Sum\u00adma\u00adry: In the Ser\u00admon on the Mount, Jesus speaks in a few words about sex as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of lust and as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of love. God as the inven\u00adtor of sexua\u00adli\u00adty talks about it in a very rela\u00adxed and hel\u00adpful way. The first call to man was to be fruitful and mul\u00adti\u00adply. And then came the Sab\u00adbath. God has given us two things: sexu\u00adal life as a joy to express love, and the gift to con\u00adtrol the urges. This ser\u00admon is about the basics on the sub\u00adject and less about ans\u00adwe\u00adring indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal questions.<\/p>\n
Today we lis\u00adten to the music of hea\u00adven in mat\u00adters of sex, love and lust: \u00abYou know that it says, \u00abYou shall not com\u00admit adul\u00adtery. But I tell you, anyo\u00adne who looks at a woman with lustful eyes has alre\u00ada\u00addy com\u00admit\u00adted adul\u00adtery with her in his heart\u00bb (Matthew 5:27f NIV<\/span>). Sex is one of the stron\u00adgest instincts in humans and affects us all. Admit\u00adted\u00adly, it dimi\u00adnis\u00adhes some\u00adwhat with age. Sex is also some\u00adthing very pri\u00adva\u00adte and per\u00adso\u00adnal. The inven\u00adtor of sex is God. Man could not have inven\u00adted some\u00adthing so beau\u00adtiful hims\u00adelf. That\u2019s why the Bible talks a lot about it. For various reasons, the church has fai\u00adled to talk con\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtively about sex. In our socie\u00adty, sex is tal\u00adked about very open\u00adly and a lot, even if it is not always hel\u00adpful. It is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre all the more important that we Chris\u00adti\u00adans learn to talk about this topic in a bene\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal way. \tGod is the inven\u00adtor of sex. Think about why God ensu\u00adred pro\u00adcrea\u00adti\u00adon in this par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar way. Sum\u00adma\u00adry: In the Ser\u00admon on the Mount, Jesus speaks in a few words about sex as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of lust and as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of love. God, as the inven\u00adtor of sexua\u00adli\u00adty, talks about it in a very rela\u00adxed and hel\u00adpful way. The first call to man was to be fruitful and mul\u00adti\u00adply. And then came the Sab\u00adbath. God has given us two things\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[72],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-metamorphose","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3471","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nSex as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of love
\nFrom the very first pages, the Bible descri\u00adbes the posi\u00adti\u00adve aspects of sex. In the cour\u00adse of the Bible, we also encoun\u00adter some rest\u00adric\u00adtions becau\u00adse sex can be abu\u00adsed. God first com\u00adman\u00added, then set limits to pre\u00advent abuse.
\n\u00abSo God crea\u00adted human beings in his own image, in the image of God he crea\u00adted them, male and fema\u00adle he crea\u00adted them\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:27 NLB<\/span>). God crea\u00adted us as sexu\u00adal beings: as man and woman. And then: \u00abAnd God bles\u00adsed them and gave them the com\u00admand: Be fruitful and mul\u00adti\u00adply, popu\u00adla\u00adte the earth and take pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon of it\u00bb (v.28 NLB<\/span>). The first com\u00admandment that God gives peo\u00adp\u00adle: Have sex and father child\u00adren \u2013 and do so under the bles\u00adsing of God! This is imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by the Sab\u00adbath, whe\u00adre the\u00adre was ple\u00adnty of time for prac\u00adti\u00adce. In the so-cal\u00adled second crea\u00adti\u00adon account, God says: \u00abIt is not good for man to be alo\u00adne. I want to crea\u00adte a being for him that suits him\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 2:18 NLB<\/span>). This crea\u00adti\u00adon also pur\u00adsues a goal: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre a man will lea\u00adve his father and mother and clea\u00adve to his wife, and they will beco\u00adme one fle\u00adsh\u00bb (v.24 LUT<\/span>). Being one fle\u00adsh is a way of expres\u00adsing sexu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon. The idea of marital uni\u00adon has exis\u00adted from the beginning.
\nThank God we also have laws so that sexu\u00adal abu\u00adse, rape and child abu\u00adse can be punis\u00adhed. Deal\u00ading with sexua\u00adli\u00adty must be regu\u00adla\u00adted. Uncon\u00adtrol\u00adled sexu\u00adal acti\u00advi\u00adty that comes not from love but from lust leads to enorm\u00adous pain and des\u00adtroys peo\u00adp\u00adle. In our socie\u00adty, sen\u00adsu\u00adal satis\u00adfac\u00adtion is high\u00adly valued. Get\u00adting it is like a vir\u00adtue. If someone lives a sexu\u00adal\u00adly abs\u00adti\u00adnent life, they are label\u00adled a spit\u00adfi\u00adre, if not a neu\u00adro\u00adtic. The\u00adre was a time when abs\u00adti\u00adnence was a gre\u00adat vir\u00adtue and giving in to one\u2019s urges was a weakness.
\nUnfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, Chris\u00adti\u00adan thin\u00adking is not only deter\u00admi\u00adned by the Bible, but also stron\u00adgly by tra\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon. Augus\u00adti\u00adne, a church father from the 4th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, was a major influence. Befo\u00adre tur\u00adning to Christ, he led a very debauch\u00aded sex life. After\u00adwards, he fell off the hor\u00adse on the other side and saw some\u00adthing nega\u00adti\u00adve in all sexu\u00adal acti\u00advi\u00adty. One of his state\u00adments: \u00abThe reason why a child is born in sin is becau\u00adse it was con\u00adcei\u00adved through a sexu\u00adal act.\u00bb In the Bible, it is a gift from God that he bles\u00adses. Many church fathers were so hosti\u00adle to sex that a lack of off\u00adspring was noti\u00adceable. They the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre only declared sex to be a sin with the excep\u00adti\u00adon of the pro\u00adcrea\u00adti\u00adon of child\u00adren. The fol\u00adlo\u00adwing quo\u00adte goes back to St Jero\u00adme (4th cen\u00adtu\u00adry): \u00abEvery hus\u00adband who has pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte sex with his wife is an adul\u00adte\u00adrer.\u00bb Later, the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing rules were intro\u00addu\u00adced: sex for Chris\u00adti\u00adan cou\u00adples was for\u00adbidden on Thurs\u00addays (arrest of Christ), Fri\u00addays (cru\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adxi\u00adon of Christ), Satur\u00addays (in honour of the Vir\u00adgin Mary) and Sun\u00addays (in honour of decea\u00adsed saints). This left Mon\u00addays and Tues\u00addays and some\u00adti\u00admes Wed\u00adnes\u00addays, which were often reser\u00adved for a par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar saint. Mar\u00adried cou\u00adples also had to abs\u00adtain from sex during the 40-day fas\u00adting peri\u00adods befo\u00adre Christ\u00admas, Eas\u00adter and Pen\u00adte\u00adcost and on various public holi\u00addays. The\u00adre were an esti\u00adma\u00adted 44 days left for legi\u00adti\u00adma\u00adte sex. This was an effec\u00adti\u00adve con\u00adtracep\u00adti\u00adve, but it also explains why church and sex somehow don\u2019t go tog\u00ade\u00adther. Sin\u00adce God is the inven\u00adtor of sex, it should be different.
\nFirst of all, the Bible only speaks posi\u00adtively about sex. It is a gift, even a sacred duty: \u00abThe hus\u00adband should not depri\u00adve hims\u00adelf of his wife, nor the wife of her hus\u00adband. The wife gives her hus\u00adband the right over her body, and like\u00adwi\u00adse the hus\u00adband gives his wife the right over his body\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 7:3, 4 NLB<\/span>). That almost sounds like work. When we enter into a mar\u00adria\u00adge coven\u00adant, we pro\u00admi\u00adse mutu\u00adal vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adry sub\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon to our part\u00adner. We must lea\u00adve our father and mother, clea\u00adve to our part\u00adner and beco\u00adme one.
\nDuring sex, the bon\u00adding hor\u00admo\u00adne oxy\u00adto\u00adcin is released, which streng\u00adthens the bond bet\u00adween the part\u00adners, just like a breast\u00adfee\u00adding mother and her child. Sex is much more than sexu\u00adal uni\u00adon. It is the uni\u00adon of two peo\u00adp\u00adle who have made a pro\u00admi\u00adse to each other, name\u00adly to sub\u00admit to each other. Sex is God\u2019s wed\u00adding gift, so to speak.
\nSex as an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of pleasure
\nIt often works dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly: ever\u00adyo\u00adne remains the mas\u00adter of their own life. Mutu\u00adal vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adry sub\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon and beco\u00adming one are miss\u00ading. You stay tog\u00ade\u00adther as long as it suits you. \u00abAnyo\u00adne who looks at a woman with lustful eyes has alre\u00ada\u00addy com\u00admit\u00adted adul\u00adtery with her in his heart.\u00bb Adul\u00adtery is not just a reason for divorce, it is alre\u00ada\u00addy divorce. If you unite with ano\u00adther per\u00adson and the sexu\u00adal act is the con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of a mar\u00adria\u00adge, the sexu\u00adal act in its\u00adelf is alre\u00ada\u00addy divorce.
\nLust and desi\u00adre are not the same as sexu\u00adal desi\u00adre. All peo\u00adp\u00adle who are healt\u00adhy have sexu\u00adal desi\u00adre. That\u2019s why two young peo\u00adp\u00adle fall in love. Lust is some\u00adthing else and is con\u00adcer\u00adned with satis\u00adfy\u00ading one\u2019s own desi\u00adre. I need or abu\u00adse the other per\u00adson to satis\u00adfy my desi\u00adres. Lust the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre turns out to be the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte of love. Love seeks the good of the other person.
\nAmnon, a son of David (2 Samu\u00adel 13), falls hope\u00adl\u00adess\u00adly in love with his half-sis\u00adter Tamar. He was so obses\u00adsed with her that he beca\u00adme ill. Tog\u00ade\u00adther with his cou\u00adsin Jonad\u00adab, he hat\u00adches a plan to get Tamar into bed. Tamar was lured into his house and baked cakes for him. He then lured her into the bed\u00adroom with the cake and raped her. \u00abAfter that, his love tur\u00adned to hate, and he hated her more than he had ever loved her. \u00abGet out,\u00bb he shou\u00adted at her\u00bb (v.15 NLB<\/span>). This was not love, but only lust. Lust is always des\u00adtruc\u00adti\u00adve. Lust is about how I am satis\u00adfied. Love sees to it that the part\u00adner is happy.
\nWhat can we do to resist lust? \u00abIf you fall through your right eye, tear it out and throw it away! It is bet\u00adter for you to lose one of your lim\u00adbs than to be thrown into hell with your body int\u00adact. And if your right hand cau\u00adses you to fall, cut it off and throw it away! It is bet\u00adter for you to lose one of your lim\u00adbs than to be thrown into hell with your body int\u00adact\u00bb (Matthew 5:29\u201330 NRSV<\/span>). If we were to take this text lite\u00adral\u00adly, we would all be blind left-hand\u00aders. Jesus is addres\u00adsing the sen\u00adse of sight and the sen\u00adse of touch, which sedu\u00adce us into sexu\u00adal sin. The\u00adre are social groups that chop off a thief\u2019s hand. The pro\u00adblem is that if you cut off a thief\u2019s right hand, you end up with a left-han\u00added thief. The heart, from which all evil thoughts and adul\u00adtery come (Matthew 15:19), is not changed.
\nThat is why we should not remo\u00adve body parts, but bring the urges under the con\u00adtrol of truth. The gaze must not lead to desi\u00adre. Mar\u00adtin Luther said: \u00abYou can\u00adnot pre\u00advent a flock of birds from fly\u00ading over your head. But you can pre\u00advent it from nes\u00adt\u00ading in your hair.\u00bb We should learn to con\u00adtrol our sen\u00adses. The most important thing is to talk to a trus\u00adted per\u00adson about our lust and desi\u00adre. If we don\u2019t, the\u00adse things gain a lot of power in our lives. The most important sex organ is the head. The con\u00adtent of our thoughts will deter\u00admi\u00adne our beha\u00adviour. A big pro\u00adblem today is inter\u00adnet por\u00adno\u00adgra\u00adphy. I was told that in the US<\/span> 64% of Chris\u00adti\u00adan men and 15% of Chris\u00adti\u00adan women con\u00adsu\u00adme por\u00adno\u00adgra\u00adphy month\u00adly. The money made from the porn indus\u00adtry could save Greece. The pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda says that por\u00adno\u00adgra\u00adphy fuels sex life. The truth is that peo\u00adp\u00adle who con\u00adsu\u00adme por\u00adno\u00adgra\u00adphy expe\u00adri\u00adence less and less plea\u00adsu\u00adre from real sex.
\nIt is no secret that a woman can sedu\u00adce a man with a lasci\u00advious look, facial expres\u00adsi\u00adons or ges\u00adtu\u00adres. Accor\u00adding to Jesus, howe\u00adver, the root of sexu\u00adal sin is not the woman, but the man\u2019s beha\u00adviour towards her. God has given us two things: a sexu\u00adal life as a joyful expres\u00adsi\u00adon of love and the gift of con\u00adtrol\u00adling our urges. The Bible is very clear that Satan is the temp\u00adter who wants to bring us down. Paul was not a maso\u00adchist, but knew that he had to disci\u00adpli\u00adne hims\u00adelf. He speaks of iron disci\u00adpli\u00adne with which he forces his body to obey (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 9:27).
\nSolo\u00admon often speaks about self-con\u00adtrol. For exam\u00adp\u00adle: \u00ab[\u2026] it is bet\u00adter to have self-con\u00adtrol than to con\u00adquer a city\u00bb (Pro\u00adverbs 16:32 NLB<\/span>) or \u00abA man wit\u00adhout self-con\u00adtrol is as defen\u00adce\u00adl\u00adess as a city with torn-down walls\u00bb (Pro\u00adverbs 25:28 NLB<\/span>). A man wit\u00adhout disci\u00adpli\u00adne does not resist when tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon comes. The con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces are fatal. Our body is a won\u00adderful ser\u00advant, but a ter\u00adri\u00adble ruler. We need to tell it who\u2019s boss from time to time. An expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced life coach said that peo\u00adp\u00adle who push them\u00adsel\u00adves on stre\u00adnuous tours and repea\u00adted\u00adly reach their limits are also more con\u00adtrol\u00adled in other are\u00adas of life. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, things like not eating for a day, get\u00adting up ear\u00adly every now and then, wal\u00adking for a long time until it hurts are healt\u00adhy becau\u00adse it beco\u00admes clear who is the mas\u00adter and who is the ser\u00advant. What is sad is when my body deci\u00addes how I behave. It is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly the har\u00addest strugg\u00adle in our lives to learn to deal with desi\u00adre and lust. God has given us many things to enjoy, which we should use in a disci\u00adpli\u00adned way: Eating good food is a cau\u00adse of gre\u00adat plea\u00adsu\u00adre, but also of ill\u00adness if used incor\u00adrect\u00adly. Beer is refres\u00adhing and deli\u00adcious, but in the wrong mea\u00adsu\u00adre it not only ruins you, but also tho\u00adse around you. Sex is plea\u00adsu\u00adre and can crea\u00adte life. But when lust is the dri\u00adving force, it cau\u00adses a lot of pain and suffering.
\nJesus threa\u00adtens the fail\u00adure in this area with hell. We don\u2019t have to take this lite\u00adral\u00adly eit\u00adher, as it con\u00adtra\u00addicts the enti\u00adre gos\u00adpel. The ques\u00adti\u00adon at the gates of hea\u00adven will not be: \u00abHow did you do with sex?\u00bb, but \u00abHow do you do with Jesus?\u00bb But \u2013 non-com\u00adpli\u00adance crea\u00adtes distance from Christ. Jesus chal\u00adlenges you: Disci\u00adpli\u00adne yours\u00adelf! Don\u2019t take it easy! Dance to the music of hea\u00adven! Then God will free our minds from impu\u00adre thoughts through his Holy Spi\u00adrit and set us free to deal with one another.
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Matthew 5:27\u201330<\/p>\n
\n\tWhy does the church often have an uptight rela\u00adti\u00adonship with this issue?
\n\tSex is God\u2019s wed\u00adding gift. What was the reaso\u00adning behind this state\u00adment? What do you think about this statement?
\n\tGod has given us sex life as a joy to express love as well as the gift of con\u00adtrol\u00adling urges. How can we prac\u00adti\u00adce self-con\u00adtrol and discipline?
\n\tWhy is self-con\u00adtrol important? What does it have to do with lust and love?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"