Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Corinthians 7:1-9

March 24, 2002

 

*Intro:* We’ve examined in detail, in Chapters 5&6, things of a sexual nature that are apart from God’s will

A-  A nice way of saying fornication.

(Affaire, relationship, lifestyle, living together, living in sin)

1-   Which is any type of a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

*Hebrews 13:4*,  Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

*2-   **In Chapter 5 Paul warned of allowing fornication to exist with-in the church unchecked.*

*Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-11*

3-   In Chapter 6 he make it personal, that as much as it depends on me, as an individual, I would not bring it into my life.

a-   We are to be one with the Lord and not sin.

*Read 1 Corinthians 6:16-17*

B-  The marriage relationship is to be a precious picture of our relationship with God.

1-   Look at this O.T. example of the tenacity given to keeping this picture pure.

*Turn to Numbers 25:1-9*

*Job 31:1-4*, “I have made a covenant with my eyes;  Why then should I look upon a young woman?

For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

Ø *So, in Chapter 7*, *the Lord, through Paul, shows us the 2 sided antidote to fornication.*

A-  Remember the sexual temptation at Corinth as equal to or greater than ours today.

*1 Corinthians 7:1*, Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

*A-  **Apparently the church at Corinth wrote Paul asking a series of questions.*

1-   Paul seems to be addressing them in Chapters 7&8.

Ø *Question #1 could have went like this  “Concerning this fornication thing what are we to do”???*

A-  The 1st part to Paul’s answer is “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (bad evil people)

1-   “To touch a woman” = To have sexual intercourse”.

*Genesis 20:6*, And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart.

For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

*Ruth 2:9*,  “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them.

Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you?

*Proverbs 6:28-29*,  Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared?

So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

a-   It’s good if you don’t because you are not sinning then.

b-   It’s good if you don’t because your exercising self-control or ran away.

c-   It’s good if you don’t because you have no desire to touch a woman.

-         You can channel that energy into ministry.

*Casey Stengle:* I don’t mind my players chasing after women, the problem is, all the effort it takes to catch one.

2-   *What Paul is saying is* “Celibate singleness is a good thing”.

a-   How does the world look at it????

-         IF he~/she does not like girls~/boys then thay are gay.

-         Maybe they are just what is described as a eunuch.

(pigeonhole)

*Turn to Matthew 19:11-12 *(describe in context)

3-   If my wife went to be with Jesus.

I would pray along the lines of eunuch.

(V:7 = gift from God)

a-   Most of us were created along the lines of Genesis 2:18.

*Genesis 2:18*,  And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

*1 Corinthians 7:2*,  Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

A-  Nevertheless = For some of you are thinking “ain’t no way I could be celibate.”

1-   WELL: Because of fornication,  BECAUSE the sexual urge is real and not meant to be sur-presed for a lifetime.

a-   Let each have their OWN wife~/husband

- Not “A” wife~/husband

*Ephesians 5:22*,  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

*Ephesians 5:25*,  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

2-   Marriage is for purity of life in a verity of areas with sex not being the only one.

*Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12*

a-   Celibacy is good, but not superior to marriage.

*1 Corinthians 7:3*,  Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

*A-  **Some were holding back in this area with the attitude of abstaining would be the godly thing to do.*

1-   Look at from this standpoint thought (fornication)

*Mark 9:42*, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.

2-   It’s possible that some that are married to unbelievers may have misinterpreted Paul’s previous instruction.

*See 1 Cor 6:16*

*1 Corinthians 7:4*,  The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does.

And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

*John MasArthur: *“God holds all marriage to be sacred and He holds sexual relations between husband and wife not only to be sacred but proper and even obligatory.

Paul makes it clear that physical relations within marriage are not simply a privilege and a pleasure but a responsibility.”

*A-  **Do you want to bring dishonor to marriage?

Fail to submit sexually to your spouse.*

1-   Allow frustration, tension, and anger to build and you will have a marriage that will be a bad witness.

B-  Do you want to bring dishonor to marriage?

Abuse this privilege of marriage.

1-   Cause you spouse to submit sexually to you selfishly on your own terms and:

a-   Allow frustration, tension, and anger to build and you will have a marriage that will be a bad witness.

*REMEMBER: *The sexual relationship is the God ordained means by which the 2 become 1 both physically and MORE importantly emotionally.

*1 Corinthians 7:5*,  Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

*A-  **Maybe your thinking “my spouse has been praying and fasting for 10 years now.”*

1-   What’s the biblical limit on this (I see 2 possible)

*#1- Is an example in the OLD TESTAMENT*

*Turn to Exodus 19:9-15*

*#2- Is during the wife’s (manner of a women).*

*1 Corinthians 7:5*,  Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

*A-  **In all matters spiritual (sex) remember the enemy is there to disrupt.

*

*1 Peter 5:6*,  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

 

*1 Corinthians 7:6-7*,  But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.7 *For* I wish that all men were even as I myself.

But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

A-  The word “FOR” in verse 7 tells us Paul is refereeing to what he had said about celibacy.

1-   He is not giving a command to be celibate or to marry but as marriage has spiritual advantages so does celibacy.

*See 1 Corinthians 7:32-34*

*Read verses 8-9*

*Read Luke  2:36-38*