River Church NOLA
Sunday, Feb 22 My Body Belongs to God
  • Trading My Sorrows
  • You Never Let Go
  • The Way
  • Revelation Song
  • We were bought with a price
    Intro
    Begin Talking about Easter -
    84% of people who don’t go to church said they would if they were invited. Do begin thinking about and praying for people you want to have come to church with you.
    Today we will finish the series on Extraordinary Relationships. We have found that Ordinary doesn’t work so we want Extraordinary in every area of our lives including our relationships.
    Romans 12:2 MSG
    2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
    Romans 12:2 (MSG) Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
    Our culture is trying to get us fit in in many different areas including sexuality. It just tries to draw you in.
    Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
    What the culture wants you to do is to listen to it…. However, We must fix our thoughts and attention onto God and what He says, and when we do that, we will be changed from the inside out.
    When you quickly respond to it, you may not feel like it, but you will once you make the choice. Remember. Choices lead feelings follow.
    Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity,
    That will happen… every time. I don’t have to hammer you about the culture because it will handle itself because what the culture wants you to do… doesn’’t work. Prodigal Son found this out. Everything that’s not God’s way leads you to a pigpen, and then you come to your senses and think, I need to go back to God. It happens all the time.
    God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
    God wants the best for you in every area of your life including sexuality.
    We want to discuss this because we are in a sexual crisis or revolution right now. This happens about every 50 years. This is not new, it happens in different times in the Bible. Jesus says that in the last days, it will be like in the days of Noah where people were doing whatever they wanted to do. In the days of Noah, the sexual sin was so bad that God decided to destroy the world.
    Right now there is a redefining of relationships in our culture. Listen to me. Culture changes, but God doesn’t. The view of culture is different than it was 20 years ago which was different than it was 20 years before that…
    Culture has tried to silence the church about this. We get called names… they threaten tax statuses, people threaten to protest you or they blow up your social media. So many churches won’t address this at all.
    They say something like, sex is dirty, ugly and sinful so save it for the one you love and marry.
    Some churches will try to shame people and for the most part pick on one area of falleness, but we are all fallen. We all have a struggle with sin. Every time I read the Bible, it speaks to me about things I need to change in my life. (anger, eating, patience, habits…) The WOG won’t shame you but it will invite you to a place of grace. Jesus came to offer us that grace.
    Now. God has a standard. Jesus died for the violation of it. The Bible reminds you of where to go and then the HS comes inside you and gives you the desires and the ability to do what God is drawing you to do. That’s the Gospel. God’s GRACE.
    If we don’t embrace people, the culture will. That doesn’t mean we approve of their lifestyle.
    Look at what Paul wrote,
    Romans 1:21–25 “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him
    Worship is not just singing in church. Worship is our posture towards God. IOW, I bow and he is right. It means that I submit my life to the will of God. My feelings have nothing to do with it. That’s why we lift our hands in church because we surrender our wills to God. But they would not do that…
    as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.
    That’s happening right now in our culture. Not so much in the church, but in our culture many people are embracing things that directly contradict scripture. They do this under the guise of compassion and loving people. They think that they love people more than God does, but the most loving thing God does is to call people out of their sin.
    As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
    This will happen all the time. When you fall for the culture, you will be dark and confused in your thinking.
    22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
    They even put words to it like “progressive” … they think that they will replace the out of date Bible… They won’t. People today are not the first ones to try.
    23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
    We don’t necessarily worship physical idols, we worship the idea we can do anything we want to… fame… riches… power… being compassionate in a crazy way…
    24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
    This is going on right now. drag queens in libraries with children… Trans gender confusion… and the treatments by the medical profession - which is strictly for the money stream… Babies continually being born outside of marriage… sex with multiple partners…
    25 They traded the truth about God for a lie.
    We will expose some lies today but we will begin with the truth. God created you. God created your body. God created (not the devil) sex. Prov has some spicy stuff about sex.
    God created you and He knows what’s best for you and He has no intention of destroying your life. He wants you enjoy your life and gives us guid lines that will enable us to do that. He does say that sex is reserved exclusively for one man and one woman in marriage. That’s God’s standard.
    Some might argue what if someone has a different predisposition? All of us have a predisposition with stuff that’s contrary to Scripture. That’s the struggle we all deal with.
    Be Patient - oh my… people struggle with anger
    Forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it… Oh my - who wants to do that…
    God knows what’s best for you. God is calling us to a higher standard .. to be extra ordinary.
    So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”
    Romans 1:21–25 NLT
    21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
    Here is another passage from Paul…
    1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (NLT) God’s will is for you to be holy,
    NIV says sanctified. But when you see that, we think I can never live up to that. Holy doesn’t mean perfect as it does when describing God. It means set apart.
    It’s saying I will step out of this downward spiral and even though I don’t get it right much of the time, I will do what God wants. Here is what he wants…
    so stay away from all sexual sin.
    Those words mean - pornea. This is where we get the word for pornography. Pronea doesn’t just mean dirty pictures. It means any sex act outside of one man and one woman in marriage.
    4 Then each of you will control his own body
    If you have to learn to control your body, it means your body doesn’t always want to do it. Unfortunately we have a generation that says nooo… just listen to your body. You can trust your feelings… you can trust your body. But the Bible says no you can’t. The Bible says to control your body
    and live in holiness and honor—5 not in lustful passion
    We all have these desires to let our bodies lead. But we are to control them. That’s counter cultural today, but that’s the WOG.
    like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.
    We are to be different than those who don’t know God.
    1 Thessalonians 4:7 “God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.”
    God called us to live a holy life.
    1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 NLT
    3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.
    1 Thessalonians 4:7 NLT
    7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.
    That’s the Truth and God doesn’t change.
    There are a lot of lies out there and we will address 4 of them today.

    Lies From the Enemy About Sex:

    1. Sex is an animalistic action.

    They say that you are just like an animal can’t control yourself. Think about it. We have used a phase to describe it … the birds and the bees.
    It’s saying that you are like all other creatures and when one’s in heat, you have no choice. You must do what your body wants.
    Hunting - A buck will stay on the side of a field because he knows… somethings not right. Fawns are stupid and they just jump out there. Sometimes the doe will come on out. But the buck stays out of sight… until. Until the Rut. When the doe is in heat, he loses his sense and all he wants to know is where is she at. And then BAM. He gets shot. And he ends up on someone’s wall.
    Turkeys are the same. They can see you blink from way off… until you make that girl turkey sound and he goes… where is she and then BAM… he ends up in your belly.
    The world is telling you that you are no different. But listen. If you listen to the world, you will end up on the devil’s wall. You will be his trophy.

    2. Sex is innocent fun.

    It’s not just innocent fun. God designed sex for something deeper. It creates a bonding.
    So it is not innocent fun. It creates a bonding and the more you do it with multiple people, the more it empties your soul. It’s actually what causes many people to not be able to be intimate.
    We have a whole generation that’s drugging themselves to do something they were not supposed to have to drug yourself to do. It’s because we have continually hollowed out our souls because we thought it was just innocent fun. It does matter.

    3. Sex is an isolated event.

    The lie that it’s an isolated event that you walk away from and it’s over. Culture even spends marketing dollars promoting this lie. Whatever happens in Vegas… stays in Vegas. No it doesn’t. It comes home with you. It becomes a part of your soul make up and history.
    This is why many people track back to a moment when they were abused or raped. But you can he healed from that hurt in Jesus name.

    4. Sex is who I am.

    We have a whole generation that now identifies themselves by their sexuality. You are not your sexuality. gay… straight… Trans… binary… non-binary… homosexual… You are not what you do. You are not your attractions. It’s not Biblical.
    We don’t have that luxury because we belong to God. I am not hetero sexual or any others, … I am Kathy sexual. Real love is not a feeling it’s a commitment to a person. It’s a covenant relationship.
    If you are not a Believer, you probably think this is the dumbest stuff you have ever heard. That’s because you believe that you belong to you. Culture believes that. If that’s you, you have become your own God.
    For me, I belong to God. Which means I belong to Kathy. (1 CO 7)
    Paul wrote this next passage to a generation that had no idea of Godly sexuality. This was written to people in modern day Turkey. They actually had gods of sex… Venus & Diana. They would have gone to the temple on a Sunday and there would be prostitutes there and they would worship those god through temple prostitution. It was very perverted. Paul has planted a church and he is teaching these new believers about following Christ.
    1 Corinthians 6:15–17 “Don’t you realize
    They would have said not to this, so Paul was teaching them.
    that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?
    Paul is telling them that God isn’t in the building they were in. God was in them and he is in you. My mother always felt that we should dress up to go to church. Some churches don’t do that… like ours. But many people want to dress up to go to the house of God. Listen - You are the house of God. You are the Temple of the HS.
    Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute?
    Join - in the Greek means to fuse together at the deepest level. Something happens in your brain during sex that brands that moment into your brain. God designed it like that because He wanted something extra ordinary in your relationship with your spouse.
    should he join it to a prostitute? NO
    Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her?
    Reference to Gen 2 …
    For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”
    You hear this all the time at weddings. He is not talking about physical relationships… he is talking about the two becoming bonded together in soul and spirit.
    17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.”
    Paul is saying don’t do it with anybody and everybody. Unite yourself at the deepest level with the Lord.
    1 Corinthians 6:15–17 NLT
    15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
    So Paul says here is what you do.
    1 Corinthians 6:18–20 “Run from sexual sin!
    Agree that God is right an run from pornea.
    No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
    Paul is saying that sexual sin is in a category all it’s own. This one is different because it does something to the deepest part of you. Whoever sins sexually is only hurting themselves.
    19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?
    You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
    Don’t follow feelings or culture. Know that your body belongs to God. When you understand this, you can experience extraordinary.
    1 Corinthians 6:18–20 NLT
    18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

    Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

    I am trying to make this somewhat fun or funny, but I know for many that it’s painful. This has impacted many lives at the deepest level. But God can bring you to a great place.
    Jeremiah siad that all he could think about was his sin, but then he chose to focus on the mercies of God which are new every morning. I will say to anyone struggling today, focus on the mercies of God. He doesn’t just forgive you, He makes all things new. He says He forgives and cleanses you. He can make you a spiritual virgin again. He will make you brand new and then he chooses to not remember it anymore.
    If you have believed the lies of culture, we are all faced with these three different responses.

    Three Different Responses:

    1. I can be defensive.

    You might say, I disagree with you. I think you are wrong. My response to you will be that’s ok with me. Go try it your way, and when you find out that it doesn’t work for you … call me. Because it will not work.
    Prodigal Son - The father was looking for the son to come back. He never burned that bridge. If you disagree with me or even God’s word, the bridge will not be burned. If you decide to come back to God, we will not even talk about it, we will embrace you. And then we will all continue on our journey learning to follow God.
    The Bible says…
    Proverbs 14:12 NLT
    12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
    It does lead to a bad place. The Word calls it death. It might be an emotional death, a relationship death… But when you find out that the worlds way doesn’t work, you are welcome back.
    If you choose God’s way,

    God’s way isn’t just right. It’s better.

    2. I can be remorseful.

    I think you are right, but I can’t believe what I did. I have so much shame. Shame comes from the devil.
    Unfortunately too often when people who have not lived up to the ideal God has laid out for us, too many church condemn them. That’s not what God says or does. That’s not how Jesus treated people.
    Romans 8:1 NLT
    1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
    God doesn’t look at you and go not again… He understands our weaknesses (Heb 4) Because he was tempted in every way but didn’t sin. The devil is the one that condemns.

    Condemnation: that was wrong and there’s no way out. Conviction: that was wrong and here’s the way out.

    Resist, remorseful (shame)

    3. I can be repentant.

    This is for every area… sexuality… patience… work habits…
    We need to do this every day. Every day we need to say to God, Lord today I turn to you. We make a choice to follow God.
    We are not really different from anyone else except that we call it sin and turn away from it.
    Jeremiah 6:16 “This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around.
    You come to a point where you have to make a decision and you are trying to figure out what to do. Don’t fall for the new way culture is talking about. God says,
    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
    Why? Because culture changes. God doesn’t change.
    Travel its path,
    Ask for the good way, and walk in it. When you do this,
    and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’”
    Jeremiah 6:16 NLT
    16 This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
    Closing with this…

    God’s way isn’t restrictive. It’s restful.

    That’s what God wants for you…
    prayer
    for everyone reminded of their past.
    Grateful that you don’t condemn us… you forgive, cleanse, cahnge and empower us.
    So today we surrender to you and say your way is right… we commit to you. We don’t belong to ourselves. We were bought with a price.
    Salvation -
    Maybe you are not in a right place with God… maybe you wandered or you have never had a relationship with God… it’s simple - repent. Turn to God and ask him to forgive you and he will forgive you and cleanse you.
    Pray this with me. Jesus for give me for gooing my own way and I am ready to come home . I repent and turn to you. My body and my life belong to you. Take my life use it for your will and your purposes. HS give me the power to be the person you have always intended for me to be.
    Thank you for removing the shame… take my hollow soul and fill it with your live and mercy and grace.

      • Romans 12:2NKJV

      • Romans 1:21–25NKJV

      • 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5NKJV

      • 1 Thessalonians 4:7NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:15–17NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:18–20NKJV

      • Proverbs 14:12NKJV

      • Romans 8:1NKJV

      • Jeremiah 6:16NKJV

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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