Below we talked about compromise and that compromised relationships are the first step in the process of compromise. Well if any relationship opens the door to connection to someone else it's a sexual relationship. We've got two major truths we are dealing with when it comes to sexual purity.
When you connect with someone sexually, you are instantaneously connected to them emotionally, mentally and spiritually!Rubber bands are cool! They can move and bend and stretch in all sorts of weird cool ways, but they always will return to their original length. Bungee cords are basically just hundreds of rubber bands bound together. When you connect with someone sexually it's as if you have tied a bungee cord around each of your waists and then tried to go on your merry way, after the sexual act. But all of a sudden your emotions, some of your mental capacity, and your spirit are tied to that person.
Let's illustrate this! It could be years since you connected with someone sexually. Maybe it was high school, maybe it was college. But years later you are driving down the road and that certain song comes on the radio. Out of no where those emotions of connection that were established come flooding back. Or let's say you thumbing through an old yearbook and you see the picture of that person. Now out of no where, you have some mental images invading your brain of things you've engaged in with that person. It's like the bungee of your emotions and mental images have been snapped back into place because of the sexual connection.
Spiritual connection with a person is even more complex and really only makes sense in terms of understanding that you as a believer in Christ are tied with a spiritual bungee cord to Jesus. If you connect sexually with someone outside of a marriage relationship, in a weird way even if that other person is a believer too, they are spiritually pulling you away from Christ.
The cool thing about being tied sexually and then emotionally, mentally and spiritually to a person is when their is a life long commitment. This truth that sexual connection instantaneous connects two people emotionally, mentally, and spiritually all of a sudden is an awesome thing, because now instead of guilt and doubt and disrespect, there's security and interdependence.
This truth about sexuality is why Paul wrote this in First Corinthians 6:18: "Flee sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside the body, but he who sins sexually, sins against his own body." Sexual sins cuts deep and forever.
Yes there's forgiveness, yes there's grace. But anybody that has compromised sexually will tell you that this truth about sexual connection stands even in the midst of their forgiveness.
Sexual purity or sexual compromise is a physical picture of the spiritual truth that you belong to someone!
Take two sheets of construction paper and glue them together. Let them sit for a minute. We'll talk about the construction paper in a bit.
Paul keeps going in verse 19 and says this: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
Now let's skip down into chapter 7 and say something pretty significant. Verse 3-4 of chapter 7 says, "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.
You belong in a very real sense to Christ (if you are a believer) and to your husband or wife. And how you compromise sexually speaks volumes about how much you value Christ and your future or present spouse. Because in a very real sense when you connect with someone sexually you are giving away a part of your self that now belongs to that person. If you don't believe me take the construction paper now and try to pull them apart.
Little bits of each piece of paper have bonded to the other one and torn away. When you connect sexually, you are meant to stay together because it's just too stinking hard to pull you apart without leaving little pieces of yourself behind.
If you hear this message, I'll end it with a story that'll drive these two points home.
