Sex: Under the Sun and Over It
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:7
The purpose of the book of Ecclesiastes is to deal with the meaning of life "under the sun," but what is actually being taught is that true living is done "over the sun."
Comment on text.
I think you are well aware that we live today in a sex-saturated society.
It has a profound affect upon our young people. Let me tell you what happens during a typical day in America.
a. 2,795 teens get pregnant.
b. 1,106 teens get abortions.
c. 7,742 teens become sexually active.
d. 623 teens contact a sexually transmitted disease
Our society has lived "under the sun" for too long.
Let’s look at the difference between sex "under the sun" and "over the sun."
To see sex under the sun we simply need to look at the world’s view of it.
Imagine our country was suddenly and completely buried by a natural disaster. What would archaeologists discover 200 hundred years from now when they dug up the remains?
They would find that we were fascinated with success, material things and power hungry.
They would find advertising, which used sex to sell everything from ballpoint pens to fertilizer.
They would find that our television shows and movies were saturated with sexual scenes.
They would find music with such as these lyrics by George Michael: "I swear I won’t tease you. Won’t tell you no lies. I don’t need no Bibles. Just look in my eyes. I’ve waited so long, Baby. Now we’re friends. Every man’s got his patience, and here’s where mine ends. I want your sex…" And that folks is one of the tamer ones.
They would find that our teenagers were having sex and having babies.
They found abortion clinics where we sacrificed our young upon the altar of convenience.
The archaeologists of the future would probably conclude that we were a modern day Corinth.
How does God feel about this? What did God tell Corinth? (I Cor. 6:9-7:4)
To see sex over the sun we simply need to look at heaven’s view of it.
God created sex (surprise).
The media would like you to think they invented it but it was God.
God could have made us all one gender and have another way to continue the race, but He made us male and female (Gen. 1:27).
No one should have to apologize for having sexual desire, but all should look to the creator of that desire for instructions about its use.
Sex was created for married people.
The problem with some people have with sex is that they don’t realize what it can be if they just wait.
Tell the story of Neal and the Christmas presents.
a. Sex is a GIFT from God to people who will commit to a married relationship (gen. 2:24).
b. Some times we are like a young child playing around the Christmas gifts. He sees the pretty paper, wonders what is inside, thinks of the pleasure that waits inside, then, the child unwraps the present at the wrong time and in the wrong way. He didn’t wait! He opened his gift too early and therefore ruining Christmas. It is no longer special.
c. The problem with some people is that they treat sex in much the same way. They don’t want to wait so they open God’s wondrous gift too early thus ruining the special occasion called marriage.
Prov. 5:15-19
Song of Solomon
Mt. 19:4-6
Sex was not created for those outside of marriage.
Sex can be wonderful, but you can ruin it.
A knife, in a surgeon’s hand, saves lives. Someone else could use the same knife to take a life.
Sexuality is the same way. Within its God-given boundaries, it is beautiful. But if we abuse it, it will be harmful.
Why should I live above the sun or be pure? (After all there is great pleasure in it, everybody is doing it.)
Jn. 10:10 so following Jesus’ and waiting until we are married must be for our own good or so we can have a the most abundant life. Here are a few reasons:
One out of three teens that has sex gets pregnant. One out of five of these who get pregnant do so in the first month of sexual activity.
Sexual diseases: Syphilis, herpes, AIDS
It can ruin our relationship with our relationship with our future mate.
a. Sex between husband and wife is the deepest most intimate form of communication and giving.
b. When properly expressed it draws them closer and forms the lifelong bond of "becoming one (Mt. 19:5)"
c. Sex before marriage could create an emotional barrier between love and self-esteem that could exist for life
It can ruin our relationship with God.
d. Sin always eats at our relationship with God.
e. Remember I Cor. 6:18? This could be talking about having to deal with the guilt that follows fornication.
But the bottom line reason and this is the reason above all reasons why we should live above the sun or be pure – God said to!
If you’ve just bought a computer and you ask the people you bought it from, "Why can’t I wash it in the dishwasher?" Because the manufacturer says not to and he knows how it works. He made it!
God made sex and He wrote the owners manual so we won’t abuse it. He knows us as our manufacturer. He know what will happen if we abuse our sexuality.
Sex is intended for a complete commitment – "Till death do we part."
How do I live above the sun?
Avoid tempting or dangerous situations.
Empty houses, lonely roads in a parked car are bad places to go on a date.
We must always be accountable to someone.
Story of boy who wanted to go on camping trip with girlfriend. "What wrong, Dad? Don’t you trust me?" His Dad answered "In a tent? In the middle of nowhere? Alone at night with a girl? I wouldn’t trust myself. Why should I trust you?"
Don’t let the physical urges rule your relationship. If a relationship based only on lust then it is not really a relationship.
Don’t feed your lust. Remember the battle is never won or lost below the belt; it is always won or lost in the mind.
We all have sexual thoughts that come and go but when we ask these thoughts to stay we can kiss victory goodbye.
Since the battle is won or lost in the mind we need not fill our minds with trash (Phil. 4:8).
Don’t date too early. Survey of 2,400 teens found the younger a person dates the more likely they are to have sex before graduating high school.
12 yrs – 91%
13 yrs – 56%
14 yrs – 53%
15 yrs – 40%
16 yrs – 20% (Most of you probably think your parents are too strict, but after hearing this, when would you want your kids to date?)
Sex is a wonderful experience when enjoyed in marriage as God intended – "Over the sun."
When it is used outside of His intentions, it robs and destroys physically, emotionally and spiritually – "Under the sun."
Reminds me of the story of the bird and the mole: A conversation occurred between a bird and a mole which had pushed its head out of the ground. "What are you making such a noise about?" he asked the bird as it was swinging and singing on a branch of the tree. "O the sunshine, the trees, the grasses, the shining stream yonder, and the white clouds on the mountain side. The world is full of beauty." "Nonsense"’ said Mr. Mole. "I have lived longer in the world than you have and I have gone deeper into it; I have traversed it and tunneled it, and I know what I am talking about, and I tell you there is nothing in it but dirt and worms."
Are you living under the sun or over the sun?
Jim Pharr
Lenoir, NC