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On Jul 25, 2004: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• AI Andrew [00:00:00]: You are listening to FerventWord, an online bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2004. Jerry Simmons [00:00:13]: 1st Corinthians chapter 6. You might remember last week as we looked at the first portion of, chapter 6, and we talked about, you know, the Christians who were suing one another and having the strife and division amongst each other, and and they were really just going to to law and going to court against each other. And and Paul was rebuking them pretty strongly as he as he said, hey, why are you guys taking each other to court? Why are you suing one another? And in verse 7, he he kinda laid it out. He said, hey, it's it's already an utter failure that you've come to this point. Why would you not rather be wronged? Why would you not rather be cheated? Why would you not rather have those things done to you than to defame or to dishonor the name of Jesus Christ? And as Paul is writing to them, the first part of chapter 6 and encouraging them, remember we talked about as well that, you know, everything that we do needs to glorify God. And that everything that that we do, we're we're naming the name of Christ, so we need to represent His name in all that we do and to center our lives and focus our lives on Him. Well, the last part of chapter 6 that we'll go through this morning has kinda the same theme. It's a different, different kinda topic, you might say, but it's the same theme that runs through it, that we need to give our lives completely to him. Jerry Simmons [00:01:28]: And this morning, I believe that God is calling us back to a sold out, 100%, full fledged relationship with Jesus Christ, with no holds barred, nothing back, just all out for Jesus. And that's what we're called to to live as Christians. That's the life that we're called to live, and that's how we're called to be. And so this morning, I I pray that God would encourage your heart and and really challenge you back to a full fledged man, just absolute commitment to Him, because that's what god desires from us, and that, you know, is when we are the most blessed. First Corinthians chapter 6 verses 12 through 20, read along with me. It says this. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Jerry Simmons [00:02:16]: Foods for the stomach and stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God I'm sorry. God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Verse 15. 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 harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the 2, he says, shall become 1 flesh, but he who is joined to the Lord is 1 spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Jerry Simmons [00:03:00]: Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Here in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verses 12 through 20, Paul continues his train of thought but changes the subject a little bit and begins to deal with sexual immorality, begins to deal with the heart of another issue that had been going on. We talked about this a little bit more in detail, a couple weeks ago. But as we look at this portion of scripture, I look at and I I wonder about, several things. But one of the things is, do you know what it's like to give someone a gift that's not appreciated? Maybe, you know, you have a a child or a grandchild or a friend or someone that you gave them a gift that either was maybe expensive or was valuable to you, was precious, and you gave it to them, but it just it wasn't appreciated. It wasn't held in high regard, but instead was, you know, just kinda discarded or or abused and broken. Jerry Simmons [00:04:17]: Maybe you have a a family heirloom or something that has been passed down from generation to generation. My family doesn't have anything. I think, I'm gonna start with them. I have this family penny that I passed down from 1 generation to the other. But, you know, we don't have anything, but maybe you do. Or maybe you know what it's like for someone to receive a gift, to give a gift, and and to have it not be appreciated. Have it really just, you know, in the eyes of the receiver just be held in little regard, that there's not much value, placed upon it. Well, the gift that god has given to us, as Paul explains here in the verses that we read, is incredible. Jerry Simmons [00:04:55]: The the gift of life, the gift that God has given to us, that he bought, that he purchased with very high cost to him. It was the cost of his own precious blood with his own son as he died on the cross for us. He gave us this gift. He gave us a gift of life as we'll look at this morning. And the question I ask you and the question I ask myself is, do I appreciate it? Is he just giving it and, you know, I just kinda say whatever? Or or do I really value the gift that he has given to me? You know, the song that we were singing earlier says, I'll never know how much it costs to see my sins upon that cross. I'll never know. And it it is hard for us to understand. It is hard for us to comprehend, but we need to understand that it did cost Jesus His very own precious blood to give His life for us. Jerry Simmons [00:05:45]: And now the question is, with this gift that we've been given, that you and I have been given, what are we doing with it? Do we value it? Do we hold it in a high regard? Or we just do we just continue to live our lives taking advantage of the of the grace of God, taking advantage of His mercy and His and His grace? Well, in verse 12 of chapter 6, He says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. See, God has given us this gift. He's given us this gift of life, and the Corinthians were having a problem. And so Paul begins to deal with this in verse 12, and he quotes one of their common sayings, one of the things that they would frequently say. What would they say? Well, they would say, hey. I'm a Christian. I'm in Christ. All things are lawful for me. Jerry Simmons [00:06:32]: Everything is lawful for me. I'm not bound under the law anymore. I am not required to keep the law, and so the law doesn't apply to me, so I can do whatever I want because everything's lawful for me. Now is that true? As Christians, is that true? Are we free from the law? Are we free from it? In Romans chapter 7, if you'd like to turn there with me, Paul explains very clearly what our relationship to the Law is in Romans chapter 7 verses 1 through 6. It's just, the next book over to the left there. Romans chapter 7. Starting in verse 1, it says this. Or do you not know, brethren, for I speak to those who know the Law, that the Law has dominion over man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the Law to her husband as long as he lives. Jerry Simmons [00:07:34]: But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then, if while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the Law through the body of Christ that you may be married to one another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death, verse 6. But now, we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by so that we should serve in the newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Paul here in first in Romans chapter 7 explains to us, and he goes on to explain in the rest of the chapter, and I encourage you to read it on your own time, but he explains to us that indeed we are not under the law any longer. We're not bound to the law any longer. Jerry Simmons [00:08:43]: We're not subject to its regulations. We're not subject to its consequences. And he he equates it to a a a relationship, a marriage relationship, a woman who is married and yet goes and and marries another man. And he says in this life, if the husband is alive, well, that's adultery. That is sin. It's wrong. It should not be done. But he goes on to say if the husband is dead, she's not bound to that law anymore. Jerry Simmons [00:09:10]: It's not adultery anymore if she goes off and marries another man because the husband is dead. And likewise, we are the Bride of Christ. Jesus Christ has died for us, and so we are bound to the law no longer. We are not bound to the law, Paul says. Now, are we not bound to the law so that we can kinda do whatever we want and just live our lives the way we want to? No. He says, but we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we are held by so that we should serve in the newness of the spirit, that we should walk in the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. That we're not called to live according to the regulations of this law anymore. What is the law? Well, to the people he would be writing to, they would recognize the law as the old testament. Jerry Simmons [00:09:53]: The first half of your bible actually, first, like, 3 quarters of your bible is the old testament or specifically the first five books, the law of Moses. And they had all the, regulations and the rituals and the sacrifices that must be met, that must be, performed in order for someone to have a relationship with God. Because that was the only way they could have a relationship with God. But because of the gift of God, because Jesus Christ died for us, we have been freed from that law. We have been free. We don't have to perform sacrifices. I mean, we haven't slaughtered any sheep, you might have noticed. The carpet's red because it's red. Jerry Simmons [00:10:30]: It's not stained or anything like that. We don't have to perform the sacrifices anymore, we don't have to perform the regulations anymore because we're not under the law. Jesus Christ has done a new work, and that we can come to Him in the power of His blood and have a new relationship with Him like never seen before He came and died on the cross. The old testament is all based on those rules. And so, no, we are not under the law, and the Corinthians, they partially had it right in the sense that, yeah, we're we're all things are lawful. We're not under the law. We're not bound by the law any longer. But back in 1st Corinthians chapter 6, Paul goes on to say, but all things are not helpful. Jerry Simmons [00:11:08]: All things are not edifying. All things do not build up. He says, yes. We are not under the law. That is correct. And I know you're saying this, but you're saying it with the wrong attitude because what they're doing was, hey, I can live the life I want, I can fulfill these desires that I have, I can do whatever I want because I'm not under the law. But Paul says, no, no, no. Your focus is wrong. Jerry Simmons [00:11:31]: Yes, you're not under the law, but not that you would be free to sin, but that you'd be free from sin, that you'd be free to serve Jesus Christ. In fact, in Galatians chapter 5, Paul writes to the church of Galatia that use your liberty. No. I'm sorry. Do not use your liberty to sin, but use your liberty to serve one another, to walk with Jesus Christ, to get to know him better. We're to use our liberty, our freedom from the law, not to sin, but to fill our lives, to surround ourselves with the things that are helpful, with the things that build us up, with the things that encourage us in our relationship with Jesus Christ, because that is the most important thing that we can do. That is the most important relationship that we have. And it was his blood that gave us this ability. Jerry Simmons [00:12:18]: It was his blood that freed us from the law that now we don't have to perform those things, but instead, fill our lives with things that are helpful. Fill our lives with things that edify us and build us up, excuse me, in our walk with Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that we would not be bound to the law. He died so that He can have that relationship with us. So does that mean that the law is bad? No. No. Romans chapter 7, it goes on to say that it's not bad. It's not evil. Jerry Simmons [00:12:49]: What's bad and what's evil is us. We're bad. We couldn't keep the law, and so that's why Jesus Christ died. He died because there is no other way for you and I to have an eternal relationship with Him. He died because we can't do it on our own. You might remember when Jesus was in the garden, and he said, lord, if there's any other way if there's any other way if there's any other way, any any anyone, Lord, just not it doesn't have to be a few. If there's any other way, if there's any possibility that George could be saved without me dying on the cross, then let that be. But there was no other way. Jerry Simmons [00:13:30]: The only way for you to be saved, the only way for me to be saved, for me to have and experience the presence of God is for Jesus Christ to die. And that's what he did. He purchased us with his blood as we'll go on to see later. So all things are lawful. We're free from the law, but we need, instead of being bound to the law, we need to fill our lives with the things that are helpful, with the things that build us up. Now let me ask you, is your life full of activities, full of things, full of encouragement, full of helpful, edifying things that will build up your relationship with God? Is it full of it? Do you have things in your life that distract you or or kinda keep you from a relationship with God? That's what Paul is talking about here. Not the things that I mean, God's word speaks very clearly against sin, and we do not need to be involved in sin. We should not be involved in sin. Jerry Simmons [00:14:24]: But there's things, maybe gray areas that you might think of. Maybe the movies that you watch, maybe the friends that you hang out with, maybe the things that you do after work, whatever. That, yeah, maybe you could kinda justify it. It's not really spoken against in the scripture, but are they helpful? And I challenge you to ask yourself that. I challenge myself to ask that. You know, the things that I'm involved in, are they helpful to me? Do they help me get closer to Jesus? And that should be the bottom line. That's what it should all boil down to. There's 2 types of things in my life. Jerry Simmons [00:14:54]: There's things that help me in my walk with the Lord, and there's things that don't. And I wanna be involved in the things that help me. I wanna be involved in the things that encourage me, that spur me on, that draw me closer to Jesus Christ. And, you know, as Tom Homan said as he was doing the announcements, we do have so much available to you here at the at Living Water. And it's not so that we keep ourselves busy and, you know, it's a social club. No. No. We we wanna make every chance for you to be able to be encouraged, to be able to grow in your walk with the Lord, to be able to to draw near to Jesus Christ. Jerry Simmons [00:15:28]: And so that's why we have the different studies during the week and the different things because we wanna help you grow in Jesus Christ. And that's why I wanna be involved in those things because I wanna grow in Jesus Christ. I wanna continue on in my walk. All things are lawful for me. I don't have to go. I don't have to be involved in those things, but they're helpful. And so I wanna fill my life with the things that are helpful. Well, he goes on in verse 12, say, again, all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Jerry Simmons [00:15:56]: So the first time he says everything is lawful for me, but not everything is helpful, so let's be involved in the things that are helpful that edify. But then he goes on to say all things are lawful again, and he says, but I will not be brought under the power of any. I will not be brought under the power of any. I won't be brought under subjection again. In John chapter 8, you might remember the story of Jesus sharing with the the Jewish people and the the Jewish leaders that in verse 34, He said, most assuredly, you can be sure of this, He says. Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Whoever, whoever, you or me, whoever, doesn't matter, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. This is something that Jesus said. Jerry Simmons [00:16:43]: This isn't something I made up, but this is something that Jesus is speaking to you and to me. If we commit sin, we are slaves to sin. Now, anybody here that does not commit sin? Yeah, I didn't think so. We all sin. And so naturally, we're slaves to sin, but we're free by the blood of Jesus Christ. And it's only then. But if we continue to be in sin, what we're doing is we're bringing ourselves back into bondage. We're bringing ourselves back under the power of sin. Jerry Simmons [00:17:10]: And Paul says, yeah, it might be lawful for you, but you're bringing yourself, you're allowing yourself to be brought under the power of that sin, to be brought under the power of that thing that you're involved in. And we never wanna be at that point as Christians because whose power should we always be under? Jesus' power. The Holy Spirit's power. We should be led, guided, controlled by Him, and never by anything of this world or anything of the flesh. We need to really examine our lives and challenge ourselves to say, what am I involved in? What is my life filled with? What is it? And is it keeping me from Jesus Christ? Is it keeping me under subjection? Is it putting me back under bondage to my flesh, to the sinful nature? Or is it helping me? Is it building me up? You could imagine if maybe I was a basketball player. Right? Since Shaq left the Lakers, here comes Jerry Simmons to save the day. Right? Jump right in. And I go up to, a referee right before the the big game or whatever. Jerry Simmons [00:18:13]: And I I say, hey, ref. I need to ask you a question. Is it against the rules for me eat for me to eat this this really big chocolate cake right now right before the game? Well, the ref say, well, no. It's not against the rules. I wouldn't advise it. It's not gonna help you. It's really gonna mess up your game, and you're not gonna feel well, and, you know, it's really gonna just mess you up, but it's not against the rules. You can do it if you want. Jerry Simmons [00:18:34]: Oh, okay. Well, great. And so I go indulge my flesh and then have a horrible game. Right? Or if I'm playing baseball and I ask the umpire, hey, is it okay if I if I close my eyes this time? I wanna close my eyes and just kinda feel the ball in it. I think I'll be able to hit it. Well, the umpire would say, well, no. It's not against the rules. I wouldn't advise it. Jerry Simmons [00:18:50]: You might get hurt. You're definitely gonna miss. I mean, it's not gonna be a good result for you, but it's not against the rules. And that's what Paul is saying here. Yeah. It might not be against the rules. We're not under the law. But are you serious about your relationship with Jesus Christ? Because if I'm serious about sports, if I'm serious about the things in my life, I'm gonna take precautionary measures. Jerry Simmons [00:19:13]: I'm gonna take, you know, steps ahead of time to prepare myself and to not eat the chocolate cake, but to eat foods that are nutritious, that help me, that build me up, that help me in my game. Well, in my relationship with Jesus Christ, the same thing is true, that I can fill my life with all kinds of junk that will deter my walk with the Lord, that will distract me, that will hinder me, that will slow me down. Or I can fill my life with things that will help me, that will nourish me, that will strengthen me in my walk with Jesus Christ. So he says all things are lawful, but not all are helpful. All things are lawful, but I will not be bound by anything. He goes on in verses 13 through 18 to talk about a specific example, the example of sexual immorality. And so verse 13, he goes on to say, foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Jerry Simmons [00:20:14]: In verse 13, he quotes another kind of popular saying at that time that was going around the church of Corinth, and he says, foods for the body and the body for foods. It was something that they would say to justify their sinful actions, to justify their sexual immorality. Basically, they were saying this, just like I get hungry, and when I'm hungry I eat, and that's why food exists so that I can eat it, the desires that I have, the sinful cravings that I have, I just satisfy that. It's the same way just like eating, just like anything else. Man, when I get that sinful desire, when I get that that craving, that lustful thought or lustful desire, I just satisfy it because it's the same thing. It doesn't matter. It's not a big deal. It's gonna be destroyed anyways. Jerry Simmons [00:21:02]: What does it matter? The Corinthians were looking and they were saying, hey, it's not a big deal to be involved in sexual immorality because it's the same as having a good meal. You're just satisfying that desire, that hunger, that need, and that's it. But Paul says, No, that's not it. That's not it. And he encourages us again in these next few verses to not be involved in sexual immorality. Like I said, we talked about this a couple weeks ago, but he touches on it again. Why? Well, because it's an important thing. It's a thing that you and I need to be aware of and and concerned about. Jerry Simmons [00:21:38]: Are we involved in sexual immorality? Are we involved in those things? Well, he goes on to give four reasons why a Christian, a believer, should not be involved in sexual immorality. He says number 1 in verse 13, now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord. Why? Well, number 1, because our body our bodies are for the Lord. They're not for sexual immorality. They're not for indulging in sin. They're not for satisfying our own desires, but they're for the Lord. Our bodies are for the Lord. They're for the Lord. Jerry Simmons [00:22:12]: He goes on in verse 14, he says: And God will both raise up the Lord, and will also raise us up by His power. It's not our life anymore, it's not our body anymore, but it's for the Lord. He says our body is for the Lord, and the Lord for our body. That God has given us this body, not so that we could do our own thing, not that we could satisfy our own desires, but that we could satisfy His desires, that we could use our bodies for Him, for His glory, for His satisfaction. So he says our bodies are not for sexual immorality, because number 1, they belong to Jesus. Number 2, the second reason is that our bodies are members of Christ. Read with me in verses 15 through 17. He says, 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 harlot? Certainly not. Jerry Simmons [00:23:07]: Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the 2, he says, shall become 1 flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. He goes on and he explains something a little bit unique, a little bit something that we might not be familiar with because he says our bodies are members of Christ, which we do know, which we do understand. We call ourselves the body of Christ. Right? We're a body here at this fellowship, and that's what we call ourselves. Not only that, but we are part of the entire body of Christ around the world that we're just a piece of it. We're we're part of the body of of Jesus Christ. And Jesus isn't here today, but we're His body. Jerry Simmons [00:23:49]: We're carrying out His work here today. So we're His body. Now Paul says we're members of His body, and we understand that. We believe that. But he goes on to say, shall I then take a member of Christ, a part of the Lord's body, and unite that piece, that part with with a harlot, with a prostitute, with sexual immorality? Shall I unite the body of Christ with a sinful situation and a sinful act? Well, the obvious answer is certainly not. Heaven forbid. I mean, in fact, it's just it's horrible to think about that we would unite the body of Christ with harlotry, with sexual immorality. Paul says our bodies are members of Christ. Jerry Simmons [00:24:41]: They're members of Christ. And he's explaining here that there's a union that takes place within a sexual relationship. There's a union that takes place that the world probably does not acknowledge and will not will not believe. But what Paul says here is he says, verse 16, or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the 2, he says, shall become 1 flesh. The 2 shall become 1. We're very familiar with this idea. It's from Genesis chapter 2 verse 24, and we hear it very often, and we share it very often at weddings and for couples who are, you know, going to be married, and and to that they would know and understand that, hey, yeah. Your 2 lives you're living 2 different lives, but now you're coming together as 1. Jerry Simmons [00:25:28]: You need to leave and cleave. Right? Separate from your father and mother, and and cleave to each other, and cleave to the Lord. And and the Lord doesn't see you now as 2 different lives, but he sees you as one life, as a life for him, as a a life one together, one's union, or one unit, that God unites, that God does. It's a special thing within marriage. The 2 shall become 1. Right? We're very familiar with this. But what Paul is saying here is he's sharing it a little bit in a different context than we're used to. We're used to it within the the boundaries of marriage, the 2 shall become 1. Jerry Simmons [00:26:03]: But he says not only is it within the bounds of marriage does a sexual relationship unite the 2 and they become 1, but it's also outside of marriage. In sexual immorality, in relationships outside of marriage, there's something that takes place, there's something that happens, there's a union that happens that is far beyond just what's going on physically. There's something going on far beyond the physical level, there's something going on emotionally, spiritually within the soul of those involved. And so we need to be careful, Paul says, in uniting the members of Christ with a harlot because there's a deeper thing that's going on, there's a deeper situation that's happening. He goes on in verse 17, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit. The 2 shall become 1. Right? He says the 2 shall become 1 flesh. Jerry Simmons [00:27:06]: Now, think about this for a second. Like I said, we're very familiar with this in the context and idea of marriage. The 2 shall become 1 flesh, but in verse 17, he says, but he who is joined to the Lord is 1 spirit with Him. 1 spirit. So the question is, do you wanna be 1 flesh or 1 spirit? Do you wanna be in the sinful nature, or do you wanna be in the spirit? Now in marriage, it's okay. It's different. God has designed God has designed it to be different in marriage because He says the 2 shall become 1 flesh, but within the boundaries of marriage where god blesses the sexual relationship, he says, then you're also still one in spirit with the lord. And the only time you wanna unite 2 fleshes together is when it's in the spirit. Jerry Simmons [00:27:54]: You know, they've said it many times that when you marry someone, you don't just marry their spiritual side, but you also marry their flesh. Right? And I told first service you could ask my wife. Right? You can ask my wife. You don't you don't just marry the spiritual side of me, but you marry the sinful side of me, the sinful nature that I that I have, that you have, that we all have. And so in the uniting of us together, in the uniting of a couple together, there's that uniting of the flesh, of the sinful nature. But within the boundaries of marriage, within the confines of marriage, within I don't know why I say boundaries and confines. It sounds very limiting, No. Within the the blessedness of marriage, you're also one spirit. Jerry Simmons [00:28:35]: So you're still under the blessing, you're still under the covering, you're still under the, the the leading and guiding of God's spirit. And so if it's outside of marriage, it's just one flesh, it's just sin, it's just sinful nature. But within marriage, it's a spiritual thing, and it's a blessing of the Lord. So Paul says, hey, understand and realize there's a union that takes place. The world would say, no, there's no union, there's nothing, you're crazy. No, but there's a union that takes place. It's more than what's going on physically. There's something happening within. Jerry Simmons [00:29:06]: There's something happening within the persons. So don't be involved in sexual immorality. Number 1, he says our bodies belong to Jesus. Number 2, our bodies are members of Christ. Number 3, he goes on in verse 18 to say that our bodies are sinned against. Let's read verse 18 together. He says, flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Jerry Simmons [00:29:36]: This is pretty radical if you think about this for a second. Every sin, he says, that we commit is outside of our body except for sexual immorality. That sin is against not only the the Lord because our bodies belong to Jesus, not only because our bodies are members of Christ, but our bodies are sinned against. We're sinning against ourselves if we're involved in sexual immorality. There's something that takes place, like I said, that's deeper than what's going on physically. It's not just like eating a good meal. It's different. In Proverbs chapter 6 verse 32, Solomon writes, whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding. Jerry Simmons [00:30:18]: He who does so, notice this, destroys his own soul. Destroys his own soul. There's a destruction that takes place. There's a loss of life whenever sin is involved in, whenever we take part in sin. There's a loss of life. There's a destruction that goes on, and it might not appear that way. You might not understand it at the moment, but that's what God's word says. This isn't something that, you know, I'm making up. Jerry Simmons [00:30:45]: This is what God's word says. God says if we're involved in sexual immorality, we're sinning against ourselves, we're destroying ourselves. It's much like fire, and maybe you've heard this example or this analogy before. Fire on a stove is a wonderful thing because then my wife can cook me a good meal and it tastes wonderful, and I'm blessed and satisfied. But if it's not on the stove and it's not in the fireplace, but maybe it's on the roof or maybe it's, you know, on the walls or whatever, it's very destructive. And it will tear down a house very very quickly as we've seen in the last few weeks with the fires that have been going on in California. Fire can be destructive or it can be very edifying and it can be a blessing. The same thing with sexual relationships. Jerry Simmons [00:31:35]: Inside the context of marriage, it's it's not just allowed, but it's it's beneficial. It's not destructive, but it's constructive. There's a uniting that takes place. There's something that god does within the heart of the 2 people. But outside of marriage, it's destructive. It burns like fire. Solomon said in another portion of scripture, can a man take fire to his bosom and not be burned? No, we can't. We'll be burned if we go against the word of God, if we go against the things that God, God commands against. Jerry Simmons [00:32:13]: So he says flee sexual immorality. Run for it because if you get involved in it, you're destroying yourself. The 4th thing, he says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Verse 19. Or do you not know, don't you understand, don't you realize, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. Paul's going on here, and he says, hey. I've been talking to you about sexual immorality. Jerry Simmons [00:32:43]: Number 1, our bodies belong to Jesus. We're members of Christ. We're sinning against ourselves if you're involved in it. But not only that, you are the temple. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14, Paul told the church of Ephesus that when you accept Jesus Christ as your savior and Lord, when you believe on Him and are saved, you receive a deposit. You receive a guarantee of your salvation. How can I be guaranteed of my salvation? How do I know? How can I be assured if I'm saved? Well, in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 1 of Ephesians, Paul says the guarantee, the assurance of our salvation is the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit within us and His work within us. Jerry Simmons [00:33:34]: And so we can know and be assured that we're saved when we see God's Spirit working within our hearts and within our lives. Paul says in verse 19 that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we say, Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, come in and change my life. He does. He doesn't do something on the outside and reconstruct us and form us like Plato. No. No. He does something from the inside. Jerry Simmons [00:34:00]: He puts his holy spirit within us. The very presence of God dwells within me because I'm his temple, and so are you if you've allowed Him to come into your life and change you. We're the temple of the living God. That's an incredible thought. As you think about all that the, Jewish people had to do throughout the Old Testament in order to be able to go into God's presence. They couldn't. The high priest could go into the Holy of Holies, remember, once a year. But people in general had no access to the presence of God. Jerry Simmons [00:34:38]: But when Jesus Christ died on the cross, that changed everything. Now we have complete access because He lives within us. He fills us completely. We are His temple. Not no longer do we have to go somewhere to meet the presence of God, but He's already within us. Now I'm not trying to teach some strange doctrine like God's within you, and if you just meditate, no no no no no. God has chosen to fill you with His Holy Spirit, And you're His temple. There's nothing you have to do, there's nothing you have to understand or chant over and over again. Jerry Simmons [00:35:15]: You are His temple, plain and simple, if you've accepted in the Savior and Lord. That's it. And that's a powerful thing. That's a crazy thing as you think about it because I am the temple of God. So that means whatever I'm involved in, I'm involving God in. Whatever I go, I'm taking God there too. Whatever I do, I'm doing that with God. That I am the temple of God. Jerry Simmons [00:35:37]: You are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit is within you, and He goes with you wherever you go. He's involved in every conversation. He's right there with you. And so the question is, where are we taking His temple? What are we doing with it? You know, the temple is a place where people should be able to come and be ministered to, where they could come and meet God. They could come and hear from the Lord. And that's how we, are called to be as Christians, that people would be able to come to us and not hear our own ideas, not hear our own thoughts, but to hear what God has to say. Well, why? I mean, well, because we're His temple. Jerry Simmons [00:36:17]: He lives within us. Number 1, our bodies belong to Jesus. Number 2, our bodies are members of Christ. Number 3, our bodies are sinned against. And number 4, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And that's why, brothers and sisters, we should not be involved in sin. We should not be practicing sin. We should not continue on in the things that are of this world and are of our own nature. Jerry Simmons [00:36:48]: We're the temple. He goes on in verse 20 and says, the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God, and notice this, and you are not your own. You are not your own. Think about that for a second. I am not my own? Well, whose am I then? Well, I'm the lord's. Maybe you've heard the phrase that's something we say a lot as Christians that, hey, so and so gave their life to the Lord, or man, back when I gave my life to the Lord. Right? It's something we say quite frequently, but do we really understand what we're saying? Think about that for a second. I gave my life to the Lord. Jerry Simmons [00:37:29]: So it's not my life anymore. I no longer own it. He says you are not your own. You don't own yourself. You're His. You're His temple. You're His body. It's His life. Jerry Simmons [00:37:46]: So no longer do I have the freedom to do what I wanna do, but instead I ask the Lord, what do you want me to do? What do you wanna do with your body? What do you wanna do with your life, Lord? Because it's not mine anymore. I I've given it to you. It's yours. Take it, do with it what you will, send me wherever you want, change my plans, change my desires, whatever you wanna do, Lord, that's what I wanna do. I don't wanna do my stuff anymore. I don't wanna belong to myself because I just corrupt myself. I just destroy myself. But God, He doesn't do any of that. Jerry Simmons [00:38:23]: Instead, He works out everything for good, according to his pleasure. And that's what I want with my life. That he would work out my life and do whatever he wants with me to the very end. That I would just continue to serve him. That I would love him. That I would minister. That he would use me in whatever capacity that he wants because I'm not my own. Do I have the freedom to choose where I wanna work? Yeah. Jerry Simmons [00:38:52]: Of course. God will allow you to do whatever you want. But I would encourage you, don't use your freedom to just say, okay. I'm gonna do my own thing then. But use your freedom to say, lord, what do you want from me? Where do you want me to work? What career do you want me to have? What life do you want me to live? What family do you want me to raise? Whatever the case may be because I'm not my own anymore. I don't have the freedom of choice because I've given it to him, and I allow him to direct my path. I allow Him to dictate what He wants me to do. So I no longer have the privilege of owning my own life, of living my own life because I've given it to Him. Jerry Simmons [00:39:32]: In verse 20, He goes on to say, for you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. You and I have been bought at a price with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and it cost him a lot. It wasn't like, you know, we'll just send Jesus to die, and it'll be fine. We'll take care of it. No. It cost him a lot, and we don't understand. We don't know, like I talked about with the song, but it cost him. Jerry Simmons [00:39:57]: We've been bought at a price. He's purchased us with his blood. We've been purchased. We've been bought. So we're not our own anymore. We're his. He's bought us. He's purchased us with His very blood. Jerry Simmons [00:40:11]: Now we have the opportunity whether you're in here and you believe in Jesus Christ or not, you have the opportunity here and now to say, Lord, I give my life again to You. It's already Yours, but I'm just acknowledging that it's Yours and that I'm asking that You would do with me as You will. Or we can say, well, hey, I'll still come to church, I'll still do this, I'll still do that, but in these areas, Lord, I'm still gonna do what I wanna do. I I don't wanna give up these areas. These are too important to me or whatever. We can say completely and wholly, Lord, I surrender myself to You. Or we can hold things back. Or we can say, Lord, forget it. Jerry Simmons [00:40:49]: I'm just gonna live my own life. I don't care about your sacrifice. I don't care about the precious blood. I don't care about any of that stuff. I just wanna do what I wanna do and I'm gonna gratify my sinful desires. I'm gonna live my life the way I wanna live it, and I don't care what you have to say. And there's people that say that. We see that day in and day out. Jerry Simmons [00:41:08]: But what do you say? Where's your heart? You've been bought at a price. You're not your own. And in verse 20, he goes on to say, therefore, since you've been bought at a price, since you're not your own, glorify God in your body. AI Andrew [00:41:28]: We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit FerventWord.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.