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[0:00] 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.

[0:12] You say, food for the stomach and 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.

[0:25] 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?

[0:39] 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.

[0:55] Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually sins against their own body.

[1:06] 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. You were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies.

[1:19] That is the word of God. Thank you, Venus. And afternoon, everyone.

[1:33] Everyone's very nervous, wondering what's about to happen in this sermon. Hey, I've got a couple of book recommendations, as always. We're covering lots of different topics.

[1:44] And so today, actually, I have three different books, so for different purposes. So very quickly, if you have a co-worker who has no idea what the Christian view of sexuality is, this is a good one.

[1:58] It's called Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? So it's written with non-Christians in mind. And Sam Albury, he's a really warm and gentle and gracious writer. He struggles as well with same-sex attraction.

[2:11] So he can speak for all kinds of situations. And he puts a really positive case for the Christian view of sexuality. So if you're a parent or if you have parents in your lives that you want to encourage, people who maybe are...

[2:29] Yeah, this is a really good one. This is called The Birds and Bees by the Book. And, you know, as parents, I struggle talking to my kids about these topics, about sexuality, about, yeah, gender, about all the different hot topics these days.

[2:44] These are really short. They're written with kids in mind. You can read them over a daddy date, or you can read them and talk about it. It sparks lots of good questions.

[2:55] So I just encourage you. It's pitched really well, and it always explains the good news of Jesus in every single book as well. Yeah, and one more. And this one, actually, you might remember, Ivor visited us at the start of the year.

[3:08] So this is one of his books. And it's, again, I pick really short books, right? So this is doable. I know it. I believe in you, right? And this is good because, yeah, I'm just going to assume that most, if not all of you, have had a bad experience with pornography at some stage.

[3:26] And you and I need the grace of Christ amidst this struggle. And so here's a book that will help you and will point you to Jesus and help you to fight the new drug.

[3:36] Okay? So I'll put these down here. Feel free. Yeah. Feel free. You can come and grab it. Okay? Or you can just come and message me, and I'll give you one anonymously if you like as well.

[3:47] So let's pray. Let's help. Ask God for help. Our great God and Father, we want to honor you because you are the king of the universe.

[3:58] You are the one who has bought us for a price, the price of your son, Jesus. And so help us now as we hear from these very difficult verses, I'm sure personal for so many of us.

[4:12] And so, Lord, we thank you.

[4:22] We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Some of you have been to our house before. We live very close, five minutes drive. And we tried to get to know our neighbors from time to time.

[4:36] And one time I was chatting with one of our neighbors. And I don't know how it happened. But we were just chatting. What do you do? Shared about our lives. And he rather boldly started talking about the women he'd like to sleep with.

[4:51] Next door neighbor sort of conversation. But then, you know, we kept talking. After hearing my story, he was shocked. He was floored. He couldn't believe it.

[5:02] And he said something like this. You know, yeah, I have heard of some people before that like that. You know, one wife, one life, you know. But for him, it was just bizarre. All right?

[5:14] My belief about faithfulness in marriage, purity or chastity and singleness, it just seemed like I was an alien from another world. And maybe you feel like that. Maybe at school or maybe in your family, this is what it's like for you.

[5:30] I get it. All right? In our world, okay, to hold to the Bible's view of sexuality in general, it doesn't make sense to so many people. You'll talk to the average Joe, right?

[5:42] And it just seems like you like red jelly beans rather than black ones. Right? There's no reason for it in people's minds. Right? When it comes to following Christ amidst our chaos, nothing sets us apart from our culture, doesn't it?

[5:59] Then how we view sex. And I want to lay our cards out the front. I believe that God, and the Bible says that sex is designed for a husband and a wife and marriage.

[6:10] And God calls every believer, again, to faithfulness in marriage and purity or chastity in singleness. But to actually live that out is hard, isn't it?

[6:23] Right? Especially in our world. Right? Right? Right? Surrounded by the chaos that we live in. Right? Right? In our world, right, the 40-year-old virgin is a comedy. Right? Right? On, on, in the movies. Or if you are someone who actually might speak up about what you say, but you believe about sexuality.

[6:39] Right? It's not for anyone outside of a heterosexual marriage. It's not just ignored. Right? Now you are. You are shamed.

[6:49] You're a bigot. You're despised. We live in a strange new world. That's the phrase that Carl Truman puts. Right? Whether it's the causes we march for, the people we platform, the shows that get traction on TV.

[7:03] We are in a strange new world, looking for meaning and hope. Putting our identities in who we sleep with. That is, that's our world that we live in today.

[7:14] And so as we zoom in on these eight verses, there is more at stake than who you can or can't sleep with. Actually, at stake, as we grapple with these verses, is the glory of God.

[7:28] Right? The Son. Who's united to us by faith. At stake is actually the goodness of the Holy Spirit who lives in his people.

[7:40] At stake, when we talk about sex, is actually the honor of God the Father who has bought us for his own. Right? This is way more than just explaining why we like red jelly beans and not black ones.

[7:53] Right? So let's talk about sex. Right? This is the problem in Corinth Christian Church. We've seen a few so far, haven't we, in this particular church. Right?

[8:04] Division took four chapters to really nut that one out. There was conflict, a bit of pride. Right? And we need to remember, God is faithful. That's what Paul tells them at the very start of the letter.

[8:16] And as we heard last week, right, in the name of Jesus, Christ has washed, sanctified, justified the Corinthian church in the name of the Lord.

[8:29] So we approach this topic knowing first that we are saved by grace through Jesus. If you are Christ, then, don't live as the world lives any longer.

[8:42] Instead, we want to live out who we really are in Christ Jesus. That is what it looks like to flee sexual immorality. It's from this argument then, right, we are belonging, people who belong to Christ, that Paul, in our passage, then zooms in on a specific problem in the Corinthian church.

[9:00] Right? And we see what that problem is. Right? Verse 15. Look at verse 15. Right? What does Paul say? Wow. Not only have the Corinthians been turning a blind eye to things like incest, right, taking each other to court over trivial matters, it looks like that members of this church have been visiting prostitutes.

[9:24] Okay? Sleeping with women or men who are not married to. And view here actually are specifically, in those days, temple prostitutes. And so it's not a private encounter.

[9:36] This is as public as walking up the front steps of this church before bowing down in worship. This is like taking a selfie before you enter that hotel room.

[9:48] This is idolatry. This is theft. This is coveting a body in public view. And so because this is a public sin, Paul will write in this letter and address it publicly.

[10:03] And so he writes to the Corinthians. He's going to correct them. He needs to. He has to. On their view and practice of sexual sin. And so, look, in our passage, it's fairly straightforward, right?

[10:14] In our passage, these eight verses, he gives one main command, right? Flee from sexual immorality. He addresses two bad excuses that the Corinthians were coming up with to justify what they were doing.

[10:26] But then he peppers this passage with three gospel truths that we need to as we try to fight for sexual holiness like they had to.

[10:36] So what was the command, right? It's fairly obvious, right? What was the command? Verse 18. Can you see it in your Bibles? Flee from sexual immorality. Now, if this sounds as radical as cutting your hand off to save your whole self, well, it should, right?

[10:53] It should be very familiar. Paul is not making teachings up. He is in line with the Lord Jesus himself. You remember on the Sermon on the Mount that he said, go radical, okay?

[11:06] Because sin is radical. It's more than just what you do with your bodies. It starts in the heart, all right? You look at a woman lustfully. You've already committed adultery. And just like Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount, notice that Paul has presented ethics, right?

[11:22] How we should live as far more than just do this or don't do this, right? Rather, it's a direction to pursue, right?

[11:33] Flee from sexual immorality means go a different way altogether. Because in the Lord Jesus' words, right, if we think about ethics and what to do, living out the good life of the gospel, the Lord Jesus, remember he said this, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

[11:54] So, look, the first thing we need to do to understand this command, this pursuit is a blessing, right? In our minds, fleeing means giving up, surrendering, running away.

[12:05] But to flee from sexual sin, which will destroy us, frees us to run towards Christ and to find our joy in him. So, see this as a blessing, right?

[12:19] Note, too, the phrase sexual immorality, okay? That's our English translations, right? Paul is using a Greek word, and in Greek it's pornea, right? All right, guess where we get the word pornography from?

[12:30] Actually, the word pornea in Greek is a bucket term, okay? It is a broad term to describe any and all kinds of sexual sin. So, it doesn't say flee from sexual intercourse and everything else is okay.

[12:43] It doesn't say flee from this particular action and that the rest is okay. Flee from sexual immorality. Not just sex with temple prostitutes. Not just incest.

[12:55] Not just adultery. Not just giving and receiving illicit same-sex behaviors. Pornea, this term, biblically, it includes any word, picture, thought, deliberate deed that you do that dishonors God's design for your body, for my body.

[13:15] Sexual immorality is to act, speak, text, think, as if you are one flesh with someone that God has not joined you together with in biblical marriage.

[13:31] I say all this, and it sounds serious, doesn't it? I don't know each of your individual struggles. The Lord does. But perhaps to flee from sin is hard for your hearts.

[13:44] I get it. Maybe your heart right now is saying, where's the line? What's the boundary? Maybe you and I are thinking, I'll make, I can do this.

[13:54] I'll make a well-meaning resolution. We stop here. Maybe you scroll each day between feeling boastful that you fought it off and broken because you couldn't.

[14:09] Paul, the pastor, is writing this. He knows your hearts. He knows where you are at right this moment. And this is his advice. Flee from sexual immorality.

[14:22] And to do that, right, he knows that we will have excuses. He knows that Corinthians have excuses. And so he tells them there are two things you need to avoid, two silly excuses to avoid.

[14:33] And then let me remind you of three truths to run to. This is Paul the pastor speaking through this letter. And so let's firstly look at the two bad excuses, right? We need to run from these, okay, because they are no good.

[14:45] Now let's track back to verse 12 and 13, right? Here, Paul is actually quoting something the Corinthians have heard or are believing or saying. Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.

[14:58] Everything is permissible for me, and then Paul replies, but I won't be mastered by anything. None of us here start with a blank slate when it comes to sex, right?

[15:10] Your upbringing, which school you went to, what sex ed you got. We live in a strange new world, don't we, where we think actually we know what sex is for, but actually we don't.

[15:20] We are, and so when it comes to sex, we are like people trying to drink soup with chopsticks and wondering why we're still hungry. We just don't understand what sex is for.

[15:32] And look, the Corinthians, they struggle with this, right? Because in their culture, they were hearing very mixed messages about their bodies, all right? And here's two of them, right? Verse 12, everything is permitted for me.

[15:44] And then here's another mixed message they were getting. Food's for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, verse 13. These are two messages with deeper meanings, right? The first message that they were believing sees life through the lens of freedom and autonomy.

[16:01] I can do what I want. The second message sees life through the lens of just what's good for me, what's functional. It's the Nike attitude, just do it, right?

[16:14] Paul doesn't say where these bad ideas came from. Perhaps, actually, they twisted Jesus' teachings, right? Jesus did teach that all foods were clean, but maybe they pushed it too far.

[16:24] Or maybe they're just copying the slogans of the Corinthian culture around them, right? Okay? We are not the first Christians to be pushing hard against a culture about sex.

[16:38] But we have our unique problems, don't we, right? Think about, actually, the slogan, love is love. That's actually not a statement about love.

[16:49] But it's actually a slogan that says, every kind of love is permitted for me, as long as with a consenting adult, right? It's actually a freedom slogan. But Paul would say to us, that's a bad excuse for sexual sin.

[17:04] Don't judge by what you are free to do as what's good for you. That's a bad excuse for sexual sin. Because, verse 12, not everything is helpful.

[17:16] To seek sexual pleasure outside God's good design is to actually be less human. To degrade ourselves before the Lord. To chase sexual sin rather than pursue self-control.

[17:29] It's actually like denying that the Lord has risen, right? You see that? Verse 14, okay? He quotes and he talks about the risen Lord Jesus. The church has no need to nose around, actually, the bedrooms of non-believers.

[17:44] That's not our job. That's not what we're called for. But as Christians, we must repent and run from any slogan in our lives that says something like, anything goes.

[17:58] Or, you're free to do what you like. And we need to go back to the slogans of the Bible. The truths of Scripture. Your will be done in heaven and on earth.

[18:11] Even when it comes to my sex life. There's another false message that we're hearing, right? Verse 13, right? And so we need to push back against this.

[18:22] Sex is more than just a bodily appetite or urge, right? By quoting food for the stomach, the stomach for food, the Corinthians had this really, really basic view.

[18:33] They were saying, oh, if you're hungry, you eat. If you're horny, you have sex, right? That is not how we should view it, though. That is a terrible argument.

[18:44] It splits us. It says we are body and spirit and they have nothing to do with each other. The world's message is wrong. Men and women, we are not just bowls to pick from for our appetites.

[19:00] We are not just places to relieve ourselves and each other. Jesus has redeemed us, body and soul. And look, let's not forget, the Bible has plenty to say about sex.

[19:15] Right from the first chapters of Genesis. What's the first command that God makes to humans? Who remembers this? Genesis chapter 1, verse 27. Be fruitful and multiply.

[19:26] Okay? That includes having sex. Okay? Just to warn you. Sex is a gift from God. He invented it. And he puts it in the context of people made in God's image.

[19:39] Okay? We are far more than mammals. We are God's image bearers, made male and female to complement each other, to be fruitful and multiply. Our first parents were given to each other to enjoy that one flesh union.

[19:55] All right? And Paul quotes this in verse 16 of our passage. And this union is going to bring the blessing of children and closeness. And look, the Bible even has a whole book about sexual love.

[20:08] Right? Song of Solomon. I'm sure some of you have thumbed through that before. It celebrates the mystery and beauty of sexual love. God is not anti-sex. Far from it. He invented it.

[20:20] But like fire in a fireplace, sex between a man and woman, in the lifelong promise of marriage, marriage brings warmth and delight and blessing.

[20:34] If the fire escapes the fireplace, it ruins lies. Our lies. The lies of others. Next week we'll hear more specifically about husbands and wives and sex and marriage.

[20:46] But look, God invented it. Sex is not gross. It's not God. It's a gift from our Lord. Okay? It's meant to be a signpost that points to Christ, actually.

[21:00] And his promise keeping love to his church. Right? The church is described as the bride of Christ. Okay? And therefore it should be honored and cherished with self-control.

[21:14] Not just giving up our bodies to our urges. Sex, right, biblically speaking, is a far deeper thing than just satisfying appetites. Or being free to do what I want.

[21:28] So forget the bad excuses, Paul says. And he points us to three gospel truths in this passage. All right? These are three truths that whatever stage of life you're at, I hope will help drive you towards sexual holiness.

[21:43] Okay? Holy sexuality. I wonder what sex ed you heard from your parents or your teachers growing up. If perhaps you're like me, it was a taboo topic.

[21:56] Right? Okay? Let's talk about sex. Did you know mum or dad, Asian mum or dad ever? It's just one of those things which is like, oh, the school can do it. It's a little bit too difficult to talk about.

[22:09] Or maybe you've heard very functional statements. You need to wait until you're married. Okay? Then your sex life will be better. All right? There are probably books in the library that argue that.

[22:21] Or if you avoid sex, then you won't catch, you know, a disease. You know? Very functional. I find it interesting that Paul, right, in his arguments does not go that way.

[22:33] He's not giving just functional arguments. He wastes no time on that. Those are actually really just self-interested reasons. Right? Pastor Andrew Wilson, he rightly points out that in these next verses, right, from 14 through to 20, Paul gives unashamedly theological reasons for how and why to pursue sexual holiness.

[22:59] Okay? Every reason he gives here, they connect to the big picture of God's story in Christ. I can give you lots of stats that say how, I don't know, you know, sex is better in marriage.

[23:11] Or, you know, I don't know, cohabiting couples have less stability. All that kind of stuff. But Paul says that doesn't matter, ultimately. And so there are three gospel truths.

[23:23] There are three gospel truths. And our God is one God in three persons. So it kind of fits, right? There's kind of like a triune case for sexual holiness, right?

[23:33] Reason one for pursuing sexual holiness, we see it. We are members of the risen Lord Jesus. We see this in verse 14 to 17. Look, the Corinthians, they bought this lie.

[23:44] If I have these urges, I need to satisfy them. Whatever. But Paul says, actually, if you're a Christian, if you're a Christian, your body is for the Lord now.

[23:57] Because in Christ, we talk about this truth a lot. We are in Christ. It means we are united with him. And if you're united with him, then actually now you are members of Christ's resurrected body, in a sense.

[24:14] So to be one flesh with a temple prostitute, or your girlfriend, or some random, is as ghastly as gluing the risen Lord Jesus to her.

[24:27] So think about it this way. Every time you're tempted to fool around with your partner, every time you're indulging in that fantasy, or tempted to click that link, if you've joined to the Lord, you have dragged him there with you.

[24:44] So when your passions are hot, when your boredom bites, when temptation calls, you can ask this question, Jesus, do you want to join in?

[24:58] May it never be. We are members of the risen Lord Jesus. Reason two, Paul gives us, right? Skip down to verse 18 to 19.

[25:11] Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's spirit lives in you, right? Here's another reason to flee. We are temples of the Holy Spirit.

[25:23] Where once the living God dwelt in sacred spaces, right, made of gold and silver and stones, right, since that day at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descends on his people, God the Spirit now lives in every single heart that trusts Christ by faith.

[25:42] And so church, you are sacred space. Your bodies are sacred space. And Paul makes this point.

[25:52] Lots of other sins happen outside the body. That's what he says, right? All other sins, verse 18, a man commits are outside his body. But then he says, sexual sin is particularly serious. Why? Because it takes place inside our bodies, inside God's dwelling place.

[26:09] Sexual immorality is far more serious than just releasing hormones and satisfying cravings. It breaks into sacred space. At our street, in our street, in our neighbourhood, a lot of people have been having burglaries, okay?

[26:25] People just coming in the middle of the night, running off with stuff. Even if they don't steal a lot, what, you know, on the, what these neighbours are really sad about is that if you've ever experienced a burglary, you feel like your space has been violated, right?

[26:42] It's tough. If you had your car stolen, you're like, oh, someone was there. That feeling of being robbed or violated, that's how the Holy Spirit feels when we defile his space.

[26:57] And so here's another question, right? If we are temples of the Holy Spirit, here's a question to ask before you park that car, before you shut that door. You could ask this question, here is the Holy Spirit's house.

[27:10] is what I'm about to do welcome here? Pursue holy sexuality. We're members of the risen Lord Jesus.

[27:22] We are temples of the Holy Spirit. And reason three, Paul gives at the end of our passage, this is our memory verse, isn't it? You are not your own. You're bought with a price.

[27:34] So glorify God with your body. Reason three, to pursue holy sexuality is because the Father has bought us. The Father has bought us. At the heart of every sexual sin is the lie that what I do with my body is my choice.

[27:53] And it's easy to believe this, right? We live in a culture that is very me first, okay? I look at ads, right, for Auckland University and it's very you-focused, right? Release the new you, okay?

[28:06] This is very different, actually, you know, to generations ago. I decide to eat ramen or rice or risotto. I can decide to show up to church or just live stream it.

[28:18] I choose how to spend my weekends, who to hang out with, so why can't I choose who to sleep with? But my body, my choice is not a biblical term.

[28:30] It's a lie for those who reject their maker. God the Father, God the Father, in His love, sent His only Son to hang on a cross for my sins.

[28:50] Every single one of them. That is good news. You were bought by Christ. He has loved you. He has freed you from your sins by His blood. And He makes us a kingdom of priests.

[29:07] Holy. Set apart for Him. And if I've been set free from sin, I am saved to follow my Father in heaven.

[29:21] And if my Father's will is flee from sexual immorality, then that is a good reason to turn away from what you're struggling with.

[29:32] Can I suggest, PCBC, that whether we survive and thrive as a church family, in large part, will rest on how well we embrace this truth. Our Father has bought us for His own.

[29:45] If we think we know this, but then we live as if that doesn't matter, sooner or later, our church will look no different from the world around us. We might as well just close up.

[29:58] So we can ask, before we act on anything, does this glorify my Father who's bought me? That's a good question to ask. The world of Corinth said, bow down, right, to this God and this God and this will be what brings you glory.

[30:17] And our world is actually not that much different. Bow down to this identity, this purpose and this will bring you glory. The Gospel is different.

[30:29] It says, bow down to your Maker, and your King. He's bought you by Christ for His glory. And of course, all of this will make no sense to you, okay, if right now you have not bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus.

[30:48] I don't know your heart, God does. And if this is you, that is the first thing that will make sense. that is the first thing that you need to do to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, to give your life to Him, the one who can truly satisfy you in a way that nothing you see on a screen can or in a person can.

[31:13] Flee from sexual immorality. Give up the bad excuses because remember, you are united with Christ. The Spirit lives in you. The Father loves you and He's bought you for His own.

[31:29] I think to close, I want to share maybe four practical suggestions because this is a hard topic. And when the rubber hits the road, maybe you, like me, need practical help.

[31:40] These are some tips or suggestions that have strengthened my own pursuit. very imperfect, but my own pursuit of holy sexuality. And so, look, listen to this if it helps you from one sinner saved by grace to another.

[31:54] So I'm going to share four today, but actually, you know, come along to Bible study on Wednesday night. Maybe we can think up a few more together. All right? Offline, yeah, with love and grace with each other.

[32:07] Look, one tip, you need to arm yourselves when it comes to sexual immorality. One of the most powerful moments actually, in worship is when, actually, what Venus did for us. We recite the Bible verse of the month.

[32:20] You may think, oh, that again. But actually, if fighting for holiness is a spiritual battle, what is our only offensive weapon in spiritual warfare?

[32:33] Ephesians 6 says it, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. And so, actually, if we want to fight sin, if we want to wage spiritual warfare, we are going to need to actually know our word, know God's word better than the devil does.

[32:50] Okay? It could be through singing through Scripture in our songs. but I think it could also be just memorizing this. Okay?

[33:01] Particularly verses that will point you back to Jesus and fighting to please Him. If you're like me, a sexual sinner, you're going to need ammo, right?

[33:12] And so, get ammo. Get ammo into your heart like Psalm 1, right? Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked or stands in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of scoffers.

[33:26] His delight is in the law of the Lord. And on this law, he's going to meditate day and night. He's going to be like a tree planted by streams of water. Or you need another arrow?

[33:38] What about Romans 13, 14? Okay? Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and leave no room for gratifying the desires of the flesh.

[33:51] Or maybe, sometimes, you'll be tempted and tired. Then maybe, at that moment, you will need a bullet. And that bullet might come from Psalm 119, right? How can a young man keep his way pure by guarding himself according to your word?

[34:07] With my whole heart I seek you. Let me not wander from your commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart that I may not sin against you. Look, if you know the lyrics to Moana off by heart, that is not hard to do.

[34:21] If you can memorize playoff brackets and box scores, look, for the sake of your souls, come on, make fighter verses stick. We need it.

[34:32] We are assaulted by the world's slogans, are we not? And these slogans bring life. So arm yourselves. A second practical tip, you want to defend where you're vulnerable.

[34:46] Who's seen the movie 300? Who knows the story? Okay. Last stand, all these Spartans, right? This is Sparta, okay, against a whole bunch of Persians. They finally lose because there's a little goat track that they sneak through soldiers, okay, and that was left undefended.

[35:04] Don't be like that when it comes to sexual sin, okay? Know your weak points. In his book, You Can Change, author Tim Chester, he says, it's particularly when we're holt, okay, makes no sense, hungry, angry, lonely, tired, okay, particularly when we're holt that we might need extra help, okay?

[35:25] Maybe when you're hungry, that's when you really struggle, okay, to please the Father. When you're angry, that's maybe when you're going to rage or maybe justify going to click on something you shouldn't.

[35:40] Of course, when you're lonely, that's especially when you might justify doing something you shouldn't. And when you're tired and not thinking straight, we do all kinds of sins, right? So it's those moments.

[35:51] Find them. Know when they are in your lives. And those are the times when you might need to send a text or call a friend or flick me an email. I don't mind.

[36:03] Or even better, go direct to our Heavenly Father. He knows you. He knows what you're wrestling with. He loves you. He has a far better plan for you, okay, than what you're struggling with.

[36:13] So defend where you're vulnerable, okay? Keep track when and where you need help. Put in strategies that will help you support you as you repent and believe.

[36:25] repent and believe in Christ. I don't know what it could be. Maybe it's leaving your phone in the charger outside your bedroom. Maybe it's meeting who you're going out with when your family is around or with friends.

[36:38] Maybe it's actually just saying to your wife or to your husband, you can log in to my account anytime. And because sexual sin is such a bodily affair, third tip, I found that I need to sharpen my reflexes, okay, before temptation arrives.

[36:56] There's no use trying to work it out, okay, in the moment when it's tough. We need to think and have a game plan before the heat of the moment. Look, think about it like this.

[37:08] If you're a firefighter, okay, you practice putting on your gear, okay, in under a minute, a lot, okay, right? so that when there's actually a fire, you're not just like, where's my stuff?

[37:19] Where's my axe? Where's my hose? Okay? You're ready to jump in and go to the emergency. And look, who does martial arts? Who's ever done martial arts?

[37:30] A few? Yep, yep, Fran, Eva, yep. You learn these routines and combinations. They seem boring, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. So that when you're in a fight, it comes to you like second nature.

[37:44] So what reflexes can you and I put into place or learn so that we just bounce away perhaps from sexual temptation? I don't know.

[37:55] Maybe an attractive jogger runs past, okay? My reflexes actually bounce my eyes off them, okay? I don't know why. I imagine a sumo wrestler. You can come up with your own one. When a conversation one-on-one starts getting a little bit flirtatious, and I can't tell half the time, but I can, my reflex is, oh, let me, in this conversation, I'm going to insert my wife, my kids, okay?

[38:21] Something different, okay? Think of a reflex. Put it into place. Okay? Practice it. One pastor, I know, this is a great one, he keeps this prayer close by, okay?

[38:32] Thank you, God, for making this person in your image. All right? All right? It's very hard to move further into sexual sin if you're praying to the Father about something that's true about that person.

[38:45] Prepare a reflex. What's your reflex when an ad pops up? Or when you're alone and bored with your partner? Or when that movie takes a, you didn't look it up and it's now an R-rated turn?

[38:55] Okay, what's your reflex? Finally, most importantly, actually, when it comes to sexual immorality or any kind of sin, we need to feed on grace.

[39:08] One pastor puts it this way, for every one look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. Every time you stumble, go boldly back to Jesus.

[39:21] He loves you still. He's washed, sanctified, justified you on that cross. So go to Him and sin no more.

[39:32] Feed on grace. Okay? It's called, one pastor calls it, the expelling power, the expulsive power of a new affection. Okay? If your heart is so satisfied in Christ, then all kinds of temptations pale in significance and their power to capture you.

[39:55] Alright? Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Alright? And look full upon His face and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glorious grace.

[40:12] One writer put it this way, to win an unbelieving world for Christ, you and I need to show people that Christianity is respectable and then that it's desirable and that they wish it was true and then we tell them it's true.

[40:28] And I think it starts in our day and age with our sexual holiness. As we become men and women who respect people, not for their sex, but as image bearers of God, as people satisfied so much in Christ that people will notice and want that, that's how we start to make a difference in our world.

[40:53] So, PCBC, flee from sexual immorality because Christ is so much better. Sex is such a beautiful gift from God, but it cannot be your God.

[41:06] It can't satisfy all your hopes and desires. Only God can. Whether you're single, whether you're married, flee from sexual immorality.

[41:18] Savor the Savior. Be filled by His Spirit. to the glory of God the Father. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we are not our own.

[41:37] We are now joined to you. Holy Spirit, you live in us and through us to do your will. And gracious Father, we now belong to you because you've bought us at the cost of your Son.

[41:53] So forgive our sins and trespasses. Search our hearts. Free us to follow you. Show us what it looks like to live as men and women equipped, sanctified, justified, washed.

[42:10]  We thank you and we praise you. We ask all these things in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.