The Real Sexual Revolution (1 Corinthians 6:9-20)
Hello everyone,
If you're joining us, we're currently reading through the first letter to the Corinthians in the Bible.
Here is our question for this morning: how does Jesus change the way we experience sexuality?
Or to put it more positively: how does Jesus enable us to experience a beautiful sexuality?
Some of you may be thinking, "I don't see how Jesus enables us to experience beautiful sexuality at all!"
[SLIDE] We live in a world that has been profoundly shaped by the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
In May 1968, people demanded the right to freely choose their partner(s), to change them, and to do whatever they wanted as long as there was consent between adults.
This revolution left its mark on all of us.
If today the majority considers sexual relations outside of marriage to be normal, this is the result.
Tinder, Grindr, Gleeden and all similar apps are consequences of this.
And for many, the very idea that someone could tell us how to live our sexuality is scandalous.
How does Jesus change the way I live my sexuality? Many would respond: I don't want to know. [SLIDE]
A healthy sexuality would only be possible if we affirmed, as protesters did 60 years ago:
"My body is mine."
For Christians today, taking a stand is not easy.
Perhaps we have experienced this:
"Why don't you ever have fun with someone you meet at a party? Why are you so uptight?"
Or: "How come you've been dating for months and still haven't slept together?"
Or: "Watching porn to unwind is just satisfying a natural need. What's the problem?"
If you're like me, this kind of talk can seem appealing. It can be tempting to go with the flow and adopt the same slogan:
"My body is mine. What I do with it is my business."
How does Jesus change the way we experience sexuality?
Two thousand years ago, the Christians of Corinth in Greece were just as lost.
Corinth had a reputation for debauchery. There was even a verb: "to Corinthianise" - to lead a promiscuous sexual life.
And the Christians of Corinth saw no reason why they should live differently from others.
Their reasoning was simple: for God, only the spiritual matters, not the material.
But the body is material. Therefore, it is of no importance to God. We can do whatever we want with it.
So there was no problem with sleeping with a prostitute from the pagan temple or having an incestuous relationship. God doesn't care what we do with our bodies.
***
This is precisely where they were wrong.
How does Jesus change the way we live our sexuality?
Everything!
(slowly) Because for God, our bodies — and what we do with them — matter deeply.
That is the message this morning:
Our bodies matter to God.
They are precious to him. What we do with them is of great importance.
The real revolution is that of Jesus. Jesus frees us for a sexuality that is much more beautiful and healthy than what our society offers us.
...
A brief aside.
We all approach the issue of sexuality—myself included—as people who have failed.
No one can 'preach', certainly not me.
So no moralising this morning!
Our goal is to see how God's grace frees us to live a beautiful sexuality.
Two points:
Our bodies matter to God
Let us consecrate our bodies to God
Our bodies matter to God
Read with me 1 Corinthians 6:19
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”
Fifty years after the sexual revolution, there is no evidence that we are any freer with our bodies.
In the age of Instagram, many feel completely enslaved by their bodies.
Why?
Because although it sounds good to say that my body belongs to me, it puts me under pressure! My body has to be attractive!
And if it is less appealing than Kim Kardashian's — or even that of my friend who has a string of partners — then I have failed.
I can say it belongs to me, but in reality, it is a slave to others whose gaze can be merciless.
The apostle Paul starts elsewhere.
If I believe in Jesus, my body belongs to Jesus.
He is the master. And he is infinitely more benevolent than Instagram!
Paul gives us three reasons why our bodies matter to God:
We have been redeemed by Jesus
We will be resurrected with Jesus
We are connected to Jesus.
We have been redeemed by Jesus (vv. 9-11)
Verse 9
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you have been washed, but you have been declared holy, but you have been declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
A few years ago, Paris Saint-Germain bought Neymar Junior from FC Barcelona.
222 million euros, the most expensive transfer in football history, but with a significant cost to the player's loyalties as well.
He had to be reminded: Neymar, you play for PSG now! You no longer belong to Barcelona. Remember which side you're on! You've changed teams.
This is somewhat similar to what happened to Christians.
We have been redeemed, transferred to God's side to play on his team and live according to his ways.
Paul describes the life of the Corinthians before they became Christians.
Debauched, idolaters, adulterers, transvestites, homosexuals (a better translation would be those who practise homosexuality), thieves, always wanting to possess more, drunkards, slanderers, exploiters...
Paul is clear. Those who live these lifestyles will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But he continues: this is what some of you used to be! You were no different from others.
Just as we, too, may have all kinds of dark things in our past...
But verse 11:
...you have been washed, but you have been declared holy, but you have been declared righteous."
***
He has "washed" us
We may have done or suffered things that we are ashamed of.
Even if the memories remain in our minds, they no longer cling to us before God. He has cleansed us, through the death of Jesus, from all our defilements, if we have believed in him.
He has "declared us holy" - he has set us apart for himself.
Some people have knives that are only for cheese. Nothing else! They are set apart for the glorious purpose of eating cheese.
That is what it means to be "declared holy". God has set us apart to serve him.
And he has "declared us righteous".
If we visited the church in Corinth and asked them to tell us their stories, we would probably want to vomit. But when God looked at them, he didn't see sexual sinners. He saw... Jesus!
No matter what your past is. No matter what wrongs you have committed or suffered. God declares us perfect — as righteous as his Son!
So, since God paid the price for our transfer,
since we have a clean jersey with Jesus written on the back,
since we have been set apart to serve on God's team...
...we no longer follow the prevailing culture. We play the other way. We have changed sides.
Our bodies matter because we have been redeemed by Jesus.
It also matters because...
We will be resurrected with Jesus (vv. 12-14)
Verse 12
“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial; everything is permissible for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, and God will destroy both of them. But the body is not for sexual immorality: it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God, who raised the Lord, will also raise us up by his power."
The expressions "everything is permissible for me" and "food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food" are undoubtedly the slogans of the Corinthians.
Perhaps they were saying this: sex is a simple biological process. Like digesting a meal. It is a spiritually neutral function of the body.
What matters is the spirit. The spirit is eternal. The body is only temporary.
We are like a snake that sheds its skin and leaves it behind.
This is not so far removed from what we hear today.
I remember a song released in the late 1990s by the band Bloodhound Gang:
You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
You and me, baby, we're nothing but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Sex is a biological function with no consequences!
I have read quotes from Catholic priests who defended their one-night stands by saying, "It's just a way for my body to unwind." "I am still chaste in my soul."
As if their bodies were unimportant.
But to God, our bodies matter... because they have a future!
Verse 13
"The body is not meant for sexual immorality: it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God, who raised the Lord, will also raise us up by his power."
We are not just spirits trapped in bodies that we will leave behind.
God raised Jesus' body; He will raise ours too.
So we cannot use this body as if it were destined to be thrown away. A glorious future awaits it!
Imagine it's the day before your wedding.
Tonight, someone invites you to play football on a muddy pitch... wearing your outfit already prepared for the ceremony.
You refuse.
Not because the outfit is fragile, but because you know what it is meant for.
You already treat it according to the glorious event for which it is made.
That is Paul's idea: our bodies are destined for resurrection. They will be resurrected to glorify God perfectly. So we already treat them in a manner consistent with that future, not as something mundane.
Our bodies are for the Lord and therefore not for "sexual immorality."
The expression "sexual immorality" translates the word porneia. It refers to any form of sexual stimulation outside the framework intended by God for marriage between a man and a woman.
Our bodies are too precious, and their future too glorious, to be treated carelessly.
Our bodies matter... because we will be resurrected.
And our bodies matter because...
We are connected to Jesus (vv. 15-17)
The Bible teaches that the ultimate purpose of marriage and sex is to serve as a portrait of the relationship between Jesus and his people.
That is why marriage is a public, permanent, and physical commitment between a man and a woman.
Because it illustrates Jesus' public, permanent and physical commitment to us.
On the cross, Jesus committed himself to us publicly, in front of the whole world.
He committed himself permanently, with a view to a relationship that will never end. We will be loved by him forever!
He committed himself to us physically, by shedding his blood.
Sex and marriage point to this.
So if I claim to have a relationship with Jesus, but my sexual life denies this kind of commitment, there is a contradiction.
Look at verse 15.
“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 prostitute? Certainly not! Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall become one flesh. ’ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”
Since sex exists to illustrate Jesus' commitment to us, it always creates a bond.
Paul quotes the book of Genesis, where God created sex so that husband and wife would become one.
Whether you are a believer or not, I think we all know this!
A 'one-night stand' is never just a one-night stand. It creates a bond between two people.
But if we are Christians, our bodies are bound to Christ.
Paul says that our bodies are members of Christ. He says that
"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
We are attached to Jesus.
The problem is not physically uniting with someone while being united with Christ.
It is not that sex and Jesus are incompatible.
Next Sunday we will see that the Bible encourages husbands and wives to make love!
Rather, if my body is bound to Jesus, I cannot use it for sexual relations that completely contradict this idea of a public, permanent, and physical commitment.
Sex is much more important and meaningful than we usually think.
When God was looking for an illustration of the relationship he wanted with us, when he was preparing a trailer for eternal joy, intimacy and love... he invented sex!
It's not that sex is desirable for us but disgusting for God.
No, God has a much more glorious vision of sex than we do!
That is why human beings desire sex. We do not just crave a sensation, but a relationship.
The writer G. K. Chesterton said that every man who knocks on the door of a brothel... is looking for God!
Because God invented sex as an image of the relationship he wants with us!
It is scandalous, almost blasphemous, that Christians have sometimes presented sex as dirty when it is eminently spiritual.
But if it is true that my body is united with Jesus, who has committed himself to us, I cannot use that body for relationships that totally contradict the idea of a public, permanent and physical commitment.
Paul speaks of prostitution, but this applies to any sexual stimulation outside of marriage — in bed or through a screen.
We cannot celebrate a permanent union with Christ and multiply temporary unions elsewhere.
Our bodies matter because we are connected to Jesus.
_______
You may be familiar with the series Sex and the City.
It features New York women who have a string of casual relationships.
I came across an article written by a journalist who is a fan of the series and admits to having tried to live like the main character.
"As soon as I had the opportunity to adopt the same lifestyle as Samantha (the protagonist), I did so and suffered. I had as many men as possible, drank as many cranberry martinis as possible, and tried to convince myself that I too could live in a blaze of alcoholic, feminine, and possibly feminist glory.
"The problem was that I wasn't up to it. I had feelings. I was incapable of feeling indifferent when cutting ties after sex, whether I liked the man in question or not. I couldn't manage to use men light-heartedly. It always depressed me, just as it did when I was the one being used."
To my knowledge, she is not a Christian.
But she saw something true.
Our bodies matter.
It is not meant to be used lightly.
It is made for a public, permanent, physical union.
They are made for Jesus.
If we grasp that, it is revolutionary... and there is only one answer...
Our bodies matter to God...
Let us consecrate our bodies to God (vv. 18-20)
This passage contains two imperatives.
The first is in 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."
Perhaps you are thinking: OK, our bodies matter to God, we must use them to honour Him, sex is for marriage... but where is the line between what we can and cannot do?
How far can we go physically if we are dating someone, for example?
Where is the line between what is permissible and what is not?
But it is striking that Paul does not ask himself: where is the line?
He says, "Flee... sexual immorality."
I don't know if you've ever had to run for your life.
My family has a dog, so we see how dogs interact with humans, and sometimes we see what it looks like to run for your life!
The classic case: a small child in a park. Suddenly, a big dog (not ours) runs towards him barking.
What does the child do?
Seeing this beast charging towards him with its fangs dripping with saliva, he doesn't think, "I wonder how close I can let it get... without it biting me?
He runs... as far away as possible...
... and he runs to his father or mother for protection.
That's what Paul says about any sexual stimulation outside of marriage.
Flee from it!
The question of limits is the wrong question.
"Flee!"
With a boyfriend or girlfriend, the question is not: how far can we go physically?
It's how to flee from danger!
For example, if I am a young man dating a young woman who lives in another city.
When she visits me, where does she sleep?
She could sleep at my place. It's not a sin to sleep under the same roof.
But is being alone in an apartment with someone I'm attracted to and not yet married to the best way to avoid danger?
Personally, I would avoid it.
Or for those of us who are married, it's likely that at some point we'll meet someone with whom, under different circumstances, it could have worked out.
We could have gotten together.
We must be extremely vigilant!
It is tempting to think that a little flirting won't hurt anyone.
But God asks us to flee from sexual temptation, not to play with fire.
We are particularly at risk when we are tired, when our spirits are low, or when our relationship is going through a difficult time.
Or if we struggle with pornography, and let's not be too prudish, it's a struggle for a lot of people, men and women...
...let's be radical!
Let's flee from danger and flee to Jesus.
Flee from danger – download a filter for your computer or phone today.
Put your devices in the basement overnight if you have to.
Anticipate risky moments and plan other activities.
Let us flee from danger, even if it means taking radical measures.
But to win this battle, it's not enough to simply say no to the desires of the flesh. If we stop there, we will eventually crack. We must flee to Jesus.
This is the only approach that works in the long term, and here's why.
Where does the desire to consume pornography come from?
Some hypotheses
From the feeling of lacking something.
From loneliness
From the feeling of not being desired
From shame about our bodies
A feeling of futility in life.
I could go on.
(slowly) All these things, the good news of Jesus answers them!
That's where the war will be won. Not just by saying no to our desires, but by saying yes to Jesus.
If loneliness is the problem... we are connected to Jesus! We have the most important relationship. He loved us at the cost of his blood. We are never alone! We are cherished by him today and for eternity!
Or if we feel like we are missing out because we are depriving ourselves of certain pleasures, let us flee to Jesus and take the Bible at its word:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23
"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing" - Psalm 34
"There is abundance of joy in your presence, eternal happiness at your right hand" - Psalm 16
Pornography promises to fill a void. Only Jesus can fill that void.
But we must flee to him to experience it.
Or if we feel trapped in shame, it alters our perception of ourselves. We may end up saying to ourselves, "This is who I am, a sexual sinner—there's nothing I can do about it."
But when God looks at us, He doesn't see sexual sinners. He sees... Jesus!
He sees people who have been washed, sanctified and declared righteous.
We must flee to Jesus so that He can remind us of this.
Let us flee from sexual immorality and finally,
let us glorify God in our bodies.
Verse 20
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
The Corinthians were wrong. Our sexual behaviour is indeed part of our spiritual life.
Seeking a sexuality that pleases God is a form of worship.
The sexuality He created for this body is truly the best!
I am addressing the married people among us. Let us strive to live a beautiful sexuality!
This may surprise some people; it is easy to neglect this area. We must be proactive!
(slowly) If you are going through things in your relationship that prevent you from enjoying a beautiful sexuality, please seek help. The couples' course is there for that. The leaders are there to listen to you.
***
If you are single and finding it difficult, we will have a sermon on singleness in a few weeks, but the Church is there for us to share our struggles, frustrations and temptations!
If you are a student, you are probably bombarded with the message that what we do with our bodies is inconsequential as long as there is consent.
But God made us for a sexuality that is much more beautiful than what you see on Instagram or at most student or high school parties.
No matter what our friends or hormones suggest.
And parents... teach this to your children.
Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You do not belong to yourself, for you have been bought at a great price!
Many of our children are young, but it is better to tell them too soon than too late.
***
Finally, if you have discovered that you are attracted to people of the same sex, and in a group of this size, that will apply to several of us, do not keep it to yourself!
It is a heavy burden to bear alone... in a world that encourages us to act on these desires!
I would have liked to have a whole sermon on homosexuality.
I will simply say that temptation is not sin...
...and that if you have chosen to obey Jesus rather than your desires, going against the grain of our society, you are a modern-day hero of faith.
And you have much to teach us about what it means to be a disciple who takes up his cross to follow Jesus.
Open yourself up to other Christians. Ask them to wrestle with you in prayer.
***
In conclusion, one of the paradoxes of our time is that our culture is both ultra-sexualised and actually devalues sex.
A few years ago, there were advertisements in the underground for the dating site "Adopte".
Love letters written by users of the site, some of them rather beautiful and romantic.
Then underneath, in total contrast, was the site's logo - a woman placing a man in a supermarket trolley.
Sex everywhere. The meaning of sex lost.
The good news of Jesus offers us so much, so much better.
Perhaps you wouldn't identify yourself as a Christian this morning. We are delighted to have you with us.
If you want to discover sexuality in all its beauty, if you want the authentic version, not the cheap version, if you want to know its true meaning...
...come to Jesus!
His is the real sexual revolution.
And I pray for all of us that we may be true revolutionaries.
_______________
How can someone struggling with same-sex desires be assured of their salvation and avoid thinking that this disqualifies them?
Same-sex attraction ≠ sin
Homosexual relations are not a separate category of sin
If you experience this temptation, you are no worse than anyone else
We are all broken by sin, and this is just one way that some of us are broken
But if you believe in Jesus, God sees you as perfect
Hebrews 4:16
