1 Corinthians 6:12-20 * January 15, 2006 * Epiphany 2 * Pastor Leyrer

Dear Friends in Christ,

You’ve probably noticed that our Christmas decorations are down. This is that Sunday when the church building returns to the way it usually looks for most of the year; yet in comparison to what it recently was, seems kind of stark and bare.

So the Christmas trees and wreaths are packed away, as are the banners of Bethlehem and the manger and the herald angels. But if there is one symbol of Christmas that ought to remain (at least in our mind’s eye) throughout the Epiphany season, it would be the star.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Our opening hymn for today referred to Jesus as the “Morning Star.” We did the same thing last Sunday when we sang “how lovely shines the Morning Star” which “the nations see and hail afar…”

And that reminds us of the special star that led the wise men from distant lands to Jesus. The star proclaims to us that most central Epiphany message: Jesus is the Savior of all people. In other words, the gospel message is not exclusive for the Jewish race into which Jesus was born, but the salvation Jesus brings is for every nation, tribe, language and people. That’s good news for us, because we fit into that category.

It is interesting to note that the image of a star is not reserved for the Epiphany season or Jesus alone, but is also used to designate those who follow Christ in faith. For example, in his letter to the Philippians Paul encourages us as Christians to live out our lives of faith in a spiritually dark world and “shine like stars in the universe as [we] hold out the word of life.” Using similar language, Jesus tells us in His Sermon on the Mount to let our lights shine as we reflect Him before a watching world.

And that is the emphasis of the text which we will be considering on this second Sunday of Epiphany. In a sense, we as Christians are to function as

EPIPHANY STARS

1. Reflecting the mind of Christ, and

2. Shining brightly for Him

in a world, like the one Paul speaks of in our text, that is becoming increasingly godless and amoral.

The Scripture we have before us today is far more specific than it is general, and that’s okay. In fact, that is good. So we’re going to be equally specific and not shy away from what some may consider a delicate subject. We need to know God’s Word in this area, because if we take our cues from the world around us we will find ourselves at the polar opposite of what God’s desire is for His children. The specific topic that Paul addresses and by divine inspiration instructs us on this morning is the subject of sex and sexuality.

Let me give you some background to our text. In the process we’ll essentially be explaining the first part of our text, so we won’t go through it verse by verse…

Paul was writing to new Christians in the Greek town of Corinth. It was a “religious” city, but its religion was heathen, meaning it was not centered on the one true Triune God. All heathen cities operated with some sort of code of personal ethics, but as a general rule they were also all steeped in sexual immorality. Except for Corinth. Here it was worse. “Not for every man is a trip to Corinth” was an old sailor’s slogan.

Consequently, the Christians in Corinth had come out of, yet were surrounded by, a culture that was obsessed with sexual activity of any and every kind. Corinth embraced and promoted (among other things) homosexuality, prostitution, infidelity, multiple sexual partners, etc. In fact, sex (in the form of being serviced by a temple prostitute) was even part of their religious ceremonies.

Therefore, to say that Corinth was an immoral town would be an understatement, because “immoral” suggests there were morals to be broken. It would be more accurate to say that Corinth was “amoral,” which means it had no morals.

When the Christians in Corinth came to believe in Christ as their Savior, they also came to God’s understanding about sex and sexuality. It is really quite simple. God in His Word tells us that sexual intimacy between a man and a woman is a wonderful, beautiful gift from Him; but it is to be used only within the framework God intended it to be used. And that framework is marriage. God Himself originated marriage in the Garden of Eden and, regardless of how our politically correct world is trying to re-engineer it, defines marriage as a life long union between one man and one woman.

So God says things like recreational sex or a casual view on adultery or same-sex marriages/relationships are unacceptable and a clear violation of His will. And who can argue with Him? As the designer of the human race and, therefore, the authority on human sexuality, God knows what is best for His world and His children – and has outlined it for us in His Word.

Furthermore, in an age (then and now) which gives great credence to the philosophy “if it feels good, do it,” it needs to be said that the guidelines He gives us in this area are not constructed to take the fun out of life or to be restrictive or as an attempt to sadistically suppress something He Himself has placed within us. God simply knows how and where the gift of sex is best to be used. And as His children, we gladly listen to Him.

That’s what the Christian congregation at Corinth did; they listened to God, and they came to understand and appreciate God’s will in this area. The void in their lives they had formerly tried to fill with a constant but empty obsession with sexual activity was now filled by their relationship with Jesus Christ. They found peace and contentment in the knowledge that their past, hollow ways had been forgiven at the cross, and rejoiced in the fulfilling new life they found in Christ. And they shined like Epiphany stars in the amoral world that surrounded them.

But… some of the Corinthians were beginning to backslide into old habits. Some were even defending their actions by saying Christ had set them free from the guilt of sin, so why not… sin and get our money’s worth. Others had apparently convinced themselves that any urge should be acted upon (rather than be controlled) and were engaging the use of prostitutes.

So Paul reminds them in no uncertain terms that what they were doing was not God pleasing. They were bringing shame upon themselves and their Savior by their willful violation of the Sixth Commandment, they were dishonoring the bodies that Christ redeemed to be used as His temples, and they were doing anything but setting themselves apart as witnesses for Christ. The final words of our text serve both as a call to repentance and an encouragement for Christian living:

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from Christ? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Paul’s counsel to the Corinthians is two fold. The first is to simply recognize what they were up against – a world that is full of sexual temptations. Paul says rather than try to overcome them or fight through them, flee from them. He tells the Corinthians not to put themselves into a position where they can fail themselves and the God whom they love.

Secondly, he tells them to remember who and what they are, and consider how they will want to live in view of this. They were bought at a price. What price? In the words of the catechism, they were bought “not with gold or silver, but with [Jesus’] holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.” Jesus also had a body; a body He extended upon the cross as the sacrifice for the entire world’s sin. Paul was confident that as the Corinthians focused on the magnitude of that sacrifice they would willingly bring their lives into conformity with His will in the way they used their bodies.

Let’s fast forward. Please consider these three questions. Do these words have application for us today? Do you see any parallels between first century Corinth and 21^st century America? Is Paul’s divine counsel to the Corinthians equally good counsel for us today? The answer to all these questions is, of course, yes.

Today we deal with all the same issues the Corinthians did, plus perhaps a few more. Is it an over-statement to say that 21^st century America – at least some very visible and influential segments of it – is also rapidly achieving the status of amorality? I don’t think so. Let me cite just one general observation.

Pornography (and the open acceptance of immorality of just about any kind) has become not only acceptable, but fashionable, even chic, if you will. Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine and crusader for the playboy lifestyle, was interviewed on “CNN Larry King Live” a few weeks ago. I watched it and was interested in how he would be treated. Specifically what I wondered was: Would he be denounced as the man who is perhaps single-handedly most responsible for reducing women to nothing more than mindless, impersonal sex objects that exist only for the gratification of male lust? Nope.

Rather, he was praised as the man who has brought sexual enlightenment to a world that had been in bondage to repressive Christian principles. And a lot of people have bought into his philosophy. I suspect that the men in more than a few churchgoing households have had Playboy magazine or something else like it pass through their hands without thinking too much of it. Only for the articles, of course.

Now with the internet, people don’t even have to have it delivered to their door in a brown wrapper. Pornography is available 24-7. According to a MSNBC survey taken in the year 2000, 60 per cent of all websites are sexual in nature. The survey also tells us that they get visited – a lot. By both men and women, of every age. Then there are the chat rooms where the subject matter is as explicit and wide open as anything Corinth might have produced. And, of course, the pornographic movie industry which tops 4 billion dollars a year in video and DVD sales and rentals…

You get the idea. We live in a culture obsessed with sex. With such great availability comes great temptation. And among those tempted are Christians.

So how do Christians deal with a world that is morally adrift; a world that makes sexual temptation available at the press of a computer key; a world that is really no different than first Century Corinth?

By first of all following Paul’s practical counsel of fleeing from temptation (as opposed to seeing how close we can get to it without falling off the edge of Christianity). Paul encourages us to recognize that sexual temptations are all around us – and then make the conscious choice to avoid them. Where we have failed in this area, we need to first repent. Then, in the strength of Christ’s full and free forgiveness, we need to ask Him for the power to go forward in moral purity.

But perhaps more important is Paul’s spiritual counsel. He asks us to simply remember who and what we are, and Who it is we represent. We, too, were bought at a price. Jesus Christ suffered and died for your sins and mine. And our job – our privilege – as His blood-bought followers is to reflect the mind of Christ before a watching world. It is our honor to shine forth in a world of moral darkness. And in so doing, we will bring Christ the glory and the honor He deserves.

A closing thought. Jesus told us to let our lights shine so that by our distinctiveness people might take notice of who we are and ultimately come to know Whose we are. And that brings it all back to Him. Therefore let it be our prayer that in the area Paul has addressed us today as well as every other area of life, strengthened through Word and Sacrament, we will reflect Christ and shine ever brightly for Him as the Epiphany stars we are. Amen.