“Thriving Through Sexual Purity”
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Sermon Series: “Thrive”
Introduction: The Humanist Manifesto 2 says, “In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct…While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered ‘evil.’ Without countenancing mindless permissiveness or unbridled promiscuity, a civilized society should be a tolerant one. Short of harming others or compelling them to do likewise, individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their lifestyles as they desire.” I would say that this pretty well sums up the prevailing attitude of our society today regarding sex. A major myth is that this type of thinking is new or that we are getting more sexually immoral. There is nothing new about sexual license. In his book, History of European Morals, William Lecky calls the cities of the early period of the Roman Empire “centers of the wildest corruption” and says “there has probably never been a period when vice was more extravagant or uncontrolled.” Against this backdrop in Thessalonica, Paul is teaching a new church with many new believers God’s plan for sexual purity. Against the same type of backdrop, God is revealing His plan for sexual purity to us today.
Main Idea: We cannot thrive in life or please God without sexual purity.
Question #1: Why can we not thrive or please God without sexual purity?
- Sexual purity is obedience to the will of God (v. 2-3).
- Sexual purity is necessary to live the holy life that is
required by God (v. 3-4, 7).
3. Without sexual purity, we are living like someone who does not know God (v. 5).
4. We are cheating others through sexual sin (v. 6).
5. A person who rejects this teaching is rejecting God
(v. 8).
Question #2: What is God’s plan for sexual purity?
God’s plan for sex is complete faithfulness within monogamous, heterosexual marriage. Anything outside of this is sexual sin.
Why do we believe this is God’s plan?
1. It is the teaching of verses 3-4 in this passage.
2. Many other passages of Scripture teach the same
truth. Examples include: Song of Solomon, Hebrews
13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:18-7:5, and Proverbs 5:15-23. 3. Sex is a good gift from God designed only for the
context of marriage that can be corrupted through
sin (see Genesis 1-3).
4. God defines marriage and sex for us in Genesis 2:24.
It says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This refers generally to the two becoming one unit but more specifically to the sexual relationship. Sex is a good gift from God that becomes destructive when used in the wrong way, and the only God-given place to express it is in the marital relationship. This is based on the pattern given in these verses where a man and a woman leave their families and make a public commitment to one another and then consummate the relationship. There must be a marital covenant before there is sex because God’s pattern is one man for one woman for one lifetime. We are to only give our bodies after everything else has been given to one another. Sex is the physical means that God has ordained for expressing the loving, permanent commitment that two people make to one another in marriage. It physically expresses and symbolizes the joining of wills, minds, and emotions that takes places in the marriage ceremony.
