile churches, Paul emphasizes
this emphatically. He speaks to them about this
matter. You look at Romans, Galatians, Ephesians.
Colossians, Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians,
and in the letter to Timothy, who is ministering
to other churches. Peter writes of it, and so
does the writer of Hebrews. The New Testament
letters are filled with instructions on this
matter, and it is no wonder, considering the
culture in which they live. It was everywhere.
But sex is different than food. While we are
free to eat all or any of the foods that God
has provided, like food for the stomach and the
stomach for food, which might have been a popular
proverb, they were saying that the body is created
for all of these bodily functions, and so we
can indulge wherever and however we please. But
God did create our bodies, but not for the purposes
of having sex. like people eat food. No, the
body is not for sexual immorality, he says. He
fences it by giving it as a gift to a man and
a woman united in holy matrimony. Marriage is
honorable among all and the bed undefiled, but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge. The
body is not meant for sexual immorality. And
we see this in some of the consequences and problems
that come from an immoral lifestyle, a promiscuous
lifestyle. And we see these around our world.
I'm just going to list some of them. Consider
the psychological impact, the shame and the guilt,
the broken hearts and the emotional instability
that comes. Then there's the social harm of the
breakdown of families, the lack of proper fatherhood.
and motherhood, and then abandoned children.
Children moved from the stability of a family
where mother and father love and care for each
other to children being moved from pillar to
post. The societal costs of immorality are huge.
There is increased crime. Crimes because of jealousy,
because of conquest, because of the breakdown
of trust. even murders, covetousness, theft,
control and manipulation, and sexual abuse. There's
also the hardening of the conscience, distance
between people and alienation, meaninglessness.
Women value only because of their bodily function
and not for who they are. Sexual immorality enormously
increases the likelihood of STDs or sexually
transmitted diseases that can lead to severe
long -term health issues. And finally, the strength,
honor, and the fruit of your labor is then squandered
to others who will not reward or repay you. Hear
the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs 5, verse
1. My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Lend your
ear to my understanding that you may preserve
discretion and your lips may keep knowledge.
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey and
her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end,
she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two -edged
sword. Her feet go down to the earth. Her steps
lay hold of hell. Lest you ponder her path of
life, her ways are unstable. You do not know
them. Therefore hear me now, my children, and
do not depart from the words of my mouth. Remove
your way far from me and do not go near the door
of her house, lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the cruel one, lest aliens
be filled with your wealth and your labors go
to the house of a foreigner and you mourn at
last when your flesh and your body are consumed
and you say, How I have hated instruction and
my heart despised correction. This, these are
sobering words from Proverbs. So the body is
not for sexuality, immorality, but secondly,
under this point, the body is for the Lord. Your
body is for the Lord. The Lord redeemed not only
your spirit, but your body by his blood. You
were bought with a price, as Paul speaks a little
later. Therefore, you belong. To Christ. And
through the shed blood of Christ. By which he
purchased us. Our bodies belong to him. And he
set us free. From slavery to sin. Excuse me.
You are made for the glory of God. You are designed
by God and your body is required in the worship
of God because God created you so. Your body
not only belongs to the Lord, but he says here,
it was made for the Lord. That is to be a member
of Christ. Redeemed by him and to serve him in
righteousness and holiness and not to be prostituted
to lust and evil desire. Your body is not irrelevant
because you will die someday. No, your body matters
because of the resurrection in union with Christ.
And, he says, the Lord is for your body. John
Gill says of this, he was preordained in the
counsel of God and provided in the covenant of
grace and sent in the fullness of time to be
a redeemer and savior of the body as well as
the soul, to be a sanctifier of it and the raiser
of it up from the dead in the resurrection. Then
in this passage, yet there's the eternal significance
of the body. I already alluded to that. Your
body is designed and designated for resurrection
glory. For resurrection glory. Yes. This very
body will be raised just as the Lord Jesus Christ's
body was raised. Though it dies, though it is
put into the ground and it returns to dust, God
will raise it up again in new life. It will be
transformed, still truly your body, and yet perfected
and glorious in the resurrection. Because the
dead in Christ will rise, their bodies reunited
with their spirits. And together as complete
men and women, we will worship and serve the
Lord together forever and ever. And so we shall
always, always be with the Lord. Therefore, our
present bodily actions have profound importance
for eternity. Number three, sexual union is a
profound spiritual reality. Therefore, we must
flee sexual immorality. It is a profound spiritual
reality, so we must flee sexual immorality. This
is verse 15 through 17. Do you not know that
your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then
take the members of Christ? and make them members
of a harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know
that he who is joined to a harlot is one body
with her? For the two, he says, shall become
one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is
one spirit with him. So our bodies then are created
by God. They are for the glory of God. But they
are also here, as he brings out, they are members.
Christ just as an arm or a leg is part of our
body so our bodies are part of the body of Jesus
Christ We have become united with Christ through
salvation. We are one with Him. He has redeemed
us. He has saved us. He has sanctified us. And
He has made us part of His body. We partake of
the Lord's Supper together, which is a means
of grace to us. And He gives us heavenly food.
When we are joined to Christ, we are one spirit
with Him. And our bodies also become the Lord's.
But, He says, Sex outside of marriage joins the
members of Christ to one that does not belong
to us. in the context here, to a harlot or any
woman indulging in unlawful sexual intercourse.
All sexual sin also comes under the heading of
harlotry. The two bodies become one flesh, which
indicates a bonding together like wood being
glued or metal being welded. This creates a huge
disconnect because the believer is one spirit
with the Lord. And so doing this then, Living
in immorality creates a disconnect. It is a desecration
and it is an insult to Christ. Paul says emphatically,
shall I then take the members of Christ and make
them members of a harlot? Certainly not. Now
this last phrase is somewhat difficult to translate,
but it is the very strongest Greek negative.
It's like, may it never be so, or God forbid.
No, this should never be done. Now, there's also
a persistent lie that says, as long as my intentions
are right, as long as my heart's right, and if
I confess my sins, then I can do what I want
and God will forgive me. God's grace is always
there, right? No, this is not okay. This is not
the attitude of a true believer who wants to
please God. Remember verse 9 that we looked at
last week? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,
nor sodomites will inherit the kingdom of God.
We cannot live in these sins and walk in communion
with God and expect that we will inherit the
kingdom of God. But to all who are married and
you join together as husband and wife in sexual
union, you are one flesh. You are welded and
cemented together. And your union reflects the
glories, not only of the union between Christ
and the church, but also of your union to Christ.
You're being united to him and members of him.
I will tell you, I do not understand all of this
fully. This is why Paul says in Ephesians 5 verse
32, this is a great mystery. Indeed. It is, but
is nonetheless true and it is amply supported
by the word of God. It is a mysterious thing
and yet it is glorious. Number four, moving on
to number four. Sexual immorality is a unique
sin against your own body. This is verse 18.
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man
does is outside the body. But he who commits
sexual immorality sins against his own body.
The first word here, the first phrase is flee
it. Flee sexual immorality. That is to shun it.
Run from it. Seek safety by flight and escape
out of danger. Don't mess around with this thinking
that you can reason your way out of it. When
strong passions take hold of you, it will easily
overthrow everything and you lose restraint.
And so the word of God tells us, flee it. Remember
how allurement works, how the impulse comes,
the attractiveness and the beauty are there.
And then comes strong desire and restraint is
tossed to the wind. And the act is done. That's
the way it works. And so the word is here. Don't
even take the first step in that. Don't dally
around with it. Flee it. Flee it. Joseph is a
great example of this. When Potiphar's wife attempted
to seduce him, she kept coming after him and
after him. And finally, she grabbed his cloak
and pulled him to her. And so what did he do?
He did not stop to reason. He did not stop to
attempt to persuade her. He fled, leaving his
coat behind. He was a good example of this right
here. He fled. Now Paul is putting this sin in
a class of itself. And in this, he's saying that
this is not necessarily greater than other sins,
but there's something peculiar and unique about
it. Because of the mystery spoken about this
in the Bible, sexual immorality is a sin against
your own body that is different than theft or
drunkenness or lying and such other sins. What
does Paul mean by this? This is a subject of
a fair amount of debate or discussion. How is
this a greater sin? Or how is it a sin against
your own body? I'll give you a few possibilities.
One is, and this is by William Loder quoted in
Thistleton's commentary. He suggests that sex
actually changes people by creating a new reality.
By becoming one with another person. And that
is unique. as opposed to other sins. I think
that is probably a good interpretation. It changes
you by creating a new reality. You become one
with the other person, and this is different
than any other sin. Second, it also is unique
because this act is how new life is generated,
whether the act is lawful or not. So when done
unlawful, unlawfully there's still the possibility
of a new person that is an image bearer of god
being brought into the world through this sinful
action an eternal soul who will not experience
the love and the wholeness of a faithful father
or mother here again this is unique to this sin
no other sin has the possibility that this does
in the creation of another soul So it could be
that that's part of what he is speaking about.
But thirdly, sexual union also has covenantal
implications. Because it is covenantally and
spiritually significant, immorality creates a
spiritual wedge or disconnect from oneself and
simply defiles the body in a unique way. Those
are three options. There may be more, but whatever
it is, Paul says this one is unique. It is against
your own body, whereas all the other sins are
done outside your body. It is a unique sin. Number
five, your body then is the temple of the Holy
Spirit. You are not your own. So glorify God
in your body. Again, this is speaking to believers.
Your body is the temple. Of the Holy Spirit.
This is not referred to unbelievers. This is
only those who have been made new in Christ.
He says. Or do you not know. That your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit. Who is in you.
Whom you have from God. And you are not your
own. For you were bought at a price. Therefore
glorify God. In your body. And in your spirit.
Which are God's. He begins this with, do you
not know? Now Paul uses this searching phrase
in this chapter six times. Six times in this
chapter he says, do you not know? Indicates that
as Christian believers who are instructed from
the word and read the word and have the Holy
Spirit, they ought to know these things. A good
understanding and reading God's word, you should
be able to know these things, which is why he
asked them again, don't you know this? Do you
not know? But he has to tell them, and over and
over again. The apostle lived and he taught there
for at least a year and a half. They had wise
and good instructors in Apollos and Paul and
others, and still these truths had not taken
root. So firmly entrenched was it in the ethos
and the culture of the day. They still had not
taken root. So Paul in this way is rebuking them
for their immaturity and their lack of knowledge
and wisdom and perception. Do you not know? And
this calls us to examine ourselves. Have we understood
and internalized these realities? Or are we only
hearing them without being transformed by them?
Because that's what was happening here. They
were still involved in this kind of activity.
And yet... They needed to hear this and be changed.
We Christian believers are a temple, both in
that the church collectively is a temple of God,
as we saw back in chapter 3, but also now we
see that our bodies are a temple of the Holy
Spirit and that the Spirit of God dwells in and
with us. This is our status in Christ. Our bodies
are a temple of the Holy Spirit. John Gill rightly
says, the Holy Spirit, in regeneration and sanctification,
when he begins the good work of grace on a man,
takes possession of his whole person, soul and
body, and dwells therein as in his temple. Paul
taught back in chapter 3, verse 17, said, If
anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy
him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple
you are. So our calling then is to glorify God
in our body and spirit and to act accordingly
to the fact that we are a temple of the Holy
Spirit. And we cannot do that if we're living
in sexual immorality. That is his point. Here
that he is bringing so strongly. Our bodies are
a sanctuary of the third member of the Holy Trinity.
A sanctuary of God himself. The Holy Spirit.
This usage here is very like to the inner sanctuary
of the temple. The place where the Ark of the
Covenant was. Where only the high priest could
go in once a year. But in Christ we are that
temple. And we have access to God himself. Now
picture this. This is the image that he is giving
you. The thought of dragging a harlot or an immoral
person into the inner sanctuary of the temple
and having unlawful sex, of becoming one flesh
together in the presence of a holy God is repugnant.
It is such an incredible image. And of course
we often don't stop to think of it in that way.
But that's what's going on. That is what is happening.
And he makes this point. very strongly. Your
body is the temple. You are not your own. Therefore,
glorify God in your body. We have been purchased
by Christ at the price of the shedding of his
own blood for our sins. And so we are called
to glorify him in our body and in our spirit.
How do we do this? How do we glorify him? First
of all, we put off the old man with his corrupt
practices and evil deeds. And we put on the new
man, renewed in knowledge after the image of
our creator. Secondly, we live in covenant faithfulness
and sexual purity with our spouse. Or if you're
not married, in chaste singleness. In chaste
singleness. Thirdly, we confess our sins and
we depart from them. Fourth, we love God, as
we heard again this morning, last weekend, this
week. We love God with our heart, soul, mind,
and our strength, and we love our neighbor as
ourself. And finally, we worship God with acceptable
worship, with reverence and fear, for our God
is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12, 28 and 29. In
contrast with the culture of the day, of the
culture of the time of Corinth, and in the culture
of our own day. Christian believers were and
are called to a much different way. Looking back
at them, they rejected the double standard, the
temple prostitution, the pederasty, and the casual
use of slaves and bodies. They were taught and
understood that sex belongs in the faithful exclusive
marriage of one man and one woman with mutual
rights and with self -control. They understood
also, And they taught that the body is not just
a disposable vessel for impulses, but it was
designed for resurrection. It was designed for
resurrection. So how it is used matters eternally.
And number four, this was radically counter -cultural.
It elevated women's dignity. It condemned exploitation.
And it called believers, including former pagans,
to holiness amidst a sexually saturated world.
Such were some of you, says Paul. Such were some
of you. But you have been washed. You have been
sanctified. You have been justified. Thank God.
Let's consider just a few final applications
as we look at this truth. Light of all this,
what are some strategies for purity? How do we
remain pure in the world in which we live? Well,
the first thing is, if you're married, you love
your wife. And we'll look at this next week,
but as Proverbs speaks, you rejoice with the
wife of your youth. You accept her and you receive
her joyfully just as a wonderful treasure and
glorious and you embrace her and you keep yourself
for her. That's one. But secondly, you also actively
flee in other ways. And going back, I should
say. you also do that to your husband. Sorry,
I was just kind of speaking to the men. But you
as wives, you also, you joyfully love your husband
and keep yourself for him and rejoice with him.
The Proverbs has it in the mail, so that's where
I went. All right, how do we flee in these ways?
Number one is avoidance. Physically remove yourself
from tempting contexts. That is, avoid places
known. for sexual sin. Set clear boundaries for
your context. There are some times where it's
not just you look the other way or you just deal
with your own heart or you think right thoughts
or whatever. There are some places where you
need to flee. You avoid it. You don't go there.
Avoid it. Secondly, pray. Pray. When you are
faced with a temptation, You pray for God's help
to bind, to remove those tempting images from
your mind. We're faced with them. You ask God
to remove them. Thirdly, you train your mind.
You train your mind to process beauty in a pure
manner so that when encountering potential temptation,
you can come away from it. Understanding that
it is God who has created beauty, but then you
let it go rather than allowing it to turn into
lost and evil desire. Fourth, understand your
own dignity as a member of Christ. Remember the
dignity and the holiness of your body as a temple
of the Holy Spirit, as a guard against... The
sin of immorality. When you're faced with it,
no, I am not my own. I have been bought. I am
a temple of the Holy Spirit. Understand that.
And number five, remember grace. Recall that
salvation includes grace for past sins. Such
were some of you, but also the power for future
victory. And if you fall, you run to God. You
repent of your sin. You flee away from it. You
confess your sin and you're renewed and restored
in right relationship with God. Actively flee
in these ways. So then we are to live through
Christ who bought us, who is our Lord and by
the power of the Holy Spirit who lives and works
within us. Apart from him, we can do nothing.
We are then called to present our bodies. Yes.
These earthly, physical bodies with all of our
senses. We present them to the Lord. How? As
a living sacrifice. Holy and acceptable to God.
Romans 12, 1 and 2. This is our reasonable service
and it's our spiritual worship. We must not be
conformed to the world, neither in its sins and
its lusts, nor in its pagan view of human sexuality.
Instead, by the word of God and the illuminating
power of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed
by the renewing of our minds. And in this way,
we prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect
will of God. Even our sanctification. I'll close
with this passage from 1 Thessalonians 4, 3 -5.
For this is the will of God. your sanctification,
that you should abstain from sexual immorality,
that each of you should know how to possess his
own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in
the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do
not know God. For God did not call us to uncleanness.
Dear church, God did not call us to uncleanness,
but... To holiness. May the grace and the power
of God. Enable us to live that way. As we live.
And as we work. In this day. Let's pray.