THE BIRDS AND THE BEES: IN CELEBRATION OF SEX (GENESIS 2:22-25)

Snippet of sermon by Rev Helen Hoe

INTRODUCTION
In many cultures, sex is still taboo to many and it is not unusual to approach it from a secular point of view.  The marketplace promotes the idea that sex makes everything better: it is a panacea for aches and pains. It is also a popular marketing tool for selling just about anything from cars to even children's clothes.

The Church is often seen to avoid talking about sex as well. What is God's intention in creating sex? Sex is invented by God. It is not just the physical union between a male and a female but a spiritual union as well. In Gen 4:1, the word "know" is used to describe two people having sexual relations. This is the same bible term that is used to define our relationship with God. Just as the word describes God’s intimate knowledge of man, it is to also reflect that intimate knowledge of one with another.  Sex has also been created for our enjoyment. Not only does the introduction to the books in the Old Testament refer to sex, you will find an entire book in the Bible dedicated to sexual love in the Song of Songs. In this scroll, sex is described in poetic language and it is the Jewish custom in the ancient days that young men were forbidden to read this book until the age of 20. God included this is because it is a statement that sex is an enjoyment within the proper framework of marriage. Deut 24:5 “If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.”

God gives importance of the sexual relationship between husband and wife. The nature of this pleasure involves not just the physical aspect but also the emotional and spiritual. It is not simply for procreation or simply a way to keep human beings from sexual immorality. How do we live our lives as a testimony in this area? Our media makes sex and virginity look cheap. We can rationalize all we want and cross the line that God has drawn to protect us but all sexual relationship outside marriage is displeasing to the Lord. God's instruction on sexuality is not outdated today. It is more relevant than before to remember what the creator of sex said about it.

How then should we respond if we have crossed that line?

1.      The Place of Confession & Repentance: We need to confess, repent and forsake it. We are no different from the rest of the world. We cannot turn back the clock but we can ask for restoration and purity in this area. Come before God to ask for his grace and strength to grow in holiness in this area.

2.      Exercise self-control: This discipline is totally discarded by many today when it comes to sex. The popular idea is when aroused, sexual urges cannot be controlled, just give in to it. It is Iike any other desires e.g. eating when one is hungry.  This has also become widely accepted too that since I have a right to express and fulfill my needs, I may have sex with just about anyone even if they are of the same sex. So we have people promoting the alternative lifestyle of homosexuality. Just because my food tastes good with sugar doesn’t mean that I can eat loads of sugar by itself. When we enjoy it our itself, it can be extremely harmful to the body. Similarly, God does not want us to fulfill all our desires but that we learn to bring them under the lordship of Christ. God can enable us to break this bondage. Without bring our sexual urges under the control of the Holy Spirit, it can become an addiction, it can become perverted or be so absorbing as to become the focus of life. What started out as a gift of God's, can become life destroying when we isolate it from the context that God has prescribed. One of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the virtue of self control and God does expect us to exercise that in this area of sex.

3.      Don't over estimate yourself. Flee from sexual immorality just as Joseph fled from his master's wife. Don’t think that you are invincible to temptations of this nature. Gen 2:25 says, “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” That reflected the state of sinlessness when they started out. But as soon as they were inducted into sin, their consciousness of sin was reflected in their need to hide their nakedness from each other and from God. Their eyes could only see their own need rather than their need as a couple. Ever since then, the lust of the flesh has expressed itself in self-centered gratification of sex.  

CONCLUSION

Sex is not something bad. God has created a space where it can be enjoyed. We need always to bring this part under the lordship of Christ. Whoever sin sexually sin against one body. 1 Cor 6:18-20 says, “¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” The question is not who am I, but whose am I. We want to honor God. We cannot misuse sex any way we want or at any time we want.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1.      Have I been tempted to do as I want, whenever I want in this area of sex? Why didn’t I flee from the situation as Joseph did? Pray and ask the Lord for forgiveness if you have offended the Lord in this matter.

2.      What are some contributing factors that strengthen the deception regarding sex that has quite a hold on me? (Movies, pornographic sites, books, on-line games etc.) Who can I be accountable to regarding this area of weakness?

3.      Whose am I? How can these reflections speak to me especially if I am single? How can I respond as a single person to these words?