Why Sex Outside of Marriage is Wrong

I want to speak to you today from a topic that is very prevalent today in the least likely place of all--the church. It grieves my heart--as well as the Heart of God--to have to even deal with this, for the Good Book says not only to avoid the practise of fornication, but "let it not even be once named among you" (Ephesians 5: 3).
In other words, we as Believers should live our lives in such a way that no one can even accuse us of fornication. Now just in case you think that I have done everything right in my almost 42 years of life, and my nearly a quarter of a century walking with Our Lord, think again. When Tanya and I were dating, we made some glaring mistakes. Sometimes I would stay over Tanya's until 3 or 4 in the morning. While we were just talking and holding hands a lot of the time, we set ourselves up for some real problems. The problem would probably emerge if I were to try to witness to Susie on the bus the next day, knowing full well that Susie saw me leave Tanya's house at 4 in the morning last Monday night. Secondly, the later we stayed up, we exposed ourselves to some temptation. But more on that later.

WHAT IS FORNICATION?

Fornication is any sexual activity outside of marriage, period. It is an all-inclusive term. It includes homosexual sex, sex between child and parent, between two minor children, siblings, people and animals, two heterosexuals not married to each other, and close relatives too. It also, in my opinion, includes sex with oneself. Masturbation is one of those things that is not mentioned in the Word as sin, but clearly is. It is an act of lust, it is an act of involving the body in personal gratification that God has clearly reserved for marriage. I can't see how God would derive any personal pleasure from watching us do it. We are to be pure and Holy, so even the thought of sexual activity by the single person is sin (Matt. 5: 28). We are told by Scripture, "Be ye Holy, for I am Holy" (1 Pet. 1: 15-16). There is no sign that God is merely issuing an invitation, or a request. It is a hard, cold command. We must follow it or we will wind up in Hell. As my pastor has pointed out many times: "Sanctification is NOT a denomination, it's a lifestyle."