Introduction:

1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Introduction: (Matthew 1:18-25) before they came together (v.18)… Joseph and Mary had experienced no sexual contact with each other, as the phrase before they came together indicates. Sexual purity is highly regarded in Scripture.  God places great value on sexual abstinence outside of marriage and sexual fidelity within marriage.

Mary’s Virginity Was An Important Evidence Of Her Godliness.  Her reason for questioning Gabriel’s announcement of her conception was the fact that she knew she was a virgin (Luke 1:34). This testimony protects from accusation that Jesus was born of some other man.  But Mary’s virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth.

It Protected The Nature Of The Divine Son Of God. Had Jesus been conceived by the act of a man, whether Joseph or anyone else, He could not have been divine and could not have been the Savior. His own claims about Himself would have been lies, and His resurrection and ascension would have been hoaxes. And mankind would forever remain lost and damned.  If Mary would not have kept her virginity, she would never have been the most blessed woman on the face of the earth!

       Joseph Listened To God.  Joseph listened to God and did not have sexual relations with her until after she gave birth to the Messiah.  He was truly a man of God, he did what the Lord had commanded him (Matt.1:24-25)!  This is the kind of man you want girls, a man who will “do what the Lord commands him,” a man who will wait until you are married! 

1.   Principle: what is permitted is not our only guide for behavior (v.12).

a. All things are lawful is probably a phrase Paul used in teaching about areas of Christian liberty, that the Corinthians were emphasizing out of context; here, he brings it back to balance

b. I will not be brought under the power of any uses a verb that Paul only uses again in 7:4, in the context of a husband and wife having "authority" over each other's bodies.  Paul may be saying I will not be brought under the power of anybody (as in a prostitute)

i.                    "By being joined to her in porneia the believer constitutes someone else, outside of Christ, as the unlawful lord over one's own body." (Fee)

c. To be useful to the Lord, an individual must be pure (cf. 2 Tim. 2:19–21)

No one stated that truth any more clearly than the noble nineteenth-century Scottish pastor and evangelist Robert Murray McCheyne. He gave the following sage advice to a young man entering the ministry:

Do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hands of God. (Andrew A. Bonar, ed., Memoirs of McCheyne [reprint, Chicago: Moody, 1978], p. 95)

2.   (13-14) Principle: appetites for food and sex are not the same

a. The Corinthians were probably using the motto Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods to justify giving their body whatever "it" wanted

b. Paul will not let them take that slogan, which applies to irrelevant food restrictions, and apply it to sexual immorality

c. Our bodies (though not our "stomachs" in the sense of food dependence) are not destined for destruction, but resurrection

3.   (15-17) Principle: Our bodies are part of the body of Christ and should never be joined to a prostitute

       a. An individual's sexual immorality disgraces the entire body of Christ, linking it to immorality

b. Husband and wife become "one flesh" in a way that is under God's blessing; in extramarital sex, the partners become "one flesh" in a way that is under God's curse

i. "Sex outside of marriage is like a man robbing a bank: he gets something, but it is not his and he will one day pay for it.  Sex within marriage can be like a person putting money into a bank: there is safety, security, and he will collect dividends." (Wiersbe)

4.   (18) Instruction: Flee sexual immorality

a.       Paul doesn't tell us to be brave and resist it, but to flee from its very presence; don't underestimate the power of sexuality

b.      Our Attitude should be as Joseph (Genesis 39:1-12)

c.        

               i. Sex outside of marriage can be exciting, but it can't be enriching

b. Paul isn't saying that sexual immorality is greater than any other sin; but he does teach that it has a unique effect on the body; not so much in physical way as in a moral and spiritual way

5.   (19-20) Principle and instruction: glorify God with your body

a. A temple is to be a place sacred to God, and pure from immorality; the fact that we are filled with the Spirit must influence our conduct

               i. The point: "Casual sex is anything but casual.  It is an act of sacrilege.

       b. A great principle: You are not your own . . . for you were bought with a price

               i. Any honest person will take better care of something that doesn't belong to them

ii. And, if you belong to Jesus, you have no right to be idle, to waste what was bought with a price

c. Many old manuscripts end with glorify God in your body; the rest may have been an addition by a scribe who that it wasn't "spiritual" enough to end there

i. But Ironside was right: "Glorify God in your body and the spiritual side will take care of itself."

ii. Don't ever think that the body is less important to God than the soul, or less a participant in God's saving work

5.   Honor marital love (Heb 13:4)

a. The Bible strictly condemns sex outside of the marriage commitment, but celebrates sexuality within the commitment of marriage (see The Song of Solomon)

"Fornication and adultery are not synonymous in the New Testament: adultery implies unfaithfulness by either party to the marriage vow, while the word translated "fornication" covers a wide range of sexual irregularities" (Bruce)

b. Many, through a past of sexual sin, have a difficult time really believing that the marriage bed is undefiled; guilt and sexual hang-ups are appropriate to extra-marital sex, but not in marital sex (where they most frequently cause trouble)

i. Understand that a Biblical concept of sexuality is under attack from the world, the flesh and the Devil

c. Though God allows real freedom in the variety of sexual expression in marriage, all must be done with a concern for the other's needs and in love (1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Ephesians 5:21-33)

A.     The Imminence of the Second Coming 1 John 3:3 Holiness

1.       Purifies himself, just as He is pure – The Moral Test

a)        The one who is truly saved cannot continue in a pattern of unbroken sin

1)        Obedience (1Jn.1:6, 2:3-4; 2:29, 3:3)

2)        Cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh & spirit (2Cor.7:1)

3)        Purifying our hearts (James 4:8), keeping yourself pure (1Tim.5:22), from idols (Acts 15:28-29), keep yourselves in the Love of God (Jude 1:21)

4)        Pursue peace & holiness (Heb.12:14)

B.     How Should Christ Imminent Return Affect Our Living?

1.       Motivate us to be godly, watchful pursuers of righteousness (2Tim.2:22).

a)        One day we will stand before His judgment seat (2Cor.5:9-10).

1)        Therefore, we should want to meet the Lord with joyful assurance (1Jn.2:28), knowing that a divine reward awaits those who look for His second coming (2Tim.4:8; cf. Phil.3:14; 1Jn.3:2-3).

2.       Our Lord Himself warned His followers to be ready (Matt.24:42-44)

a)        Jesus promised that He will serve those disciples who have been watchful & ready (Lk.12:37)

3.       We must be men and women of prayer (Luke 21:36 cf. 2Thess.1:11)

a)        Be serious & watchful in your prayers (1Pet.4:7)

1)        Because we act according to the way we think (Prov.23:7), believers must guard their minds and keep them clear and fixed on spiritual things (Col.3:2), (Phil.4:8; Col.3:16; Titus 2:11-12)

2)        Making our minds captive to Christ (2Cor.10:5), and His Word (Joshua 1:8) keeps them safe and allows us to see things from God’s perspective.

3)        The combination of godly thinking and spiritual alertness is essential in any believer’s life “for the purpose of prayer” (1Pet.4:7)

Illustrations

Fornication is like a cat’s paw. When lightly stroked, it is quite soft and pleasurable, but increased pressure brings out the claws of sin that will shred your very life.

Sex is like fire. In a fireplace, it’s warm and delightful. Outside the hearth, it’s destructive and uncontrollable.

You can usually get a large audience together to watch a striptease. There is no question about it, a lot of people would come to watch a woman undress on the stage, thus indulging and misusing their sexual appetites.

Now suppose you visited a country where an auditorium is packed to the walls with people watching, not a girl undressing, but a guy walking out with a big tray covered with a veil. Then music begins to play, lights begin to flash, and all of a sudden, after some rather enticing maneuvers, the veil is lifted and there on the tray is an orange. Next, in a teasing way, the fellow begins to peel the orange while the crowd goes wild! Wouldn’t you think that in this country something had gone wrong with the people’s appetite for food?

The Bible clearly speaks regarding the proper use of the body. In 1 Corinthians 6:13, Paul says, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord” (NIV). And yet, what happens in our society? The body is distorted to the place of perversion!