Good morning, Watermark.
The scripture reading comes from 1 Corinthians 6 and 7.
Please follow along on the screen, the bulletin, or your own Bible.
Starting in chapter 6, verse 12, we read,
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.
Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food.
And God will destroy both one and the other.
The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord.
And the Lord for the body.
And God raised the Lord, and will also raise us up by His power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?
Never.
Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her?
For as it is written, the two will become one flesh.
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
Flee from sexual immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body.
But the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God?
You are not your own.
You were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote,
It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality,
each man should have his own wife,
and each woman her own husband.
The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights,
and likewise the wife to her husband.
For the wife does not have authority over her own body,
but the husband does.
Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body,
but the wife does.
Do not deprive one another,
except perhaps by agreement for a limited time,
that you may devote yourselves to prayer,
but then come together again,
so that Satan may not tempt you
because of your lack of self-control.
This is the word of God.
Thank you.
Thank you, Iris.
For those of you who don't know me,
my name is Chris.
I'm one of the leaders here at Watermark,
and we're going through this series
looking at sex, gender, relationships,
marriage, cohabitation, singleness.
And for some of you,
this is actually really, really sensitive topics.
And just as we looked at marriage last week,
and we looked at how it's not just a partnership
or a self-fulfillment thing,
it's a one flesh union thing,
this week we're actually going to look at
another painful topic of sex.
And so before I start and before I pray,
I want to just say to each one of us
that actually we want this community
to be a place of safety.
We want it to be a place where wherever you're up to,
if this really touches on some particular areas
and we can't cover everything
just in one or two or three talks,
please come and talk to us.
Because this is not a journey
that we want to go on by ourselves.
It's a journey to go on together as a community.
So let me just pray for us
as we begin to look into this topic.
Father, I thank you that you're the God
who wants to be with us.
You are the great lover of our souls.
Thank you you're the one that we were made for.
And thank you that you're the one who knows us.
And thank you that you're the one
who comes to us wherever we are
and you want to speak to us.
You want to draw us to yourself.
You want to heal us.
You want to restore us.
You want to use us for your glory.
And I pray that today
you would would just go into our hearts.
I pray, Lord, remove anything
that's just unhelpful.
But I pray, would you make us the kind of church
which reflects the kind of God you are,
the kind of love that you have,
and you change us through it.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
I remember when I had the sex talk.
I was 11 years old
and my dad and I were driving along in the car.
And my dad turned to me and he said,
son, he probably didn't say that,
but he said,
I think we ought to talk about sex.
At that moment I went,
I sank into my seat,
I went bright red,
I thought,
I hoped the ground would swallow me up.
Because he said the S word.
And then he said,
I'll give you a book.
And I went,
phew,
that's great.
Because,
like some of us,
I kind of grew up
and we'd grown up with this traditional view of sex,
which in the line of the film,
kind of,
no sex please,
we're British.
Or no sex please,
we're Christians.
Or no sex please,
because we're traditional.
And,
it's one of those things that in churches
we just don't talk about.
And when you don't talk about something,
or actually the church's message is just generally,
just say no.
You know,
no porn,
no sex before marriage,
no masturbation.
What comes out of that is actually,
you feel like it's something dirty,
something shameful.
And in the Corinthian church,
there was a group like this,
and they said things like,
it's good for a man not to have sex with a woman.
And that is very much
what a lot of us have grown up with,
that kind of impression.
And,
opposed to that,
in reaction to that,
modern,
a lot of modern society,
has,
has said,
well,
look at how repressive that is.
Instead,
we,
we have something else that we need to offer.
And they say three things.
They say sex is nothing,
sex is everything,
and sex is private.
And so,
sex is nothing.
Well,
in Corinth,
people were saying,
well,
all things are lawful for me.
I can do what I want.
They can say,
food is for the stomach,
and the stomach is for food.
In other words,
sex is nothing.
It's just biological desires,
like food,
which must be net.
And I've got needs,
and not to meet my sexual needs,
is repressive,
and it can cause psychological,
and physical damage to us.
So,
in the words of the 90s song,
you and me,
baby,
are nothing but mammals.
So,
let's do it like we do it on the Discovery Channel.
Because,
sex is nothing.
It's just biological need.
But we also say,
sex is everything.
You know,
I read this article,
with a headline from the BBC,
which said,
the sadness of life without sex.
Because,
you see,
sex in our culture,
is seen as the ultimate place of happiness,
the ultimate source of fulfillment.
And if you think of celibacy,
not having sex,
that's a dirty word.
That's sounding like,
you're condemned to a life of misery,
a life of loneliness,
a life of suffering.
And who wants that?
And some of us feel that,
right?
We say,
sex is nothing.
We say,
sex is everything.
But then we also say,
sex is private.
And,
our culture says,
well,
it's your body
to do what you want to do with it,
with who you want,
when you want,
just as long as it doesn't harm anyone.
And we then define what harm means.
And so,
as long,
and in this kind of me too world,
as long as there's consent,
everything's on the table.
But it's fascinating where all of that has led us to.
I could go on for a long time.
I'm just going to give you some highlights.
Look at the trail of wreckage in families,
where affairs and porn addiction and divorce are justified by.
I just couldn't help it.
You weren't meeting my needs,
and so I had to look elsewhere.
Just think of all the dating singles
who feel pressured into sex
because it's expected and even demanded of you,
even if you don't want to do it.
Think of the sexting among yous
leading to shame and fear.
Think of the pressure to be good in bed,
which leads,
research shows us,
to a massive outbreak of performance anxiety.
And in this world where we actually have sex
more readily available to us
than any other time in human history,
you know, we've got Tinder,
you've got online hookups,
you've got porn,
you've got everything available to you
just at the click of a button.
In this world,
do you know that global research is showing
that people are having less sex than ever before?
You know, from Japan to Denmark,
governments are getting seriously worried.
You see, I heard one person
summarize modern sexuality like this.
He said,
it's an ever-increasing demand
for an ever-decreasing pleasure
because people are never getting enough.
And people are showing
that the porn industry
amongst singles and marrieds
is diminishing people's desire
and appetite for real-life relationships
and real-life sex.
And they know that it's less satisfying
from the surveys,
but it's just too much work
to do real relationships.
And there's so much other research out there,
it's amazing.
And all of this, we're told,
is sexual liberation.
You know,
I've shared before,
but I had a colleague
that I went away with
and I shared with him
that Fiona and I
would not have sex
before we got married.
And he looked stunned.
And then he said to me,
I wish I was like you,
but I'm a slave to my desires.
And whenever I see a hot woman,
I have to sleep with her.
You see,
when your desires rule,
what happens is not freedom,
but slavery.
You see,
slaves become addicts
who become users,
not lovers.
That people become objects
to satisfy them
rather than those
that we're to cherish
and care for.
You know,
relationships become trades
with your body
as a commodity.
And as long as you're meeting
my need
or each other's needs,
then we're fine.
We'll stay together.
But the moment it doesn't,
then we're not compatible
and we move on.
And I have spoken
to so many people
who have said to me
things like,
you know,
I realize after our relationship,
really they were only interested
in getting me into bed.
And it's left
a whole generation
confused,
scarred,
torn.
And this is not my opinion.
This is what all the research
is showing us.
But the Bible
has a more beautiful,
more freeing vision
of sexuality
and sex.
You know,
Paul himself,
he says,
all things are lawful,
but I will not be dominated
or enslaved,
is the word,
by anything.
Because Christian sexuality
is about freedom.
And I want to
talk about this
just in a few aspects.
I don't have time
to go into everything,
even in this passage,
but I'm just going to
pick out some highlights.
You see,
our society says,
sex is basically
an end in itself,
it's just a personal experience.
But God says,
sex is a means
to a greater end.
And I have a,
just a simple definition here.
Sex is a God-glorifying
act of self-giving
between a husband
and wife
for the purpose
of deepening intimacy,
procreation,
and pointing us
to our heavenly husband,
Christ.
It's God-glorifying
act of self-giving
between a husband
and wife
in marriage
for the purpose
of deepening intimacy,
procreation,
and pointing us
to Christ.
Let me unpack
some of that
as we go.
And I'm going to do that
in a few ways.
So the first,
sex in the Bible
is good.
It's not nothing,
it's not everything,
it's not bad,
it's very good.
You see,
when God created
man and woman,
it says in Genesis,
they were naked
and unashamed.
You know,
we are wired
by God
for intimacy
and vulnerability.
when nothing is hidden
and you feel
utterly safe,
utterly known,
and utterly loved.
That's at the heart
of God's
God-given desire
for sex.
And He wired
our bodies
with all kinds
of chemicals
like testosterone,
estrogen,
dopamine,
oxytocin,
all these different things
for pleasure
and orgasms.
You can say that
in church.
And orgasms
and attachment
that bring physical
pleasure
in sexual intimacy.
Do you know
what the first command
in the Bible is?
Have lots of sex,
be fruitful
and multiply.
God wasn't going
when He saw
Adam and Eve together.
My goodness me,
what are they up to?
He says,
no,
this is good.
In fact,
it's very good.
And if you don't
believe me,
there's a whole book
of the Bible,
the Song of Songs,
which is an erotic
love poem
which a lot of people
in history
got very embarrassed
about
because it's a husband
and a wife
who are delighting
in each other's bodies,
in intimacy,
delighting even
in the naughty bits.
And it's in the Bible.
And God says,
it's good.
So spouses,
let me speak
to you for a second.
When did you last
express
appreciation
for an aspect
of your partner's body?
Now,
singles,
don't go around
doing this.
It's going to get creepy.
Okay?
But spouses,
when do you last
say something like,
hey,
your eyes are
really beautiful.
I love your smile.
Because that is
God honoring
because in saying that,
you're saying,
God made you good.
And that's true.
And in our
very sexualized culture,
many of us actually,
if we're honest,
we struggle with our bodies
because we don't feel
that we match up
to the oppressive ideals
that our culture
tells us we should be
to be sexy,
whatever that means.
And what God wants us
to hear today
is that though our
physical bodies
are broken,
they're not all
they should be,
He created you
and when He looks at you,
He says,
that is good.
So don't call ugly
what God calls beautiful
and don't allow culture
to define the way
you see your body.
Let God's Word define it.
And He says,
you,
your body,
your sexuality,
it's a gift from me
and it's good.
That's the first thing
the Bible shows us.
Sex is good.
The second thing,
and we're going to come
into a little bit
of the passage now,
is sex is worship.
Now, I'll explain
what I mean by that.
Paul says this,
he says,
the body is not meant
for sexual immorality,
but for the Lord
and the Lord for the body.
And then later on,
he goes down and says,
don't you know,
your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit.
Our culture says,
your body is your body
for you.
Scripture says,
no,
if you're a Christian,
your body is not yours,
it's for the Lord.
It's a temple
and a temple
is a place
of worship.
And what you do
with your genitals,
what you do
with your desires,
will either serve
and worship Jesus
or you'll serve
and worship
your idolatrous desires,
which will enslave you.
You know,
in the words
of Bob Dylan,
you've got to serve somebody.
And with your body,
that's also true.
And this is key.
Because a lot of people
ask me questions like,
is it okay
to masturbate?
Or how far
is too far
in a relationship?
And the question
that Scripture
would come to us,
which should be
the foremost question
when dealing
all these practical issues,
is can I do this
and glorify God
with my body?
Because sex is worship.
And it glorifies God.
And let me unpack,
how does it glorify God?
It glorifies Him
in a couple of ways.
And here,
I'm going to move on
to my next thing.
It glorifies it
when sex deepens intimacy.
Okay?
When sex deepens intimacy.
So sex is good,
sex is worship,
but that is expressed
in glorifying God
when it deepens intimacy.
Paul says,
do you know
that he who is joined
to a prostitute
becomes one body
with her?
For as it is written,
the two
will become
one flesh.
And that word
joined
actually means
glued together.
It's from Genesis
chapter 2.
In one flesh
union.
And Kevin explained
some of this
last week,
but let me reiterate.
One flesh
could be translated
a mingling
of souls.
It's a whole person
union of body,
mind,
spirit,
every part of you,
legally,
economically,
in every way,
united and bound together.
It's the place
where if you are
to be safe
and known
and loved
and naked
and unashamed,
then only
with someone
who has committed
their all
to you
in marriage
do you even
have the possibility
of that level
of security
and safety
for true intimacy
in that one
flesh union
where someone
has said,
all that I am
I give to you
and the other
has replied,
yes,
all that I am
I give to you.
You know,
if sex is actually
just physical,
why are rape
and sexual abuse
so devastating
to the whole person?
The reason is
because sex
isn't just physical.
It's a deeply
spiritual,
soul-embodying thing.
And so then
the greatest intimacy,
which is sex,
requires the greatest
commitment,
which is marriage.
And anything
outside of that
is like taking
a beautiful flower
petal
tearing out
of the stem
of the intimate
one flesh
relationship
from where
that is meant
to flourish.
And when you
take out a petal,
what happens?
It looks great
for a while
and then it
withers
and dies.
You know,
Cameron Diaz,
that well-known
theologian
in the movie
Vanilla Sky
says,
don't you realize
that when you
sleep with someone,
your body
makes a promise
even if your
mind does not.
Your body
is saying,
I am
totally
yours.
And if that's
not the reality,
in a one flesh
marriage union,
you are taking
too much
and giving
too little.
You're doing
the act
but not the
all that I am
I give to you.
And that's
like gluing
two things
together
and then
tearing them
apart
and that's
always going
to rip
you apart
and research
shows that
with the amount
of shame,
regret,
anxiety
amongst sexually
promiscuous
people.
It's sinning
against your
own body.
But if that
promise is
a reality,
then when you
have sex
together,
it's like a
regular renewal
of your wedding
vows.
It's drawing
you deeper
into one
flesh union.
How are we
doing?
What does
that mean?
If you're
married,
let me talk
to marriage,
prioritize
sex.
If you're
single,
that may
sound very
strange.
But there
are seasons
like when
you've got
young kids
and I know
about this,
or when
life is just
busy,
it can just
be hard.
You're
tired.
But scripture
says,
don't just
neglect it.
Plan it.
Give your
best time.
Get babysitters.
Get someone
from the church
to look after
your kids.
Whatever.
Because actually
it's about
strengthening
your relationship
together.
Don't neglect
it.
But also,
and here's
a key thing,
don't detach
the act
from one
flesh.
You know,
a former
pastor said
to me,
sex starts
at 8 o'clock
in the morning.
Well,
I looked at
him,
it's like,
wow.
Okay,
but by which
he meant
though,
that if you
think you
can be
emotionally
absent
during the
day,
and yet
still have
physical
intimacy
at night,
or if
your marriage
is filled
with blaming
and negative
put-downs
and an
unwillingness
to apologize,
don't think
you're going
to have a
great sex
life.
Your sex
will be
like a
petal
cut from
the stem,
a detached
act,
when actually
intimacy is
a whole
person
thing,
emotionally,
relationally,
in every
way.
It's about
intimacy.
Sex is about
worship.
It's about
intimacy.
It's about
also
self-giving,
okay,
or service.
This is one
I don't think
we think about
that often,
but this is
at the heart
of it.
You see,
Paul goes
down into
chapter 7
verse 1,
and he's
replying to
some questions
from the
Corinthians,
and he
says,
the husband
should give
to his wife
her
conjugal
rights.
That means
sexual rights.
And likewise
the wife
to her
husband.
For the
wife does
not have
authority
over her
own body,
but the
husband does.
And everyone
in Roman
culture would
have stopped
there.
Wives
give your
husband sex
on demand.
That was
the culture.
But Paul
says something
utterly radical
for his day.
He says,
likewise,
the husband
does not have
authority over
his own
body,
but the
wife does.
Do you see
what he's
saying?
He's saying
sex is not
about domination
or just
about you.
Sex is about
mutual serving
and mutual
self-giving.
Our society
says it's your
body to do
what you want
with it,
and we end
up as users.
God says,
it's not your
body,
it's for me
and for the
worship of me,
and I want you
to give it
a lot of
service to
your spouse.
That's how
to be a
lover.
Judy Slattery,
who,
if you want to,
she's got a
great website
called Authentic
Intimacy,
I highly recommend
it,
deals with a lot
of issues
there.
She says
this,
sex is
designed to
be more
than an
expression of
love between
a husband
and wife.
It is also
the refining
fire of
love.
It tests
and teaches
a willing
man and
woman to
reach beyond
their natural
desires and
learn what
servant love
really is.
This is so
profound.
You know,
I have had
people in
church say,
my wife wants
it but I
don't want to
so I think
we should split
up because
we're not
compatible.
That is
insane.
Because sexual
compatibility
is a myth.
You know,
I don't know
any husband
and wife
who have
perfectly aligned
sex drives
in every season.
I've never
met one.
And you know,
this can be,
you know,
we desire
sex at
different times,
in different
ways and it
can be a
massive source
of frustration
and tension
in marriages.
Some of you
know this.
Again,
if you're
married,
let me ask
you,
how often
do you actually
talk about
sex,
your sex
life together?
What you enjoy
and what you
don't enjoy?
How you're
feeling at this
time?
Because let me
tell you,
from experience,
silence doesn't
lead to
intimacy.
Because how
do you know
how to truly
serve your
partner best
if you haven't
been talking to
them about it?
and instead
of withdrawing,
instead of
demanding,
start talking
and mutually
on both sides
going,
how can I
both serve
the other
person best
in this season?
And that
will cost you
at different
times.
But if both
of you are
doing that,
that is a
recipe
for deepening
sacrificial
love and
intimacy in
your relationship,
if you're
single,
okay,
you don't
get away
with this,
our sexualized
culture has
conditioned us
to believe,
do you know
the movie
When Harry
Met Sally?
It says,
men and
women can't
be friends
because the
sex gets
in the way.
Do you know
that one?
That's not
true.
That's just
the way our
culture thinks.
And so I
want to
challenge us
as singles
to think
how we
can develop
healthy,
appropriately
intimate,
non-sexual
friendships with
people of the
opposite gender.
Like,
girls and
guys,
like,
guys,
just,
let's start
talking about
how we can
serve the
women in
the church
so that they
flourish and
don't just feel
like we're all
out to get
them.
Girls,
how can you
serve the
guys in
the church
so that they
flourish as
brothers and
sisters,
not as
targets to
aim for or
threats to
avoid,
but as
people made
in the image
of God.
You know,
selfishness,
when we're
self-indulgent
with our
sexual desires,
whether in
porn,
whether in
masturbation,
in all kind
of fantasies,
do you know
when selfishness
is unmasked,
it isn't sexy.
Do you know
what's really
sexy?
It's somebody
who is willing
to lay down
their life for
you.
It's somebody
who loves you
at your best
and at your
worst.
And you learn
how to do
that even
when you're
single.
So guys,
grab lunch
together.
Like,
do it in
community.
Share with
older people,
like,
as safeguards
for your own
heart so you
don't go beyond
yourself.
But let's
learn how to
be brothers
and sisters
where the
other people
feel,
members of the
opposite sex
feel like
they're safe,
like they're
known and
like they're
loved.
Sex is
good.
Sex is
worship.
Sex is
intimacy.
And it's
also self-giving.
And all of
that's great.
Except there's
a key thing
that we all
know and we
all need to
recognize.
Sex is also
broken and it
needs healing.
In our
culture and
our lives.
And here is
my final point.
It's the
healing of
sex.
You see,
I was in a
church once and
one of the
leaders fell
into sexual
sin.
And you know,
sex isn't
private because
it was devastating
for the whole
community.
It wreaks
havoc on
everybody.
And Paul
says this,
and this is
in chapter
six, early
on.
He says,
don't be
deceived.
He says,
neither the
sexually immoral
nor the
idolatrous nor
adulterers will
inherit the
kingdom of
God.
Here's the
hard part.
He's saying,
ongoing,
unrepentant
sexual sin
is serious.
If you are
treating your
spouse like
crap, if you
are having an
affair, if you're
sleeping with your
girlfriend or
boyfriend and you
just don't care,
Paul says that
has got eternal
consequences in
hell.
It's serious.
So God says,
don't take it
lightly.
But there's an
offer.
He says,
repent.
Come back to
me.
Come into the
light.
Let an elder or
brother and
sister walk with
you to healing
before it's too
late.
Some of us need
to hear that.
But that's not
where he finishes,
where he lands.
Because even as
Christians, many
of us, we
struggle in all
kinds of ways.
And even if you
don't struggle,
you know, as
Christians we can be
great at thinking
if we're not doing
porn and we're not
committing adultery,
then we're sexual
saints.
And everybody
else is the
deviance.
But you know,
Jesus says,
sexual immorality,
doing sex outside
of God's design,
comes out of the
heart, out of a
self-focused,
self-gratifying,
idolatrous heart.
And who here
amongst us hasn't
taken a second
look?
Who hasn't
fantasized?
Who hasn't
objectified people
who are made in the
image of God?
God, which means
all of us are
sexual sinners in
some way.
And it also means
all of us are
sexual sufferers in
some way, some
more than others.
And to those of us
who are wrestling
with sin and you
just feel like you
can't beat it,
those of us who
are filled with
shame and guilt
from your past,
the decisions you've
made, those of you
who have actually
felt just used and
objectified by other
people, those of you
who feel lonely or
devalued or unwanted,
Paul says this, he
says, to the
sinners, such were
some of you, but you
were washed, you
were sanctified, you
were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the
Spirit of our God.
God, what he's
saying is this, he's
saying when you run
to Jesus in repentance
for sin or to Jesus
for healing where
there's hurt, Jesus
doesn't condemn you.
He doesn't say you've
gone too far for me,
you're too messy for
me.
He says through my
blood I've washed you,
I've made you holy,
you're acceptable,
you're mine.
Your shame is
cleansed, your guilt
is forgiven, your
purity is restored by
the holiness of
Christ.
You are not soiled
space, you're not
damaged space, you are
sacred space if you
trusted in me.
Because no matter how
anyone else has
treated you, you have a
heavenly husband.
You're taken by the
King of Kings and the
Lord of Lords.
He dwells in you.
You know, a diamond
bought for a billion
dollars is not passed
around like a paper
bag.
It's treated with the
highest care.
And if you are a
believer in Christ,
you've been bought with
something way more
precious.
You've been bought with
the blood of the
eternal God of Jesus
Christ himself.
He's taken up
residence in you.
And what does that
mean?
That means you're
priceless.
Holy.
Glorious.
And so he says, if
that is true, don't
cheapen yourself in any
way than anything less
than the glorious
freeing vision God has
for your sex life.
love.
I know of a guy, and
I'll finish here.
I know of a guy, a
boss who went on a
business trip with his
team.
And he came back to his
hotel room to find that
one of his young,
attractive female members
of staff was there in
the room and acting and
dressing extremely
provocatively and
propositioning him.
And he looked at her
and he said, no, I
will not.
And she looked
astonished.
And do you know what
she said?
She replied, she
said, I've never met a
boss who turned me down
before.
And then she broke
down.
And she said this, she
said, I was taken
advantage of sexually when
I was young.
And I've always seen
myself as damaged
goods.
And my body was just
being used as a tool to
get love, to get
attention, to get the
benefits that I wanted
in life.
And then she said, why
are you so different
from all the others?
And he said, I'm a
Christian.
And I believe that you
are dearly loved by God,
which means you are too
valuable for me to use
just to satisfy my own
desires for now.
And she went,
how can I know this
God?
And that began a road
of healing for her.
You see, that healing
for broken people takes
place when we come to
know Christ, but also
when we come into a
community which models
not judgment, but love
and safety for broken
people.
Where the security in
Christ means we can
walk honestly with each
other in all of our
sexual struggles.
Where singles and
brothers are brothers and
sisters looking out for
each other and where
romantic feelings are
developed, we don't just
jump on them straight
away, but we go to
older people to give us
wisdom and walk through
so that we love people
well.
And where there's a place
of healing intimacy
where people can truly be
safe and known and
loved without always
wondering what else is
going on behind the
scenes.
It's a gospel witness to
people.
And that's my prayer that
we become this kind of
community.
But the very last thing
we need to say, with
all of this vision, human
beings will always let you
down.
Sex will always disappoint
you.
You know, our wedding
night wasn't exactly the
way things work out in the
movies.
Our sexual desires will not
always be met, whether you
are single or married.
But the disappointment of
sex is designed to lead
you and point you to the
place where all our
desires are ultimately to
be fulfilled in our
heavenly husband, Christ,
who is not self-centered,
but he has sacrificed
everything for us to be
intimate with us.
Someone once said, he who
rings the brothel bell is
looking for God.
We're looking for one who
takes leftover men and
women, who takes broken,
sinful men and women, who
takes shamed and suffering
men and women.
And he says, come to me,
because with me, like there's
nowhere else on this
planet, you can be utterly
safe, utterly known, and
utterly loved.
Because he knows your
deepest thoughts.
He knows your darkest
secrets.
And yet he gave himself
entirely for you.
He's the only one who's
ever been fully faithful to
that promise.
All that I have, all that I
have, I give to you.
And because of that, he
calls us to come and
worship him with our bodies.
And that is the place of
freedom and healing.
God, let's just take a minute.
I want you just to take a
minute to actually think, what
is God trying to say to you
right now?
God, let's just take a minute to
run.
I want you to take a minute to
run.
Where do you need to run to
Jesus right now?
I'm going to invite the band to
come up and play.
But don't rush from this moment
because God actually wants to do
a work in you.
Some of us have got a lot of
shame and a lot of guilt in
our lives.
And you wonder whether you can
ever fully be cleansed from
it.
And Jesus wants you to run to
him today because he says, oh,
my grace is sufficient for you.
Some of you are in ongoing
sin.
And God's calling you today,
don't wait another minute to
actually repent and come back
to me.
And go and tell someone today
about this so they can walk
with you.
Some of you just need to know
that you are truly loved and
truly valuable.
And to praise God for the way
he sees you.
So just pray before God
right now.
Father I believe there are some people
who need your real healing today
would you show them
that you are not like all the other men or women
that they may have experienced
that you are the greatest lover
the faithful lover
Lord I pray that you administer your healing power today
I pray Father that you would give us as a church
a newfound confidence and backbone
not embarrassment about what you say about sex
but an utter confidence
that what you say is the way things are
and you know the way that we should live in freedom
Lord I pray give us that courage as a church
I pray teach us how to love
teach us how to love
in Jesus name
Amen