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September 18, 2020 6:00 am
What does it mean to be sexually wiser sense of confusion among God's people around sexuality. What if sex is more than just about sex. Let's explore that today.
Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping trips are vital future of this international discipleship program and I've been through a series called relational intelligent Relational Intelligence is about the skill of navigating relationships in a way that honors God first blessing in the process. In our previous broadcast we are part one of this message, you missed it. Take some time later today. There was a lot of great groundwork for what's coming in this one now chips invited to son rioting to bring us this message will be with us after Ryan's teaching to share some additional thoughts, let's get started show. Here's Ryan Ingram with part two of his message. It's just physical process self-control. The ability not self-indulgence is a mark of freedom and goes on his way starts philosophical. I have the right to do whatever I want it just doesn't make whatever I want right self-control, not self-indulgence, is a mark of freedom that he he's going to move theological and this is so important. This is so profound. This is where we make this grand disconnect with our sexuality and spirituality and he says this all not just part is meant forgot all not just part of you is meant forgot.
Notice what he says the body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord well did you catch that unpack and define sexual immorality in just a minute but just hang with me here body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality, not what we would think you would say right after that moment is like sexual chastity or purity or or or whatever and he doesn't because the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for who the Lord and the Lord for the body. Then he makes a theological argument.
By his power, God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
Jesus was not raised nearly spiritually from the dead.
He was raised physically bodily as well that we will have a resurrection from the dead bodies are intended for this earth but our bodies are intended parts on my all of us, for the Lord. See all of not just part of you is meant forgot the philosophy at the day's Greek philosophy that was embraced and is this dualism that your body was evil in your spirit was good.
And so year. What mattered is a spirit in the body didn't matter.
You can do with your body, whatever you want and it doesn't impact the spirit and pulsating all of you. All you not just part of his men's for your creator Christopher West said it so beautifully said the sexual confusion so prevalent in our world and in our own hearts is simply the human desire for heaven Dundas are so here's what he say if all of this, not just part of this is meant for God than sex is more than just about sex or something deeper there.
This is why he would go on to safely run from sexual immorality. All other sins. A person commits are outside their body, but who ever since sexually sins against their own body, something we all have seen some and many have experiences the pain and the regret and the shame and hurt and that comes sexually. He wrote over 2000 years sins against our own body because sex is more than just about sex or what is the sexual immorality.
I think when we think about this idea and sexual immorality. As I lie okay adultery hereby mean we go to the extremes is the Greek word for nails. It is the broadest term for anything that is outside of God's design for sex and so sleeping together with your girlfriend or boyfriend is sexual immorality porn taking in the movies that are erotic is sexual immorality and emotional affair with another person that is not your spouse is sexual immorality. See what we need to recapture is this vision for our sexuality that sex was designed by God to express oneness with another person and it's actually this picture of the intimacy we are created to have with our Creator like the way Tim Keller said he said sex is a God invented way to say to another person. I belong complete and exclusively and permanently to you and so he says and God says I created this. I'm not down on it. It's awesome in the context is within a covenant committed relationship, called marriage between one man and one woman for life and how excited that it will create great harm and pain in his own way to express the oneness that have made you for but it's so much deeper than that.
It's a way for you to get a glimpse of actually how I made you to be in relationship. This is why says leave from it run from its like anything outside of God's design anything is pulling you away like our world are dating world are elective is the mantra like the, the progression is you know you hook up you shack up and then you break off and then repeating that's what you do, you just know dating is expected you have sex.
And so you hook up and then you eventually shack up because her sleeping together might as well live together and then eventually you break up in your P go through and he says I have a vision for your life and your sexuality and I long for you to embrace it for your good, because I'm trying to keep you from fun. I'm trying to keep you from paying. Here's the thing we do we go how it were followers of Jesus were like how close to the edge do we get right how to how I get here by Brian. Here's my question okay great. How far is too far.
Okay you know is heavy petting too far and what did you say that the church okay like how far is too far and I just get to this ad and Plaza nine. Get your running shoes on, put them on go you know how close can I get to Jesus that the question wrong?
How far is too far. How close Jesus goes Jesus and then use look around yourself single as you run after Jesus was running at the same pace with that's a great married person. Sex is more than just about sex and then he gives you a picture he gives me a picture. It's something that you've probably never thought about your body before it is so true, and if you really get it, it will change the way you think about your body. He says this. Your body is the temple of God, your body isn't just a random body is the temple of Godis do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God the picture the same way. In the Old Testament, the people would come to the temple to meet with God and that the Spirit of God resided there he saying now because of the finished work of Jesus. When you place your faith in him, the spirit of God, the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is now deposited and dwells in you that you're not just in anybody. You are a spirit filled body that he says this.
You are not your my body, my rules.
Fantastic follower of Jesus, you are not your own. Why you were bought at a great price, the son of God, hung and bled and died to buy you back to bring you from death into life from an enemy of God to a son and daughter of the king.
Therefore, in light of that, I will honor God with my body so follower Jesus. When you step into a relationship when you invite him to be the Savior and the Lord of your life. This is what you're saying. I am laying down my rights my preferences my desires and my sexuality at the foot of the cross. I'm going to follow you, Jesus, and your ways. I am no longer my own but I am yours and so Jesus you get a call the shots. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and so singles would you refuse the hookup culture, men and women alike that are medicating with porn. Would you come out of hiding.
When would you get help and got enough not my way, but your way. Mary's would you not supplement your sex life. Maybe with emotional conversations or outside dating you don't have to move in together to be together, same-sex attracted where you would say I'm going to deny myself, pick up my cross which I understand this incredibly painful follow you know centrist and have some good friends who are deep wonderful followers of Jesus who are gay and who are honoring God with their sexuality and this one friend was telling me that one of his fears was to die alone as he is chosen a life of celibacy and says you know this is where when we talk about family and the church.
It's gotta mean something where the churches really got a return to being the family of God for every person who are followers of Jesus Sam Albury writes on this is a Christian who is gay. Honoring God with the sexuality says we need to recognize the cost of discipleship for everyone. For many in our church is the cost of discipleship for the LGBT background people looks cruel and unusual I suspect. In most cases. That is because were not counting the cost of discipleship and other areas of life. Jesus says all of us have to say a profound note to some of our deepest longings and intuition that is discipleship. Jesus says it upfront doesn't buried in the small print the wonderful paradox of the Christian faith is as we deny self we become our real selves.
This is what it means to follow Jesus Deborah Hirsch in her book a great book and encourage you to read it redeeming sex it's it's worth just the opening of her story. Like I cried. The introduction I mean I just read it and wept just like oh my gosh how God has redeemed her life. Every human being on the planet is sexually broken, everybody's orientation is disoriented not saying I'm not coming up your daughter like I have it all together. So let me start with my sexual brokenness. When I was a teenager I got hooked on pornography I'd brought that darkness into my marriage you brought incredible pain and heartache and it's been a journey in a process of God restoring and redeeming and bringing freedom in my life and still to this day lost is a struggle in my life and I love the safe yield when I see a girl. I don't think I have any thoughts know on the red-blooded man whose heterosexual has thought and I'm being daily redeemed by his grace broken broken. We broke repentance involves accepting our broken condition.
Looking to the Savior. Jesus, the filler caps. We can't have it on our own terms. We have just accept God's perspective on the human condition, your body my body is the temple of God and so Relational Intelligence says it is never been just visit but you already knew that even those been pushed down, you already knew is never been just physical and so I will honor God with my body no longer will I say I have my sexuality over here. My spirituality over here, but I have knee who God created fully spiritual fully sexual and those are actually to work together. So let me give you just a little bit application. What is it look like to honor God with your body singles, contrary to public opinion. You are not in complete you're not lacking think we have this desire in our culture specially everybody has someone to love, but me.
If you're single. This is what you feel your wrestling with this and I just I need somebody to complete me. Here's the beautiful reality of our Savior Jesus fully God fully human, which meant fully sexual was single but not incomplete. Christianity was actually the first religion Alberta elevate singleness you can be single and it does not exclude deep levels of intimacy and some are single because of circumstance. Some are single because of choice of honor for God.
Others are single of calling and you can live a full and fulfilled life apart from your sexuality like there's the deep luck that the pointing of that is the deep levels of intimacy says you don't have to find someone to complete you. You are complete in Christ dating when you refuse to settle you go on a date.
Sex is expected. You don't want to be weird, I get it.
You refuse to settle would you say not honor God with my body. What is I look like where you would put some boundaries in your life resembling a run on than if we I'm gonna run on that when I have this I got this from my old youth pastor I still use it to this day.
Dating guidelines or does not go through this quick because I don't have a lot of time on this but would you say here some boundaries that I'm going to put in place that are going to keep me far from it like anywhere close to that boundary line for my own good. First area. The bikini rule if you're dating would you refuse to settle gone about touching the area that's in the bikini area.
Mel Ruffino I I am not going to.
As this song.
A song says awake in love before it's time the age factor if you're dating. Would you not get horizontal right you get horizontally watch a movie just slide down the bikini factor. The age factor third one. Nothing good happens after midnight. The later it gets into the night, the lower your inhibitions, your ability to say no like lots of good things happen after midnight but would you honor God with your body and finally Joe secret weapon Joe in the Bible, Joseph, he was pressured Potiphar's wife and what he do. He ran for some you're in that moment it gets heated and the only thing you can do is Ron and I encourage you, you may be weird but it's worth it singles are not incomplete.
Dating would you refuse to settle and married would you water your own grass. Would you water your own grass. It's been said that if the grass is greener on the other side is time to water your grass.
We we look to the greener grass. I know I need to go over there. Now you watering my brother and I we have some good friends.
It's been a season of heartache and pain as we watch's friends of ours close their marriage of 15, 20 years end in divorce one. The wife ran off with another man just watching families being devastated were just heartbroken and trying to figure out how to walk alongside and and so this is what my brother and I been saying to each other, what are you grass is easy in the busyness of life to come to go date nights to slip right. It is easy to just get caught up with all the stuff that's going on and just go you know what I know that on the back burner and the kids need this or work please this earth. And then what happens is the grass begins to get Brown and you don't notice it, but then you start to notice someone else's grass and you like. So we've seen what we don't ever want to be and so we just reminded each other every once in a while make sure date nights with her spouses or priority get away. Everyone smiles a priority merits body grass. It's never been just physical and so I will honor God. My body today. Some of you have an incredible decision in front of you and arrest and there is no shame with God. He says come to me. I want to give you a brand-new start which may we be full of grace, listening to thing all the best to talk about the message adjuster, but in case you jump to light our guest today was Ryan Ingram with his message. It's just physical from a series Relational Intelligence navigating relationships is never been easy, which is why Chip asked Brian to come ensure these messages that bring such practical applications to the daily challenges culture is a powerful voice that influences our attitudes and our thinking so Ryan's fresh perspective on relationship building. From a biblical point of view provides the tools you may need to make a few course corrections for limited time, resources for Relational Intelligence are discounted and the MP3s are always free to order your copy or dissented to a friend visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for additional information.
Just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. I'll be right back in just a minute to talk about Ryan's message and what that looks like as you put into practice the you know over the years I've made an observation that men tend to give love in order to get sex and women tend to give sex in order to get love and becomes a little bartering situation in a game that's played and apart from Christ at the center inside of the marriage relationship.
What you all know in a moment of objectivity that it creates incredible pain, hurt, disappointment and rejection, and right now I want to invite you to join me for a study they can help you grasp and understand how deeply you are already love because of what Christ has done for you that your precious that your valuable that you don't need to give anything artificially to anyone to experience love, but in fact as you do the daily discipleship with me.
We will go through a study of the book of Ephesians, for God will help you understand not just in your head, but in your heart how deeply valuable and significant. You are so that when sexuality becomes the expression of love. It happens in a relationship where there's commitment crisis at the center and there's no regrets. I hope you join me if you like to join the short daily video sessions with Chip. Sign up today.
Each video session will only be about 10 minutes and as the course progresses triple walk you through how to read Scripture and how to hear God speak directly to you through the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians the sign up for daily discipleship with Chip. Visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for more information just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 as we close today's program. I just want to emphasize a few, I think really important in a couple little semi humorous points that Ryan made and when he gave the real specific application and the major point is, it's never been a mean sex has never been just physical.
It really is about my body and your body belongs to God and so were going to commit to honor him with our body and so if you're single you're not incomplete. There's not some big deficit.
You don't have to find someone to complete you and so don't settle.
Oh please don't settle pursue God pursue the calling he's given on your life to make a difference. And in that environment God's best will show up in God's timing. I I love the dating rules the bikini rule. Not that that's a good one.
The H role don't go horizontal. Nothing good happens past midnight I left. Love, Joe secret weapon run. Let me just say to those are great ideas and very important things. One of the things I've learned over the years is you have to make pre-decisions you have to actually visualize in your mind.
In these situations in advance. This is what I'm going to do because if you haven't when the temptation starts.
If you let yourself in these positions the best, most sincere Christians and followers of Jesus I know will make mistakes that you be very sorry for and then finally let me just say I I think of nothing better after 41+ years water your own grass as a marriage partner you have to be friends. You have to have fun. You have to keep the love alive.
The romance alive. You have to pray together and learn to connect from the heart and all those things require intentionality and planning and those things are more important than your work and there are more important than your children, and if you put those things first, your work and your children. Believe me, will fare far better. Just before we close out or say thanks to those of you who are giving regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge you're making a huge difference helping other Christians live like Christians if you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet on the team to do that today. You can set up a recurring donation by calling us at 1-888-333-6003. Tapping the donate button or visiting us online at http://livingontheedge.org.
Thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do well. Until next time, this is Dave really saying thanks for listening.
This edition of living on the