“As Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, in like manner committing sexual sin and going after each other’s flesh, they are set before you as an example of suffering justice and eternal fire.” 

(Jude 7)

Thirdly, Jude deals with the sin of sexual immorality by pointing to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  This destruction is only a shadow of the destruction that will come on the ungodly in final judgment, for at that time the fire of judgment will be eternal. 

Friends, we live in a culture that glorifies sexual immorality, not unlike the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Our culture has rejected the idea that sexuality is meant to be enjoyed within the confines of a marriage relationship.  To understand why this is, we must understand what sexuality represents.  Sexual relations between a husband and his wife represent the sealing of their marriage covenant, which is why we say that a marriage is not consummated until after sexual relations have occurred.  Covenants, both in Biblical language and in the larger ancient world, were confirmed by the shedding of blood.  The shedding of blood when a husband takes his wife in sexual relations and her hymen is broken is representative of the confirmation of this covenant.  Afterwards, when a husband and a wife come together to the marriage bed, they are renewing the covenant which they made with each other before God.

This is why marital infidelity is so heinous in the eyes of God.  For not only does it break the emotional and spiritual trust that is to be held within a family relationship, but it is a breaking of the covenant which was made by bringing someone who is not a member of the covenant into the covenant relationship.  This is also why pre-marital sex is considered a sin, for it pretends to confirm a covenant that has never been made. 

Throughout scripture, God uses the illustration of marriage to represent his covenant with his people.  He is the faithful husband and Israel is the wife who falls repeatedly into sin.  When the church worships idols, she brings an outsider into the marriage bed.  To confirm the covenant with his people, God shed his own blood—the blood of Christ on the cross—thus, when God’s people fall into idolatry, they are simply playing at a covenant that does not exist.

Just as God uses the illustration of marriage to represent his relationship to the church, his faithfulness in his marriage to the church is to be modeled in the marriages of his people.  Given that we live in a culture where the divorce rate amongst believers is as high as it is in the culture, it would seem that we don’t tend to take this very seriously.  Friends, the faithfulness that you demonstrate within your marriage sends a message to the world about what you think of God’s faithfulness.  If you want to send a message to the world that we must take our covenant with God seriously, then you must do so by demonstrating to the world how you take your covenant with your spouse seriously.

The sexual immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah and the sexual immorality of our culture today mocks the covenant relationship that God has with his people.  It makes light of the blood that was shed to confirm such a covenant.  And, it downplays the idea of the covenant itself.  The penalty for these two wicked cities and for all of the surrounding cities was for God to rain down fire upon them, wiping them from the face of the earth.  And, this is the same judgment that faces those in our own culture that chase after sexual immorality—in the day of judgment.  Our culture has exchanged the truth of God for a lie.  We have adopted the idea that momentary pleasure is better than lasting pleasure and physical pleasure is better than spiritual pleasure.  The pleasure that God offers in himself is eternal and infinitely satisfying.  The pleasures of the flesh are fleeting and leave you unsatisfied and with a guilty conscience.  Which will you chose?