"The Sin to RUN From"

1Cor.6:12-20 Aug.22/04

The Immoral Invasion

As the summer Olympics go on, we continue our series on a Christian view of the body. In the summer games, those athletes who control their bodies in a disciplined way bring honour to themselves and their country. For Christians, there is a parallel. God wants us to experience the benefits of holy living, to enjoy real intimacy both with Him and fellowship with other believers that is unmarred and most honourable.

      As our culture continues its moral slide in a way that suggests the "last days" are not far off, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid temptations to sin. Unrestricted pleasure, especially in the sexual area, becomes a dominant theme in entertainment. 2Tim.3(1-4) predicts that in the last days people will be "lovers of themselves...unholy ...without self-control...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." The Brett Ullman "True Lies" Media Awareness seminar in Wingham earlier this month was a real eye-opener in warning both youth and parents of the blatant immorality in today's culture. [A word of caution and apology: Some of you may find some of this material offensive, as sex is a sensitive subject. I will do my best to be discreet. However churches must begin to talk openly about these issues if we are to affect the epidemic.] One slide in Brett's presentation contrasted the covers of Playboy magazine from the 1950s and 60s with a recent issue: those of previous decades were pretty tame by comparison. Back then, as well, there were few Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Now there are over 30, of which a third are medically incurable. Music videos and lyrics promote deviant and illicit (or unlawful) sex. TV shows, movies, rental videos and DVDs portray sex outside marriage as commonplace. In many grocery stores, it seems you can't get to the check-out without being assaulted by indecent pictures on magazines. What does that say about our culture? "If you want to eat, you're going to have to look at our porn"? It's inescapable, right there in your face.

      Anyone who uses the internet will be aware of how hard it is to avoid immoral material there. Mail banners for personals and screensavers, spam email subjects and pictures, even well-meaning search results all show overexposed figures and lewd suggestions. The pornography problem has mushroomed because never before in history has it been so inexpensive, immediate, and vivid. Inexpensive - used to be a person had to at least buy a magazine to get it. Now it's foisted on you completely free of charge. Immediate - there's even live sex chat in addition to 900 numbers. Vivid - big colour monitors, high resolution, powerful CPUs and graphics cards team up to offer a true-colour virtual image on a medium that's already much "hotter" than print. It's been said, "Cybersex is the crack cocaine of the porn industry."

      This invasion of immorality is taking its toll, and not just on those outside the church walls. Brett Ullman reported that according to the Barna research group, there was no difference in their surveys on morality issues between Christians and non-Christians - except that divorce rates and pornography usage were actually higher amongst believers. An info card from NetAccountability says, "Depending on which survey you read, somewhere between 30 and 60% of Christian men struggle with Internet pornography." A maninthemirror.org advertisement states, "For every 10 men in your church...5 will have a serious problem with pornography; 4 will get divorced; only 1 has a biblical worldview." Startling!

      If you need more evidence of the moral slide around us, consider the many people who lined up outside a Toronto shop recently to obtain their very own autographed copy of Bill Clinton's book. Here is a former president who's a celebrity even though his name is practically synonymous with the words "sex scandal". His outlandish behaviour has been widely accepted and excused. What message does it send when our leaders are let off so lightly?

Conquering in the Contest

Part of what makes the Olympics so interesting is the aspect of it being a contest: opponents battle each other, whether directly (as in wrestling) or indirectly, by the stopwatch (as in races) or scores determined by judges (as in gymnastics). But we don't need to tune in to Athens to find a contest: there's a deadly, dramatic spiritual contest going on around us all the time.

      The apostle Paul outlines who the contestants are in 1Cor.6. In v12 he writes, "I will not be mastered by anything." The word "master" means have power over, exercise authority over; so "be mastered" means to be brought under the power of, to be subject to or controlled by something or someone else. Robertson comments, "Paul is determined not to be a slave to anything...He will maintain his self-control."

      But what is the struggle about? V13, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." Ah, now we see who the contest is between. On the one hand is our Lord and Master, Jesus. On the other is sexual immorality, Gk "porneia" - any form of unlawful sexual intercourse; a broad term including adultery, fornication (that involves singles), homosexual behaviour, bestiality, etc. Porneia is in a tug-of-war for our body. It is a real contest; anyone with hormones feels its pull. Findlay notes, "The Lord Jesus and porneia contested for the bodies of Christian men; loyal to Him they must renounce that, yielding to that they renounce Him."

      In v15 Paul states our bodies are members, limbs, extensions of Christ Himself; so it would be wrong to take those members and join them to a prostitute. As we saw last week, Christianity views the creation of the body as fundamentally "very good", whereas some Greek philosophy viewed it as inferior and thus not so important in the spiritual realm. The Stoics held the body to be common with the animals, and only the reason like the gods. But as Paul sees it (v19), "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God". Thus I am to unite myself with the Lord and be one with Him in spirit, not unite with a prostitute (v17), which would be a sacrilege and disgrace to this holy "temple" or dwelling-place for God. Paul is very direct in vv19-20: "You are not your own (you don't belong to yourself, you belong to someone else); you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body." There's been change of ownership, I'm under new management when I become a Christian. God's calling the shots now. Different parts of the New Testament express it differently: Jesus said "take up your cross daily and follow me"; "a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies"; "you must be born again" (Lk.9:23; Jn.3:7; Jn.12:24). Peter spoke of it as being given "new birth into a living hope"; Paul said if a person is in Christ they are a "new creation" (1Pet.1:3; 2Cor.5:17). A variety of images all pointing to the common reality of belonging to God now, being under Jesus' control instead of my own. Being crucified with Christ involves giving up my "right", yielding my "say" over what I do. It's not up to me. I've been bought, lock stock & barrel.

      That's how Paul can say our body is "for" the Lord not immorality; and we are to honour God with our body, not live for our own acclaim (vv13,20). Again, Robertson comments, "Fornication violates Christ's rights in our bodies and also ruins the body itself." Thumbing our nose at the Lord - rebellion - results in terrible physical consequences. As v18 observes, "All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." If I look at porn or gaze at something indecent, I'm burning that image permanently into my brain cells where the Enemy can call it up and tempt me at will. I'm giving the devil "turf" he can manipulate against me. Physically, when it comes to STDs, unlawful sex ranks up there with Russian roulette in terms of danger. AIDS is especially deadly. However there are these 30 other diseases, some incurable, very painful. Brett's statistic was that condoms work only 75% of the time. Some diseases "curse one's own body, and transmit the curse to the third and fourth generation" - making our offspring suffer for our indiscretion.

      To summarize what Paul says in this chapter: Sexual sin damages ME. My body is meant for the Lord. My body is a member of Christ Himself. The Lord wants me to be one with Him in spirit. My body doesn't belong to me; it's a temple of the Holy Spirit. And I am to honour God with my body.

Better than Pleasure: Purity, Holiness, Honour

God is the Father of the heavenly lights, giver of "every good and perfect gift" (Jas.1:17). Sin however blocks our relationship with God and interferes with the giving of those gifts. God seeks to supply us with power for our body, as He raised Jesus from the dead (v14). He offers us a mystical oneness with Christ through the indwelling Spirit (vv17,19). He has created us for His honour, as His creatures to glorify Him (v20). When immorality sticks its ugly camel-nose in the tent, these are blocked.

      God is not a kill-joy, out to prevent us from having physical pleasure. He wants us to discover things that are even better than whatever passing thrills might come from illicit sex. Gal.5(19) classifies sexual immorality along with "impurity and debauchery" as obvious deeds of the flesh. Eph.5(3) says, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people." There seems to be a link between moral behaviour and purity and holiness. Immoral behaviour is "improper" for believers - it's not fitting, it's conspicuous, it stands out like a sore thumb. Sesame Street used to have a game for pre-schoolers, "Which of these things does not belong?" Paul's saying immoral or impure behaviour doesn't belong amongst churchgoers who are supposed to reflect God's holiness.

      Paul wrote to the congregation at Thessalonica (1Thess.4:3-5,7), "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." Let's play that one more time, in slow-mo: God's will (what God wants for us) is our sanctification, that we be holy-fied - clean, pure, set apart, consecrated for Him; that is, that we abstain from porneia - that we control ourselves in a way that's holy and honourable, for God didn't call us to be impure (or unclean) but to live a holy life. In other words, God's claim on me is for me to live in a way that's PURE, HOLY, and HONOURABLE. That's His very positive goal for me that the sin of immorality would mess up if it could.

Run to Win

The verse that ties this topic in with the Olympics more than any other is 1Cor.6:18: "FLEE from sexual immorality." In other words, this is the sin to RUN from, more so than any other: turn tail and head for the hills! Genesis 39(12) tells how the wife of one of Pharaoh's officials made inappropriate advances to Joseph, Abraham's great-grandson, who was a slave in her house. She did this repeatedly, but he always refused. Finally one day when they were all alone she grabbed him and said, "Come to bed with me!" But what did he do? "He left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house." Don't try to argue with sexual temptation; when you see it coming, run -- flee!

      Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker have written the highly-recommended book, Every Man's Battle; subtitle, "Every man's guide to winning the war on sexual temptation one victory at a time." In it, one of the survival habits they suggest is learning to "bounce" your eyes. They say, "You can win this battle by training your eyes to 'bounce' away from sights of pretty women and sensual images. If you 'bounce your eyes' for six weeks, you can win this war...You need to build a reflex action by training your eyes to immediately bounce away from the sexual, like the jerk of your hand away from a hot stove."

      Christian counselor John Regier recommends that men battling moral failure keep a 3x5 index card in their pocket. On this card is written scripture and customized prayer for the purity God intends for them as His child. John says when you see something tempting, you've got 5 seconds to take out the index card and re-focus. It does help.

      The authors of Every Man's Battle recommend some scripture as a "sword" and "shield". The "sword" is Job 31:1, "I have a made a covenant with my eyes." Short and swift, "a quick dagger to the heart of your enemy." By "shield" they mean a longer, protective verse "that you can reflect on and draw strength from even when you aren't in the direct heat of battle." They recommend an adaptation of 1Cor.6:18-20: "Flee from sexual immorality...You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body." When coming upon a tempting situation, this translates as follows: "You have no right to look at that or think about it. You haven't the authority." Arterburn and Stoeker explain, "A shield such as this will help you think rightly about the real issues involved as you face temptation in your fight for purity. Satan's power of temptation lies in your supposed right to make decisions regarding your behaviour. If you didn't believe you had that right, no tempting power could touch you."

      Verses and prayer are essential, but often we need "Jesus with skin on" in the form of a human buddy. Soldiers have been trained to realize they don't go into battle without a buddy: in many cases, they would never survive otherwise. So we need a human accountability partner, usually an older person of the same sex we respect, trust, and can be open with. Who are you going to call when temptation strikes late at night? Who can you 'fess up to and receive encouragement and guidance from when you blow it?

      When it comes to the dangers of the internet, Brett Ullman was of the opinion that filters don't work; they're too easy to go around. He recommended a program called NetAccountability.com, a software program that allows your partner to see all the websites you've been surfing. A free program that similarly tracks and reports questionable sites is x3watch.com. One user remarked, "Before [installing the program], when I would sit down at my computer, it was like a black cloud was surrounding my monitor. With [the program], it is like the cloud has been lifted. Knowing that my partner is going to see what I surf is a huge motivator!"

      Men's accountability groups (such as our MAG wheels) can be a source of support and challenge, if there is real honesty. Other good habits are to make sure your computer monitor is visible from a doorway where other people may be passing by at any time. Give your spouse permission to check up on what you've been channel-surfing on the TV or browsing on the 'net.

      Sometimes you can avoid ambushes with some advance planning. Video stores may be a problem with their limited selection and visually tempting covers. Lately our family has been trying Zip.ca, a Canadian internet-based company that mails DVDs to you which you select online from their 17,000 titles after reading the description, rating, etc. This week we enjoyed an Academy-award winning movie from 1938 directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart - good, wholesome, endearing, and with even some Biblical allusions and praying. Even small things like taping a TV show so you can fast-forward the commercials will avoid some needless temptation.

      Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt.6:22f), "The eye is the lamp of the body.If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" The Father of heavenly lights wants us to be full of light, reflecting His glory and goodness. That requires some vigilance of our eye-gate.

Overcoming through Accountability

Dr Douglas Weiss has been married for 18 years and is a Christian counselor and speaker helping people find freedom from sexual addictions. But he was once trapped this way himself. He was born in Pennsylvania, where his mother went from one failed relationship to another. For a time Doug and his sisters were placed in foster homes because things were so unstable. Then, when he was 12, Doug received Christ at a Salvation Army camp. But a year later his mother introduced him to the facts of life by giving him a book that was about two inches thick. Doug says, "It wasn't Playboy, but it might as well have been." Around that time, a stranger sexually molested him. During his teen years, Weiss developed "full-blown sexual addiction" and started using drugs and alcohol. By age 19, he was suicidal and desperate for change. At another church campground, he knelt down and prayed: "Jesus, I know that you're God, but I'm miserable and I want to kill myself." Nevertheless Doug promised to obey Him 100% for the next 30 days; if his life wasn't better, then he'd kill himself.

      Within 30 days, he was in Bible school and free from alcohol and drugs, though his sexual addiction lingered. He says, "I felt defective and sick because I couldn't understand why I couldn't break loose." It wasn't until four years later, when Weiss entered seminary, that he discovered the key to breaking his addictions. He recalls, "God started to teach me about accountability.I made myself accountable to my pastor in seminary." Then a year later, he was finally able to lick his pornography problem, by admitting it to his wife. He says, "During the first few months of marriage, I got honest with my wife, Linda. Most men hide it for decades and their wives get sicker with them along the way." Now couples come from across the nation to his "Heart to Heart Counseling Centre" in Colorado for intensive 3-day sessions that have resulted in an 80% success rate. He insists that men must be held accountable, and addresses issues of shame that often hinder them from talking with others about their personal lives. He himself has been able to stay pornography-free for over 17 years.

      He notes, "It's funny that my name is Douglas Weiss. Douglas means 'from the muddy waters', ...and Weiss means 'white or pure'. God has taken me from the muddy waters of sexual sin to leading others to a lifestyle of sexual purity and intimacy."

      Jesus' goal and plan for us is to enjoy a life that is pure and holy and honours Him. When we yield to Him as our Lord and Saviour, he makes this very possible. Running with Him, we can win the contest. Let's pray.