God's View of Sex

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

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

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.

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

teach us how to love

in Jesus name

Amen