FLEE FORNICATION
FLEE FORNICATION
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:18-20 KJV).
WHAT IS FORNICATION?
Our word “fornication” comes from the Greek word “porneia” and refers to any kind of sexual sin. It is the basis of our word “pornography”. There is a time for us to “resist the devil” and he will flee (James 4:7), but not with fornication. The sin of sexual temptation is so powerful that God commands us to flee! Fornication is especially evil as it is a sin against your own body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit! The way God directs us to avoid fornication is to flee!
THE GOOD EXAMPLE OF JOSEPH
“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” (Gen. 39:6-12).
Joseph did the right thing and he did not commit fornication. Even though the woman he rejected lied about him and had him thrown into prison, God honored his obedience. In fact, Joseph was on his way to becoming the second most powerful man in all the world (Gen. 41:41-45).
LIKE AN OX TO THE SLAUGHTER
The Hebrews knew that fat animals were the most tender so they fattened the animals they were going to eat. Amos said: “You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves” (Amos 6:4). The owner decided in advance which animal he was going to kill and eat. The animal, of course, was completely unaware of what he was planning. When it came time to slaughter, the victim was easily lured to it’s death by food. Feeding him plenty of food not only made him fat and tender, it also made him careless. On the appointed day the victim ate his last meal totally unaware of his doom! In the same way the devil lures ignorant people to their death with sex.
Please consider this wise advice of Solomon to his son:
“At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty
intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.) She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.” With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death” (Prov. 7:6-27).
WOMEN ALSO NEED TO FLEE FORNICATION
How vividly I recall a young woman coming into my office in tears. She had only been married a short time and worked as a nurse at our local hospital. After getting off from work at midnight she and a co-worker sat down to drink a cup of coffee and chat. One thing led to another and she yielded to the temptation to have sex with this man. This single indiscretion ruined her marriage and her life for on that night she received a sexually transmitted disease! She tried to reason herself out of sexual sin when she should have run away. The command of God is to “flee fornication”!
THE BAD EXAMPLE OF DAVID
You know the story. In the spring, at a time when king’s go off to war, David stayed home. While walking on the roof of his palace he saw the beautiful Bathsheba taking a bath. Instead of fleeing from fornication, David invited Bathsheba to his home. Then he had sex with her, got her pregnant, and then had her husband killed in order to hide his crime (2 Sam. 11).
David didn’t get by with it! Nobody gets by with it! First, the baby Bathsheba conceived died as a direct result of David’s sin: “Nathan replied: ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2 Sam. 12:13-14). Nathan also pronounced further punishment on David: “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel” (2 Sam. 12:9-12).
God can forgive you for committing fornication, but that doesn’t mean your sin will not have consequences. The sin of fornication is like a violent poison that not only punishes you, it also punishes people whom you love. David should have fled from fornication, and so should we!
THE BAD EXAMPLE OF AMNON
Amnon was a son of David. He fell madly in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom. Absalom was also a son of David (2 Sam. 13:1). The wicked Amnon did not flee from fornication, he arranged it. He pretended to be sick, and tricked Tamar into caring for him. Then he raped her! Instead of bringing happiness to him, however, “Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he loved her” (2 Sam. 13:15). Amnon drove his innocent victim out and bolted the door behind her. Like an ox being led to the slaughter, however, Amnon was about to die! Absalom avenged the rape of his sister by killing him. “Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered.” (2 Sam. 13:28-29).
Amnon should have fled from fornication! Everyone needs to flee from fornication!
THE GOOD EXAMPLE OF BILLY GRAHAM
Billy Graham was one of the most famous evangelists who ever lived. He conducted crusades all over the world from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. His sermons were heard and seen on television for over 60 years. According to his website, Graham preached to live audiences of 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories.
In 1948 Billy Graham drafted his "Modesto Manifesto". It was so named because it was made in Modesto, California. It stipulated that Graham and his ministry team would never be alone with women other than their wives. His effort to avoid even the appearance of evil has served him well. His long and fruitful ministry was scandal free.
On August 20, 2022 Beautiful Christian Life listed 5 reasons why Graham’s manifesto shows wisdom:
1. It helps men and women to avoid sexual temptation. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matt. 6:13).
2. It seeks to honor the marital union. “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” (Heb. 13:4).
3. It recognizes the battle within all Christians between the flesh and the Spirit. “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members”. (Rom. 7:22-23).
4. It shows respect for one's family by keeping boundaries. “Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart”. (Prov. 11:29).
5. It strives to bring glory to God. “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:18-20).
DISOBEDIENCE IS LIKE DIVINATION AND IDOLATRY
Saul was rejected as king because of his disobedience. The prophet Samuel said it like this:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Sam. 15:22-23)
The strategy of the devil from the very beginning has been to create doubt about the word of God. Doubt, of course, creates disobedience! The devil said to Eve: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? The woman said to the serpent, ‘we may eat from the trees of the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat of the tree in the midst of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’. ‘You will not surely die’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Gen. 3:1-5) The sin of Adam and Eve was a direct act of disobedience! It was like “divination” and “idolatry” for it caused them to do their own will rather than the will of God!
That’s why when King Saul disobeyed God it was like the sin of divination and idolatry! Saul knew what God commanded, but he was determined to do his own will and not the will of God. When Saul inquired of the Lord “The Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets” (1 Sam. 28:6). Rather than respect the silence of God Saul disobeyed again and sought the help of a witch (1 Sam. 28:4-25). This was a direct act of disobedience and Saul knew it! Saul’s disobedience was quickly rewarded. He was killed by the Philistines the very next day. Sadly, his sons were also killed with him. You cannot call God Lord and then not do what He commands (Lk. 6:46). “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).
“Put to death, therefore. Whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).
NOW YOU KNOW GOD HAS COMMANDED YOU TO FLEE FROM FORNICATION!
THE QUESTION IS “WILL YOU DO IT”?