Well, we return to the study of God's Word. We began last week under the banner, did God really say? Did God really say? If this is your first Sunday with us, you may be in for a little bit of a jolt because of the topics we're going to be talking about in the coming weeks. The roadmap I shared with you last time is on the screen next behind me. We talked about last time created in God's image. Ground zero for sexuality and gender. That was in Genesis 1, 2, and 3. We'll mention a few words there. Then we have God and sex. Two lies and one truth. Nouns and pronouns. Transgenderism in the Bible. Then we'll look at the purpose of marriage. And then we'll look at homosexuality, same-sex attraction, what the Bible says, and what the hope of the gospel is. And then we'll conclude with the purpose of parenting. As you can see, it's some heavy topics. It's some needed topics. Because you and I don't live in a vacuum. You and I don't live in this little perfect world where nothing is going on. This is affecting us. And I'm sure if I sat down with my family here from France and I would ask them, hey, are these issues happening over there? I'm pretty sure they're going to tell me, yes, we. That's French for the rest of you guys, okay? If you're not from Hialeah or France, you don't know this kind of stuff. So I covet your prayers because, like I said last week, we want to present you the reality of why God says what he says. So we want to honor God's word. And at the same time, and it's doable, also be sensitive that these are topics that you and I are dealing with. There's family members that you and I know that perhaps we saw, they came to mind when you saw the topic. And like we said last week, that doesn't mean they're subhuman. Oh, there was a time in my life where some of these topics I would have not taken care of. I would have laughed at it. Or like I shared with you before, when I was in high school, there was a couple of people, you just used to beat them up. And that's wrong. So we got to grow up, right? We got to grow up. So it affects, it affects families and the realities that families are living. So we want to hold that tension of God's truth, okay, and God's grace. And there's grace and there's truth and the tension is called love. And we have to. We don't stop loving people because they go against God's design. I mean, if that were the fact, you wouldn't love me, and I wouldn't love you. Because not all your decisions are holy and God-honoring, and not all my decisions are holy and God-honoring. So if we're just going to write off people because, oh, they're doing something that's against God's design, then we might as well write each other off. So you have truth. You have grace, and the tension of living both in this world is called love. And that's what you do. You hold it. And we know that Jesus did it. Jesus was not afraid to mix it up with what you and I would look at, the riffraff, the questionable, the checkered pasts, the broken, the sinful. I mean, Jesus was known as the friend of sinners. And he initiated conversations with the purpose of, hey, I want to get to tell you what what the answer is. So we're going to be looking at some stuff and what we looked at last time I shared with you is what's at stake is a battle over authority. We don't like authority. We really don't. We know that, right? Because the minute you see that speed limit sign, you rebel. You're not in denial. You're in full rebellion. I shared that with you. I was traveling on Luis Acosta Boulevard again the other day. That's Taft Street between Palm and Douglas because the Pembroke Pines finest have had field days with me. Okay a couple of times and So and but because it's hurt. I was going up like oh slow down big boy You don't want to give you want to feed the fund again, right? So the reality is though that you and I don't like the authority and who has the last say in your life Or what has the last say in your life? Who tells you how to behave? See your wife You're a wise man. You're a wise man. It's not that funny in the back there, OK? It's not that funny, OK? Every man here said, dude, that guy spoke for me, OK? That guy spoke for me. My wife's not here. She's in preschool. But honey, he spoke for me. Because every man, and see, you get me going. And Alex is over here. I need Alex to reel me in every so often. He goes, you're going to go off. Every man knows that we married Ms. Wright. We just didn't know her first name was always. That's free. That's free for y'all. All right? That's free. Well, again, authority. What's at stake is a battle of worldviews. That's what we were looking at last time. And what is a worldview? It's the glasses that lets you see the world and evaluate the world. On the screen, a worldview is the sum total of our beliefs about this world. And the worldview shapes us and informs our experiences all around us. You know, if I change glasses, I put green, everything is seen green. You and I are wearing worldview glasses whether we acknowledge it or not. That's why, part of the reason why you think the way you think about politics, about education, about gender studies, about society, euthanasia, same-sex relationships, environmental ethics, comics, etc. Your worldview influences this. And for you and me, we need to make sure that our worldview is rooted in the Word of God. It's central, it's defining. Now, someone on the way out last week told me, yeah, but here's the problem, Pastor. When I talk to people like that, they just look at me and they go, I don't believe the Bible and I don't believe God. So now what? Okay. Well, now what? Then the burden's on you to explain what's going on with this world. See, every worldview is going to answer four main questions. You'll see them there on the screen. Four questions. Where do we come from? What went wrong? How do we fix it? How now do we live? So if my biblical worldview doesn't work for you, let me hear yours. You would tell me how did I come from. You tell me what went wrong. You tell me your worldview. You explain it to me, how are we gonna get this right? And then you tell me in light of all that, how now then shall we live? See, that's a worldview. The Bible calls it creation, fall, redemption, restoration. So biblical worldview addresses the big questions of life. Where did I come from? Bible creation. What went wrong? Bible sin. How do we fix it? Bible redemption. God fixes what you and I mess up. How now should we live? That's restoration. Now and into eternity. See, if you need some help with some worldview stuff I'm sharing, here's two gems, all right? Yes, I've read them both. There's Total Truth by Nancy Peercy. This is a little technical. I need to read it again because whatever I read, I tend to forget a little bit on this one. It's heavy. It's not for the faint of heart, but it'll bless your soul. And I think the other one that I would recommend to use, this one by Chuck Colson, and it's called How Now Shall We Live. Okay, how now shall we live? With the co-author of Nancy Percy. And I was talking to, I think to Alex about it, and he said, yeah, I'm reading this one. And that reminded me of how good and valuable this resource is. So if you're looking at it for our children, how should I, how do we inform them? How do I, how do they create this, this biblical worldview answering those questions? So again, you're talking to your cousin, you're talking to your neighbor, you're talking to whomever, and you tell them, this is what the Bible says. Well, I don't believe the Bible. Then you tell me, And then you have these four questions ready to roll. Where do we come from? Oh, you were a primordial soup and atheistic, you know, evolution. Oh, that's fantastic. Gives me a lot of value. The Bible says we're creating God's image. I think I'll take God's image over primordial soup. What went wrong? X, Y, or Z? How do we fix it? So again, don't be afraid just because they go, oh, I don't believe it. Well, that's great. Now the burden's on you now. You tell me. I'm here willing to give you answers. You don't want them? Then you give me yours. And you engage at that level, winsomely, prayerfully. Don't be a jerk. All right? And then you go from there. So that's what we have. Last week, we looked at the foundation. I mean, you gotta start at the foundation. And on the screen, you'll see it. Genesis 1, 2, and 3, we're created in God's image. That's ground zero for sexuality and gender. Okay? And the main point last week was God created humans in his image as male and female. It's not the result of sin, it's by divine design. When we redefine the God-given roles and identities, we deny the purposes for which we were created. God doesn't make junk, and he doesn't make mistakes. Okay? He has a desired outcome, a telos. I said that A few times last week, T-E-L-O-S, a desired outcome. He just didn't create to go, I'm bored, what am I going to do now? Let me create a bunch of people. No. There was a rhyme and reason for what God did. He lets us know this in Genesis 1, 2, and 3. I can't rehash all of that, catch up online, go to our website, you can look up the message there. Today's main point, oh boy, here we go. God created, is it up there? Yeah. God created sex for the purposes of procreation, intimacy, pleasure, and protection slash provision against temptation. These purposes are to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage, and they point to the ultimate purpose of honoring God with our bodies. When I was getting married, no one told me this, okay? My dad was a preacher, he's the one who married me. I'm 21, my wife is 20, and all we want is to get to the honeymoon. So I'm looking at my dad, I'm like, Let's go man, you know She will I will we do want to let's let's go. Let's get let's let's call this thing. Let's do this thing and But you see when you know why God says what he does then you go. Okay for some of you This isn't this is new. No one's ever told you that God created sex Most of us get this we think that Christians are against certain things and we're known for our prohibitions instead of for God's gifts So this is, sex is God's idea. This is not no one else's, God's idea. So this is what we want to talk about. And again, as we go along, I'm sharing some things with you, some resources. So here's two of them. Daniel Aiken, God on Sex. It's a commentary on the Song of Solomon. It's in the Bible. It's in the Bible. Buckle up and enjoy, couples. All right? God on sex. And the other one is called Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. You didn't think that the glory of God plays into sex and romance? Of course it does. Who do you think invented it? Because it's serving a greater purpose. We'll get to that at the end of our study today. That's why is the glory of God, because that is serving a greater purpose. And we'll talk to you about that in just a little bit. And the other one that I only have on Kindle, all right? The screenshot should be on there. Yep. What is the meaning of sex by Denny Burke? Yeah, fantastic. In fact, we'll be quoting from that in just a moment. Again, these are authors that are true to God's Word and at the same time write in real day with real day life. This is not cheesy, you know, B movie and cheesy stuff. No, this is stuff that you and I as Christians, our kids, they're hearing this now again. Remember, if your kids are here, we said last week, it's your responsibility whether you want them to hear this message or not. You're the main disciple, you're the main influence in your child's life. So if you want to hear them, I mean, if they're in middle school and up, they should be hearing this, because they're hearing it already. Okay? But I'm just saying in the elementary school age, that's up to you or younger. But the reality is, this is stuff that you and I need to keep in mind. In the book, What is the meaning of sex? The author writes the following. It's on the screen. When we ask the question, what is the meaning of sex? We are asking a question about purpose. Telos, T-E-L-O-S. The short answer is this. Sex exists for the glory of God. Consequently, all sexual morality must be measured by its ability to achieve that purpose. Okay. There's a reason why God says what he says. And that's what I'm hoping you and I will learn. And as we learn, we go, okay, I need to make this adjustment. I need to make that adjustment or we don't. Like I've told you before, Sundays, you'll see me with glasses throughout the week. You won't see me with glasses. In fact, right after church service, I put my glasses and I don't pick them up again until I get into my office tomorrow. Now, the problem is, I get to anywhere, including lunch, except for Don Pepe, because I know the menu. I've been to Don Pepe, so I just, they just, I sit down, they already start bringing me my stuff. They know it. They dummy-proofed it for this dummy. I'm good, I'm good. But I go to Honolulu, I'm like, and my wife will tell me, and as only my wife could tell me through the encouraging word ministry, hey, you should have brought your glasses. I'm like, you're in denial. I'm like, I'm not in denial, I'm just full-fledged rebellion. I don't want to wear them. Okay, so that's the same thing you and I do when we're facing with the truth from God's Word. We can either make adjustments toward righteousness, toward obedience, or we can make excuses. and continue to dishonor the Lord that way, right? So it boils down to that. So for this morning, we're gonna focus on God and sex, two lies and one truth. And for that, we go to God's word, 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 12 through 20. All right, I'm gonna read it, you're gonna follow along. 1 Corinthians 6, 12 through 20. And it reads, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food. And God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For as it is written, the two become one flesh, but he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body. But a sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have received from God, or whom you have from God? You're not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. It may be uncomfortable to hear and to study together this topic. But let me tell you, we as a culture are not too far from what Corinth was. The ancient city of Corinth was known for its sexual immorality. It made Las Vegas blush. It would make Las Vegas blush. I mean, that's convent stuff. Okay? Corinth was where you could, if you wanted to explore sexuality, that's where you go. In fact, sexual morality was so rampant that you even had guys from the church starting a new ministry and going down the street to the pagan temple of whatever god it was, and part of worshiping that god was connecting with a prostitute. I still, I see kids and I'm still like, I can't. If this was men's group, watch out. Then the pastor goes crazy, but I can't right now from the pulpit, all right? So, and connect in a very deep and personal way, okay? With a prostitute in a temple. And that was welcomed in the culture and the culture had seeped into the church. And that's why Paul has to address it. What are you guys doing? Sexual morality, are you guys crazy? But that's what was happening. And so it ran rampant. It was so prevalent that when you were in Corinth, if you just said, no, I'm here to Corinthianize, that's exactly, they knew what you were there for. To Corinthianize. That they knew exactly what you were after. You didn't have to say it. It was a point away. OK? That's the deal. So that's why the specific sin of sexual immorality that's being pointed out here is this uniting, this uniting of a professing believer in Christ to someone steeped in a different religion and providing the service. It's like, are you kidding me? But yet there were people here, and the church was applauding it. Hey, yeah, no problem. We know the guys. In fact, we got them annual passes. No. And Paul says, I'm here to put some things in order. Let me give you four reasons, four truths. or points why this is not good. Number one, freedom out of control is bondage. Freedom out of control is bondage. Verse 12, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Now, in your Bible, most probably, in most translations, the all things are lawful are in quotations. And what most scholars believe is that Paul is using a slogan of the time that was accepted. Hey, I can do whatever I want. And then how that would translate to the church, right? To people who are churchy, it would go, hey, hey, hey, hold on. I know Jesus. Jesus forgave my sins. I can live whatever way I want, forgiven. He said, oh, all things are lawful for me. He goes, no, no, but yes, you have freedom in Christ. But along with freedom comes responsibility. And the culture and the church were doing great with the freedom. They weren't doing so great with the responsibility. In today's world, we would say, it's my body, I can do whatever I want with it. You may not hear today, all things are lawful for me, but you will hear, it's my body. And however I want to express and whatever I want to do, I can do it. It's my body. Well, Paul responds saying, no, no, no. Two reasons why. Number one, in verse 12, the first part of 12, you have, though we are free, not everything is profitable or they're helpful. There's just some things that you're allowed to do, even as a Christian, that you just say, no, I'm not going to do. No, I'm not going to do. Here's the kicker, though. Just a cursory reading, you just read it and you go, yeah, all things are lawful for me, quote, and he goes, yeah, yeah, but not everything is helpful, not everything is profitable. The helpful and profitable, you and I, we read it and we initially think, or we automatically think, it's not helpful for me. Well, that's given. The subject here of helpful is the other person. So you just, when it comes to questions of the morality of any given action, you just don't ask the law question, is it right or wrong? You have to ask the love question, will it be helpful to others? And if it isn't, maybe I need to restrain my freedom. See, it's the love. But not only the love question, again, law. We know as followers of Jesus, we're called to stay within the lanes of the law. But even there, if you and I are in Colorado, Washington State, gonna be smoking some wheat, come on. It's recreational, you know. I think New York City too, right? Is it New York City they allowed or New York? Yeah, can you imagine? We already got New Yorkers buzzed. Now they're gonna get super buzzed. with some Jamaican sensimilla. I don't know that, that's my high school days, sorry, I'm flashbacking. Get out of here, get out of here. Columbian gold and all that stuff. All right. So now we got, so what are you gonna do? See, you're free as a Christian in Seattle, spark it up, baby. That's the law question, I am free to do it. What's the love question? Is it gonna be helpful? Not to me, but to others. But not only love, the lordship principle is in the end of that verse. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Though we are free, we must continue to be on guard against being enslaved again. So you ask the law question, then you ask the love question, and then you ask the Lord question. Is this becoming an idol? And I am displacing the Lord of my life with this. For example, we all like to go shopping. But it's when you and I are just out of control shopping, it becomes an idol. I have to get it. I see it. I get it. QVC, those are my, that's my middle name. That's a shopping place. Okay. I see it. I buy it. This impulse buying. Well, shopping, it's good to do it, but if you need to buy everything and anything in order to be happy, then you got a problem. That's an idol. You like to eat. I love to eat. Come on. Right. However, if you're out of control, it'll harm your body. That's an honest, gluttony. You have a desire to look good, absolutely. That's why most of us go to the gyms or we secretly go to the gyms, okay? Whatever, or secretly we wanna get to a gym, I don't know, all right? So you wanna look good, that's not bad. But if, because you wanna be eye candy to someone that drives you to an eating disorder, now you got a problem. Now that's the idol. There's nothing wrong with taking medication until you're addicted to it. See, anything good can be turned into an idol and our lives are automatic idol makers. Our hearts make idols out of just about anything. We can do it off of our spouses, we can do it with our kids, we can do it with our careers. We just create idols all the time. You may enjoy sporting events, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you have to get there, and if you don't get there, and then you get all worked up, and nobody wants to sit with you anymore at a sporting event, because, oh my word, really, you got a problem. You've taken something good that God has created and made it into an idol. And here, Paul's point here is, listen, you can take something good and take it beyond what is healthy. There's nothing wrong with sex as long as it's used within the boundaries of what God has established. Just think of the Mississippi River. It's beautiful. It's nice. It's great. As long as it stays within its banks. If it floods and gets outside, what does it do? It destroys. That's one of Paul's points here. You just can't look at it and go, It's all lawful for me. I can do it. I'm in Christ There's some repercussions number two. It is never just sex. It is never just sex All right, look at verse 13 again. It's in quotation food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food What do you think if they're saying that that's that's the culture saying hey food is for the stomach in the stomach for food so if I want to just get it on I What's your problem? I'm fulfilling God's purpose. How would you handle that? Don't make me pick on you now. I'd rather hear a bad answer than me pick on you and still hear a bad answer. You know what I mean? It doesn't matter. What's the culture trying to say? It's just sex. Food for the body, the body for food. It's natural. It's okay. It's all right if we're just hooking up. It's part of who we are. That's how we do it. And God says, no, no, no, no. God gave us food to fill our stomach and gave us stomach to enjoy our food. But listen, the reality is our desires are meant to honor the Lord and to honor each other. It's not just food for the stomach and the stomach is for food. It's not just casual sex, no matter what. Why? Because you're taking what God has created and you're misusing it. You're misusing it. That's the deal. And again, we don't think it through. Discernment. We don't think it through. Can you imagine? I have an anger issue. I was going to pick on somebody, but I go, no, Louis, you've been doing this long enough. Pick on you. All right. I have an anger issue. Can you imagine if it was just cool to, and my anger issues, when I get ticked, it goes nuclear. I mean, from here, you see the mushroom cloud and you're like, oh my gosh, the fallout. Louis blew his top. Oh my gosh. Everybody's hiding. My kids are like, okay. My wife is like freaking out. Can you imagine if I just said, Hey, food for the stomach stomach for food. That's just the way I am. Did I hurt you? Damn the brakes, binky. Of course not, we don't tolerate that. Because we see that wrong. Why is it that we are not discerning enough to go, hold on, same thing applies to any sin. It's not just sex. It's not just, because if, when I get angry, if I can just, you know, let it out, I'll be okay, yeah, yeah. It's only gonna be for a moment. That's what they said about the atomic bomb. And you and I don't, just don't even think about it. So we wouldn't do it. Yes, we tend to look at people as objects of gratification, and that's the problem. It's just sex. No, it's not. It's never just sex. It's never. There's a higher purpose and a better purpose and a godly purpose for it. Can people be forgiven for sexual immorality? Of course, that's the hope of the Bible. That's what God puts before you through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Sins can be forgiven. Bad news, you're a sinner. Good news, Christ died to save sinners. I mean, that's the good news. That's part of our biblical worldview. Where did we go wrong? What happened? Well, how do we fix it? Jesus fixes it. He reorients all our life so we begin to honor the Lord in all areas of life. The wreckage can be extensive, but sin can be forgiven. Number three, we live our lives with Christ at our side, verses 14 through 17. So again, it's not just, hey, it's okay, it's just sex. No, no, no, no, no. Listen, not only that, verse 14, and God raises the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take then the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never, never. May it never be. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is written, the two will become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Stop there. We live our lives with Christ at our side. Too many followers of Jesus, they actually believe, and I've done it, we can compartmentalize. Today, this is Sunday stuff. This is Sunday stuff. Once I'm done and you get tired of yapping, you release me so I can go feed my stomach and I can live the rest of my life. All right? Once I'm released, now I can compartmentalize this experience over here. Men, we compartmentalize very easily. There's a famous book out there. Men are waffles and women are spaghetti. You know what that means? You can scream at me. My wife can scream at me in the morning. And late at night she like sort of gets a little too close. I'm like, yeah, come on, right? It doesn't matter what happened to me in the morning. You call me whatever. It just doesn't matter. I compartmentalize. Women are spaghetti. You said something bad to her in the morning. Good luck next week. Because it's intricate. It's not because they're better, they're worse. We're just different. Now, that's just generally speaking. Maybe you're a guy, you're a spaghetti, and your gal is the waffle, whatever. But you know what I mean. We can do this very easily. We compartmentalize. Oh, she said this. But you know that when late at night, if she just comes up to me and blows me in the ear, it's like, let's do this thing. No problemo, baby. I do that to her. It's like, are you kidding me? Do you remember last week? I don't remember last hour. Okay, that's the reality. And you and I take that into our relationship with the Lord. So this is what we're doing today, right now, this is my compartment. But then the rest of the week, I'm gonna live in a way that doesn't matter to me because I think it doesn't matter to God. And Paul is saying, no, no, no, no, no. There's not two aspects. You always live, our lives are lived with Christ at our side. How? Two ways. Number one, this life is not all there is. Verse 14, just like God raised the Lord, he will also raise us up with his power. And the message there is one day you and I will stand before God and have to give an account. Even as believers, we will give an account on how we lived the life that He gave us to live. And as non-believers, we will then have to give an account for why we chose rebellion over repentance. That's the reality. Again, from a biblical worldview, that's the deal. That's the deal. So you're gonna, this life is not all there is. And if you're just living for the moment to grab the gusto and you're just short-sighted, if self-gratification is all that you know, you're very short-sighted. Also in verses 15 through 17, as believers, no matter what we do, the Lord is with us. We really tend to forget that. I tend to forget this. It's like the little kid that's looking at mom and dad and says, let's play hide and seek, and they close their eyes. And because they close their eyes and they can't see the parents, they actually think that the parents can't see them. That's you and me. That's you and me. We close our eyes, or we turn off the lights, or we're on our tablets, or on our phones, or doing this. And we just think that because so-and-so can't see me, the pastor can't see me, oh my gosh, I'm so glad. Forget the pastor. You don't give an account to the pastor. You will give an account to the Lord. And he's saying that. As followers of Jesus, you and I live with Christ at our side. And imagine if your life was like a reality show. Can somebody mention a movie that was that? I think it was called The Truman Show or something. Okay. Can you imagine? Would you change your life differently if I said, Christina, for the next 48, for the next week, from the minute you wake up to the minute you get back here again next week, you're going live. Obviously, we'll make sure that everything is held right. We're not going to cross any lines. But we're going to be seeing what you're seeing. We're going to be hearing what you're saying. We're going to see how you deal with DJ when it's DJ. OK, how you deal with Madison when it's Madison is blah, blah, blah. Right? Or Land is perfect. We're good. All right. So, but everything, would you think you would live a little different if you had to give an account for every moment and every idle word and every decision? Yeah. Yeah. But we forget. And I picked on her and she was like, can you please end? Right. Okay. Can you please end? Okay. The same thing with us. We live under the, under, in the full view of God and the full view, nothing escapes. And if you and I would change that because we're accountable to humans, how much more should we then live with the sensitivity of knowing that every idle word, every dumb word, every good decision, bad decision, whatever decision, the Lord is already there. People are watching. Well, forget that. Paul wants to remind us God is watching. And lastly, verse 18, all sin is not the same. And let me explain what I mean by that. Verse 18, flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Again, before the Lord, all sin is equal. I mean, Jesus went to the heart of the matter in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. So lust and adultery, equally sinful before the Lord. But they're different when you and I commit them. You can lust after a bunch of people, but to commit the adultery, now you've gone, now you've done it. Again, equally, equally. I'm not excusing either. Hatred and murder. There's some people you hate. There's some people I hate. Doesn't mean I'm justified to murder him. Again, although before Jesus and my heart, I'm equally. Okay, but all sin is not the same. So Paul's not saying here that, you know, they're difficult words to understand, but he's not saying, listen, I'm not looking at substance abuse or gluttony, or I'm not looking at disease or damage caused by sin. I'm looking at this particular area of your life. The one you're excusing, the one you're rationalizing, And I'm saying this can cause some severe destruction in your life. Because the context of 18 is the verses that lead up to it. Men of the church pursuing what was wrong, pursuing a sinful situation with someone else. And Paul is saying, don't you understand that it's not just sex, guys? It's not just. Sexual immorality is just not. There's a reality to what's going on here. And sexual immorality is a unique sin against the body because you're uniting as one flesh, which is the God's purpose, with someone other than God's purpose for you. That's the big deal. That's what our kids need to hear. We'll get in just a moment how I want to end this, but John MacArthur in his commentary writes, I believe he's saying that he's, quote, every other sin commits outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. I believe he is saying that although sexual sin is not necessarily the worst sin, it is the most unique in its character. It rises from within the body, bent on personal gratification. It drives like no other impulse. When fulfilled, affects the body like no other sin. It has a way of internally destroying a person that no other sin has. Because sexual intimacy is the deepest uniting of two persons, its misuse corrupts on the deepest of human level. Again, we tend to forget that. We tend to forget that. He's right. So what do we want to take this morning? What do I want you to take with you this morning? I want you to take two lies and one truth home. Two lies and one truth. Here's the first lie, it's on the screen. What does it say? Somebody say it, nice and loud. See if you want to go on record here on live stream. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you say it a little louder? Can you please stand and say it a little louder? Say it, say it. Yeah, that's a lie. That's a sexist. Listen, this means that our sexuality is the most important part of me, that I'm defined. My identity is is part of that and freely satisfying my my sexual desires is essential because that's how God made me. It's natural. It's natural. That sounds perhaps a little bit over the top, but listen, we hear versions about this all the time. I'll give you some examples there on the screen. The worst thing you can do is try to restrict somebody's sexual expression. Sex is everything. It's dangerous and unhealthy for somebody to not be able to express their sexual desires, right? Because sex is everything. There's no such thing as a wrong sexual expression or expressions as long as everybody's willing, as if consenting to the act makes it lawful and legal and a right. Next, it's essential for you to be able to both define yourself and express your sexual desires if you want to be healthy. To question someone's attractions and preferences is to question their personhood and dehumanize them. And what we tend to forget is that the sexual revolution that our children are exposed to, and we are exposed to, is the fruit of the 1960s sexual revolution. It's just the next step of what's going on. We forget about that. And the reality is that today with internet porn, and birth control, and abortion, and just anything and everything, it's just what used to appall us, now we applaud. That's how downward the spiral is going. It used to be a taboo, and now it's like, no, encouraged. Now it's encouraged. and the growing acceptance of lifestyles that are not rooted in God's design. Again, this is just sex is everything. And if I want to express myself this way, I do it. That's a lie. That's a lie. There's a Christian version to this, and it's on the screen now. This is the message that if you fail sexually, you've ruined yourself eternally. Sexual sin is just, it's catastrophic. It is, that's it. There's no more hope for you. Listen, if you grew up in a fundamentalist, legalistic church, boy, you mess up, you're done. You're done. And that, the problem with this view, whether it's the Christian version or not, is that they make, it's simple, it makes too much of sex. You and I are beyond just sexual desires. We looked at last time, Genesis chapter 1, 26 and 27, that we were created in God's image. We are the pinnacle of His creative work. A key part of that is our sexuality. A key part of that is our gender. That's only a part of what it means to be human. We're much more than our sexuality. Take this with you. It's on the screen there. Our identity doesn't come from our sexuality, but from who God says we are. Okay, that's the reality. Okay, that's what it is. Ultimately, if you're a follower of Jesus, your identity, and that's the big one, identity, comes from Him. One writer writes the following, read along with me there, I'll read it, you follow along. Human dignity means you're not defined by your sexual attraction. Staking your identity and sexuality or pinning your hopes for happiness on sex is too low of a goal for a human being made in God's image. One does not need a sexual relationship in order to be a full and flourishing human being. Just look at Jesus or the dozens of leaders throughout church history who never married. You're so much more than your sexuality. We will not reduce our human self-understanding and self-expression to sexual urges. Do you understand how that doesn't even ring a bell in today's society? This is counter-cultural, as DJ was saying when I was preaching. Of course it is. Because the lie is sex is everything. But here's the flip side to that. Here's the second lie. Let me see someone from this side you want to stand and stand up and say it on the live stream Do you want me to pick on you? Okay, we had we had John Fox on one side Nobody everybody's like Thanks, Ozzy. Ozzy Delgado in the house. Just wanted to go there. Hashtag him. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Right. Sex is nothing. That's the flip side. So here we have a culture that says, go, yeah, yeah, everything. And then you have another part of the culture that says, it's just a hookup. Just a hookup. Don't worry about it. It's nothing. It's nothing. It's just a hookup. In her book, Love Thy Body, she has a chapter on this. And it's called, chapter four, Schizoid Sex, Hijacked by the Hookup Culture. And she says this, sexual intercourse, the most intimate of bodily relations, has been disconnected from personal relations. Sex is cast as a purely recreational activity that can be enjoyed apart from any hint of love or commitment. All that matters is consent, as though agreeing to perform an act makes it right. Sexuality is treated not as the embodied expression of our selfhood, but merely as an instrument for physical release and recreation. Sex is nothing. It's a hookup. Do you understand how many kids are just hooking up? Because they divorce it. It's just a hookup. Miley Cyrus, can you imagine I'm quoting? This must be a wrecking ball coming. I couldn't help myself. She says, finding someone to have sex with, but she uses the F-bomb. It's easy. You can find someone to have sex with in five seconds. We want to find someone we can talk to and be ourselves with. That's fairly slim pickings. So even she understands there's more, even though she subscribes to sex is nothing. You understand? This is what's affecting kids, affecting adults. What does Paul... Okay. You saw both lies. Which one do you think was the one that the church at Corinth had embraced? Lie number one or lie number two? So I'm going to do it this way, so that we don't pick on anyone. I know Christian pundits are here, but I don't want to pick on them. And we're going to leave you alone there, big boy. All right, but we're going to do this. If you think that the Corinthians were subscribing to the first lie, raise your right arm. Sex is everything. OK, if you think that the Corinthians were subscribing to the second lie, sex is nothing. Some of you guys are playing it safe, like, I'm just not going to say it. I'm not going to say it. I think it's the second one, because sex is nothing. That's why they were just doing it. They were just doing it. Either way, it's wrong, because it's a lie. What's the truth? What's the truth? Well before you do that slide off you did the slide already didn't you? Okay. No, let's keep it there. Thank you very much Oh, how does Paul say how does he remedy it? Look in your Bibles verse 19 verse 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have from God? You're not your own for you were bought with a price to glorify God in your body. I He says, listen, how do you counter it? You're special. Not only are you created in God's image, but you as a believer in Christ, you have Christ with you. You're different. Don't subscribe to the lies. Now the truth, did we say it? There's the truth. All right. Sex is a gift that points to an even greater gift. So let me break this down in the last few minutes we have together. Okay? Because this is what you need to take. This is what you need. You and I need to try and make sure our kids understand it so that our grandkids can understand it. Because imagine if this is the world that our kids are living with, can you imagine the world that our grandkids will live in? Let's break it down. Number one, sex is a gift from God. Okay, sex is a gift from God. The Bible is very sex positive. If you doubt it, look at this verse with me on the screen there. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice in the wife of your youth. Now, stop there. I'm the one who inserted not in a young wife. Why? Because in the day and age of cougars and sugar daddies, you and I need to understand that this is just not marriage. The presupposition here is you've been married for a while. Rejoice in the wife of your youth, not in a young wife. Now, if you're young and your wife is young, that's cool. And even if you're old and your wife is young, I'm cool with that too. All right. I'm just all right. I'm not going to hate or anything, but what he's saying here is you don't change. They're not interchangeable. Oh, looking like a horse time for divorce. No, no. She's the wife of your youth. Why? Because she's also the wife of your legacy. She's the wife of your legacy. You and her are telling a story. Your marriage is telling a story. You're leaving a legacy. So it's not rejoice with a young wife. If your wife is young, that's great. And what the Bible is saying there is, with the wife of your youth, which means that for you and me, gentlemen, past the age of 40, past the age of 50, this verse still applies. Check this out. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoicing, the wife of your youth, a lovely dear, a graceful doe. And until that point, you're like, hey, that's pretty cool. I like it, very poetic. Let her breast fill you at all times with delight, be intoxicated always in her love, borderline erotic. And you're like, that's the Bible? Yes. Yes! One commentator writes about this on the screen. This passage emphasizes two things. The quality of lovemaking, fill with delight, be intoxicated, and the quantity of lovemaking, at all times and always. The wisdom of God is saying, when you get married, drop your inhibitions and go for it. And that's just one example. Yeah, you feeling a little bit uncomfortable? I see it, I see it. Some people in the back were like, what? He said that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. God actually inspired someone to write that proverb down. And again, you want a sampling, contact me and I'll give you the whole Song of Solomon and this commentary, okay? All could be yours for $19.95, all right? Sex is a gift that's to be protected by the whole life commitment between a husband and a wife. Sex is a gift. But also, number two, sex is a gift that points to an even greater gift. And this is what you and I need to get right. This is why God says protect sexual expression within the confines within the boundaries of marriage. Why? Because your marriage is telling a story. It's telling a story of a covenant-keeping God with his bride, the church. So the intimacy and the pleasure and all that you and I and the conjugal life enjoy, that's pointing to a greater purpose. It's not just self-gratification. It's an expression of how God cares for his people. Take this with you. Marriage is to be an icon of Christ's self-sacrificial love for His bride and His bride's humble submission to Him. It's to be a living and breathing depiction of the gospel. Your marriage is telling a story. My marriage is telling a story. And it's telling a story, if we're followers of Jesus, of a God that doesn't cheat. A God that remains faithful. A God that cares for His bride, His people, at His own expense, by providing a Savior. for her. That's why sex is holy. That's why it's not just sex. That's why it's not because we're telling a story with our sexuality. We're telling a story with our bodies. In fact, when in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 31-32, the author quotes Genesis 2, Therefore man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one. And then he adds this surprising comment. This mystery is profound and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. And what Paul is saying is that marriage and all that happens in marriage is a picture, the perfect union you and I have with Christ. This is why, this is what you and I need to take with us. This is why we take a position on the holiness of sex. This is why the preachers, okay, say, listen, premarital, not good. If Michelle Bellamy were here, she would tell me, no bueno. No bueno. Why? Because we just want to create a cosmic killjoy? We want to just pour what? No, because I know what the Bible says. And the Bible says, you're telling a story. I created you with all this expression. I created you to experience this great pleasure. You know what's the worst thing we can tell our kids? To look at Madison and say, Madison, sex stinks. Well, how'd you get here? Because they were just in a bad mood. You don't tell that to a kid. What are they going to grow up to do? Then sex is nothing. No, no, no. Madison, you know, DJs, he's my buddy. If I'm DJing and Monique is Christina, it's like, no, no, Madison, it is great. It's wonderful. It's one of the greatest expressions that you'll ever experience as a human being. Madison, I wish, and then your mom and you go off to do your girl stuff, right? And talk and intimate parts and whatever you gotta do. But then you talk and you cast it in. Why is this so special? Why you should wait? Why you should look long for it? Why? Because that's what the Bible teaches me. I'm longing as the bride of Christ for my husband. I'm waiting for Him, and at the right time He will come to me and I will go to Him. See, it's telling a story. That's why, Madison, this is sex, romance, and the glory of God. How can God be made much of through sex? Because it's mirroring, it's a mirror of what God has done for His people. I'll leave you with this. The eternal romance, not in the final analysis of the love of the couple getting married, but the love of Jesus for us and our joyful love, respect and submission to him. The eternal love story is why God created the universe and why God gave us marriage in Eden and why couples fall in love and get married in the world today. And that's what's life about. And he invites you to that eternal romance. Of God in Christ saying, I will be to you. Your husband. Will you come and be a part of this romance? Will you surrender your life so I can meet the needs of your life? Will you long for my arrival in your life? Will you live in a certain way and keep yourself pure until that day where I come for you? Bride of Christ. See, we're telling a story and we have forgotten the story. And we get tangled with all the little cultural wars and the Twitter feuds and keyboard courage. And we forget that God invites us. God invites us. Last thing, the final takeaway. On the screen, sex isn't everything, and it's not nothing. It's a gift that points to an even greater gift. And I sure hope you've understood this. I sure hope you've understood why our kids need to see it, and they need to be talked to, and you need to have that conversation. This is why it's good, and this is why it needs to be protected. This is why God says, I got parameters. Not because he's an evil God, he's a good God. He's a gracious God. He's a kind God who created us with these urges and says, hold on, let's do it my way. If you do it my way, you're fulfilling telos, T-E-L-O-S, purpose. Amen? Let's close our eyes and bow our heads for just a moment. Just a moment, we're going to be singing Be Thou My Vision, an old song. But the song is a prayer that we would see things from God's view. And we're asking Him to help us, grant us what we need to do what He has said. And my friend, if you're here this morning and you have not trusted in Christ, that's step one. Of course, the culture confuses. But God brings clarity through Jesus Christ. And if you're here and you know the Lord, would you take a moment to evaluate? Take a moment to evaluate. What is my life? What story is it saying? What story is my marriage telling? What's my personal holiness? sing about a personal and holy God. Father, do your work as only you can, and as we sing, that we would sing unto you and you would continue to speak to us. Thank you, we love you, we need you. In Jesus' name, and God's people said,