Reclaiming Sex

Now, I realize that sanctified is word that is used a lot in church, but not so much in our day-to-day lives. Sanctified simply means to live a separated life—a life that is different from the life that you lived before you started following Jesus.

You see, a person is saved when they recognize that Jesus is the only One who can forgive them of their sin and promise them everlasting and abundant life. So, when a person turns from every effort to save themselves and turns to Jesus—trusting Him to do for them what they could never do for themselves, the Bible says that person becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ. That moment is known as justification—it’s the miracle of a moment when all of our sin (past, present, and future) is completely forgiven and you are adopted into God’s family and accepted as a son or daughter.

From that point forward, you spend the rest of your life learning how to live in this new reality. From that point forward, you spend your life learning how to live according to who you are. This means that your life begins to look different than it looked before you started following Jesus. This means that your life doesn’t change a little—but that your life changes a lot!

This life-change is known as sanctification.

Sanctification touches every area of your life—even some of the most personal areas of your life.

As we turn our attention to 1 Thessalonians chapter four, we can see that the apostle Paul was very concerned about the sanctification or the life-change of the believers in Thessalonica.

Paul and his team were used by God to plant the church in Thessalonica—but before they could really spend the time they needed to spend, teaching those new believers everything they needed to know, they were torn away from the church and forced to go to another city. Paul desperately wanted to get back to them, but Satan prevented his return. Not knowing when or if he would ever make it back to finish instructing these brothers and sisters, he wrote the letter we know as 1 Thessalonians.

The rest of our time in 1 Thessalonians will be focused on learning the lessons Paul wanted to give the believers so that they would be better equipped to live as followers of Jesus Christ in their city.

One thing we know about the culture of Thessalonica is that it was just as perverse as our culture is today—if not more so. Every imaginable sexual vice was rampant in Thessalonica. Many, if not most of the new believers in that city had been willing participants in the sexualized culture of the day. It was not uncommon for married men to have many mistresses, nor was it uncommon for women to participate in ritual sex-acts that were tied to the worship of false gods.

But now they are saved—they’ve been forgiven of every wrong they’ve ever done, they’ve been given new life in Jesus Christ, and they are called to live for Him.

You see, God saved the Thessalonian believers out of that culture, but God did not remove them from that culture. This means they had to learn how to live for God as followers of Christ while also having to overcome their old habits and all the temptations of their culture.

I don’t think I have to work too hard today to draw a comparison between the culture of the Thessalonians and the culture of America in 2018. We know how sexualized the culture around us has become. It seems as if you cannot watch commercials without being inundated with sexual images and references. Subtle and not-so-subtle references to sex are found in everything from the evening news to the most popular television shows.

The internet brings every kind of perverse sexual act to computer and smart-phone screens cheaply, efficiently and privately.

Every year, PornHub (the largest porn website in the world) publishes insightful statistics. In 2016, they racked up 23 billion visits to their site and collectively, 4.6 billion hours—that equals 5,245 centuries.

Here is the result of the constant sexual bombardment we endure—conservative sex addiction statistics indicate compulsive sexual behavior affects an estimated 7.4-14.7 million adults in the United States.2 The larger number nearly rivals the number of adults with cardiovascular disease in our country.

We live in a culture of sex—and—I don’t want to discourage you, but it’s not going to get any better.

While God saves us out of the culture, he does not remove us from the culture. In fact, Jesus said that we are salt and light to this culture.

Matthew 5:13–16

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Salt preserves and adds the right kind of flavor. Light exposes darkness and helps those who are struggling in the darkness to find their way out of the darkness.

So, God has saved us to be a preserving agent in this world. God has saved us to be a light to the world. This means we must not remove ourselves from the world—but we do need how to function as followers of Jesus in this world.

Here’s the point, we will have an effect on the culture if we grow in our sanctification and begin to live counter-culturally.

So, our text today is as relevant to us now as it was to the Thessalonians nearly 2,000 years ago because the Scripture teaches about sanctification—specifically how to live for Jesus amid the temptation of sexual sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:1–8

1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Common sense in our culture tells people, young and old, that sex is no big deal. Common sense in our culture says abstinence doesn’t work so be safe and have fun.

But this passage provides some uncommon sense:

Believers must abstain from sexual immorality.

· This topic was so serious that Paul made this request with urgency (v.1a)

o The request was for them to continue to receive instruction from Paul as they had received instruction in the past.

o They were living to please God—but Paul did not want them to become content in their walk with God.

o Sanctification is a progression—they needed to progress to a greater of higher degree.

illustration: Running a mile—running a 5k—running a 7k—running a 10k—running a half marathon—running a marathon.

o Verses 1-2 are a commendation but they set-up the instruction they were about to receive.

o You are doing great, but you need to progress—here are the instructions you need to take the next step on your spiritual journey.

· It is God’s will that you abstain from sexual immorality.

o This is any type of illicit sexual behavior (Greek word gives us the English Pornography)

o Paul was not specifying a sex act, he was speaking about every sex act outside of marriage.

§ Let me say this—because the church has done an awful job at teaching on this subject…

§ God created sex and deemed it good within the boundaries He determined (one man married to one woman).

§ Sex is not dirty. Sex is not terrible.

§ Sex within marriage is profitable, beautiful and enjoyable.

Hebrews 13:4a

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled,

o God’s word to every single person and every married person is to abstain from sexual sin.

§ Abstain means complete abstinence.

§ Stay away from every thought or behavior that leads to sexual sin.

§ It’s not only about being clean in our actions but also being clean in our thoughts.

Matthew 5:27–28

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

o The command is simple, believers are to have nothing to do with any sexual activity outside of marriage. This applies to teens, young adults, adults, older adults.

Question: How do we abstain from sexual immorality?

Practice self-control (v.4)

o Every believer needs to learn how to control his or her own body.

§ The idea that you take possession of your body instead of letting your passions and lusts control your body.

§ Notice, Paul didn’t say there was a place we could go to be free from passion and lust—those things will follow you wherever you go.

§ Paul did say that we need to learn how to gain mastery over the body in spite of passion and lust.

o How???

Realize your body was given to you to live for God, so dedicate your body to that purpose.

Romans 12:1–2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Live by the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:13

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Avoid the triggers—the things that cause you to lose control.

o We do this for holiness and honor

§ Holiness—your life is set apart from sin to God (don’t be like unbelievers—v. 5b).

§ Honor – The result of holiness—you show the value of your body and respect for your body. Sexual sin is a sin against your own body!

1 Corinthians 6:18

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.

Respect others (v.6)

o If you are sexually immoral with another person, you are taking advantage of and exploiting them for your own purpose.

o The idea is that one of greediness—taking something from another for your own personal gain for your pleasure at their expense.

§ Difference between sex in marriage and sex outside of marriage.

§ In marriage, sex is not selfish.

§ Outside of marriage, the Bible presents sex as nothing more than selfish.

§ Sex outside of marriage is a transgression—crossing the line.

Illustration: If you have a sign that said “No Trespassing” but I decided to ignore the sign and walk onto your property and take whatever I wanted, would you think I respect you?

· Acts of sexual immorality show an utter lack of respect for the person with whom you are committing the act.

o Why should I respect others? Because God is an avenger.

§ God has the right to judge sexual immorality.

Hebrews 13:4

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

§ There are natural consequences to sin…

§ This is why Paul warned them about this issue beforehand.

· Understand your purpose (v.7)

o You were chosen by God, not for moral corruption and sexual immorality, but to live for God in holiness.

Ephesians 2:8–10

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Realize the consequences (v. 8)

o If you reject this truth, you are not rejecting man—but you are rejecting God.

o This is the bigger issue!

§ Sexual sin is a transgression against others and it is a sin against yourself.

§ More important, sexual sin is defiance against God. Sexual sin is rejection of God.

o God has given you the Holy Spirit as a gift to you so that you can live the life God created you to live.

Notice, sexual sin is sin against God the Father who called you to salvation. It is sin against Jesus Christ who provided your salvation. It is sin against the Holy Spirit who empowers you to live as one who is saved.

Sexual sin defies the purposes of God, it casts aside His will and commands, it rejects His love and it abuses His grace.

This is why every believer needs to fight against the draw of our culture—to be safe and have fun.

This is why every believer needs to fight to live with uncommon sense—to abstain from sexual immorality.

How does this apply today?

1. Don’t ever become satisfied with where you are spiritually—we must always progress in our growth.

2. Understand that sexual sin is not a harmless sin.

3. Realize that sexual sin is not the unpardonable sin. God redeems us completely!

4. Learn to live a life of respect. If everyone followed this passage, would there be a #metoo movement? Would there be human trafficking?

We can reclaim sex as God intended it in our lives and in this church. So let’s not allow our culture to have the final say on this subject—let us lead the way by reclaiming sex as God intended for our good and for His glory.

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