Sexuality is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity AND one of Satan’s greatest weapons against humanity. God created our sexuality for good, but Satan has hijacked it for evil. I believe that the sexual brokenness that pervades our world is one of the church’s greatest opportunities to help the hurting and serve the world with the Gospel of Grace. The Great Shepherd Himself loves to lead people back from the pig pen of immoral living. The matter of human sexuality is central to the teaching of the Bible, because spiritual death occurs when sexual immorality is practiced. We wound both our bodies and our souls when we take our sexual preferences and practices into our own hands. 

The Bible teaches that our flesh is meant to be a temple for the Holy Spirit, but through disobedience to God’s moral code, it has become the habitation of demons. I mean by that strong statement that breaking God’s Law leaves us susceptible to “doctrines of demons,” especially as it relates to our identity. The moral boundaries taught in the Bible are God’s way of promoting and protecting His great gift in our sexuality. Crossing those boundaries is Satan’s way of disrupting God’s favour on us. Satan’s fortress in today’s world is the altered sexuality of an unhinged morality. Love who you want to love and have sex with whomever you wish is today’s popular philosophy. But it’s leading to immense spiritual bondage and unprecedented emotional chaos. 

From a Biblical perspective, our sexuality is closely tied to our spirituality. By that, I mean that our physical habits and practices mirror the condition of our soul. Sexuality is a powerful expression of worship in the human soul. It’s stunning to me that the Bible frames the love of God and the gift of salvation in the experience of wedded love between a man and his wife. We cannot separate sin, sex, the soul, and eternal salvation. They walk together as invisible twins in our souls. Until you see your sexual battle as a struggle for freedom, you will remain in bondage.

NONE OF WHAT I’ve just said is meant to “judge the world.” That is expressly forbidden for the church. We are responsible to sweep our own house clean and bring our morality into line with the life and teachings of Jesus, who, as our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed for us. That’s what the Bible says: 1 Corinthians 5:12–13 (ESV): “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’” Yet we rage and rail against the sinfulness of the sexual practices of the world while ignoring the sexual sin that lies at our doorstep. We have a lot of cleaning up to do within our own walls. 

I love how the Bible addresses the issue of human sexuality with such candor. It is God who has the first and last word on the proper and rewarding use of our sexual desires. He created us as sexual beings, and He alone knows how to heal the brokenness that pervades our world when it comes to overcoming the guilt and confusion that hold so many in its grip. 

Have you guessed my topic for this Sunday? It’s taken from 1 Corinthians Chapter 5, entitled, “Sexual Healing for the Christian.” Join us for one of our identical services at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. 

Until then, I pray that you will be safe during the big storm that is predicted.

Shalom,

Pastor Deric

That hymn reminds us of the prayer of the Psalmist in Chapter 80, “Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.”  

Special “times of refreshing” are always needed and welcomed by the person whose heart is hungering and thirsting after righteousness. The last thing we would want to do is discourage revival. But it’s equally true that we have to be discerning about what constitutes a genuine revival. Evangelicals by and large would define revival simply as the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit at any given time and place. And we would probably agree that the spiritual life is actually defined as the revival or the awakening of a dead sinner (see Ephesians 2:1-6).

So, it’s true to say that all who love the Lord pray for revival. In fact, we know that without it, evil will grow steadily more entrenched in our day. We need both times of revival and moments of daily revival to restrain the evil all around us. 

Ready for a confession? I toyed with the idea of driving to Wilmore, KY. I suppose that most of us who know the Lord considered it a possibility. While pondering the idea, I came across a prayer of David in one of my favourite Psalms. Twice in one paragraph of this famous Psalm, David prayed, “Give me life,” which in essence is a prayer for personal revival. And it dawned on me that the Bible teaches that each of us needs to be revived again and again, and again. I’d be happy to drive to KY, if need be, but I have access to genuine personal revival right here in Mississauga. 

If you look closely at this Psalm, you’ll discover that David is teaching the important truth that revival is meant to be a daily condition for the faithful and committed Christian. In fact, if you frame David’s prayer, “Give me life,” in its context, you’ll quickly see that he is in fact giving us the formula for daily, sustained, personal revival. 

          ³³ Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

       ³⁴ Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

       ³⁵ Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

       ³⁶ Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

       ³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

       ³⁸ Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.

       ³⁹ Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.

Praying with you for revival in your own heart, warmly,

Pastor Deric