Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28 | 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 | Hebrews 13:4
I. It’s not just sex because sex pictures the Gospel.
A. The very first chapter of the Bible addresses the topic of sex and marriage. How did God make us? Genesis 1:27 says He created us male and female. Sex then was God’s idea. And it was created very good (Genesis 1:31). But sex is only good within a certain boundary. It is good within the boundary of marriage, and it is wrong in all other contexts. The lie of Satan is that marriage is not necessary for sex. After all, it’s just sex. What’s the big deal?
B. But the world we live in was created by God primarily with marital romance in mind. The creation of Adam and Eve for marriage was the climax of all of God’s work of creation. Marriage is also at the end of the Bible (Revelation 21) when Christ marries His church. Marriage then is the theme of the whole Bible. God wants to be united to His people in an eternal, faithful, love relationship. What is at stake then in our sexual behavior is nothing less than the Gospel itself.
II. It’s not just sex because sex is a permanent bond.
A. Our bodies are united to Jesus because Jesus has chosen you to be part of His bride (1 Cor. 6:15). You and your body then are physical extensions of Jesus in this world. Can you then now take your body and say, “It’s just sex. Sex doesn’t matter.” No! Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 6:16 from Genesis 2:24 to help us understand what happens in any sexual encounter. “The two will become one flesh.” Becoming one flesh was only meant for the permanent bond of marriage.
B. Sexual union is comparable to spiritual union. This one spirit union of 1 Corinthians 6:17 refers to the ultimate marriage which every marriage on earth points toward – the marriage of Jesus and His church. Sexual sin violates the ultimate marriage of Christ and the church. You are united to Christ. You belong to Him. You are in the marital embrace of the Son of God forever. To engage in sexual sin then is to desecrate the temple of the Lord that our bodies have become.
III. It’s not just sex because sex is a fire.
A. Sex inside of marriage is something beautiful and holy and good. Sex inside marriage is meant to be respected and held in honor by those in the church (Hebrews 13:4). But sex is also a powerful thing. Sex is like fire. In Proverbs 6:27 Solomon warns to those who are tempted to commit adultery: “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?” Fire itself is not the issue. But the location of the fire makes a drastic difference. The same is true for sex. Sex itself isn’t the problem. It is sex that is apart from God’s design that is the problem.
Application:
Remember that sexual sin can be forgiven and that sex is for married people.
Sources:
The Bible
“Pure” by Dean Inserra/”Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel” by Ray Ortlund/”Married for God” by Christopher Ash
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) How important is marriage in the story of the Bible? In what way is sex within marriage a picture of the Gospel?
2) Who are we connected to permanently as Christians? When we say goodbye to someone we have had sex with, why is that so painful? How is a sexual union within marriage like the spiritual union of Jesus and His church?
3) How is sex like a fire? How can sex be dangerous? How can sex be good and beautiful?