"Fornication And Adulterey"

Hebrews 13:4 (kjv)) Numbers 25.1. Number 25.9

And Israel abode in aShittim, and bthe people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So othe plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 9 And pthose that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Fornication is not just a sin against another person, it is also a sin against ourselves.

INTRO: To most people, the word “fornication” means very little. They never hear the word used unless spoken by a preacher, or they stumble across it in the Bible. Therefore, preaching about fornication sometimes does little good because people think we are talking about some other kind of deviant sexual perversity.

Fornication is defined as “unlawful or illicit sexual intercourse” (Webster). It pertains to sexual relations outside of marriage—all of them! We can change the name but it is still the same thing (“making love... going all the way...sleeping together...having an affair... or pre-marital sex”). No matter what society thinks, sex outside marriage is still sinful (Hebrews 13:4).

Sexual sins are running out of control. Illegitimacy is in the hundreds of thousands. Venereal disease is epidemic. Extra-marital affairs are common. Living together arrangements are flourishing. 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

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

In the Biblical understanding of sex, there is no such thing as “casual sex.”

“Sex outside of marriage is like a man robbing a bank: he gets something, but it is not his and he will one day pay for it. Sex within marriage can be like a person putting money into a bank: there is safety, security, and he will collect dividends.” (Wiersbe)

Sins against his own body: Paul isn’t saying sexual immorality is worse than any other sin, but he does teach that sexual sin has a unique effect on the body. The effect is physical, but it is also moral and spiritual.

I. THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FORNICATION

A) Fornication In All Of Its Forms Is Sin. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites... will inherit the kingdom of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 6:9). According to our earlier definition, four of the five sins mentioned here are actually “fornication”. We must flee fornication in all of its forms (1 Corinthians 6:18; Colossians 3:3-6).

B) Fornication Is A Deceptive Sin. It hides many of its consequences. It offers pleasure without responsibility, and gratification without commitment. Young people are persuaded to “prove their love” by “making love”. Fornication promises that no one will know. Don’t be deceived by its lies and “be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). God will know (Hebrews 4:12).

C) Fornication Is A Destructive Sin. It is the only sin mentioned in the Bible which is a sin against our own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). It destroys purity, honor, and reputation (Proverbs 22:1). It destroys our homes by allowing the defrauded mate to divorce us (Matthew 19:9). It destroys the body and mind (Psalm 38:5-8; 51:3). It destroys our souls (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8).homes, children,causes divorce, lose job, sexual harassment. I’ve seen guys taken down not

by drugs, parties,theft, illicit sexual behavior, jailed, registered sexual offender. All on tv and you have to manage this.

II. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH FORNICATION?

A) Society’s Influences. When you consider our society—the things which entertain us, the things we read about, and the loose and relaxed attitudes toward sex, it is a wonder than anyone can resist the temptation! We see it in ads, television, movies, music, pornography, clothing styles, and dancing; we talk about it at work, among friends, and on talk shows. All of these things arouse sexual interest and desire. Sex to sale cars, sex to sell washing machines. Kit Kat commercial .

promised a good time but made us slaves to sin: child support, disease, divorce. That’s not all their fault.

B) The Sexual Revolution. It promised us freedom, but has actually made us its slaves “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through licentiousness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” (2 Peter 2:18-19). God’s word commands us to “flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22).

C) Misguided Religious Teaching. Some religious instruction about sex is repressive, treating sex like a bad thing. Sex is a good thing (Genesis 1:31), an honorable thing (Hebrews 13:4), and a physically fulfilling thing (1 Corinthians 7:1-5) when it is kept in the context of marriage. When a married couple’s sex life is intimate, loving, and fulfilling, there is little temptation to find more outside of marriage (Proverbs 5:15-20). Read the Song of Solomon—it is a very sensual book.

A) Literally Flee. If necessary, you may have to literally flee the presence of someone who entices you, like Joseph who ran away leaving his robe behind (Genesis 39:11-12).

B) Don’t Create Unnecessary Temptations For Yourself. Avoid lascivious activities (Galatians 5:19) which stir up passions and avoid lustful places must be avoided—like night clubs, dancing, drinking parties, movies, and adult only entertainment. When we fill our minds with such illicitly sensual things we weaken our resistance (Matthew 5:27-30).

C) Fill Our Hearts With Good Things. Be selective about what you put into your mind (Philippians 4:8). If you have to turn your head the other way when an attractive woman walks by, turn it the other way (Matthew 5:28). Don’t fantasize about the women you work with (2 Corinthians 10:5).

CONCLUSION: Fornication is not just a sin against another person, it is also a sin against ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:18). It is self-destructive and we must flee it at all costs. Let the world think what it thinks, and try to justify itself in its sins, but we need to obey God’s commands!!

God Has Given Us A Way Out

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