Sermon Cloud

Introduction

A flyer was posted on a campus wall, “SEX!!!!!”  Then in smaller print below, “Now that I’ve got your attention, how about joining the school rowing club?”

      We have a culture of sex—sex is everywhere in San Diego.  We see it everywhere.  My kids see it most Sundays coming to church!  The sex in the city signs and billboards were everywhere a few weeks ago. 

      Movies and Television—now every television show—just about every show revolves around sex or has components of sexual relationships.  In most shows, the actors swap partners every season or two. 

      Advertising also.  Sex is everywhere and used to advertise everything. 

Why?  Because we respond to it!  We buy it, it appeals to us.

And marriages suffer.  Spouses can’t compete with ads and movies and what’s on the internet 3 clicks away.

And singles—men and women, even teenagers are being emotionally destroyed because they are imitating what they perceive to be “normal sexual behavior” in their own relationships. 

Countless are now taking Prozac or Zoloft to battle the depression and scarring while they’re being told that sex isn’t such a big deal, move on.  And countless others are training themselves to be “exclusive consumers” totally unprepared and ill-equipped for anything that looks like a real relationship. 

      So what do we do?  Many of you I know are struggling in this area of sex.  Many of you are suffering because people you care about are struggling.  Is there hope?  Can there really be any relief, especially given how much we are bombarded with temptation in this area? 

The answer is yes.  Scripture always has answers to the questions we have.  This passage tackles the issues of Sex in Our City—it analyzes our city and our culture, and it gives us wisdom so that we can be free of its enslaving power.

Three points this morning from our text.

1. Lust:  The Corruption of Sex (v3-7)
2. Love:  Saves people from slavery to lust (v1-2)
3. Light:  Saves a culture from slavery to lust (v8-14)

Xtreme Home Makeover—the tour of the house at the end of the show.  Show you the insides.  Here Paul is doing this.

So first…

1. Lust is The Corruption of Sex

This passage from the Bible reads as though it were written last week.  In this area, life wasn’t that much different than it is here.

1.  
   1. DEFINITION:  The problem is described in verses 3 and 5.  Paul defines this lust:  sexual immorality, impurity, greed—v3.  Also v5—No immoral, impure, or greedy person shall inherit the kingdom of God.  
      1. Sexual Immorality.  Greek word porneia (v3)
         1. All getting or seeking sexual satisfaction and sexual arousal outside of a marriage relationship.
         2. On the giving side—any effort to satisfy or arouse another sexually outside of a marriage relationship

I’m going to go on and describe this a little more, but I do want to say that in the context of a significant dating relationship—where two people are trying to figure out whether or not they ought to get married, there are ways to adjust the application of these principles.  When the bible was written, dating didn’t exist, and so we need to be sensitive to the reality of where we live when we apply the principles of Scripture.  Our context does help us to apply Scripture.  We’re looking at the principles today, but I want to make that qualification before I go on.

1.  
   1.  
      1.  
         3. Must understand—we’re talking about a real relationship with God, not religion.  Religion says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  People in religion say, “Well, I haven’t committed adultery, so I’m safe.”  But the gospel pushes us to be real—real with our selves and real with God.  Jesus himself said, “If you look at a woman lustfully in your heart, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart.”  This is real.
            1. Sexual Immorality—covers deeds, acts, words, dress, flirting, texting, im-ing in a way that seeks or offers sexual arousal or satisfaction to another outside of being married.
            2. This accusing the porn industry, advertising, and media.  You need to realize that God takes these things much more seriously than we do.
      2. And Paul goes even further. v4—you shouldn’t even be joking about it—he says this twice—in verse 3 and also in verse 12.  Obscenity, foolish talk, course joking.  What’s the big deal? 
         1. Words—conversations, jokes are the link between thoughts and acting on those thoughts.  Thoughts—WORDS—actions
         2. Doesn’t mean you don’t talk about it if you’re struggling.  If you’re having problems, you HAVE to get help.  By yourself, the solitude with your struggle will kill you, it’ll eat you from the inside.  Talk about it to get help and support.
      3. It’s not just immorality—it’s lust.  Lust is sexual GREED.  We see this word GREED twice:  in v3, 5.  This is the core of the problem with sex in San Diego.  Sex according to our culture is all about YOU.  It trains you in GREED.  It trains you to think that sex exists to fulfill YOUR desires.  You begin to assume that others exist for your own gratification. 

MacArthur

“lust is selfish and destructive, a deceptive counterfeit of God’s love… It is not concerned about commitment but only satisfaction; it is not concerned about giving but only getting.”

Lust is a corruption of the world.  It’s a marring of one of the greatest gifts God has given to the world. Sex is a joyous gift from God, and lust takes that gift and smears it, blurring and cheapening it’s beauty.  Lust corrupts us from the inside out.

1.  
   2. Prudishness?  No, Gospel!

It’s really easy for the church to sound prudish, out of touch, or just cruelly perfectionistic about its stance on sex.  It can sound like our parents.  But we can’t dismiss Scripture.  It is seeking to save us—usually from ourselves.

So when Paul says, v3 “don’t even let a hint of these things exist among you.  These are improper for God’s holy people.”

This might sound like, “You should be ashamed of yourself!  And one of God’s holy people!”  That’s not the spirit of what Paul is saying.  He’s actually reminding you of the gospel here, not shouting you down with the law.  Remember, we’re more than halfway through a letter.  This is based on what has already been written. 

“You were chosen by God, forgiven, you have God’s own holy presence living within you.  You have God’s inheritance, and God’s power within you.  You are part of God’s fixing what’s wrong with the world.  You are surrounded by a community that supports you.  Your old way of life is dead and gone, and you are a new person—filled with love and goodness.

That’s why there’s can’t even be a hint of sexual immorality, impurity, or sexual greediness among you.  They don’t fit with who God has made you.  They don’t fit with your new self. 

Home Makeover—what if they left a room completely decrepit in the house?  Lust doesn’t fit in your new self.  That room has been demolished and remade if you believe in Jesus.

1.  
   3. Greed Leads to Idolatry (v5) 

The wisdom of this is that when you pursue lust—you’re worshiping it.  And it will control you.  It’ll enslave you.  This isn’t just pursuit of pleasure… it’s worship.  Worship of sex, worship of pleasure.  Didn’t think it was worship?  You spend time pursuing lust?  Money?  Reorder your schedule to fit it in?  Stay up late to pursue it? 

1.  
   4. It’s claimed so many
      1. Pastors
      2. Men
      3. Women
      4. It always starts so small.  James 1—always starts so small.  Carried away and enticed.

1.  
   5. Consequences
      1. No inheritance.  Miss all the glory.  (v5)  Not that your right behavior earns the inheritance, but you show whether you have the inheritance by how you live.
      2. There is also the anger of God today.  Wrath isn’t just future.  (v6)

“God’s wrath is built into creation itself.  There are certain ways of behaving which are so out of line with the way God made the world, and humans in particular, that they bring their own nemesis.  Sexual misbehavior certainly comes into this category.”

God’s wrath isn’t future in this passage, not “If you do this, you’re going to hell.”  God’s anger sometimes expresses itself as him letting go, refusing to continue to prevent people doing something. 

The result is tragic:  The Lust-driven life is filled with hollowness, guilt, depression, being emotionally disconnected and isolated, people develop a fear of commitment.

Not even to mention that these things end fuel the sex-trafficking that is literally enslaving people in San Diego and across the world.  The most conservative estimates are that 2% of the population have been forced into sex trafficking in San Diego.  That’s means the equivalent of 2-3 of you!

Do you want to be a part of this kingdom of darkness?  Do you want to contribute to it?  To support it?  To encourage it?

This is a plea:  When the Bible talks about wrong behavior, it’s not trying to irritate you, or chase after you to club you on the head.  It’s trying to save you from this slavery!  It’s trying to tell you that there’s no lasting happiness down that road. 

1.  
   6. Empty words

“Unprotected sex is the new engagement ring.”  Just this week I heard this.  That’s how you show real commitment to each others.

Every time two people make love physically, their bodies are saying, ‘We belong to each other, totally completely and forever.’  If that isn’t true, and if it isn’t known by both to be true – if it’s just an experiment, a nice idea at the time, a trial arrangement – their bodies are telling a lie.  Sooner or later, the lie will come out.

1.  
   7. What do we do?
      1. Conservatives say, “Don’t talk about it, and don’t want it talked about.”  Just say no.  We don’t need to say more than that it’s wrong.  This makes it seem that all sex is dirty.
      2. Liberals—don’t want to say anything is unhealthy (do whatever feels good—sex is part of your self-expression)
      3. But the Gospel says both are wrong, and it gives us a third way.  The Gospel’s answer comes in our next two points:

The answer is a new walk. 

2. Love:  saves people from slavery to lust (v1-2)

Walking in love frees us. 

1.  
   1. Definition

What is love?  Paul defines it.  “just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.  Core of love:  you give yourself for others.  Put their needs ahead of yours.  Think and do what’s best for them. 

This changes everything when you have this attitude.  Do you want to walk down the road of lust?  Do you want to encourage others down that road?

1.  
   2. Love is the antibody and the vaccine for lust.  The more you love, the less you’ll lust and greedily use and manipulate and abuse others.  Then your desires will diminish. 
      When your whole focus is on what you can give—not what you can get—from a relationship or from others, this will set you free.

1.  
   3. Where does this love come from?
      1. It comes from Jesus.  He has loved you.  He’s given everything for you.  His whole life was a gift to you.  V2.  If you’re failing in this today.  If you’re not walking in love.  If you’re consumed by lust, you need to know that Jesus gave himself up as a sacrifice to God.  He died for all of your lust, for all of your selfishness, and for your lack of love for others.
      2. The Amazing thing is that when he loves you, his love changes you.  When you experience it, you are filled with it.

When you believe, you get a heart makeover.  In Christ, it is now our nature to love just as it is God’s nature to love—because His nature is now our nature.  For a Christian not to love is for him to live against his own nature as well as against God’s.

The more you know God’s love for you in Jesus, the more you’ll be filled with it and walk in it, sharing it with others.  When you’re tempted, remember Jesus’ love for you and thank him until your desire to lust and use others for yourself goes away.

Love is the key to personal change, dealing with sexual temptation and lust.  But what can we do about the culture?

Individuals need love, culture needs light.

3. LIGHT:  Saves a Culture from slavery to lust
   1. See the pattern?  (v8) YOU ARE THE LIGHT!  Therefore, walk in the light.  This is the gospel.  It’s not walk in the light and you’ll become the light.  God’s blessings are a free gift.  He changes us first, and then asks us to live according to that change.
   2. V9—Goodness, righteousness, truth—flow naturally from you now.  Be known for these things.  This is how you shine the light on others.
   3. Expose the deeds of the darkness.
      1. Expose through changed lives and loving communication.  Need changed life to demonstrate the light and build a loving relationship so that you will be heard.  A Relationship and love gives power to your light.
      2. 1 Peter 2:12   Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
      3. Especially for enemies—need love and light.  Without love, light burns and blinds.  True love enables light to enlighten others.  Light bulbs and lamp shades.
      4. What is real love?  Telling you that you’re engaging in behavior that is going to lead you into despair, depression, confusion, frustration, total lack of happiness.  Get you addicted.  Like drugs.  You’ve got to lovingly warn people of the consequences of what they’re doing.

1.  
   4. One translation brings this out force well:  ‘It is even possible (after all, it happened to you!) for light to turn the thing it shines on into light also.’

Jesus shined his light on you.  You responded by believing in him and he gave his light to you.   Now you shine your loving light on others and the culture, and Jesus will draw people into that light.

You’ve experienced this.  You can now be used to help others experience it. When you do this—person by person, the culture will change.

Amazing here:  light vs. dark doesn’t cause retreat, but engagement with the world.  It sends us out.  Here it’s not the word that overcomes the dark, but it’s the light of your conduct that brings light into the darkness.

You heard God’s call, you turned from your ways to embrace Jesus—his forgiveness and his authority.  He shined his light on you, making you now a light.  Now you are the light sent into the world to enlighten others.  You do this through your loving service to others, and then sharing with them the truth of Christ. 

Some of you are hearing now the call of God.  You are seeing the light of Jesus, and his love.  Do you want the light?  Do you want this love?  Let it touch you and it will help you, give you strength, power, and perspective. 

The path of righteousness is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day (Pr 4:18).