Realigning with the redeemer

Jonah 4:5-11

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Our next series will be on God's heart for the city and our role in the city.

The book of Jonah is less about the city of Nineveh. Rather, it is about the heart of Jonah. A prophet of God should be closest to God. But you notice the misalignment of God and his prophet. He does not see what God sees, he does not love what God loves. He reconciles Jonah to Himself by using a storm,a fish,a city's repentance... 

God sends a plant to shade Jonah. Then a worm to make it wither. And Jonah is angry enough over this to wish he could die. God uses this plant as an argument for the salvation of Nineveh. He asks Jonah why he cares more for a plant yuan for the entire city of Nineveh. A plant that lived for less then a day...compared to the entire population of the city. A city that God had created and cared for. God reveals the skewed priorities of Jonah's heart.

In this, Jonah serves as a mirror for our hearts...the people of God. We have our own. Our grades. Or job problems. Or someone is slacking on our group project. Or our sports teams. Such joy and anger over such small things. Consider what God thinks of these things in our lives. We get so worked up over what happens on a field, over our grades, and what happens at our job... But God is concerned with those who do not know their right hand from their left. Who do not know where life is found. Who are not saved. Those who are lost.

That is the gospel. God seeks to save that which was lost. This is what our lives are for. We are to advance the gospel with our lives. God prioritizes the lost, therefore the people of God should prioritize the lost and the city. Harvie Conn and others speak of ministry to cities. (Tim Keller and Manny Ortiz)Ronald J. Sider speaks of evangelical flight from the city. What kind of priorities do you have? That of a child of God? Or a self-seeking atheist? If you move based on schools or restaurants, then you're acting as a non-believer.

Turning a Prophet, Turning a City

[Johan 3:1 - 4:5]

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you." So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"

Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

Repentance is About Turning

In verses 1-3, God pursues Jonah through a storm, pagan sailors, and even a sea animal. We are pursued by God to turn from our idols whether they be family, career, money, self-satisfaction, or personal desires. When we see Jonah's repentance, it certainly looks like the right attitude, but we will see that it is a very shallow repentance.

Consider that when Jonah preaches... the city, the entire city repents. Jonah doesn't give a gospel presentation, he just speaks of God's judgment. He speaks a word of judgment to a hostile and violent people. And the entire city, from greatest to smallest, puts on sackcloth. The repentance of the city was immediate, sudden, and complete. Even the animals fasted.

This is a rebuke to the Israelites. Their repentance was always partial. Every time the people repented, there was always something held back. The high places, the places of idols remained. They were the chosen people of God. They knew his word. Yet the pagans turned to God all the more even without so much of God's word.

This is also a rebuke to us, the followers of Christ. We know the incarnation of God's word, Jesus. Yet we repent so much more like Israel than Nineveh. Yet we take sin so lightly. We wonder how close we can get to sinning... without getting burned. We put off dealing with our sin. We are so slow to turn from our sin.

God's voice hurls storms and quiets them, sends fish to swallow men and vomit them out, calls nations and peoples to repentance... and they obey. Yet we do not listen to Him. We should be harsh with our sin, because we have a forgiving, patient, and loving God. We have a God who turns from judgment to forgiveness.

Repentance is Required and Mercy Needed, for the Religious and Irreligious

When the city of Nineveh repented, Jonah was angry and displeased. Jonah was a prophet of God, a preacher. What preacher goes to preach and is displeased when those he speaks to... turn to God? Jonah hated Nineveh. But more than that, Jonah hated something else. He hated something about God. Jonah could only see that Nineveh, a city of violence and hostility, was forgiven and let off the hook. He was angry that a city of torturers, violent people was let off because they said sorry. How is this fair? Jonah is religious. He thinks that God should bless those who are good and do good things. We should get what we deserve for our good works. That is what religion says. Bad people deserve bad things to happen to them. It is the older son in the story of the prodigal son. They consider all they have done and they trust in their good works and how they lived. But even though they do all this good works outside, inwardly they are still lost and far from God. Jonah needed to repent of his righteousness. He needed to see that the world is not separated into good and bad people. The world has one group, sinners. The only difference was that some hide their sins better than others. Jonah forgot his sinfulness before God. Jonah has gospel amnesia.

Gospel amnesia looks like this. We accuse God of being unfair to us. We demand things of God. We refuse to forgive, especially our enemies. We forsake the poor and downtrodden. We think others should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. We demand of others, what they've owed us.

Gospel thinking looks like this. When bad things happen, we admit that we deserve worse. When people hurt us, we remember that we've hurt God much, much more. When we see people who are in need, we know that this could be us. We had no choice about the circumstances of our birth and our family and how rich our surroundings are. God has placed us into our jobs, by His grace. All the good things in our life are by His grace.

Repentance leads to revival

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you." - Psalm 51:10-13

God did not save us for ourselves. He saved us for Him. When we turn anything and everything to Him, God can work through us. Revival starts when the people of God repent. Not just a bit, but totally and completely surrendered to God.

A Prayer From the Gut

[Jonah 2]

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

"I called out to the LORD, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
Then I said, 'I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.'
The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O LORD my God.
When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the LORD,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the LORD!"

And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

Let's stop and consider... it's hard to believe that people can be swallowed by a fish and this guy is praying?! This is ridiculous. So lets have a word about miracles in the bible. Noah's Ark has been lambasted by Bill Maher. But consider this... the entire framework of Christianity rests upon a set of miracles. Jesus was born of a virgin birth, lived a virgin life, and then died and was resurrected.

Consider the words of Tim Keller:

"when studying a natural event, the scientist must always assume there is a natural cause. That is because natural causes are the only kind its methodology can address."

"There would be no experimental model for testing the statement:'No supernatural cause for any natural phenomenon is possible.' It is therefore a philosophical presupposition and not a scientific finding."

It takes faith to believe that there is no supernatural cause. If there is a God who made all of nature and the universe, it is easy to believe that He could also suspend natural laws with such power and ability.

God uses distress to revive and rescue us

Sheol is the place of the dead and separation from God. It is the Hebrews' version of hell. He was drowning. The deep waters means more than just literally deep waters. It implies chaos. Jonah is in living hell, in utter chaos. He's going through all of this and then Jonah remembers God. Jonah started in a deep sleep in the ship. God woke him from his physical and spiritual slumber. As Jonah was plunged into all this chaos, Jonah prayed to God. And God sent salvation... not in the form of a boat, not in a person, but rather in the form of an enormous fish. It is in the belly of this fish that Jonah realizes this. That God was the one who sent the storm and sent the fish. God was the one who sent the deep difficult distress.

God is patient in the process of transforming unwilling servants

Jonah prays to God. God hears Jonah's prayer. God commands, and the fish spits out Jonah. Jonah prays this prayer of repentance. He recognizes God as the one who saves and also the one who calls the shots. Jonah is grateful and thankful during that prayer. But notice that there is still tension between what God calls us to and what Jonah wants. This is found throughout the psalms. There is both a question if God really cares as well as a small voice of faith that God is good and loving. There are times where we are genuinely grateful and thankful. But this is interspersed with times where we question, we second-guess, and we whine & complain.

Grace for Rebels

[Jonah 1]

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish."

And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?" And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, "O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you." So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

Everyone knows the story of Jonah. It's a rather short book and we use it often for Sunday school. But it is still a rich book.

The rebel heart in Jonah is the rebel heart in us all

Jonah was a prophet of God. God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. We'd expect that every prophet would respond by going to Nineveh. But instead, he gets up and goes to Joppa in the opposite direction. He plans to get on a ship to go to Tarshish... which some people believe was in Spain... far, far away from Nineveh. It is clear that Jonah is in clear rebellion to God. But as a prophet, Jonah knew that God could not be escaped. Jonah was a believer and he knew all this. This book was given to believers, you and I, for a purpose. There is no room for self-righteousness or smugness in our lives. For those who go to church regularly and serve the church, this book is for you. When we sin against God, we are rebelling. Whether it is porn, not forgiving, choosing a career for our fulfillment, not being His ambassador/witness... we choose what we want over what God tells us to do. At the root of it, we are all rebels. There are two types of rebels. There are overt rebels: defiant atheists, drug addicts, and drunkards who live as they wish... There is also religiously coated rebellion. They may go to church, they might even tithe... but they raise themselves above God. They think God owes them for their service and what they've done. It is the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. God's will is bent down to our own will. What would your response be if God told you to drop everything, literally everything and go to China, Iran, Saudi Arabia... places where sharing the Gospel could cost us God knows what. If we are honest with ourselves, we can come up with so many excuses not to do it. We would run. This is what God asks of Jonah. Nineveh is the land of his enemies. God knows what awaited Jonah there.
Consider also that there is a downward spiral to Jonah's path. He goes down to Joppa. He goes does into the ship. He lies down into a deep sleep. Jonah, a prophet, runs from God and goes to sleep during a raging storm. It is a reflection of Jonah's spiritual state. He is asleep and does not hear God. Rebellion dulls us to God's voice. And you know what happens? A pagan sailor comes to awaken Jonah. It is ironic that an unbeliever is the one who calls to the believer to "Arise!", in echo of God's call. Not only is Jonah affected, but the people around him are at risk as well. These sailors were minding their own business... but because of Jonah, their lives were now at risk in this horrendous storm.

God always gets His way

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

This storm is not a coincidence. God hurled it. So what happened? The sailors start hurling the cargo overboard... trying to save their lives. And then Jonah admits his fault. He tells the sailor to hurl him overboard. But they are soft-hearted! They attempt to row back to shore instead. Consider the irony... Soft-hearted pagans trying to save a rebellious believer. Not only that... but they also prayed to a god that they did not know. After they hurled Jonah overboard... and the storm quieted, the sailors learned to fear God and offered sacrifices to the LORD. Even in rebellion, Jonah witnessed to these pagans... without meaning to. Jonah was running from Nineveh... because he didn't want to witness to pagans.

Consider those who run away from God. This should give you hope. No matter how they run and curse God. If God has set His heart upon them... God gets His way.

God is gracious in our rebellion

Isn't it good that the book of Jonah doesn't end with being swallowed by a fish? Run from God and end up being fish food. God hurled that storm to awaken Jonah. God had the fish swallow Jonah to save him. God has every right to be angry. When we sin, God has every right to ask us who we are... God can tell us that we are dust... we are a mist. God has every right to hurl fury and wrath at us for our defiance. But the gospel tells us instead of wrath, Jesus comes to the land of the enemies of God... and God hurls his anger and fury at His son and sentences His son to death. So that now, God hurls only grace at us. He will stubbornly hurl His love and grace at us until we are fully His.

Redeeming Sex: Let's Get Practical

[Various Passages]

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

Today, we will get practical. Maybe a little too practical... some of us might get uncomfortable.

For married couples

Sex is about servanthood

"Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." - 1 Corinthians 7:1-5

Don't deprive the other of sex except by agreement. We are not our own... rather they are one flesh and belong to one another. To withhold sex from one another without mutual agreement is defrauding each other. The heart of marriage is not to demand things from the other. It is to love and serve the other. The attitude behind this is not of demanding conjugal rights... but rather one of serving. This is also one of the main reasons that masturbation is wrong. Masturbation is self-seeking pleasure, it is not serving the other. Sex is not about fulfilling our desires and urges. It is not about satisfying our demands/desires. When sex is selfish, it becomes an act of mutual masturbation instead of an act of love. That kind of sex is destructive. Even when the couple is married. Selfish sex is destructive.

Good Sex Starts Outside the Bedroom

One of the concepts we discussed is that sex is a representation of the oneness that a couple has achieved. When a couple feels close spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, they will have a good sex life. The way to fix a bad sex life is not in the bedroom. They need to stay close and not feel withdrawn or distant. They need to reconnect as friends, on dates, and doing the things they did when they were courting. Speaking words of love and appreciation. That is the way to a good sex life.

Sex should make us appreciate Jesus more

"The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

When we experience the joy of sex, it is a signpost to the one who's love is incomprehensible. Every great love song could apply to God's love for us.

For Singles


Honor the boundaries God has established reserving sex and all forms of physical intimacy for marriage.

Consider the fact that rivers runs fastest and is most powerful when it is constrained. The design of sex to be reserved for marriage is for a reason. The sharper boundaries empower sex to be better. Not only sex, but foreplay is also reserved for marriage. Foreplay is like an on-ramp... it gets us up to speed to have sex. If you are not planning on having sex, you should not be having foreplay. If you are not planning on going on a highway, you have no business being on an on-ramp.

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints." - Ephesians 5:3

Guard against entertaining lustful thoughts and actions that follow

The average age of marriage has increased. The challenge for Christians is greater than ever. But the standard is clear.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28

It is ok to notice someone is attractive. That is normal. But when we dwell on them, that is a sin. There is a difference between temptation and sin. The standard is not only physical, but it also applies mentally. We are constantly tempted by the sexually charged culture we live in. Don't entertain lustful thoughts... it is easy to say. But this is a serious struggle. It feels nearly impossible. Boundaries alone are insufficient.

The battle begins in the heart.

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." - Matthew 15:19

We cannot fight sin by changing the behavior. There is a sin behind the sin. For those who look at internet porn and masturbate, there is the sin of sexual immorality. But behind that is something else, perhaps there is someone who's life seems out of control and nothing is going right... the act of porn becomes a measure of peace and pleasure. The battle is in your heart.

The war is already won.

Be reminded, that war is already won. Sexual sin brings with it an enormous amount of guilt. This guilt can really cripple us. But the gospel shines in this.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1

There is a little legalism in all of us. We think we have to earn it back. When we've fallen, there is no condemnation. God is not angry and scowling. God sees us through Jesus. Sin makes us want to cover up in shame. But the blood of Christ covers all of our sin... God still loves us perfectly.

"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." - Romans 6:11

Keeping in mind the grace we have in Christ, we consider ourselves dead to sin. We should get back up and fight again. Sin is like a chicken with its head cut off. It is still running around, but it is dead. When Christ died, He conquered sin and death. We keep failing and falling into sin, but it is the flails of a dying foe. Christ has already struck the deathblow. We get up and fight sin because we know it is already dead. It is just a matter of time.

Recognize that fasting from sex makes you appreciate Christ more

Consider the fact that Paul says that fasting from sex to devote time to prayer is permissible. It is saying that focusing on Jesus is recognizing He is the bread of life. When we abstain from sex, it is to focus on the true bread... the true life-giver. It is to look at that which sex points to... the one who satisfies and gives us ultimate joy. Consider the reason why we fast during Lent. There is a bad way to fast and there is a good way to fast. As we fast from sex, may we draw closer to Christ.

Sex and the Allegiance of Your Heart

[1 Thessalonians 4:1-18]

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

{Rev. David White}

According to scripture, the only acceptable expression of sexual intimacy is in a committed relationship of marriage. This was a radical teaching back in the Greco-Roman times. Pagan worship often involved prostitution. Men had mistresses, concubines, and wives... all for different purposes. In the passage, it is not rebuke, but rather he is calling them to radical obedience to God. Paul tells them that this is from God, not from Paul.

Our sexuality is a reflection of our inner spiritual life.

According to this passage, how we steward our sexuality reflect our allegiance. How we convey ourselves sexually tells how we are spiritually... Does our sexuality show how we are set apart by God? Scripture tells us that to be a Christian means we are bought by the blood of Christ and we are set apart for God. When Paul calls Jesus LORD, he is saying the He owns us... body and soul.

Sex is an incredible force to be handled carefully.

God has designed sex to be incredibly pleasurable. Unfortunately, our hearts want to be able to have sex when we want, how we want, etc. Paul says that people who live according to our passions don't know God. When we have sex outside of God's boundaries, we experience a splintering of our souls. Sex no longer gives the same pleasure... we become calloused. The pleasure decreases as we seek it out more and more...

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." - Ephesians 4:17-19

For those of us who are having issues with sexual immorality, consider this. If you are not having problems, God is expressing his wrath. When God presents us with the consequences of our sin, that is God expressing His love for us. You are living as one who disregards God. If God loves you, He will convict and discipline you.

God is saying that there is a holy way to control our genitals. God is also the one who put all the nerves in our genitals. He was the one who created the orgasm and called it good. Consider our God is a God of pleasure. But sex is not life-giving.

There is a deeper reality behind sex.

We are a called people. The Holy spirit has been given to us. He has given us a part of Himself. We are joined with Him. Even at it's best, marriage and sex is pointing to Someone greater. It is pointing to one who can give us rest, fulfillment, and joy. Sex that has no boundaries... makes lust insatiable. Marriage is not a cornucopia of sex... but we will be satisfied.

God's Design for Sex

[1 Corinthians 6:12-7:2]

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

[Rev. Dwight Yoo]

Sex is found in our top 10 music. our movies. advertisements. Our culture is overboard in their practices in regards to sex. Friends with benefits. This is clearly not God's design & intention for sex. We need to be the light in our culture. We need to deal with sex with graciousness, seriousness, and love.

Biblical Principles on Sex

1) Sex should be celebrated as good, but not worshiped as god.

In Corinth, there were christians who were trying to justify sleeping with prostitutes. This sounds ridiculous, but there's a reasoning behind this. Greek thinking believed in dualism. There is a spirit and a body. There is low value in regards to the material and the body. The things of the body doesn't matter. Sexual urges were like an itch. If it itches, scratch it. But Paul rejects this thinking. He says the body belongs to God. Then he goes on to talk about Jesus' resurrection. Why? Because in the resurrection, Jesus was PHYSICALLY resurrected. With scars and everything. The resurrection was not only spiritual which flies contrary to this Greek view of dualism. So both spirit and body are sacred. Flesh is not just some sort of shell for the spirit, but rather tied to the spirit. So sex is a sacred and good creation of God. There is beauty and joy in sex. It is not a dirty thing. It is not a vulgar and base thing. "Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight..." - Proverbs 5:19 It speaks of a husbands delight in his wife.

But there are those who look too highly upon sex. God should reign supreme over sex. We should find our greatest satisfaction in God, not sex. The Screwtape letters speaks of what happens when we turn from God to sex as ultimate: "An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure..." We try all these new things to make it more pleasurable. We try different things... maybe even invite other people into our sex life. And there is ever less returns for all that work. Sexual urges become our master and we become slaves. Just like any other addiction.

Sex is only to be enjoyed in marriage between a man and a woman. That is how God designed it to be. We should submit to Him in sexual matters. This is a hard sell in our day and age. To tell people that God wishes to limit their freedom. They want to do anything they wish.

"The pleasures and goodness of sex are heightened, not lessened by proper restraint, in the same way the Colorado River is made more powerful by the walls of the Grand Canyon. The very narrowness of the river's channel there makes for a greater river. Farther south, as the river flows through the deserts of California and Arizona, it is shallow, wide, and muddy, even stinky in spots. Wider boundaries diminish the river; sharper, stronger, and narrower boundaries strengthen it. Less is more." - Sex and the Supremacy of Christ

2) Sex is for Procreation, Pleasure and Bonding

Some religions say that sex is solely for procreation. How do we know? The book of Song of Solomon. There is no reference to childbearing and procreation. It is about sexual pleasure between a husband and wife. It is also about bonding between the couple. It is the physical expression of the oneness of a couple spiritually and in thinking. It is a covenant renewal. A renewing of the promise of marriage between husband and wife.

Sex outside of God's boundaries is cheapened, demeaning and hurtful...

As the body of Christ, we bring Jesus into any distorted sexual act we do. It is like we are taking Christ's hands and doing sinful vulgar things. This should not be.

It also cheapens the other party. C.S. Lewis puts it this way: "when we say of a lustful man prowling the streets that he wants a woman. Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus. How much he cares about the woman as such may be gauged by his attitude to her five minutes after fruition, One does not keep the carton after one had smoked the cigarettes." Sex without strings demeans the other person. They are simply a vehicle for your lust.

When sex is done wherever and with whomever, it loses it's bonding power. The act is no longer one of love, but rather just a simple act.

Christians at Corinth were arguing that food and sex were the same thing. But Paul says that we sin against our own body when we commit sexual immorality. What does this mean? Consider this. When we eat something, lets say we overeat... we overeat so badly that we puke our guts out. No one mentions it 4 years later. No one questions whether we are forgiven over that. But sexual immorality is quite different... it has a greater cost to those who commit it.

3) Sex is a Sign-Post

Sex teaches us something about God. "Sexuality is designed by God as a way to know God in Christ more fully." Sex is known as "knowing someone" The literal translation of the interaction between Adam and Eve was this: Adam KNEW Eve. And she conceived. God wants to know us. Not as friends. Not as acquaintances. But as a husband knows his wife. He wants to know us fully naked before one another. When heaven comes and we are standing before God, we will realize that which sex has been pointing us to all along. We will no longer need sex nor will we need it. The passion, the fulfillment, the joy, and the consumation... That is a small picture of what happens we were finally arrive Home.