28th June 2013 (158 Youths Attended

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 6: 18-20 “Flee Immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” NASB).

THEME: The Pitfalls of Sexual Immorality

INTRODUCTION: Apostle Paul came strongly against sexual sin here, and elsewhere in Scripture, for example, in 1Thessalonians 4:2-8. It is very important to understand what is meant by sexual immorality or sexual sin first.

Sexual immorality happens when two people who are not married unite sexually. There are natural and perverted sexual sins, i.e. the natural sin occurs when two people of the opposite sex unite unlawfully such as in fornication and adultery. Sexual perversions, which is not only an abomination to God, but also to mankind, such is homosexuality (Single sex), Leviticus 20:13, Genesis 19:1-11 and Romans 1:18-28, and man having sex with an animal (bestiality), Leviticus 18:23, Deuteronomy 27:21) when man goes beyond the prescription of nature.

Having defined immorality lets us now understand the word, “temple” and its importance. The first temple was constructed by Solomon, and was dedicated in 10th century BC, in a powerful ceremony in which God personally participated. The temple signified the presence of God among Israel. The Temple had two important sections within itself:

(i) The Holy of Holies – also known as the Kodesh Hakodashim (1 Kings 6:19; 8:6), also called the “Inner House” (1 Kings 6:27, Heb. 9:3). It was floored and wainscoted with cedar of Lebanon (1 Kings 6:16), and its walls and floor were overlaid with gold (6:20, 21, 30). It contained two cherubim of olive-wood, each 10 cubits high, (1 Kings 6:16, 20, 21, 23–28) and each having outspread wings of 10 cubits span, so that, since they stood side by side, the wings touched the wall on either side and met in the center of the room. It also contained the Ark of the Covenant. There was a two-leaved door between it and the Holy Place overlaid with gold, (2 Chr. 4:22); also a veil of tekhelet (blue), purple, and crimson and fine linen, (2 Chr. 3:14); (compare Exodus 26:33). It had no windows, (1 Kings 8:12) and was considered the dwelling-place of the “name” of God.

(ii) The Holy place, the Hekhal, (1 Kings 8:8–10), is also called the “greater house” (2 Chr. 3:5) and the “temple” (1 Kings 6:17); the word also means “palace.” It was of the same width and height as the Holy of Holies, but 40 cubits in length. Its walls were lined with cedar, on which were carved figures of cherubim, palm-trees, and open flowers, which were overlaid with gold. Chains of gold further marked it off from the Holy of Holies. The floor of the Temple was of fir-wood overlaid with gold. The door-posts, of olive-wood, supported folding-doors of fir. The doors of the Holy of Holies were of olive-wood. On both sets of doors were carved cherubim, palm-trees, and flowers, all being overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:15 ).

The temple was a seat of God, the same way to a body of a believers, Jesus Christ is the seat of God. The two places, the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place, take the same place as the Soul and Spirit of a believer of Jesus Christ. After the death of Christ, God no longer lives in houses made of human hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24). God promised that He would dwell inside a believer (John 14:23; the temple curtain was torn into two, signifying a fundamental transition.

Today we have magnificent cathedrals, temples and churches, but God is not dwelling in there. There is nothing sinful about having these wonderful houses of worship, but it wrong to think that God ever dwells in them.

(iii) Sexual immorality: Sexual immorality is a form of worship of the devil because it turns the beauty of God and His temple into a place of idolatry. Sexual practice is a major phenomenon in occult and witchcraft industries. The agenda of Satan is to promote illicit sexual relationship, to patentally destroy a relationship between man and God. Covenants with demons are strengthened by animal blood and sexual intercourse. People who have signed packs of wickedness with the devil go through dirty rituals, one of which, must be sexual intercourse. This sin binds a covenant between man and Satan.

In Africa, over 80% of people, mainly women, visit witchdoctors for sexual and marital solutions. Performing art and music is a platform for the booming sex industry. In the developed world every thing must be made to look sexy. Before selling anything, including an old bicycle, one has to make it look sexy first. Jesus rightly described this generation as an adulterous and perverse generation, (Mark 8:38, Mathew16:4 and Mathew 12:39). The sex explosion has bound the world into the full grip of Satan.

Sexual sin of any kind is a stench in the nostrils of God; an abomination which must not even be named among the redeemed of the Lord. Sexual sin dishonors the Lord directly and has irreversible consequences, (Proverbs 6:32-33). It is quite true, and Biblical, that there is no sin that God cannot forgive. All sin can be forgiven including any form of sex or perversions, (Isaiah 1: 18, 1John 1: 9, Psalms 103:11-12).

But it should clearly be noted that God’s forgiveness of sin does not always wipe out the consequences of sin. For example, a man may sleep with an HIV/AIDS infected prostitute and contract the deadly virus. When he repents, the merciful God will forgive Him, but he may not necessarily be healed of virus: His soul may be secured, but his life on earth will be shortened though he is forgiven.

For many years I grappled with the understanding of Exodus 34:6-7 till the Lord revealed it to me. “Then Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth; who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grand children to the third and fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7 NASB). At first this sounded like a contradictory confusing statement, “How can the Lord forgive, yet at the same time hold the sinner guilty for the punishment, not only for himself but also generations after him?” God revealed to me that one part is dealing with restoration of relationship and fellowship with a transgressor, and the other part is about the consequences that follow the transgression.

To clarify this, let us consider the unfortunate story of king David and Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. King David exceedingly lusted after her and committed an indecent act of immorality with her. God exposed the king’s reckless behavior through an unwanted pregnancy, which he attempted to conceal, but in vain. He finally premeditates to bump off Uriah so that he could have the justification for marrying her.

He committed three sins in a row: adultery, concealing it, and murder. (2 Samuel11:1-26). When confronted with the truth by Prophet Nathan, the king came to his senses and repented in tears with fasting (Ps 51). The Lord pronounced His forgiveness, but that did not wipe out the terrible consequences that had to follow (2 Samuel 12:13-14). Although the Lord had forgiven King David, the consequences followed this sin for four generations i.e. the child, the product of the adulterous union died despite David’s plea for its life to spared by God, incest between Amnon and Tamar, murder among his sons, David toppled by his own son, and cursed by Shimei, which happened right in Kind David’s face.

In the second generation, Solomon’s crippling lust led him to marriage with daughters of the land, for which the Lord had forbidden Israel. (1Kings 11:1-8). King Solomon set a record that no one has, (and never and will break): 700 wives and 300 concubines is a worldly record yet to be broken by some one. I believe this was a curse, emanating from David’s sin with Bathsheba. The women turned his heart away from the Lord, and he died prematurely, before 70.

In the third generation, Solomon’s off spring, King Rehoboam, also under this curse too, made absolutely foolish decisions leading to the spilt of the Kingdom of Israel, and nearly led to a heavy bloodshed, had God not intervened.

In the fourth generation, King Abijah sanctioned idolatry and had the shortest reign in Judah, only three years. The curse was paid for in full.

Living Examples: A lady came to me five years ago, she had endured a bad marriage for over 8 years. She had been physically abused by the husband several times. She described her marriage as being trapped in loveless and boring marriage. What was surprising was that both of them were born again Christians and active members of a powerful Pentecostal church in town. The husband was not just a Christian, but a deacon and a prominent member of the local church Board. As I prayed with this young woman, a word of revelation came from Proverbs 28:13. “He who conceals his transcriptions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” NASB).

The woman revealed to me that they had concealed sexual sin with her husband, and that was definitely a hold up in their marital relationship. Both her husband and she contacted their pastor who responded by making them go through a humiliating process of public confession before praying for the healing of their marriage. It did work, they are now living happily.

Through my counseling sessions with people, I discovered that sexual immorality is a key factor in opening doors for demonic molestation. The problems such as divorce, unfaithfulness in marriage, some sicknesses, bareness, etc., have roots in sexual immorality which is not dealt with; it is concealed.

Sexual sin haunts for ten generations. (Numbers 23:2). God did not allow His Holy race, Israel to get mingled up in marital relationship with the accursed and idolatrous nations of Canaan. King Solomon polluted himself by uniting with prohibited women of the land, which the Lord has hated due to their idolatry and witchcrafts. Having sex with any one who is not your spouse is joining a network of impurities. If a man sleeps with a prostitute who has had sex with 50 other people, she is carrying all the impurities of those 50 men which she will offload into the system of this man. This man begins to carry all curses, sicknesses, etc unknowingly.

How to avoid sexual sin:

(i) The conquest against sexual sin begins with acquiring correct knowledge about it. “Ignorance has no defense,” (Hosea 4:6), as the saying goes. The church of this day does not teach strongly against sexual sin. In many places, it has been down played as natural and normal. Both church leaders and their flock commit it with impunity. Some people try to soften the sin of sexual immorality as a mere “perversion” sexual “orientation.” God has never created any one for single sex or sex with beasts. God loves these people all right, but hates their ways totally. They need to know the truth, repent and the grace of God helps them out to be normal. I know all they are going through is a result of strong demonic bondage and pressure. They are even many times helpless against it. They need to demonstrate the will power to change, and they will be helped out. The blood of Jesus can break those chains and set them free. They need to be told and not just pampered.

(ii) Sexual sin in manufactured in the mind. Therefore, disciplining the mind is a key in fighting sexual sin. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, we are destroying speculations and every loft thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to obedience of Christ, and we ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2Corinthians10:4-6NASB).

Gaining control over our thought life is a must before one over comes sexual fantasies. Paul advises us to make choices about our thoughts. (Philippians 4:7-8, Psalms 19:14) .Sin begins as a meditation of the mind, which grows to lust, then eventually sexual act.

(iii) Avoiding all occasions of sin. The choice of friends is very important in a battle against sexual sin. (1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14-17). What one feeds his or her mind on will determine the course of action eventually. The Bible admonishes women to dress decently to protect men from impure thoughts. (1Timothy 2:9). Pornographic films and videos all serve to fan lustful thoughts. (Psalms 119: 37).

Summary: Disciples of Jesus need to know that sexual sin is destructive, and carries with it curses because it disgraces the temple of God, which is their bodies. The penalty is loss of Heavenly Kingdom, (Galatians 5:19-20) . Every one is responsible before the Lord, and must be ready to give an account, Amen!