• by admin
• (0) Comments

Sun. 5/4/2015

Quarter’s Theme: ORDERLINESS IN THE CHURCH

Unit 2 – Purity In Christian Marriage (Lessons 5-6)

 

LESSON 5                               5/4/2015

AVOID SEXUAL IMMORALITY

Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 165, 236

Devotional Reading: 1 THESS. 4:1-8

Topic For Adults

DON’T BE OVER-CONFIDENT

Topic For Youths

ABSTAIN FROM ALL APPEARANCES OF EVIL

Topic For Intermediates

KEEP YOUR BODY HOLY

Scripture Lesson

1 COR. 6:9-20

Memory Verse:   Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body (1 Cor. 6:18) NKJV

DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING

Sun. 5/4/2015

You Are God’s Temple

1 Cor. 6:19-20

Physically, God’s temple is the building dedicated for fellowshipping with God. But at salvation, God intends to be dwelling in the inside of believers through His Holy Spirit. The essence is to be guiding and leading them so that they will not miss His way. Therefore, believers’ bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. They are carriers of the Holy Spirit. However, for the Holy Spirit to continue to stay in them, there must be pure spirit, soul and body. Once the body is corrupted by sin, it will no longer be convenient for the Holy Spirit to stay. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which both belong to God.

Point of Emphasis:         You are not your own, you belong to God.

Prayer Point:                  Lord, help me to always glorify You in my Spirit, soul and body.

BACKGROUND

It is the will of God that every believer should abstain from fornication and know
how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, and not in the lust of passion or crave for sexual immorality like the Gentiles who do not know God (1 Thess. 4:3-5). This week’s lesson focuses on the need for all heaven-bound Christians to flee from sexual immorality in all its forms and preserve the sanctity of the church.

NOTES ON THE LESSON

(1)       TYPES OF SEXUAL SIN (1 COR. 6:9-11)

When Apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthian church to correct the shortcomings among them, he told them plainly that certain people with certain defects or negative behaviors in their lives will not inherit the kingdom of God. This means as long as they are involved in any of the vices mentioned, no matter their position in the church or their services or their financial contribution in the church, they are just deceiving themselves, for they are candidates of hell, except they truly repent and turn to God in purity of life.

Among the vices that Paul listed are some of the sexual sins that believers must jealously guard their lives against in their walk with God. The first to be mentioned is fornication. This is an act of having sexual relations with someone to whom you are not married. To distinguish it from adultery, fornication usually happens among two unmarried people when they have sexual relations. Adultery, on the other hand, is an act of sexual sin between a married person and another person which may be married or not. These two words are in most cases used interchangeably. Another form of sexual sin which has become a global issue is homosexuality. This is sex among members of the same sex. If it is between man and man it is referred to as gay and if it is between a woman and another woman, it is lesbianism. We must not be surprised that this sin is already in the church and many of the Western Countries have legalized such union. The church of Christ must shun this evil practice. This is also sodomy.

Other forms of sexual sins which the Bible is against are (i) incest, i.e. sex, with a family member e.g., brother, sister, cousin, nephew, etc (Lev. 18:6) (ii) sex with animals such as dogs, cattle, goat, etc. This is called bestiality and it is sinful (Exo. 22:19; Lev. 18:23). (iii) lustful thought is sexual sin (Matt. 5:27-28) (iv) prostitution or harlotry i.e. trading one’s body for money, employment, promotion or admission is sexual sin, (v) masturbation i.e. inducing sexuality with ones own body etc. Believers must avoid any of these sexual sins to be qualified to inherit the kingdom of God. As many that have been washed clean by Jesus’ blood from any of these sexual sins must make up their minds not to go back into their own vomit (v. 11)

(2)   YOUR BODY IS NOT FOR SEXUAL IMMORALITY (1 COR. 6:12-18)

When discussing sexual immorality, some people do normally have the erroneous belief that what they do with their bodies do not concern anyone, after all it is their bodies and they are ready to face the consequence of whatever happens. This may be true for the unbelievers, but not for Christians or children of God. Right from the point of salvation when you surrendered your life to Jesus, you are no longer yourself. You own nothing again of yourself. You don’t have any life of yourself to live but you must live the life of Christ who died and rose again for you (2 Cor. 5:15). It goes without saying that your body is no longer your own, you cannot do anything you like with your body any longer, most especially, you must not use your body to commit any sexual immorality, for your body belongs to the Lord Jesus and the Lord for the church, which is the body of Christ.

The church is regarded as the body of Christ, and individual members are regarded as different parts of Christ’s body. If you now commit sexual immorality with your body, do you think that you will fit or be allowed to stay or stand in Christ’s body which is holy and pure? This is not possible. You are one body with whom you joined your body to. If you join your body to anybody in illicit sex apart from your approved godly marriage partner, you are one body with the person and your body cannot be joined to the Lord at the same time. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (v. 17)

Beloved, flee from sexual immorality and any activities that can lead to it. Don’t sin against your own body, for he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. This means every other sin do not immediately and directly affect the body. The more immediate effect is on the mind. Sexual sins produce immediate and direct effects on the body itself such as unwanted pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, blood covenant, etc.

(3)       YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 COR. 6:19-20)

Paul, in an attempt to explain vividly how believers should treat their bodies, asked a rhetorical question which every believer should know the answer “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?”. This means any genuine Christian who has given his or her totality to God is a potential carrier of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will tabernacle in the body of the person and be living there. But as the name implies, God’s Spirit is holy and can only dwell in a holy place and vessel. Therefore, if your body is not holy, if it has been tainted with sexual sin, the Holy Spirit cannot abide or dwell in you and that means you are not a child of God, for only those who are being led by the Holy Spirit are the Sons of God (Rom. 8:14).

Know that you are not your own. Your body is not your own, for you have been bought with a price. Jesus paid the price for your salvation and redemption through His life and blood that He shed on the cross. You dare not repay Him by doing things that are contrary to His expectations from you, rather you must use your body, your spirit and every thing He has given you to glorify God, because they all belong to God.

CONCLUSION

God approves sex only for couples who are legally joined together in holy matrimony, and not for anyone else. Those who engage in it outside marriage are sinners before God and will incur God’s wrath if they do not repent. However, God is giving such people another opportunity (which may be the last for some) to repent today. Those who are sexually pure should also ask for more grace to remain uncontaminated.

QUESTIONS

(1)   Mention some of the sexual sins identified in the lesson.

(2)   What will be the consequence for those who engage in sexual sins?

(3)   Who owns the body of believers – themselves or Christ?

(4)   How can believers flee sexual immorality?

(5)   Why should believers glorify Christ with their bodies and spirit?

 

French

DIMANCHE  05/04/2015

TU ES LE TEMPLE DE DIEU

1CO. 6 :19-20

De façon physique, le temple de Dieu est le bâtiment  consacré à communier avec lui. Mais au moment du salut, Dieu a l’intention de demeurer à l’intérieur des fidèles par le Saint-Esprit. L’essence est de les guider et de les conduire afin de ne pas rater sa voie. Les corps des fidèles sont donc les temples du Saint-Esprit. Ils sont les porteurs du Saint-Esprit. Cependant, pour que le Saint-Esprit continue de vivre en eux, ils doivent être purs en esprit, âme et corps. Une fois que le corps est corrompu par le péché, il ne sera plus commode pour le Saint-Esprit à y rester. Glorifie donc Dieu dans ton corps et ton esprit qui appartiennent tous deux à Dieu.

Point essentiel : Tu n’es pas à toi-même, tu appartiens à Dieu.

Axe de prière : Seigneur, aide-moi à te glorifier dans mon esprit, corps et âme.