This week I came across an unsettling article about the conflict in Middle East conflict in Palestine. Author Michael Jones writes, "At 4:30 p.m. on March 30, 2002, Israeli military forces took over Palestinian TV stations when they occupied Ramallah in the West Bank, immediately shutting them down. What followed was a little more unusual. Shortly after occupying the Al-Watan TV station, the Israeli forces began broadcasting pornography over its transmitter. . . . [The] Israelis expanded their cultural offensive against the Palestinian people by broadcasting pornography over two other Palestinian stations, the Ammawaj and Al-Sharaq channels."

Jones continues, "The story of the Palestinian TV stations broadcasting pornography has a curiously Biblical ring to it. [Remember the story of Sampson and Delilah? The Israelites were enslaved because of the sexual addiction of their leader] Having learned their lesson, the Israelis decided to turn the tables on their opponents, because they new that a blind opponent is no opponent at all, and because they knew, as the ancients on the northern side of the Mediterranean – the Greeks – knew as well, that lust makes a man blind. St. Thomas Aquinas, giving voice to that same tradition over a millennium later said that lust "darkens the mind." A man without a mind is not a formidable opponent; therefore, lust can be used as a weapon by rendering an opponent irrational and therefore incapable of mounting a coherent attack or counterattack. Barnes Review, November-December 2002, pp9-10

The epistle lesson for today contains some timeless and timely counsel on the matter of sex. Listen to what God says about you and your body. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (NIV)."
Here, St. Paul puts pen to parchment and counsels a community of Christians about the matter of sex. He tells us that we’re to be "sanctified." That word means, "set apart for God’s use." But, what does that look like? A sanctified person is someone who has learned to control his body. He’s not enslaved to his passions. His body is reserved for God. His body is used in an honorable manner.
That’s about as clear as any policy and procedure manual I’ve ever read. But even with these plain, unambiguous commands, many people have developed well crafted arguments to excuse and justify their sexual deviance.

This morning I want to consider three popular excuses people use to explain away their sexual misbehavior.

Here is the first: "The guidelines given by St. Paul are his personal opinion. He’s only offering his point of view, which was shaped by his culture. Therefore, it’s not necessary for us to obey his commands."

Sound familiar? Let’s see if this rationale can withstand the scrutiny of Scripture. It appears that St. Paul goes out of his way to claim that he speaks for God on the matter of human sexuality. Mark what he says in 4:1, "we exhort you in the Lord Jesus." Then note what he says in 4:2, "you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus." Then in 4:3 says, "this is the will of God."

This is the bottom line: When St. Paul spoke, God was speaking through him. This is what the Church has always taught and always believed. Listen to what St. Peter said about Paul the Apostle, "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." II Peter 3:15-16

Transition: Here is a second excuse that’s sometimes used to justify sexual disobedience: "It’s natural for us to satisfy our sexual cravings. In fact, it’s unnatural and unhealthy not to act on our sexual impulses." This line of reasoning is usually espoused by people who reduce sex to "moisture and friction."

They’re convinced we’re mere animals who should look to the animal kingdom for guidance.

Illustration: The Bloodhound Gang, may have said it best when they wrote the lyrics to, "The Bad Touch." "You an me, baby, ain't nothin' but mammals; so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel."

Our culture tells us that any attempt to reign in or restrict our sexual urges is puritan and psychologically harmful. We are told that sexual desire is like physical hunger or thirst – we’ll damage ourselves if we don’t satisfy it.

But St. Paul argues just the opposite. I Thessalonians 4:4-5, "Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (NIV)."

It’s not my intention to vilify sex. Sex is a beautiful gift from God, when it’s confined to one man and one woman who are lawfully married. Sex is like a river. When a river stays within its banks it’s beautiful and awe inspiring. But, when it overflows its banks and goes beyond its boundaries, it wreaks havoc.

Transition: A third excuse that’s often used to rationalize unbridled sexual disobedience is this: "Sex between consenting partners is not harmful."

Here, I want to direct your attention to I Corinthians 6:19 where St. Paul writes, "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body."

When we are sexually disobedient we degrade ourselves and offend the God Who lives within us. And even though there are consenting adults involved, we still wound ourselves irreparably.

Study the rationale used by St. Paul in I Corinthians 6:13ff, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!¹⁶ Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh¹⁷ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Pornography has been called a "victimless crime." But Jesus said, in John 8:33, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." We wound ourselves when we act out sexually. We commit spiritual suicide when we choose to wallow in sexual filth. This is precisely the reason the Israelis were showing pornography on the Arab television stations. The Jews know that if the Arabs are enslaved to their lust then they will be easy prey.

Illustration: My prayer for the children of this parish is that God would save them from the scars of sexual sin, so that when they stand at the wedding altar they’ll know the wonder and joy of being pure.

This morning I want to assure you that God knows that self-denial is not easy. Jesus Christ knows from his own experience as a human being how much He’s asking of us. And yet, He asks that we remain pure, not to break us, but to give us His grace to bear such a cross. It’s hard to follow Christ, but His path leads to eternal life. Amen