Holy Sexuality
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The ultimate goal of sexuality is to glorify God by denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus.
Sex is a good gift from God. . . but oftentimes when we talk about sex we always start with God’s “don’ts” instead of starting with God’s “do’s.”
This can give our students a skewed image of the goodness of our sexuality and how we should live it out to God’s glory.
Ultimately we can see from Genesis 1-2 that the purpose of sex was ultimately given to us to serve our creator through multiplying and filling the earth with more image bearers and to enjoy delighting in our spouse through the one-flesh union of sexual intimacy.
When it comes to sexuality, there are three words that are often associated with the term. . . these are identity, attractions, and actions.
I want to walk through each of them briefly and describe how the Bible describes them using the four plot points of Scripture. . . creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
Creation
Creation
Identity
In Genesis 1:26-28 we learn that our true identity is that we have been made in the image of God.
Here are four truths about being made in God’s image:
Being created in God’s image is good.
Being created in God’s image is unique.
Being made male or female is directly linked to being made in God’s image.
Being made in the image of God points to Christ.
Attractions/Actions
When God made Adam and Eve, he gave them sexual desires for one another to be enjoyed in a one-flesh covenant union for life.
So we see that the desires for sexual intimacy with the opposite sex were good desires. . . and these desires were to be acted upon in a covenant marriage between one man and one woman for life.
These desires and actions are pleasing and glorifying to God.
Fall
Fall
However, once Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world, our understanding of identity has been marred and corrupted.
We still maintain God’s image but it is now flawed and corrupted with sin.
This leads to our desires, actions, thoughts, and intentions being tainted and corrupted with sin.
We see this played out by finding our identity in other things like our job, our spouse, possessions, etc.
But specifically when it comes to sexuality, we allow our feelings and desires to begin to define us.
We begin to think the way God made us as male and female are not good and we begin to create our own identity and meaning out of who we want to be instead of who God made us to be.
Our desires are also corrupted leading us to carrying out those sinful desires in immoral actions of pursuing sex outside of marriage, lust, homosexuality, fornication, and other acts of sexual immorality.
Redemption
Redemption
However, God in his mercy has made a way for us to be cleansed of our sin, our false grasps at identity, and our depraved desires and actions through Jesus Christ.
Through turning from our sin and placing our faith in Jesus’s perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, we can be forgiven and cleansed of all our sin. . . including all of our sexual sin and misplaced identity.
Jesus gave us the example to pursue holy sexuality that is fully pleasing to God.
Jesus is the perfect image of God and when we trust in him, our identity is restored as a child of God and we then begin to be conformed more and more to Christ’s image.
Jesus lived out and taught the sexual ethic that is pleasing to God, re-establishing God’s design for sex and calling us to pursue holiness in our sexuality.
Through the power of the Spirit, our hearts are changed and made new, our desires begin to be transformed, and our actions begin to produce good fruit for God.
The call for all people in Christ is to pursue holy sexuality. . . which means faithfulness in a covenant marriage between a husband and wife, or chastity in singleness.
Both gifts glorify God and one is not better than the other. No matter what season of life we are in. . . we are all called to pursue holiness in our sexuality.
Restoration
Restoration
But our full and final restoration will not take place until Christ returns.
This is important for us to remember because until Jesus returns, we will still struggle with our old sinful nature. . . we will still have to fight against temptation. . . even though we have been forgiven by the blood of Christ. . . we will still have to deal with some of the consequences of our sinful actions on earth.
But when Christ returns. . . our transformation into God’s perfect image will be finally complete as our physical bodies will raised from the dead and be fully glorified.
All that was corrupted by the fall will be completely restored. . . we will have glorified bodies, glorified desires, and will walk in perfect obedience to God’s commands as we enjoy him, serve him, and worship him for all eternity!