1 Corinthians 6:12-20

1 Corinthians 6, verses 12 through 20.

1 Corinthians 6:12–20

That's page 955 on the Pew Bible.

Let me encourage you to turn there

if you didn't bring a Bible this morning.

1 Corinthians 6, verses 12 through 20.

1 Corinthians 6:12–20

Let me read this text for us.

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,

for you were bought with a price.

So glorify God in your body.

Let's pray together.

Our Father, how right it is to give you praise.

Lord, all creation praises you.

From the heavenly host down to the most microscopic

plankton in the bottom of the sea.

Lord, all is resounding with your praise.

So as we come before your word this morning, Lord,

we pray that you would free our minds from distraction

and give us clarity by your spirit

to listen to what this passage is saying,

that we might join in the glorifying work

of creation as your image bearers

and as those who have been loved and redeemed by Christ.

We ask this in his name.

Amen.

Let's talk about sex, baby.

Let's talk about you and me.

Let's talk about all the good things

and the bad things that can be.

Let's talk about sex.

So sang Salt-N-Pepa right here on the New Haven Green

just a couple summers ago.

15,000 people.

Let's talk about sex.

But in the church, it seems like sex has been something

we haven't been so apt to talk about.

If you've been watching the farewell season of Downton Abbey,

think of the scene a couple weeks ago

between the butler, Mr. Carson,

and the cook, Mrs. Patmore.

Mr. Carson is about to marry one Mrs. Hughes,

and the anxious Mrs. Hughes has sent her good friend,

Mrs. Patmore, to Mr. Carson to ask on her behalf

if Mr. Carson wants a full marriage

with all that that entails.

And when Mrs. Patmore meets with Mr. Carson

and finally beats around the bush long enough

for him to catch her drift

of what she actually wants to talk about,

they both awkwardly turn away from each other

in their chairs,

speak about the subject in indirect references,

and raise their eyes to the ceiling,

wonderfully embarrassed.

It's a well-played scene.

But despite what many people think,

when the Bible speaks about sex,

and 1 Corinthians 6 is just one of many places,

there is neither the glib casualness of pop music

nor the stiff awkwardness of post-Victorian moralism.

You see, in the Christian view of things,

sex is neither a mere appetite to fulfill,

so long as there are mutually consenting parties,

nor is sex a taboo subject

that should fill us with embarrassment.

Rather, as we'll see in this passage,

the Christian view of sex rooted in the Bible

is full of glory.

A divine gift of a good creator

meant to show forth his kingdom

to be used in the way he intends.

And so, Paul will stay quite bluntly in verse 18.

Flee sexual immorality.

God's vision and purpose for sex

are so good and glorious

that you should run away

if you find yourself tempted to pursue anything

that falls short of it.

Like Joseph in Genesis,

sprinting away from the advances of Potiphar's wife,

flee sexual immorality.

But, of course, ours isn't the first period

in human history

that's experienced more than a bit of confusion

surrounding sex.

When you read a text like 1 Corinthians 6,

I don't know about you,

but it can be strangely comforting

to realize

that we're not the only ones

who've been a bit muddled

when it comes to understanding

what sex is really for.

In many ways,

we still haven't caught up

with the first century

when it comes to muddledness.

And so, there's no reason

for the church today to freak out.

The gospel was the power of God

for salvation then,

and it is still so today.

But for all that,

it does seem that the church in Corinth

was seriously failing

to grasp how the gospel

ought to shape our view of sex.

Verses 15 and 16 imply

that there were Christians in Corinth

who thought it was perfectly acceptable

to visit the local temple prostitutes

and not in order to introduce them to Jesus,

mind you.

But notice this.

They were failing to grasp

how the gospel shapes

our view of sex

because at a deeper level,

they were failing to grasp

what the gospel means

for our bodies.

Eight times in nine verses,

Paul mentions the body.

The whole passage will end,

glorify God in your body.

It's that positive vision

of God's glory

resounding through our bodily life

that Paul leaves ringing in our ears.

Yes,

flee sexual immorality

and do so

because you've been called

to something greater.

Glorify God

in your body.

So what does the gospel

have to say about our bodies

that will help us

think clearly

about God glorifying

sexual expression

and empower us

to live that way?

I think we see four things

in our text here before us.

A four-point sermon this morning,

not a three-point sermon.

Changing things up.

Four points in honor

of the four quarters

of the Super Bowl.

Here we go.

First,

glorify God

in your body

because your body

has a God-given purpose.

We see this in verses 12 through 14.

Explicitly at the end of verse 13.

The body is not meant

for sexual immorality

but for the Lord.

The body has a meaning.

Now the passage begins

with Paul quoting

some slogans

that some of the Corinthians

would have bandied about.

The first slogan

sort of marked off

in quotation marks there

was,

all things are lawful for me.

In other words,

you can hear the Corinthians

thinking,

we're not under the law anymore,

we're under grace.

So that means we have the right

to do all things,

right?

But Paul immediately

begins to sort of

pick apart

and deconstruct

their slogan-based

moral thinking.

All things are lawful

for me,

you say,

but not all things

are helpful,

are they?

And certainly

not all things

are liberating.

Some things

will make you

their slave.

They will dominate you.

The next slogan

goes something like this,

food is meant

for the stomach

and the stomach

for food.

Now in the Greek

manuscripts

of the New Testament,

there wasn't

any punctuation.

So we have to

actually decide

based on the context

and the language itself

where these slogans

kind of begin

and end

in the text.

And many commentators

think that the next line,

and God will destroy

both one and the other,

actually ought to be

included in the

quotation marks too.

And I actually think

they're right.

And so the Corinthian

slogan really runs

something like this,

food is for the stomach

and the stomach

for food,

and in the end

it doesn't really matter

because God's going

to do away

with all this

bodily material stuff

anyway.

So you see then

the underlying idea

that they had.

What we do

with our bodies

doesn't really matter.

If you're hungry,

you should eat.

If you're lustful,

you should have sex.

It's just a bodily appetite.

It doesn't really matter.

After all,

what God really cares about

are our souls

and all this bodily stuff

is going to go away

someday

anyhow.

And in many ways

we can think similarly

today,

can't we?

It's just sex.

What's the big deal?

Does God really care

what I do

with my body?

I mean,

we love each other.

And here's where

the gospel comes in.

In light of what God

has done in Christ,

friend,

your body

is not

meaningless.

It's not just

a collection

of atoms

and energy

with no purpose

and no future.

Your body

has a meaning.

It's actually

meant for something.

And not just

something,

but more specifically

someone.

Just who exactly?

The Lord.

The body

is not meant

for sexual immorality,

but for the Lord.

That is

the Lord Jesus.

And then Paul

goes one step further.

And the Lord

for the body.

In other words,

your body

was created

for the Lord

to serve him,

worship him,

love him.

And the Lord

came for you,

body and all.

Think about

the central message

of the Bible.

In the beginning,

God created humanity,

right?

Bodily.

And then

after the fall

had introduced

death and decay

and disordered desire

into the world,

when the fullness

of time had come,

Jesus in the incarnation

took on a human

body

to show

that God's

redeeming purposes

included our whole selves,

bodies included.

And in verse 14,

Paul goes on

and points

to the resurrection.

Just as God

raised the Lord Jesus

in the body,

he will raise us

to body and all.

And so despite

the Corinthian

slogan,

God

won't

simply destroy

one and the other.

He will raise

them up.

So it seems

your body,

Christian,

has a glorious

future.

From creation

to redemption

to resurrection,

our good God

has a purpose

for our bodies.

One writer

tells the story

of a student

friend of his

who never bothered

to buy a screwdriver.

Instead,

he just kept

a couple of

knives around,

a big one

and a small one.

The big knife

for the big screws,

the small knife

for the small screws,

and they could

pretty much

get the job done

when needed.

Sounds like

a classic

graduate student.

Except over time,

the knives

became bent

and dull,

losing their

usefulness

as knives.

And one day

when turning

a particularly

stubborn screw,

the knife blade

snapped

in three pieces,

cutting his

friend's hand

quite badly

in the process.

Knives are made

with a purpose.

There's a right way

to use them.

In this text,

Paul's trying

to get us

to see

what it means

to use the human

body in the right way

for the right purpose.

And that is a purpose

that comes from God,

the God who made us,

who took on flesh

to redeem us

and will one day

raise us in glory.

And when we face

temptation,

and when we need

to flee

sexual immorality,

whether it's

the temptation

to view pornography

on the internet,

whether it's

the temptation

to sleep

with your boyfriend

or girlfriend,

whether it's

the temptation

to have an affair

outside of your marriage,

whatever it is,

in the moment

of temptation,

it will do you,

friends,

much good

to speak this

very truth

to your hearts.

It's not

what I'm

meant for.

These things

are not

what I'm

meant for.

I am the Lord's,

the Lord is mine,

and I have a purpose

and a future

that makes the

fleeting pleasure

of this temptation

look no more

desirable in comparison

than lima beans

to a third grader.

I hated lima beans

as a kid.

I actually tried

feeding them

to my dog

under the table.

I got in really

big trouble

for that.

But seriously,

though,

isn't it true

that sometimes

we give in

to sexual sin

just because

we think

we don't

deserve better?

We think

we're failures,

we think

we're valueless,

purposeless,

meaningless,

and so we just

give in.

Friends,

it's not

what you're

meant for.

You are the

Lord's,

and if you

are His,

one day

in the resurrection,

you will

radiate with

a beauty

that if we

could see it

now in this

life,

we would be

tempted to

fall down

and to

worship you

as a God.

The psalm

we read earlier,

Psalm 16,

was all about

God not

abandoning our

souls and even

our bodies

to the grave,

but rescuing

them for glory,

to be in

communion with

Him where

there is

pleasure

forevermore.

That's what

you're meant

for.

So glorify

God in

your body

because your

body is full

of God-given

purpose.

It's meant

for the

Lord.

And that

leads right

into our

next point.

If our

bodies are

for the

Lord and

the Lord

for our

bodies,

then that

means that

we won't

just share

a future

union with

Him,

but that

even now

we have

a present

union with

Him as

well.

And so the

second point,

verses 15

through 17,

glorify God

in your

body because

your body

is a

member of

Christ.

Paul begins

with a rhetorical

question,

do you not

know?

This is

something they

should know.

Do you not

know that

your bodies

are members

of Christ?

Now when we

hear the word

member today,

we think of

voluntary

association in

a social group

or a political

party or a

mailing list,

what have

you?

But when

Paul uses

the word,

the image

is much

more intimate

and much

more graphic

than that.

It literally

means a

body part.

You are

the limbs

and organs

of Christ

is how one

commentator

tries to

capture the

phrase.

Paul will

use this

metaphor again

in chapter

12 to talk

about unity

and honor

in the

church family.

But here,

Paul is making

a point about

sex.

Now,

in the

Corinthian

context,

the particular

issue was

sex with

temple

prostitutes,

as we

mentioned

earlier.

And of

course,

there are

all sorts

of things

that are

wrong with

prostitution.

Paul gets

that,

we get

that.

But,

the point

that Paul

wants to

highlight here

is specifically

related to

the meaning

of sex

itself.

And that

meaning is

found in

the one

little phrase

in our

passage,

one

flesh.

You see,

friends,

the biblical

view of

sex is

that it

exists for

more than

mere pleasure

on the

one hand,

and for

more than

mere

procreation

on the

other.

Ultimately,

sex is

an expression

and declaration

and embodiment

of a whole

life union

with another

person.

sex is

a way

of saying

to another

person,

I'm committing

my whole

life to

you,

not just

physically,

but in

every way,

socially and

spiritually,

emotionally and

financially and

so on.

As Paul quotes

Genesis to

say,

the two will

become one

flesh.

flesh.

But there's

another step

in the line

of Paul's

thinking that

we have to

see.

This one

flesh,

whole life

union that

sex is

meant to

signify and

communicate

is itself

meant to

be a

reflection,

a picture

of something.

Of what?

of the

deep,

intimate

union

that Christ

has with

believers.

Verse 17,

he who is

joined to

the Lord

becomes one

spirit with

him.

That is

inseparably,

personally

united.

United in

such a way

that the

union between

a husband and

a wife can

only be a

reflection.

Paul will

say as much

again in

Ephesians 5.

Again,

in speaking of

marriage and

sex,

he'll quote

Genesis 2,

24.

A man shall

leave his

father and

mother and

hold fast to

his wife and

the two shall

become one

flesh.

And then

Paul says,

this mystery

is profound

and I'm

saying that it

refers to

Christ and

the church.

In other

words,

marriage and

sex are

meant to

point beyond

themselves to

a much greater

reality.

to the

unbreakable

union between

Christ and

the church.

So you

see,

this is why

the biblical

sex ethic

is what it

is.

In

redemption,

God unites

himself with

that which is

radically different

than himself.

Us,

fallen and

finite human

beings.

And that

union is

forged wholly,

intimately,

and permanently.

And so in

the Bible,

human marriage

is a display

and picture

of that

redeeming love

of God.

Marriage is

the union

between two

people who

are different,

male and

female,

and who

give themselves

to one

another wholly,

intimately,

and permanently,

as long as

they both

shall live,

the old

vows say.

So why is

sex with a

prostitute so

unthinkable in

light of the

gospel?

Why is any

sex outside of

marriage so

out of place

in light of

the gospel?

Because only in

marriage does

sex say

what it's

supposed to

say.

That there is a

God who loves

us,

and has given

himself wholly

for us,

and will

never,

ever forsake

us.

If you want

to dive deeper

into the

biblical vision

for sex and

sexuality and

gender,

friends,

let me encourage

you to come

to this Sunday

school class

happening at

nine o'clock

on Sundays.

Greg and

others will be

unpacking this

over the next

few months.

But if what

Paul is saying

about sex here

is true,

that it's

ultimately a

sign,

a display of

the much

greater union

believers have

with Christ,

if that's

true,

then it means

something very

practical for

those of us

who are

single.

Our culture

tells us that

it's impossible

to be a

fulfilled,

flourishing human

person apart

from active

sexual expression.

In other

words,

if I'm not

having sex,

I'm fundamentally

missing out.

Missing out not

just on having

a good time,

but on being a

whole human

person,

right?

But in light

of the gospel,

you see the

single person

who is in

Christ,

the single

person who is

in Christ

already enjoys

what sex is

ultimately about.

God's

love.

It's like a

tourist standing

atop the great

wall of China

with the green

hills rolling

off in every

direction,

but staring

nose down,

face buried

in his or her

Rick Steve's

guidebook,

looking at a

picture of the

thing.

when it stands

right there

beneath their

feet,

if they just

lift their

gaze and

take it in.

Sex is a

glorious picture,

yes,

but it is still

a picture,

and you don't

need the picture

to enjoy the

thing itself.

Will you miss

out if you're

not having

sex?

No.

You don't

need sex to

be a whole

human person,

which is to

say sex is

not God

and never

can be.

And do you

want to know

what will help

you flee

sexual immorality?

Grow in

your intimacy

with the

thing itself,

with Christ

himself.

Why did he

give us the

scriptures?

So that we

could hear his

words again

and again,

and like

lovers we

could relish

every word

and know his

voice and

know his

presence.

Why did

Jesus give us

the Lord's

Supper?

So that we

could touch

and taste

and hold

something bodily

that would

speak powerfully

to our hearts

of what he's

done for us.

In the Old

Testament,

sharing a

meal was a

way to do

covenant renewal,

to renew the

promises and

intimacy of a

relationship.

And here at

this meal,

the Lord,

as it were,

renews his

covenant with

all who've

placed their

trust in him,

who've been

joined to him,

as verse 17

says,

through faith.

So here then,

friends,

is our second

point.

Glorify God in

your body,

because your

body is a

member of

Christ.

And the

third part

follows right

from it.

again,

our intimate

union with

Christ means

that we're

not just

inseparably

connected to

him,

but in a

mysterious way,

it means that

by the Holy

Spirit,

God dwells

in us.

In verses

18 and 19,

then we have

the third

point.

Glorify God

in your body,

because your

body is a

temple of the

Holy Spirit.

Now,

everyone agrees,

if you look

down,

that verse

18 is a

tricky verse.

On the

surface,

Paul seems to

be saying

that sexual

sins are

somehow worse

than other

sins.

But you know,

the rest of

the New

Testament proves

that that

can't be what

Paul is saying

here.

Just last

week,

we saw that

sexual

immorality

and greed

and reviling

and so on

are all

equally out

of place

in God's

kingdom.

So what

is Paul

saying?

Well,

if you look

at the

footnote

in the

ESV

there,

we could

legitimately

read the

first part

of the

verse to

simply be

saying,

every sin

a person

commits is

outside the

body.

And that

sounds a

lot like

some of

the

Corinthian

slogans

that Paul

was dismantling

earlier in

the passage.

In other

words,

what we do

in our

bodies

isn't

really that

spiritually

significant.

And many

commentators

have thought

just that,

that Paul

is quoting

and combating

here,

yet another

Corinthian

slogan.

But,

if that's

not the

case,

if the

ESV has

rendered the

verse properly

and many

translations do

it the same

way,

if this

isn't a

Corinthian

slogan,

then it would

seem that

Paul is not

saying that

sexual immorality

is worse

than other

sins,

sins.

But he

is saying

that it

has its

own sort

of seriousness.

It has

its own

particular

sort

of gravity.

Sex is

powerful.

Signifies the

whole life

union with

another

person.

Signifies the

redeeming union

of Christ

with his

church.

church.

church.

And it

does all

this through

a very

intimate and

vulnerable use

of our

God-given

bodies.

Perhaps this

verse is

simply Paul

being a

realist.

Sex is a

great and

powerful gift

and precisely

for that

reason,

its misuse

can bring

great harm.

A fire in

a fireplace

brings great

warmth and

joy to a

home.

But a

house on

fire brings

great sadness

and loss.

But in the

next verse,

Paul turns

toward the

positive.

Again with a

rhetorical,

do you not

know?

Do you not

know that your

body is a

temple of the

Holy Spirit?

Back in

chapter 3,

Paul called

the Corinthians

a temple of

the Holy Spirit

corporately,

as a church

together,

but now he

means it very

much personally.

Every individual

who believes in

Christ receives

the indwelling

presence of the

Holy Spirit and

as the end of

verse 19 says,

this comes as a

gift from

God.

It's not

something we

have to earn.

Notice Paul is

not saying here

in this passage

or anywhere

in his

writings.

You must be

moral so that

the Holy Spirit

can dwell in

you.

He's saying the

opposite.

The Holy Spirit

already dwells in

you by God's

grace.

Therefore,

be who you

are.

Your body is

a temple of

God's own

spirit now

already.

Now live as

if that's true.

And of course,

that means we

ought to seek

holy lives.

But at a

deeper level,

friends, it

means that we

ought to live

without being

haunted by

shame.

You see,

before you had

done one

thing right,

before you

had made

any progress

in righteousness

or holiness,

when you were

still utterly

dead in sin,

Christian brother

or sister,

God took up

residence within

you by his

Holy Spirit.

He looked at

you and said,

by virtue of

what Christ

my son has

done,

I'm coming to

live there

permanently.

I'm making it

my home.

And so he will

do for everyone

who trusts in

Christ.

Maybe you're here

this morning and

you've not been

fleeing sexual

immorality.

Maybe you've

fallen into it

time and

time and

time again.

And as a

result, shame

lingers in

every corner

of your life.

And you feel

that if someone

really saw you,

they wouldn't

love you.

And if someone

loved you,

they couldn't

have really

seen you.

But listen to

the good news

this morning.

No matter

how impure

and uninhabitable

you may feel,

if you've

placed your

trust in

Christ,

God himself

has taken

up residence

within.

You are

a temple

of the Holy

Spirit.

The same

Spirit who

when he

descended on

the Old

Testament

temple made

it so that

the priests

couldn't even

stand up

because his

presence was

so overwhelming

and so

glorious.

That's who's

in you.

That's who

you are.

Not a

mistake.

Not a

failure.

Not an

addict.

Not a

boarded up

home on

the edge

of town

where no

one wants

to live

but a

temple of

the Holy

Spirit.

So from

now on,

come live

that way.

Come live

that way.

Be who

you are.

Come clean

where you

need to

come clean.

There's no

shame here.

Break off

relationships

that you

need to

break off.

He'll

strengthen

you.

He'll be

with you.

Stop

living together.

It'll be

worth the

cost and

the weight.

get rid

of technology

where you

need to

get rid

of

technology.

You don't

really need

a smartphone

despite what

the world

might say.

Don't let

guilt and

shame and

fear hold

you in their

grip anymore.

glorify God

in your

body.

Your body

has a

God-given

purpose.

It's a

member of

Christ and

it's a

temple of

the Holy

Spirit.

But there's

one more

point that

Paul makes.

One more

reason to

glorify God

in our

bodies.

And this

fourth and

final reason

simply put

is the

cross.

you're

not your

own.

For you

were bought

with a

price.

So glorify

God in

your body.

You see

underneath the

Corinthian

attitude towards

sex and

the body

was the

belief that

at the

end of

the day

what they

did with

their bodies

was really

their own

business.

But when

we take

that attitude

and bring

it into

the light

of the

gospel we

see that

it just

can't be

so.

We don't

belong to

ourselves

anymore.

We belong

to Christ.

You see

because of

sin friends

we lived

under a

debt that

we could

never pay.

And that

debt grew

greater every

second of

every day

infinite upon

infinite upon

infinite.

A debt that

held us

wholly under

its power

body and

soul.

You might be

here this

morning living

under this

debt maybe

without even

realizing it and

you wonder why

there's a weight

on everything

you see and

experience and

know.

But there

is one who

came who

was able to

pay the

price to

lift the

debt and

he was not

just able but

willing to do

so.

To redeem

us he gave

up his own

body to

die on a

cross to

pay our

debt of

sin in

our place.

And now in

light of what

he's done

we're

gloriously not

our own

anymore.

He bought

us for

himself and

we belong

to him.

If you're

new to

Christianity

this is

really the

point around

which everything

else turns.

Christ

crucified.

God

the fact

that we

are so

sinful that

the perfect

son of

God had

to pay an

infinite price

for us his

own blood.

But the

fact that we

are so loved

and accepted

that he

gladly paid

it out.

Becoming a

Christian putting

your trust in

Jesus Christ

means embracing

these two

realities that

flow forth from

the cross that

we are

simultaneously sinful

and accepted.

And it means

entrusting your

whole life to

him.

The great

lifter of our

debt.

The great

purchaser of

our lives body

and soul.

And he

becomes the

Lord of your

life.

You listen to

what he says in

his word.

And by the

indwelling power

of the spirit

you're changed

more and more

to become like

him.

And you become

a part of his

people in the

world.

The family of

God.

The church.

Of course the

thought of being

no longer your

own as Paul

says at the end

of verse 19

can sound a bit

scary or

threatening can't

it?

And yet to come

under the

lordship of

Christ even

when it comes to

how we use our

bodies is the

most liberating

thing there is.

If it's true

that Jesus Christ

is our loving

creator and

redeemer then

surely belonging

to him and

doing what he

says and trusting

him is the most

liberating and

joyful thing we

could possibly

do.

Because he gave

his body for

us we can

gladly and

safely give our

bodies to him.

If he was

willing to go to

the cross for me

and love then

surely I can

trust him with my

everything body

included.

God's

God's

purpose.

Because it's a

member of

Christ.

Because it's a

temple of the

Holy Spirit and

ultimately because you

were bought with a

price because of all

that brothers and

sisters flee sexual

immorality and

instead glorify God

in your body.

flee sexual

immorality not

because sex

itself is awkward

or dirty or

taboo but because

God's vision and

purpose not just for

sex but for our

very bodies is so

much more glorious

and satisfying.

And as we do so the

world will see in us a

different way of

thinking about our

bodies.

And the world will see

in us a different way

of living as embodied

people in community.

And by God's grace it

will draw them to know

and trust the risen Lord

Jesus for themselves.

The one who gave up his

body for us so that

our bodies might be

raised with his.

Let's pray.

Oh Father we come

before you this

morning having thought

about these words of

your Apostle Paul to

glorify you in our

bodies.

grace.

And we want to

pause and confess

this morning God

that that is often

so hard.

And Jesus we

recognize that there

is no difficulty,

no sin,

no temptation,

no hardship that you

yourself did not know

in its full measure

and full weight

of your grace.

During your earthly

ministry.

And so we find in you

Lord our refuge

and our shield

and our strength.

Fill us anew with your

Holy Spirit

that we might live out

the vision of this

passage.

And God build us

into a community

of love and grace

and truth.

Make us into a church

family where living

this kind of life

makes sense.

Where there is

fellowship and

friendship and

communion.

Where there is love

and acceptance.

God I pray for those

who are undergoing

conviction of sin

this morning.

Areas of their life

that they need to be

fleeing from.

Oh God I pray that

you'd give them the

strength to do just

that.

Give them the courage

to reach out to a

Christian friend

who can help them

in that fleeing.

And help them to

grasp the positive

vision that you have

for them.

Whether they be

single.

Whether they be

married.

Whether they expect

and hope one day

to be married.

Whether they expect

and realize that they

will live a life

of singleness all

their days.

Oh God help them

to see the glory

of living for you.

Help us to glorify

you God in our

bodies.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.