Lasting relationships require that we flee sexual immorality...

This week we have been having a frank conversation about sex by looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible that was written by a man that we know today as the Apostle Paul to a church that was located in Corinth Greece, called the book of 1 Corinthians. So far this week, we have seen Paul reveal the reality is that while God gives us the freedom to make choices when it comes to how we express ourselves sexually, those choices have consequences that are neither advantageous or beneficial. And while God gives us the freedom to make choices when it comes to how we express ourselves sexually, those choices can, and often do, enslave us in a lifestyle that ends up moving us away from God.

In addition, Paul explained that humanity was not designed to be engaged in relationships that promote unlawful sexual intercourse, which are temporary in nature. Instead humanity was designed to have an eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul then provided the proof that we were designed for such a relationship by pointing to the resurrection of Jesus. Paul revealed that  we commit idolatry when we place our sexual appetites and pleasure over our relationship with Jesus.

Paul then revealed that when we have sex with someone, the very act of sexual intercourse causes two separate bodies to become one. The act of sex physically, emotionally, and even spiritually fuses two people together. It’s kind of like this piece of duct tape. And because of the powerful nature of sex to connect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually, God designed sex for one specific environment, which is one man and one woman united in a monogamous marriage relationship for one lifetime.

God created and designed sex to occur when one man leaves from his home to commit himself in a covenant relationship with one woman for an entire lifetime. Any sex that occurs outside of one man and one woman united in a monogamous marriage relationship for life is outside of God’s design. The members of the church at Corinth, however, misunderstood God’s design for sexuality and the powerful nature of sex as God designed it. However, the Bible clearly teaches that sex is an awesome gift from God that is divinely designed to be experienced in one environment- marriage.

In addition, Paul revealed that the follower of Jesus who is united mystically and spiritually to Jesus Christ will experience a different type of intimacy that is eternal and unbreakable in nature. The sexual intercourse that occurs in a covenant marriage relationship that provides for the open expression of love in the context of total vulnerability and intimacy is a glimpse of the depth of the intimacy that we will have in our relationship with Jesus for all eternity.

And because of this reality, we see the Apostle Paul give a timeless command to followers of Jesus that reveals for us a timeless truth when it comes to lasting relationships. So, let’s look at this timeless command together in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20:

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the 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.

In verse 18, Paul commands the members of the church at Corinth, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to flee immorality. Now the word “flee” here literally means to flee from something in order to avoid and keep from engaging in something because of its potential danger. In this case, Paul is referring to immorality, which is unlawful sexual intercourse, which is any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage relationship; whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which we call adultery, homosexual sexual activity, solo sexual activity and any other sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage.

Paul then provided the reason for such a strong command by stating that every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Paul’s point here is that the nature of sexual sin is so unique that the person who engages in unlawful sexual intercourse pollutes and corrupts their bodies in a way that no other selfish and rebellious act can.

In verse 19, Paul then asks a rhetorical question that introduces another well known and generally accepted fact that the church should know in order to explain the reason that we should flee when it comes to sexual immorality: 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? Paul is revealing to the church at Corinth, and us as well, that followers of Jesus are temples of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, the Holy Spirit takes up residence and dwells in the bodies of followers of Jesus. The Apostle explains that the reason that the Holy Spirit dwells in us is because God has given us the Holy Spirit. Paul then provided another reason why we should flee sexual immorality when he states that you are not your own. As followers of Jesus, the reality is that we are God’s possession. God owns us. you may be wondering, what do you mean God owns us? How does God own us?

In verse 20, Paul answered this question for us by stating for you have been bought with a price. Paul is bringing the members of the church of Corinth back to the reality of the cross. The cross reveals the reality that Christ rescued and redeemed us from our selfish and sinful lives by allowing Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. And it is the price that Christ paid that not only brings us the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for but also makes us His possession.

Paul then explained that in light of the price that Jesus paid to rescue and redeem us; in light of the reality that we are His possession, we are to glorify God with our bodies. The idea of glorifying God means to influence one’s opinion about God so as to enhance God’s reputation. Paul here is calling the members of the church at Corinth, and us here today to honor, extol, and make much of God by how we handle our physical bodies when it comes to sex. One of the ways that we reveal and reflect Christ to the world around us is by how we handle ourselves when it comes to our sexuality. We best reflect God’s other centered sacrificial love when we engage in sex in the context of marriage.

And it is in this passage that we see revealed for us a timeless truth when it comes to love and lasting relationships. And that timeless truth is this: Lasting relationships require that we flee sexual immorality. When it comes to lasting relationships we must flee sexual immorality. We must flee baby flee.

Now, I want to address four potential questions or objections. First, there may be some of you who are thinking to yourself “Dave that is just old-fashioned thinking”. And my response to that objection is this: I will go out on a limb and say that there is not a single person who would ever say that they regretted following the counsel that Paul provides about this topic. There is not a single person that would make the statement “I really regret following Paul’s advice here”. On the contrary, for many of us in this room, whether you are a follower of Jesus or whether you are here because someone agreed to buy you lunch if you went to church with them, maybe the greatest regret in our lives involves failing to follow the timeless truth that Paul provides us in this passage.

Second, there may be some of you who are thinking to yourself “Dave you just don’t understand. I have needs. I have needs that have to be met”. And my response to that objection is this: This morning, it is a scientific fact that no human being has to have sex in order to survive. I am unaware of any human being who has died because they did not have sex. You see, you do not have a need; you have an appetite, a desire, a want.

Third, there may be some of you here this morning who are thinking to yourself “Dave you just don’t understand. How am I going to know if the sex is going to be good if I don’t have sex with my boyfriend or girlfriend before we get married? Dave, I need to test drive the car before I buy it”. My response to that objection is this: How do you know that the sex won’t be good?

You see, sex is the very thing that one wants to test which is destroyed by the testing. Because of the differences in how men and women have been wired, after the first, often awkward act of sexual intercourse, more often than not, women leave the experience having given their hearts away, while men often walk away thinking “that was not as good as I expected it to be”. 

And fourth, there may be some of you who are thinking to yourself “Dave if I don’t give in and have sex before I get married, then I will lose all the good men or women”. My response to that objection is simply this: If you fish for relationships by trolling with your body, you will catch body snatchers.

So, here is the question: how are you going to approach sex? How are you going to handle yourself physically when it comes to how you express yourself sexually?