Supernatural Help for Sexual Sins 1 Jn. 1:3-6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Discussing sexual sins on a radio broadcast is difficult because we must keep from being defiled by the subject. “It is a shame to even speak of those things which are done of them in secret,” [Eph 5:11-12]. However, we intend to offer some help to those who are afflicted by these sins. Rather than merely condemn adultery, fornication and homosexuality, which are wrong, we are willing to help someone in one of these sins who really wants to change. The sinners in Corinth who had trouble with these sins were able to quit [1 Cor 6:9-11]. And we hope you will, too.
Sexual sins are generally complex sins. We can simplify the process of dealing with them and turning from them by dealing with one or two aspects of them at a time. However, we must still deal with all of the contributing factors. You cannot “spot clean” these sins. In the prior broadcast, we taught on the subject of “Scriptural Help for Sexual Sins.” In this broadcast we are going to talk about Supernatural Help for Sexual Sins. The greatest source of spiritual help for sexual sins is fellowship with God.
At the root of sexual sins is broken fellowship with God [1 Jn 1:3]. The following will break your fellowship with God:
- A lack of fellowship with Jesus Christ [1 Jn 1:3-6] – when your fellowship with Jesus Christ is diminished you end up walking in darkness. And you lie if you say otherwise. See Eph 5:8-13
- A wicked thought life [Matt 22:37] – we are to love the Lord with all our mind. When wicked thoughts consume our mind they overshadow our fellowship with God.
- Strongholds that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God [2 Cor 10:4-5] – imaginations and high things exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. These become strongholds in your mind and destroy your fellowship with God.
- Grieving the Spirit [Eph 4:30] – the Spirit of God renews the spirit of our mind [Eph 4:23]. When the Spirit is grieved, we think with our carnal mind which is enmity against God [Rom 8:7].
- Disobedience [Titus 1:16] – when you are abominable and disobedient you don’t know God; you just profess that you know him. Thus, you have no fellowship with him.
- A lack of prayer [Heb 4:16] – we are to come boldly unto the throne of grace. When you quit praying, you lack the grace to help in time of need. You miss out on the grace you need to deal with sin.
- A lack of Bible reading and immersion in the words of God [Jn 15:3] – a sufficient “dose” of the word of God cleanses you and keeps you in fellowship with the Lord [Jn 15:7, 14:23]. The Lord abides in you when you keep his words. And your fellowship breaks when you put your Bible down.
- Attacks through the wiles of the devil [Eph 6:11, Jas 4:7-8] – in resisting the devil we are told to draw nigh to God. The devil will assault your fellowship with God to get you alone and into sin. He isolates you by making you feel lonely, uncommon and confused in your sin. He ensnares you with distortion, delusion and deception. He works in the presentations of and opportunities to sin.
- Unbelief [Heb 3:12] – an evil heart of unbelief will cause you to depart from God.
- A distorted view of God [Rom 1:21] – when you have a distorted view of God then the god with whom you fellowship is not the God of the Bible. And when you have a distorted view of God, you have a distorted view of your sin.
- Sexual sins [1 Cor 6:13-18] – the sexual sins of fornication and homosexuality in Christians are particularly bad because those sins involve your body which is a member of Christ’s body [1 Cor 6:15; Rom 8:10-11]. Your body is the member of Christ and you are joining it to another body in a way that is abominable to God [Lev 18:22, 26-30]. This will absolutely defile your relationship with God.
When your fellowship with God is broken, all the other relationships in your life are affected. Thus, you can be drawn by infatuation and lust into sexual relations and perversions [Lk 15:30]. Therefore, to be in a right relationship with others physically, emotionally and spiritually you must first restore your fellowship with God.
To restore your fellowship with God you must:
Know the true God [Rom 1:19, 28; Phil 3:10] – read and believe the words of God, they reveal the true God to you. Then fellowship with Jesus and be filled with the Spirit.
Glorify God [Rom 1:21] – remove all forms of idolatry from your life. Get rid of pornography, television and movie idols, and the people that have come between you and God.
Thank God [Rom 1:21] – be grateful for everything [Eph 5:20]. Be thankful for God’s love, mercy and truth. Be thankful for salvation, for Jesus Christ, for God’s forgiveness.
Shun foolish professors [Rom 1:22; Prov 19:27] – get away from everyone who lies against the truth of God’s words. Cut off every avenue that would cause you to distort the truth of God’s words in your life.
Honor your body [Rom 1:24; Eph 5:29] – do nothing contrary to the natural order of God. Flee fornication and everything that is an abuse of your body.
Worship the Creator [Rom 1:25] – pray to God, praise God, exalt God and obey God.
Love God [Rom 1:30] – don’t hate God. Love the God of the Bible with all of your heart, soul and mind. Dispel every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Be a lover of God more than a lover of pleasure [2 Tim 3:4].
Not give place to the devil [Eph 4:27] – do nothing that gives the devil an avenue to tempt you and ask the Lord to rebuke him when he is tempting you [Jude 9].
Repent of your sin [2 Cor 7:10] – see our sermon on Remorse or Repentance.
Be content with God [Heb 13:5] – God will never leave thee nor forsake thee. When you are content with God, the temptation to get into sexual sins is abated.
You must get yourself in a right relation with God. That is reconcile with God before you reconcile with others. God is the one who saves you from these sins. He gives you the grace [Rom 5:21], the way to escape [1 Cor 10:13], the fruit of the Spirit [Gal 5:22, 23], the repentance and the truth whereby you can recover yourself from the snare of the devil [2 Tim 2:25-26]. After you reconcile with God and restore your fellowship with him, then you can repair and strengthen your relations with others like your parents, your spouse, and your pastor.
You cannot build a relationship with the right person in your life until you build your life in the right relationship with God.
Conclusion: Getting supernatural help for sexual sins is the most important aspect of dealing with sexual sins. Fellowship with God is essential to overcoming these sins. While there are other helps that we will discuss in other lessons, don’t neglect this lesson! And, by the same token, while this lesson is most important, don’t neglect the other lessons, either.