Sermon Guide

CONTROVERSIAL FAITH | WHY DOES GOD CARE ABOUT MY SEXUALITY?

Teaching Text

Corinthians 6:9-20

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. 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. “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 1

Sermon Recap

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Controversial Faith series with a teaching on Biblical sexuality. We live in sexually confusing and chaotic times, and as we begin to examine the effects the secular sexual ethic has on individuals and our culture at large, instead of flourishing, we find decay, pain, and brokenness.

Pastor Jon outlined four main narratives about sex that are at play in our world today: a sociological view of sex that is defined by power, individual rights, and consent; a secular view that focuses on pleasure and complete bodily autonomy; a view of shame where sex is about purity and moralism; and the story that Scripture lays out – that sex is designed by God as something sacred to be stewarded.

God cares about our sexuality because He invented and designed sex. When used rightly, it will enrich and bless, but when used wrongly, it will both distort and destroy. God created our bodies to make the invisible, visible, and for sex to function as a commitment mechanism within the marriage covenant. Scripture teaches that sexual sin is sin against our own body, but when we live in the framework that God designed for sex, we can see how it is a picture of covenant and life-long commitment to a spouse, while also ultimately reflecting the union of Christ and the Church.

We are called to honor God with our bodies by faithfully stewarding our sexuality, because we were bought with a price. When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, and our bodies become the temple of God. We must not devalue or deface God’s dwelling place, but offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him by relying on His mercy and grace to live obediently to His Word. We are washed, sanctified, justified by the name of Jesus and the Spirit of God, and one day we will be with Christ forever in a soul satisfying union that is a fulfillment of every desire we’ve ever had.

If you missed this talk, you can watch it here today.

Discussion Questions

Connect

1. What superlative would best describe you? Example: Class Clown, Most Likely to Become President, etc.

Character

Ask someone to read the teaching text (1 Corinthians 6:9-20) aloud. Then ask the following questions:

1. What words, phrases, or images stand out to you in the passage?

2. What do these verses tell us about our bodies and our relationship with God?

Consider

1. Pastor Jon shared four primary stories about sexuality that our culture tells us to believe: one of sociology, secularism, shame, and the sacred. How have you seen these cultural narratives around sexuality in your life or the world around you?

2. What "cultural slogans" are influencing the cultural conversations around sexuality in this current time?

3. Read 1 Corinthians 6:18 out loud. Pastor Jon explained that sexual sin against one's body is not merely physical, but is a sin against the formation of self and personal discipleship. How have you experienced sexuality influencing your spiritual formation?

4. We are called to honor God with our bodies and sexuality by stewarding the sacred. We are made in His image and are the temple of His presence on earth. How can you daily practice radical, sexual formation and steward the sacred with your body?

Cover

Take a few minutes to consider your personal vision of sexuality and discipleship. Break into groups to pray for freedom from the false cultural narratives and for increased grace to be radically committed to Biblical sexual formation.