Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We’ve been in a series looking at what it means to be “In Christ” or He “In Us”.

We’ve seen that Jesus is in us for “them” and for us to continue the work he began while he was on Earth.

As we allow Jesus to transform us he does in several areas.

Mind Romans 12:1-2

Last week we saw how Jesus transforms our emotions or our cravings.

Today, I want to see how our bodies are transformed by Jesus.

The foundational truth for today is:

Your Body Is Not Your Property

The prevailing philosophy in our day is that we are simply products of DNA.

This is the way we are made up.

We are given a body and we do whatever we want with our body.

School protest over uniforms, little had sign that read, “It’s My Body!”

Which is just part our problem, the idea today is whatever pleases us the most is our right.

That mindset is at the center of nearly every hot button issue in our society.

Think about it:

Marriage

Homosexuality

Free speech

Pornography

Reproductive rights, etc.

Many of these issues deal with the body and many of them are dominated y this philosophy that each of has a body for us to do with it whatever we desire, and this philosophy is alive and well in the church.

But, what if it’s not true?

First of all: what if our bodies are not just products of our DNA and it’s just the way we are?

What if our bodies are not ours to do with whatever we want?

What if they actually don’t belong to us at all?

As a follower of Jesus Christ, your body is not your property.

In the NT, we see that our bodies are at the core of our spiritual lives.

Often we try to separate our spiritual life from our physical life.

Disconnect them

But Christ is not intended to be left over here in the spiritual realm and have no effect on the physical realm.

Sometimes we think, our bodies are just a barrier of doing God’s will for our lives.

It’s a barrier to spiritual growth

We engage in things that we know don’t honor God so we think of the body as this picture of evil.

Paul says, “In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Rom.

7:22–23).

Then he says, “What a wretched man I am,” and we’re just wretched for having read through this and thinking through this.

Christ came to not just save our mind and emotions, but he can transform our bodies as well.

Today let’s look at 1 Corinthians 6

The Corinthians had separated their faith and their spiritual lives.

So for them, it didn’t matter what you did with your body

Corinth was know for rampant immorality, particularly sexual immorality.

So in this passage Paul has to deal with the fact that our bodies are part of our spiritual lives and not separate for us to do whatever we want.

Le’ts read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Your Body Was Created By God

The first great truth is your body was created by God.

Food for the stomach and the stomach for food was a common phrase used by the Corinthians.

Basically, they were saying, “My stomach was and for food and food was made for my stomach” so automatically you put them together and there’s no problem.

The implication was that’s how they looked at sexuality.

“My body was for sex and sex was made for the body so they go together.”

Paul was countering that idea

The Body is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body.

This is a key phrase here

We’ve been going back to Genesis the couple of week and let’s do it again this morning.

In Geneses 1 and 2, it talks about how God created man, gave man bodies and gave them responsibility to use their bodies to accomplish.

Then he said, “It was very good.”

Not “good”.

Like last week, God designed the body so that we would look to him for everything we need in the body.

We had very little control over our development

That was God’s design from birth to adulthood.

To be honest, there is really not anything significant when it deals with our bodies that we can take credit for.

God created us by His design.

Our Bodies Are Invaluable to Him

Remember the Corinthians separated the physical from the spiritual thinking God didn’t care about the physical

They needed to realize that God is very concerned about their bodies.

He is concerned about what we do in the physical realm

There’s a dangerous tendency for us to think that I can grow spiritually and it doesn’t matter what I do with my physical body.

We then begin to compartmentalize our behavior and that is a dangerous road to follow.

God is very concerned about your body.

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In 1 Corinthians 6 we discover the beauty that our bodies are precious to God; therefore, honor God with your body

Your body is precious to God; it is a valuable treasure.

He Has Made An Eternal Investment In Our Bodies

Verse 14, says he will raise us also

The Corinthians thought My soul is okay, it doesn’t matter about my body

God says, “It mattered for Jesus’ body.

He didn’t just raise a soul.

He raised a body”

If you go to Chapter 15 you’ll find a passage describing how that some of us will not die, but be transformed in a twinkling of an eye to and those that have died will be raised and we’ll all have a resurrection body like Christ did/does.

That means that God did not just come to resurrect, to save my soul, to redeem my soul.

He came to redeem my body.

So the picture you get in 1 Corinthians 6 and 15 is the fact that God in His power raised Jesus from the dead and that same power is going to raise our bodies.

We are going to reign with Him, bodily reign with Him.

You see God is making an eternal investment in your body

Not just for the here and now

But for the there and then.

Now before we move into the sexual and bodily sin, let me just remind you, that no matter what you’ve done in the past that might have dishonored God

God still says your body is very valuable to Him

He’s made an eternal investment in you

If you are in Christ, you’re forgiven and cleaned up.

The adversary will tell you are dirty, too dirty to be used by God and that is just a lie.

The same goes for those with a disease or illness.

You’re body is valuable to God and one day He will your body up completely whole.

You are created by God and is precious to God, so honor God with it.

Your Body Was Purchased By Christ

The second great truth: Because your body is not only created by God, your body was purchased by Christ.

Look at verses 19-20

Christ bought you at a price

Christ United Us With Himself

When we trust in Christ, our bodies are united with Him.

This goes back to the very essence of who Christ is.