Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
December 6, 2011

Read Ephesians 5:3

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not be named among you, as is proper among saints.”

There is a holy standard for sexuality that God expects of those who call Jesus Lord. Unfortunately too many saints have caved into the culture and written the idea of sexual purity off as impossibility. Young Christian couples now have no problem living together and having sex long before the marriage commitment is made. Older married couples are committing adultery and filing for divorce to find someone new in record numbers, and it’s even worse outside the church!

We have reacted so violently against misguided puritanical ideas that sex is evil, that we have taken to the other extreme. We’ve learned how to justify whatever expression of our sexual desires we think will satisfy our cravings. We think we can practice infidelity, premarital sex, homosexuality and whatever we like and still stand in a sanctuary on Sunday morning swaying to the praise music with tears while we sing of our love for Jesus. We have convinced ourselves that our generation has reached some level of maturity that allows us to put away God’s call for purity in our relationships whenever it interferes with our desires.  However, God still calls to his people to pursue purity and faithfulness in every area of our lives. The gift of sex was not given to indulge our greed for pleasure and power but to help us express the one flesh commitment between a husband and wife.

I like the analogy of the river. Powerful torrents cut through the landscape in strength and beauty.  A river is a wonder to behold. Its beauty is truly captivating.  As long as the water remains between the banks it is a thing of beauty.  But once it spills over outside its natural boundaries it causes massive destruction.  The same is true with sex.  Within the boundaries of faithful heterosexual marriage, sex is a wondrous expression of love and unity as a husband and wife are joined in body mind and spirit.   It does not take much of a glance at the world in which we live to see the damage done by the perversions of God’s design. The results range from everything from broken relationships, to abuse, and exploitation on every hand.

This is what happens when you take a thing of beauty, created by God and use it outside of what he designed. Sex was never intended to be an industry, a crime, a weapon or a game. It is a gift for a husband and a wife. You and I have no right to use it for anything else. Notice how Paul connects sexual immorality to covetousness in our verse today. “Sexuality and impurity and …covetousness.”  The root of immorality is covetousness, which simply means a discontent desire for that which belongs to someone else. Sexual immorality is not so much about pleasure as about idolatry, the worship of the self as a god. You cannot live for God while trying to be god at the same time.

Many, who read this, if they haven’t been offended and run away, are in ungodly sexual relationships. You’ve been telling yourself that since you are in love you can do what you want.  This is a lie from Satan.  True love pursues what is right, not what is convenient. While this may not win this preacher and popularity points, I must warn you that when you sin sexually you are sinning against God, your partner and your own body in ways you cannot even imagine. Paul goes so far as to say that the sexually immoral “has no inheritance in the kingdom of God.” (v.5) The good news is that wherever you are Jesus can set you free and make your brand new.  Let us remember that as Gods holy people we must not even allow immorality to even be named among us.  Put away everything that feeds into sexual idolatry and determine to live purely before the one who died for you.

Pastor Mark Driskill
Web Minister of Begotten By the Word web ministry
See our website at http://ourchurch.com/member/b/bbtw
and
www.facebook.com (to group “begotten by the word”)
Begotten By the Word is a ministry of Helping Hands Christian resources-Evangelism Outreach
www.hhcr05.org
(Feel free to copy in any way that will bring glory to God and further his kingdom.)