We are just beginning level two of the three level series within a series. These series are about the hardest battles that we face as Christians. Some of the battles are with the world, but most of them are within ourselves, against our own temptations, our own wants. We just finished “Tongue Tied” last week. And this new series is about... sex!
The battle for purity is one of the most hotly contested battles. You can see all around you the carnage of those who have lost the battle. Pastors, presidents, movie stars, world leaders, governors, etc. This is an extremely important battle that we need to be determined to win, determined to hold our ground.
Sex may not be the most comfortable subject to talk about in church, but the world is talking about it 24/7, you are hearing on TV, in music, in movies and from your friends. It's time for someone to stand up and say what's true when it comes to purity.
It should be noted that Pastor Dan is not preaching this because he knows of a purity compromise in Revolution Church. On the contrary, he is preaching because now is the time to decide how you will face this battle. This is not aimed at one person, it's for all of us, young and old.
Why is purity important? Why do we care? Why is it a big deal? Why do we even bother with these old-fashioned ideas? They do it on TV all the time with no consequences! Why stand in the way of nature?
We're not even going to cover the many physical consequences of sex in this series. We are just going to cover the spiritual and emotional consequences. Let's dig into 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 to start off: Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
This is a revolutionary idea, not only in our culture, but in modern Christianity: You do not belong to yourself; Jesus Christ bought you with His life!
1. God created sex. He created it for us, to be fulfilling and fun. It's a good thing! It's not something that was first invented in the '60s along with LSD and protest songs. But it was created to be used in one specific context, which is marriage. It was not made to be used outside of that context.
God has commanded us to run from sexual sin. A fire in a fireplace or woodstove is a good, useful thing. It brings warmth to heat your home and roast marshmallows. Fire on your carpet, on the other hand, is not good. Fire is good when contained and in the right place, but destructive outside of that place.
In the same way, sex is good in the right place. In any other place, it is destructive and you need to run away from it like you would run from a fire!
2. “Purity leads to intimacy.” (–Andy Stanley) This is something that TV, music, movies and your friends won't tell you.
Sex is relational. Sex is never “just sex.” It always has relational consequences both now and in the future. Paul said, "The two are united into one." Every time you engage in sex outside of marriage you leave a piece of yourself behind. You are joined to that person. The only place where sex will not leave you broken, and empty is within the committed, intimate relationship of marriage. Any place outside of that causes your future marriage to suffer. You rob your future self and your future spouse!
Girls: What you really want is not sex. You want to fall in love. You want to get married, to trust someone, to be able to tell them everything and not have them betray you.
Guys: You don't really want sex. You want to find a hot girl and marry her. You're afraid that you will lose the attraction for the girl, and be stuck in misery with her forever. Because the world says that great sex involves a hot girl.
The truth is that attractive people get divorced everyday. Attractiveness is not the secret. Great sex comes with complete intimacy. What you are really looking for is not sex, it's intimacy. And your ability to find real, lasting, true intimacy is only found through purity.
Maximum intimacy leads to great sex, and maximum intimacy is only found in marriage. Sex outside of this leaves you feeling rejected, betrayed, empty and lonely.
People like to tell you that "sex is just sex," That there are no emotions attached. Nothing could be further from the truth. Would you marry every attractive person you meet? Of course not! Yet if you have sex with someone, you become united to them (whether you marry them or not).
All of the negative connotations people have about marriage are actually true about sex just as much as about marriage. It carries commitment, consequences and baggage.
Which story would you rather have to tell your future spouse someday?
#1: I got carried away when I was young and had sex with my boyfriend. Once I started I figured I might as well keep going, so I've slept with about 12 people. But... now I really love you, so it's all OK, right?
#2: I got carried away when I was young and had sex with my boyfriend. But then I heard this message about how sex is important, and since that day I have been saving myself for you!
#3: I've known the importance of purity since I was young, and I have been saving myself for you my whole life!
It's not too late. If you've made mistakes, your life is not over. There is forgiveness for you! You can start over! Purity keeps you whole - no matter what you've done before, choose to walk in it today.
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