Sermon Tone Analysis

The Bible talks about sex quite a bit because there’s certainly nothing wrong with talking about sex in the proper manner.

With all the misinformation out there we need to talk about sex from a biblical perspective.

We need to teach and train our selves and our kids how to handle the barrage of sexual temptation to look the other way and let what happens happen.

If you want to enjoy life long term, weneed to align your sex life with the Word of God.

So that’s why we’re going to look at some practical biblical teaching on the subject today.

If you want to enjoy life you need to align your sex life with the Word of God.

So that’s why we’re going to look at some practical biblical teaching on the subject today.

We’re looking at places in the Bible that help us deal with the things that make it difficult to truly love life.

God wants us to enjoy life.

He wants our lives to be full of joy.

But there are some obstacles that make it hard to love life sometimes.

Dealing improperly with guilt is one of them.

Since we’re all sinners we’re all going to need how to deal with guilt.

We all make mistakes.

We need to know specifically how God says to handle it.

Guilt is like sex – if you handle either without God’s instructions you won’t be happy.

You need to know what God says about it.

Originally the topic for today was going to be "How to Deal With Guilt" in general, but the more I studied today’s Scripture text, the more it kept narrowing itself down to one particular form of guilt - guilt over sexual sins.

How are people supposed to handle their guilt over sexual sins?

You need to know this not only for yourself but also so you can help others.

Don’t conclude this message isn’t for you.

Realize that the principles Christ prescribes for handling the guilt of sexual sins will not only help you and help others but they will also apply to any sin for which you are guilty.

God doesn’t want you to carry guilt.

He knows that’s an unpleasant task.

He wants to set you free from guilt and shame!

One of the reasons this topic is so important is that a lot of people aren’t effectively serving Christ today because of the guilt and shame of sexual sins.

They think that somehow, sexual sins automatically disqualify them from serving God.

But as you study the life and teachings of Jesus you realize that isn’t so.

Christ offers forgiveness and freedom from the guilt of sexual sins.

There is no better example of this than Christ’s interaction with the woman caught in the act of adultery in John’s Good News Account, chapter 8.

(NCV) 1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 But early in the morning he went back to the Temple, and all the people came to him, and he sat and taught them.

3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.

They forced her to stand before the people.

4 They said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband.

5 The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this.

What do you say we should do?"

6 They were asking this to trick Jesus so that they could have some charge against him.

But Jesus bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.

7 When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he raised up and said, "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her."

8 Then Jesus bent over again and wrote on the ground.

9 Those who heard Jesus began to leave one by one, first the older men and then the others.

Jesus was left there alone with the woman standing before him.

10 Jesus raised up again and asked her, "Woman, where are they?

Has no one judged you guilty?"

11 She answered, "No one, sir."

Then Jesus said, "I also don’t judge you guilty.

You may go now, but don’t sin anymore."

What is Jesus teaching us here about shame, guilt, forgiveness and restoration from sexual sins?

How can you overcome the guilt of sexual sins?

He forgave this woman and her guilt was gone!

The first thing this true story teaches about overcoming the guilt of sexual sins is that you need to:

1. Believe that sexual purity is an achievable goal for your life.

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself

SHOWING AFFECTION IS also EXPRESSING ONE’S AFFECTION IN LITTLE WAYS.

MANY MEN DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE FATHERS WHO SHOWED AFFECTION TO THEIR MOTHERS.

HOPEFULLY, THEIR SONS WILL BE BETTER AT IT.

MANY WOMEN JUST WANT TO GET SEX OVER WITH BECAUSE THEY AREN’T BEING GIVEN THIS KIND OF AFFECTION.

THE WOMAN MAY HATE THE EXPERIENCE AND THEN WALK AWAY FROM IT WITH BITTERNESS BECAUSE WHILE THE MAN HAS BEEN FULFILLED, HE HASN’T TRIED TO FULFILL HER NEEDS.

WOMEN HAVE SAID “I FEEL AS IF I’M BEING USED”.

PAUL SAID THAT A HUSBAND SHOULD “love their wives as their own bodies”.

SHOWING AFFECTION IS EXPRESSING ONE’S AFFECTION IN LITTLE WAYS.

MANY MEN DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE FATHERS WHO SHOWED AFFECTION TO THEIR MOTHERS.

HOPEFULLY, THEIR SONS WILL BE BETTER AT IT.

MANY WOMEN JUST WANT TO GET SEX OVER WITH BECAUSE THEY AREN’T BEING GIVEN THIS KIND OF AFFECTION.

THE WOMAN MAY HATE THE EXPERIENCE AND THEN WALK AWAY FROM IT WITH BITTERNESS BECAUSE WHILE THE MAN HAS BEEN FULFILLED, HE HASN’T TRIED TO FULFILL HER NEEDS.

WOMEN HAVE SAID “I FEEL AS IF I’M BEING USED”.

PAUL SAID THAT A HUSBAND SHOULD “love their wives as their own bodies”.

AFFECTION IS SOMETHING THAT THE MAN SHOULD SHOW TOWARDS HIS LOVER EVEN AS HE SHOWS TOWARDS HIMSELF.

A MAN WHO IS NOT AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS HIS MATE HASN’T LEARNED HOW TO LOVE HIMSELF!!!

AFFECTION IS SOMETHING THAT THE MAN SHOULD SHOW TOWARDS HIS LOVER EVEN AS HE SHOWS TOWARDS HIMSELF.

A MAN WHO IS NOT AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS HIS MATE HASN’T LEARNED HOW TO LOVE HIMSELF!!!

This is where you need to start.

No matter what your past sins are, this should be your goal for the present and future because if you don’t believe that sexual purity is the right thing to strive for you will lose the battle for overcoming guilt before it ever begins.

There are simply too many allurements to be sexually impure in the culture around you to not have a positive plan.

You must have a goal – and the Word of God teaches that the goal you should have is purity in your sex life.

Brian Newman, lead pastor of Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam, Netherlands said this in the current issue of Leadership Magazine: "In my city, prostitution is legal and preaching is dangerous."

He cites Amsterdam as being the city not only well known for prostitution but also many other "extravagant sexual practices."

In spite of all the sexual liberty, after talking to many of the people in Amsterdam he concludes, "People are tired of promiscuity and really desire purity."

The Bible has taught all along that a license to sin is not the answer to sexual fulfillment.

True sexual fulfillment comes from following God’s blueprint for sex.

Sexual fulfillment comes from a committed covenant driven relationship.

There is nothing on the world’s sexual menu to compare with that fulfillment.

In the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery this principle comes from the last thing Jesus said to her.

After being publicly humiliated by the hypocritical religious leaders and after Jesus outwitted them, Christ says

John 8:11 She answered, "No one, sir."

Then Jesus said, "I also don’t judge you guilty.

You may go now, but don’t sin anymore."

Christ wasn’t going to give this woman a free pass to go on being sexually impure just because He was willing and able to forgive her.

He was calling her to redirect her lifestyle.

(We’ll cover more about that later.)

One of the sad things in this story is that the man who committed adultery with the woman didn’t make an appearance before Jesus.

Consequently he didn’t receive the pardon that the woman did.

He could have learned how to effectively deal with his guilt had he too come to the Savior.

Don’t make the mistake of shying away from Christ with your guilt.

Don’t think He hasn’t heard it all before.

God gives us guilt to acknowledge our wrongdoing, but after we do that and receive His forgiveness we no longer need to feel guilty.