NC3 Sermons

Sexuality: Distortion

⌂  Calling Evil Good? ….. Malachi 2:17-18

 

⌂         Grace --------------------Truth

                                 ▲

                          Balance

                                 ▼

          People --------------------Word of God

 

⌂  Design - - - - → Direction - - - - → Distortion

 

    • Does the Creator have the absolute and solitary

        right to determine the distortions of His boundaries?

 

☼  What is Distortion?

   □ Distortion is sinful rebellion against a holy God who has

     designed and given clear directions regarding our sexuality.

     •  I Timothy 1: 8-11

             ⌂  porneia

       ⌂  arsenokoites

 

  ☼ The Distortion of Desire

       □  Your Desires …. James 1:14-15

        □  Your War ….. I Peter 2:11

        □  Your Body…. Instructions > I Corinthians 6:9-20

 ☼  God - Truth - Desire ….

  ◊ Wrath ……Romans 1:18-20 

◊  Becoming a fool ….. Romans 1:21-23

◊  Truth for a Lie? ….. Romans 1:24-25

◊  Shame ….. Romans 1:26-27 

◊  Depravity …. Romans 1:28-32

 ☼  7  Things Jesus Would Say to those who Distort Sexuality

             ╬ I love you……  Romans 5:8

       ╬ I understand rejection ….  Luke 18:31-33

  ╬ I also was tempted ….  Hebrews 2:17-18

  ╬ I want more for you…. I Timothy 2: 3-4

  ╬ I will be here for you….. I Peter 5:7

  ╬  I will forgive you….. Colossians 2:13-15

  ╬ I can transform you…..  I Corinthians 6:9-11 / II Corinthians 3:18

Love Is All You Need

“Love”… a cultural buzzword      

 

                Matthew 24:12

                I John 3:18

                II Corinthians 13:5

 

Love has boundaries

 

                I John 1:5

                Proverbs 13:24

 

Truth & love… hand & glove

 

                Ephesians 4:14-15

                I Corinthians 13:6

                John 17:17 & 8:32

 

Love desires health & growth for the one loved

 

                Ephesians 4:15

                John 14:6 & 1:4

 

Love challenges, provokes

 

                Proverbs 27:17

                Mark 10:20-22

                Galatians 4:16

                Proverbs 27:6

 

Love overcomes fear

 

                I John 4:18

 

Love is humble

 

                Matthew 7:5

                John 1:14  

Sexuality: Direction

● Design →  Direction →  Distortion 

  

● Created  →   in the Image of God  

                    →   Gender 

 →   One Flesh = Marriage 

 

☼  Boundaries ….. Genesis 2:24-25 

 

□  Single … I Corinthians 7:25-28 /  32-35 

 

        “We follow a Savior who created sexuality 

                 ….but never got married or had sex, yet  

                 lived life to the full.” 

 

  □  Married …. Ephesians 5:21-33 

 

    ◊  Marriage was designed to reflect God’s glory. 

 

    ◊  God spoke the design & direction of marriage 

                  into existence. 

    

   ◊ God performs the two become one flesh union. 

 

   ◊ Marriage is a symbol of Christ & the church. 

 

⌂  Defining Real Love…. 

 

     Eros          ↔     Agape  

             romantic             divine 

 

    ⌂ The Real Test of Love…. I Corinthians 13:4-8a  

 

 ☼ Crash  

 

⌂ The Fall …. Genesis 3  

 

→Sin always cause distortion 

 

⌂ Divorce …. Matthew 19:1-12 

 

     □ Questioning Jesus 

 

□  Two Rabbis’ > Hillel /  Shammai 

 

 

☼ Worship God….not Marriage  …. II Corinthians 5:14-15 

 

► Change Your Marriage! 

 

     1.  Fire Your Inner Lawyer. 

 

     2.  Prepare to Run to Jesus. 

 

     3.  Ask →  How can I make your life better? 

 

     4.  Learn to express gratitude. 

  

Sexuality : Design

⌂  Biblical Sexuality  ←← →→ Cultural Sexuality

⌂  Starting Point 

    God                            Man         
      ↓                                 ↓

    Man                             god

                    God 

                      ↓

                   Bible

                     ↓

                  Man

☼  4 Lies Our Culture Tells Us About Sex (Relevant 2/2015)

   

     1. The context of sex doesn’t matter.

      2. Sex is an act of taking, rather than an act of giving.

      3. Sex is a physical, one dimensional experience.

      4. We cannot control sex, because it controls us. 

☼  imago Dei …. Genesis 1:26

      ► A divine counsel precedes the creation of man!

      ●  Image →  tselem…. “to carve or cut off”

          Likeness →  Demuth…. “refers to similairity”

                      

      ╬  We are carved from the image of God to be similar to Him.

☼  Sexuality ….. Genesis 1:27

     ►  Human sexuality is grounded in the imago Dei.

□ Ephesians 4:24          □  Colossians 3:10

     ⌂  3 Powerful Truths (David Semands – Healing of Memories)

1. Our sexuality is at the heart of our identity.

2. Sex is a very powerful emotion.

3. Sexual feelings can be the most contradictory emotions

               we humans experience.

☼  Creation …. Genesis 2:7

☼  Gender / Family /Marriage …. Genesis 2:21-25

• The creation of boundaries.

• Does the Creator have the absolute and solitary right

              to define the purpose for what He has created?

☼              Truth                                       Chaos

                    ↓                                                ↓

       Bible                                       Culture 

1. God created you in His image         1. You evolved.

2. God gave you gender.                     2. You determine you gender.

3. God gives you purpose & identity.  3. You determine purpose & identity. 

4. God gives us the gift of sex and      4. You determine who you have sex

    the boundaries to protect us.               with –no boundaries.   

Suffering part 2... Presence

Jesus’ diary… Psalms 22:1-3

 

 

 

 

“How distressed I am”… Luke 12:50

 

            Luke 22:44

Mathew 26:36-44

            Luke 19:10

Mark 10:45

            Mathew 16:21-23

 

 

 

 

Jesus our brother… Hebrews 2:9-18

 

            Hebrews 5:8

 

            Psalms 34:18

 

            Hebrews 4:14-16

 

 

 

 

Comfort-- pay it forward… II Corinthians 1:3-4

Pain & Suffering... a twisted fishhook

An equation of Pain & suffering

                        ……………….

             Human choice & free will

                  +

                      Orderly cosmos

                        ……………….

             

          Genesis 2:16-17

 

          Romans 6:23

 

          Galatians 6:7

 

          Romans 8:20-22

                 

 

Cosmic judo… infusing value & purpose

 

          I Peter 4:12-13

 

          I Peter 2:21

 

          Philippians 3:10

 

 

 Eternal weight of glory… shifting the center of gravity

 

          I Peter 1:6-7

 

          II Corinthians 4:16-18

 

          I Corinthians 2:9

 

          I Peter 1:13

 

 

Suggested reading… Where is God When it Hurts? by Phillip Yancey

Evil... enemies within & without

“the Devil made me do it”

 

       A personal world

 

              I John 4:8

              Romans 3:23

 

       Meet your adversary

 

              John 8:43-44

              John 10:10

              I Peter 5:8

              Genesis 3:4-5

 

       Victory >>>> James 4:7-10

 

 

“the Flesh”… enemy of my birth

 

           Romans 5:19

           I Corinthians 15:22

           James 4:1-2

           Romans 7:18-24; Galatians 5:17

 

       Victory >>>> Romans 7:25

 

 

“the World”… everybody’s doin’ it

 

           I John 2:15-17

           James 4:4-6

 

        Victory >>>> James 4:5-6

Humanity in Bible & Culture

Man, the great contradiction

Image of God  . . . glorious - Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 8:3-8
Free Will - Genesis 2:16-17
Fallen & Corrupted - Genesis 3:7-13, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:23

Cultural Connection  . . . coming to terms with man's identity

Value >>>equality>>>rights

"We hold these truth to be self evident that all men are created equal, and theat they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" - Declaration of Independence

Acts 17:26

Hedging against man's corruption . . . separation of powers

Recommended Reading: "How Christianity Changed the World" by Alvin Schmidt