Biblical Sexuality
Gospel Living in the Local Church • Sermon • Submitted
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· 2 viewsWhy should I care about what the bible has to say about sexuality?
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Transcript
Welcome: Welcome to Hype Student Ministries. After taking a week for Thanksgiving, we’re back continuing our study of 1 Corinthians.
Introduction- Teaching vs. Correction
Introduction- Teaching vs. Correction
How many of you have ever gotten in trouble or witnessed someone else getting in trouble at school and the teacher getting upset?
There is a different tone in a voice of a teacher from regular teaching vs. disciplining a student.
There is a different tone in a coach from letting you know that you did something wrong vs. teaching you how to be a better athlete.
In our passage today in 1 Corinthians, we see a change in tone from the apostle Paul toward the Corinthian church. In the first 6 chapters, Paul has been calling out the Corinthian church on their sin, specifically their sin of pride as they have put more focus on themselves instead of on Jesus Christ. Starting in chapter 7, Paul’s tone changes to that of teaching and answering questions that the Corinthian church had.
So if you have your scripture notebook with you please meet me in 1 Cor. 7. We will be going over the first 16 verse tonight and we’ll finish up the rest of chapter 7 next Sunday.
In this chapter Paul is addressing a question about sex from the Corinthians. We will see Paul give a teaching about biblical sexuality. So let’s start reading and as always have your pens ready to underline or circle anything that is meaningful or that you have questions about.
Read 1 Cor. 7:1-9.
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 7
7 Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman should have sexual relations with her own husband. 3 A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. 4 A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all people were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one person has this gift, another has that.
8 I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, since it is better to marry than to burn with desire.
Let’s pause here for a moment and look at these first 8 verses. In verse one we see Paul quoting the Corinthians from a letter they sent to Paul. “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” Initially this seems like an odd thing to say. But if we remember what we’ve discussed in the previous two chapters of 1 Corinthians, we see that the Corinthian church is divided and very much confused on how to glorify God with their sexuality.
In chapter 5, we read that the Corinthians were unwilling to discipline a man who was having sexual relations with his step-mom. In chapter 6, people from the Corinthian church were engaging in sexual relations with prostitutes and also we see that there were Corinthian church members who have had a history with homosexuality.
Now we read in chapter 7 that some people in the Corinthian church didn’t think it was good to have sex at all. We see two extreme camps here. One group basically says do whatever makes you feel good and the other group is saying you should say no to sex period. With people all over the place in their understanding of sexuality, I think it’s safe to say that the Corinthian church was struggling with the question of...
What is Biblical Sexuality?
What is Biblical Sexuality?
In Paul’s response to their question he writes verse 2.
But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman should have sexual relations with her own husband.
From this verse we see that...
God has designed sex to only happen in a marriage relationship between a biological male and a biological female.
This is the context for biblical sexual relations or any sexual act.
Now I’m pretty sure that no student here is married, so you might be asking does this matter to my situation. The answer is yes. Because...
This context for biblical sexual relations means that...
1. Sexual relations between a girlfriend and boyfriend is sinful- doesn’t meet the marriage standard. The temptation is real.
6th grader getting pregnant. Multiple high school classmates got pregnant and other classmates being prideful in that they were having sex in high school.
2. Sexual relations between between engaged male and female is sinful- doesn’t meet the marriage standard.
share story about engaged people justifying having sex before marriage.
3. Sexual relations in a homosexual situation (male to male or female to female) is sinful- doesn’t meet the male to female standard.
So the context for biblical sexual relations is in a marriage relationship between a biological male and a biological female.
Now I want to look at,
What should the motivation in having sexual relations in marriage?
What should the motivation in having sexual relations in marriage?
We see the answer in 1 Cor. 7:3-5.
A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
From these verses we see,
Biblical sexual relations are motivated by the desire to serve the other person above serving yourself.
This means that even though the context might be biblical (in a marriage between a male and a female) if my motivation is about serving me instead of my spouse in having sex, it can be still sinful because my heart attitude is selfish.
Even though this is the context and motivation for sexual relations. The reality is that we live in a sin fallen world that ever since Gen. 3 has twisted God’s design for sex. People have disregarded the context and motivation for sex and have used it selfishly and have abused the gift that God gave humanity.
WIth that said, if you have been a victim of sexual assault or unwanted sexual relations, I want to say that it was not God’s design for sex to overpower the helpless. It was not God’s design for sex to be used to take advantage of someone else. I just want to say that I and all of our Hype Leaders grieve along side of those who have been mistreated sexually and if you’ve experienced any form of sexual assault or unwanted sexual relations, I encourage you to talk to me our to one of your small group leaders. If you don’t feel comfortable telling us in person, feel free to text me or your small group leader.
With that said, Dave said this morning said that people view sexual relations in one of three ways,
1. Sex is a god
2. Sex is gross
3. Sex is a gift
There are people who look at what the bible says about context and motivation and say I don’t care what the bible says, sex is something that I desire to pursue because it makes me feel good. In this case the person who takes this stance is saying God can’t satisfy me, but sex can and in reality they are looking to sex as a sort of god.
Then there are people who see what the bible says about the context and motivation and say, this looks like a lot of rules so therefore I want nothing to do with sexual relations.
If we stop here, we’re in the same place that the Corinthians are in. Some people doing whatever they want to do sexually and then there are some people who say sex is gross and should be something to never do.
But there is a third way to look at sex. A gift. Something to enjoy within the context that God has set in marriage. A gift not for just our enjoyment but a gift to serve our spouse in marriage.
Just because married people get to experience this gift doesn’t mean that single people don’t have their own gift.
Re-read 1 Cor. 7:6-9
I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all people were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one person has this gift, another has that. I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, since it is better to marry than to burn with desire.
I want you to underline verse 7.
Verse 7 shows that a single person has a gift just like a married person can experience the gift of sex.
What is that gift?
The gift of being able to live a life without having to consider other people in their life when trying to serve God.
They can go and serve God where ever God calls them and they don’t have to first consider how their decisions will impact a spouse our their children. They can just get up and go and serve God. Paul says that is a gift.
Now I wish someone would have told me this when I was in high school.
At an early age, I would have said sex is gross. (Told to cover my eyes when something kissing showed up on tv or in a movie.) We were taught to say ewwwww when we say people kiss.
Once I became a teenager, I was exposed to sexual sin in the form of pornography which lead me to believe that sex could satisfy me in other words that sex was a god.
I don’t think I ever viewed sex as a gift until after college. During that time, I thought the gift of singleness was not desiring sexual relations. I never understand that the true gift of being single was to be able to serve God without having to consider others. I didn’t understand that until after I was married. For me singleness was something to avoid at all costs. I did not appreciate my season of singleness.
So I say this to you, while you are not yet married. View your season of singleness as a gift. Use this time to serve God and to glorify him.
To finish up we got to read this last section and discuss it briefly.
Read 1 Cor. 7:10-16.
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 7
10 To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband—and a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce her husband. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy by the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace. 16 Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Marriage is a sacred institution ordained of God as a permanent and intimate relationship between one man and one woman. It is intended to endure until it is broken by the death of one of the partners. We believe the Scriptures do not give liberty for a believer to marry a non-believer. We believe divorce is contrary to God’s original intention and design for marriage. As a result, divorce is nowhere encouraged or required in the Scriptures. Because reconciliation and forgiveness is central to the Gospel message, it should be pursued with humility and zeal as opposed to divorce. Due to the hardness of the human heart, reconciliation may not always be possible. There are two cases in Scripture where divorce, though not encouraged as a loophole, is permitted: when one of the partners in marriage has committed adultery; or when a non-believing partner chooses to desert a believer even though the believing partner has been seeking to reflect the Spirit of Christ in their relationship. A person who obtained a divorce under those provisions may enter another marriage relationship as the Lord leads. In light of the potential of Gospel reconciliation, those obtaining a divorce for any other reason than those two situations in Scripture are encouraged to avoid remarriage until the death or remarriage of their first spouse. In these difficult situations that are often not black and white, anyone seeking remarriage is encouraged to seek Godly counsel from the elder team and/or pastoral staff on how to proceed in a God honoring way. For instance, those who have sought a divorce with the clear intent to remarry another would be seen as contrary to God’s Word. The goal of any actions in these sensitive matters should be to glorify God in both the process and the outcome of dealing with broken relationships in a fallen world. Matthew 5:32, 19:1-9; Romans 12:18; 1 Corinthians 7:8-16; 2 Corinthians 6:14
Practical Takeaway-
Choose wisely who you date.
Choose wisely who you date.
If you are a believer, is the person you are interested in trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior?
Do you honestly think they love Jesus more than you love Jesus?
Pursue someone who will lead you to Jesus so that if God allows both of you to be married, you will glorify him in the marriage until death.
I want to end with this.
You Should Care About What the Bible has to Say about Sexuality
You Should Care About What the Bible has to Say about Sexuality
As a human, you are created for the purpose to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Living out that purpose includes obeying how God commands us to live out our sexuality.
Now if you find yourself thinking, I’ve sinned in this area of sexuality. I have not always glorified God with my sexuality. I want you to know that God loves you and that Jesus (God the Son) died for you and paid the price of sin so that you can be forgiven and freed from any sin you’ve ever committed. So if you’ve never confessed Jesus as your savior and Lord, you can do that right now, you can talk to me or your small group leader and you can enter into a right relationship with God. Be saved from your sins and live out your purpose of glorifying him and enjoying him forever. If you are already have confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you find yourself struggling with sexual sins, confess those sins to God and repent and ask God to change your heart. God is big enough and strong enough to forgive your sins and to help you overcome any sin struggle you may have. He loves you and wants you to live your purpose in being created by God. Let’s pray.