Leviticus 15:31-33
"Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them." This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman. 

God wanted His people to understand the difference between good and bad behavior.  God used various rules and regulations with food and behaviour to get His people thinking about what is holiness and righteousness.  Last week we discussed the tabernacle.  Did you realize that God gave His people all His instructions to save their lives.  Their uncleanness would defile God's tabernacle which would result in their death.  God wants to provide life, but God's ways are not man's ways.  Man must get in line with God's way.  False religion bends that concept and tries to make God get in line with man.  Romans 3:23 says that every man is a sinner.  Romans 6:23 says that the penalty for sin is death.  Romans 5:8-10 says that Jesus put an end of sin with His death and redeems man to God by His resurrected life.  Jesus experienced death, but now He is alive!

Romans 5:8-10
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Leviticus 18:24-30
'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.  For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.  But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.  For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people.  Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.'" 

Our focus this week is on you as the bride of Christ.  One of the toughest areas for mankind to deal with in this lifetime is sex.  Consider the symbolism God uses in the bible as it relates to His relationship to His people.  And when I say His people, that does not mean an Israelite or a church member.  God's people are those who know Him, who seek Him, who love Him, etc.  God refers to the church as His bride.  God gives instruction about very personal issues like seminal emission and menstrual impurity because He wants to impact you one-on-one.  Think about it; who would know about seminal emission or menstrual impurity except the individual?  God does not want you to die to Him because of your uncleanness.

Notice in Leviticus 18:24-30 how God is judging the nations and He is using Israel as His tool to execute His punishment.  God is in control.  This is an area that will bug self-righteous people who struggle to understand the concept of sin.  They judge God for allowing sin to exist.  Wrong, sin came from man not from God.  The nations being judged were practicing sexual acts that are too disturbing to discuss in mixed company. 

1 Samuel 2:12-17
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.  Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.  Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw."  If the man said to him, "They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire," then he would say, "No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force." Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord. 

I want us to look at a family from the descendants of Aaron.  A priest was required to be from the tribe of Levi, but for a Levite to serve as High Priest he had to be from Aaron's family.  Eli was the High Priest and his two sons served in the temple because of the blood relationship to Eli.  God describes them as worthless men.  They did not know the Lord.  They did not respect who God was or what His sacrifice represented.  They did not understand the design of the system of worship they worked inside.  Remember that the Tabernacle (and Temple) were shadows, copies and patterns of things from heaven.  God provided a design to Moses and David to create a method of worship for His people.

1 Samuel 2:22-24
Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  He said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?  No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the Lord's people circulating.  If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death. 

WHAT?  They would lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  These two Levitical priests were stealing food and sleeping around with the women who served at church.  Are you kidding me?  God is patient and long-suffering. 

1 Corinthians 6:12-20
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.  Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.  Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.  Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!  Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "The two shall become one flesh."  But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Flee immorality.  Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 
 

1 Corinthians 7:1-6
Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.  But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.  The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.  The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.  Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not of command. 
 

1 Corinthians 7:18-24
Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised.  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.  Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called.  Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that.  For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave.  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.  Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called. 

Last we saw in the law that if a foreigner wanted to celebrate the Passover with the nation of Israel, he had to be circumcised.  Now Paul is saying that circumcision means nothing.  What changed?

Jesus came as the seed promised to Adam to crush the serpent.  Jesus came as the seed promised to Abraham as a blessing to the world.  Jesus came as the prophet promised to Moses.  Jesus came as the King promised to David to establish a kingdom that would not end.  Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus is alive!

Revelation 19:1-10
After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her."  And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever."  And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."  Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."  It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."  Then I fell at his feet to worship him.  But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.  For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." 

The bride is wearing fine linen which is the righteous acts of the saints.

Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?  For these is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
This verse provides a wide variety of topics we could discuss, but I want to focus on God's opinion of Job and his character.  I hope you have noticed a logical transition to this program so far.  The first week was an introduction.  Then we addressed God.  Who He is and what He says about Himself in the bible.  The greatest commandment is for man to love God.  We must see Him for who He says He is for us to adore Him.  Then we must address mankind for who God says we are.  Last week we discussed God's chosen people and that Jesus has called all Christians to act as His priest under a new covenant to the world.  This was Israel's original responsibility and now Jesus has shifted that task to His followers.  This week we will be discussing what I believe is the greatest struggle for mankind today and that would be sex. 

Job 31:1
I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin? 
Chapter 31 of Job is almost a resume for Job's character.  He discussed his relationship with the poor, the needy, the orphan and his relationship to the world.  In my personal life, this verse is a cain I use for walking.  Now, let's look at what God says about sex.

We are going to look at two verses from the Torah.  Moses wrote these stories from what God told him to write.  Moses was not around when Adam was in the garden, or when Noah built the ark, or when God made a covenant with Abraham.  The Angel of the Lord would meet with Moses and speek to him face to face.  Remember Exodus chapter 33?  We are going to look at two illistrations from God with His view of sex.  We will see a story of King Abimelech and a story about Joseph.

Genesis 20:2-7 (3 & 6)
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister."  So Abimelech King of Gerar sent and took Sarah.  But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken, for she is married."

Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, wilt thou slay a nation, even though blameless?  "Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'?  And she herself said, 'He is my brother.'  In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this."  Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the intregity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.  "Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live.  But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

Did you see it?  God says sex with a married woman is sin against Him.  God says you are a dead man to sin against Him.  Look at verse three.  Why?  Think about this; marriage between Adam and Eve was before the fall.  Marriage is a holy covenant in the sight of God.

Genesis 39:9
"There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.  How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?" 
Joseph just said that sex with a married woman was a sin against God.  Joseph would not be going to bed with God, but with a woman.  Remember the Angel of the Lord is telling Moses what to write in the Torah.  Do you see what God thinks about sex and marriage?  How does that differ from what mankind thinks?

We are going to look at a comparison of the New Testament and the Torah.  In John chapter eight, Jesus teaches us how to deal with an adulterous woman.  In Leviticus chapter twenty, the Old Testament teaches us how to deal with an adulterous woman.  As a review, who wrote the Torah?  That's right Moses, but who told Moses what to write?  Remember Exodus 33 where the Angel of the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to a friend.  Who is the Angel of the Lord?  Realize that this is not just an angel, but this is the one and only Angel of the Lord.  That's right, it is Jesus before he was born to the virgin Mary.  So comparing John and Leviticus gives us a clear picture of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. 

Isaiah 63:9
In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His presence saved them; And His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

John 8:1-5
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.  And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.  "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"Remember the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) told Moses what to write so He knows the law.  Let's look at the law.

Leviticus 20:10
"If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
This death sentence was applied to a variety of actions related to misconduct.  See 20:4 for offering a child to Molech, 20:9 for cursing father or mother, 20:11 for lying with his father's wife, 20:12 for lying with his daughter-in-law, 20:13 for man lying with another male, 20:14 for marriage to both mother and daughter, and 20:15-16 man or woman lying with an animal.  These are very specific instructions.  Now look at 20:23 and you will see why.  Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I shall drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. 

So based upon the Torah, Jesus should have killed the woman.  Wrong, the Old Testament was suppose to show the people they can not keep the law.  They must seek God's mercy.  The law was given to show the standard for life.  I like to illustrate the point this way.  Thou shall not play in the street.  I do not want you to get run over, I love you, so this is your law.  Thou shall not play in the street.  What if another person sees you playing in the street and decides not to follow the law?  Both of you might get hurt.  So, in response to your disobedience I decide to send a truck your way to scare you out of the street.  Thou shall not commit adultery.  God loves you and does not want you to get hit by a truck.  In John, Jesus was showing man that God desires mercy not sacrifice.

Now, let us go one step closer to understanding God's point of view on the relationship between a man and a woman.  For this illustration, you will need to read the story of when Solomon became king in 1 Kings chapters one and two.  David was old and could not keep warm.  David's servants suggested that the King bring in a young virgin to nurse him and keep him warm.  Now in verse four of chapter one, we read that the king did not know her (sexually).  Solomon is crowned king and extends grace to his older step-brother to live even though he had tried to proclaim himself king.  Afterwards, his brother is put to death for asking for the hand of the young virgin girl who had nursed to his father King David.  Why did Solomon put him to death?  Open your bibles to . . . 

1 Kings 2:22
King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom--for he is my older brother--even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!"

Solomon saw this request for marriage as asking for the hand of the Queen in marriage which is the same as asking for the kingdom.  This request cost Solomon's older step-brother his life.  Solomon considered the young virgin nurse to be David's wife.  Another interesting point from this story is that King David had several wives, but he was alone and cold at the end of his life.  The bible tells us that David was married to Michal, Abigail, Ahinoam, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah and Bathsheba.  2 Samuel 5:13 tells us that David took more concubines and wives.  In 2 Samuel 20:3 David had ten concubines who were left to take care of his household, but these were defiled by Absalom when he tried to take the throne.  These concubines lived as widows for the rest of their lives.

Matthew 15:18-20
"But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." 
Jesus lists seven items that come from the heart of man.  Two of the seven deal with sexual issues.  That is 28% of what comes out of the heart.  Open your bibles to . . .

In Leviticus chapter twenty, God details what is off limits as it relates to man's sexuality.  God will show some very graphic relations that actually existed with the people God was about to judge.  Just like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God is judging a people for their behavior, but this time He is using the nation of Israel to destroy the evil.  Below is just 10-13.  Read 14-21 and ask yourself about pornography.  Is pornography revealing the nakedness of another person? 

Leviticus 20:10-13
'If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.  'If there is a man who lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.  'If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed incest, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.  'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

What about homosexuals?  In verse 13, God says that it is a detestable act and worthy of death just like adultery and incest.  Homosexuality is a perversion just like adultery and incest.  We need to see things as God sees them and put aside how man sees things.  It is for man's good that man obey God.  God gives us the law to see sin for what sin is.  Sin is destruction to our lives.  Life is a precious gift from God and sin takes away what sweetness life has to offer.  Sin is death.  Submit to God and live by the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of Truth will show you life.  Open your bibles to . . . 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.  For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.  So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. 

Honestly, I do not understand homosexuality.  It breaks my heart.  I find the word faggot offensive because people made in the image of the Living God were burned alive using faggots.  Faggots is an old english term for a piece of fire wood.  Out of hate, people burned people alive because they saw themselves on a higher plain of moral pureness.  Please make no mistake, I do not support homosexuality.  I hate the sin while making the decision to love the sinner who is made in the image of the Living God just like me and just like you. 

This type of cold hatred is no different than the racially motivated killing between blacks and whites.  Is it any different than the killing between the Native American Indians and the white settlers?  Is it any different than the killing between the Muslim extremists and all infidels around the world?  This is just hate.  This is sin. 

When I see a man or woman living in a way that does not honor God regardless if she works as a stripper or he is a cross dresser, I remind myself that that is someone's daughter or son.  This person could be the mother or father to a child and that child loves them unconditionally.  That person has a grand parent who loves them in spite of the way they have chosen to live life.  My job is to deal with the man in the mirror and manage my reaction to that person based upon God's Word. 

When God looks down on mankind, He sees me as a sinner just like the any other man or woman.  The difference is that I call upon the name of Jesus and now God does not see me, but He sees me through the blood of the Lamb offered as my atonement.  Without the Messiah, God just sees a sinner standing in his own righteousness.  That person will be judged and God says that person will be cast into hell, forever.  This is not a prison sentence where you have hope of release, it is forever.  Understand this; the judgment of that individual was cast by the person himself because based based upon his life he rejected the way, the truth and the life by rejecting Jesus as his Christ.  It is no different than a religious person trying to get to Heaven by deeds or actions.

The name Jerry Sandusky will always be remembered as a pervert.  I am not accusing him of being a pervert, I am just identifying his actions with the appropriate title.  His actions in this life defined him as a pervert.  If Mr. Sandusky accepts Jesus as his Savior, he could be in Heaven.  During his life before accepting Jesus, he is identified as a child molesting pervert.  If he rejects Jesus, he will be in hell.  See how that works? 

This retired college coach who worked with a foster home used his status to victimize innocent boys between the ages of ten and fourteen.  The eye witness accounts of this man sexually assaulting these small kids is just too much evil for me to understand.  My heart breaks for these boys and my anger burns against this monster, against this sin.  And then I ask myself, how did this monster get started?  Was he abused?  Was this grown monster an innocent child who was led into perversion by another child molesting pervert?

God hates sin, but loves the sinner.  This is so hard for me to grasp.  What about you?  God will judge the sinner and comfort the broken hearted, but God allows life to play out. 

This is an area where a lot of people struggle with their relationship with God.  They want God to intervene in this world and stop all 'bad' behavior, but what they do not understand is that God has intervened in the name Jesus.  Death and destruction came from man not God.  Life comes from God not man.  Righteousness and holiness come from God not man.  Jesus came to put an end to death not physical, but spiritual death.  Man is separated from God.  The Messiah (Christ) bring man and God back together and that is a gift from God not man. 

When I see a homosexual, I always wonder if he was abused as an innocent child and introduced into perversion at the innocent age of ten or eleven.  What a terrible crime to rob a child of their innocence.  This terrible crime not only could destroy this child's life, but countless generations if the cycle of perversion continues.  Sin is so ugly and so destructive.  Hate the sin, not the sinner.  This type of love is the hardest thing in ministry and in any Christian walk.  Why do some homosexual men act so odd?  All I can figure is that they want to act like what they think a woman behaves like, but normal women do not behave like they do.  It is just so odd.

If you are struggling with homosexuality or have sexual desires for children, please seek qualified professional counseling immediately.  Stop the cycle now.  Only you can seek help and it starts with you recognizing your problem.  Jesus preached that the first step toward salvation is to repent.

Matthew 18:3-6
. . . and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 15:18-20; "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things which defile the man...

Job 31:9-12; If my heart has been enticed by a woman … lurked at my neighbor's door

Romans 13:13;... not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity ... 

Balaam – Revelation 2:14;  put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, … acts of immorality

Balaam – 2 Peter 2:12-16;  eyes full of adultery…enticing unstable souls…way of Balaam

Balaam – Numbers 25:1-3; Israel … at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot…Baal

Balaam – Numbers 31:15-16;  these caused the sons of Israel… trespass against the Lord

David – 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 12:9-25, 12:23;  I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.

Solomon – 1 Kings 11:1-3, 11:9-10; loved many foreign women… turned his heart away

Solomon - Deut 17:17;  Neither shall you multiply wives…lest your heart turn away 

Solomon - Nehemiah 13:23-27; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.

Samson – Judges 16:15-23 (parents 13:3, 13:6, 13:20-22); she began to afflict him… 

Esau – Genesis 28:1, 28:7-9;  Saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father…