Wednesday 7 May 2014

Read: Romans 1:24-25, Ephesians 5:1-5

Our world is sexually broken. Every second, $3,075.64 is spent on internet pornography and 28,258 people are viewing pornography online. Worldwide revenues from this terrible industry total $4.9 Billion per year. Research shows that over 12% of the websites on the internet are Pornographic, that's 24,644,172 sites. Every day 2.5 billion pornographic emails are sent comprising 8% of all email traffic on the internet. In addition to issues of pornography we battle against a culture of casual sex, the spread of child pornography, the global sex-trafficking industry and the normalisation of homosexuality. We live in a broken world.

Walk Moment

Flirting with worldly sexuality will wreak havoc on our lives, damage our families and darken our Christian witness in the world. Don't even go there. Fill your heart with Scripture, not sexuality.

Such brokenness is not a new development. Ever since the fall mankind has been in rebellion against God. This rebellion has degraded into all sorts of sinful desires and actions, including all types of sexual impurity and perversion. Paul tells us that God has given sinful man over to the terrible natural consequences of sexual perversion and degradation.

Paul exposes the true source of this perversion in verse 25. There is a root that is far deeper than merely messed up sexuality. Sinful man has swapped the truth of God for the lie of perversion. Rather than worship the creator of all things they choose to worship sexual depravity and brokenness. Instead of worshipping the God who made men and women in His own image, they worship the bodies of the men and women He created. Instead of worshipping the God who made sexuality to be a beautiful gift for married men and women, they worship the gift itself. In doing so they pervert and distort the gift until it is a terrible, mangled mess, a very long way from the good thing God made. This is no mere surface issue. This isn't something to be brushed over or explained away as 'normal'. The rot goes all the way to the core. At its root it is the malicious rejection of God and worship of idols.

Discussion Questions for families and groups

1. How can you see Romans 1:24-25 being played out in your society?
2. What lies have replaced the truth of God in your society?
3. What is God's standard for sexuality amongst His people?

It's not hard to see how Paul was describing not only the sinfulness of humanity in his time but the depravity of our time also. Our world is sexually broken. Billions of people bow down every day to the idols of sex, lust and pleasure instead of bowing before the one true God. Our world has actively turned its back on God to worship the things that He made. We have rejected the Creator to worship the creation. Who will rescue us?

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Pray for the billions of people around the world who are caught up in sexual sin and brokenness. Pray that God would be at work in the heart of each one. Pray that He would convict them of their sin, reveal their brokenness to them and draw them to Himself. Pray that God would strengthen His church to stand against this sin and to preach the good news of Christ.
• Pray that God would be at work in your heart to strengthen you against sexual temptation. Pray that He would grow a greater love for Him in your heart and mind. Pray that He would strengthen you to flee when you are tempted. Pray that He would be at work in all the men and women in your congregation, that the church would be pure and holy before Him in this area.