talking about sex. at church.

the last four weeks at church, our pastor has been talking about sex. it's definitely a topic that grabs your attention (which is probably why you're reading this post) and one that i think every young adult attending has questions about. he's been addressing tough issues, like "how far is too far", "what if's" and "how do i change myself for the better", all in regards to relationships, sex, and everything in between. last week he tackled some specific questions, but it was interesting to see his non-specific answers. i think a lot of people want a 1, 2, 3 bullet pointed process for how to avoid sexual sin and how to be obedient, but that's just the difference between following a religion and having a relationship with our Savior, isn't it?

when we follow religion, we can say- this point is too far. at this point, you're sinning. someone on earth will make up a delineation and decipher the gray areas into black and white, even if there is no direct biblical evidence for doing so. in religion, people create boundaries so they don't have to seek out the Lord and learn His heart to know what boundary He would have us place in our own lives.

but in a relationship, as our pastor emphasized, we don't have that. we aren't legalistic (no pharisees here!). we aren't just searching for a "sin management program" as he said. a relationship with Jesus isn't about preventing sin in our lives so we feel better, guiltless, and more "holy"- because that kind of holiness is a sham. it's done on our own, without God's transforming power in our lives. our pastor's entire point was, we need to continue pursuing our relationships with our Savior, drawing closer to Him- and as a result, we will apply His truths in our lives. the better we know Jesus, the more we will conform to His will- because His will will become our will. hold fast to Jesus, and let go of the rules.

an excerpt from my utmost for His highest which i though was quite pertinent, and actually got me thinking about this whole topic long enough for me to write on it....

"...separated to the gospel of God..." (Romans 1:1)
     Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell- it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness, we will go under when testing comes.
     Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me..." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don't ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose- to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).

ps- if you want to hear the sermons/read sermon notes, go here:
http://www.frontlinedc.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=95033
scroll down, and click on the "It's Complicated" sermon series.