Last week we began a purity series in our Wednesday night youth worship. We decided that to do this we should break off into two groups and separate the guys and the girls. We are going to do this for three weeks and then we will have our last part of the series in a joint service. I am teaching the guys and we are having a lot of fun with this.
Unfortunately the subject of sex and living a pure life for Christ is quickly vanishing. There are not many Churches addressing these topics with their Youth. We feel that this is desperately needed. We cannot avoid the subject! The Bible is filled with information and direction of how we are to behave and live a life of Purity. I made several mistakes as young man growing up and I don’t want any kid in our county to not understand God’s system.
When I began doing my research I really had a hard time finding info without having to pay for some large packet. Please feel free to copy and paste this if you would like to start a series at your Church or in your home. If you want all the info I have you can look me up on facebook or twitter and let me know. I will email you the doc files. I will share with you over the next few weeks all of our series both Boys and Girls lesson plans.
This section was written by Randy Runions and Anne Ward.
Jesus Saves,
RR
Becoming God’s Man
In a World that Hates God
Part 1
Guys I have to tell you something that nobody ever told me until my wife and I got married. Right now your future wife has most of your wedding planned. Seriously! Apparently most girls dream of that and imagine how wonderful it will be. They plan where it will be and how they will look and even how you will look.
If you are anything like I was as a teenager then that is probably the last thing on your mind. But here is the cool thing. Your future wedding day is an illustration and dramatization of the Church’s future wedding day with the Groom who is the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that when we finish this series we not only have a heart for God, but a heart for the lady God puts in our life just as Christ has for his future Bride.
In order to serve God in an “Unashamed” frame of mind we have to be willing to be uncommon. This series ignores the attitude of what everybody else is doing. This series is based on the Bible and God’s standards not the worlds view.
What in the world is going on?
· In 2009 46% of high school students admitted to having sexual intercourse.
· Each year 19 million STD infections occur and nearly half of them are among 15-24 years of age.
· 2800 teenage girls get pregnant everyday
· 1 out of 2 Rapes are under the age of 18 and 1 out of 6 are under the age of 12
So here is the question. If we live by an attitude that everybody is doing it then at what point is too far? Is pregnancy ok? Is catching a disease ok? Is rape ok? The world conveniently sets standards and decides what is ok. We only have one law giver and Christ is King!
Apostle Paul’s Plea for Purity
I Thessalonians 4:1-8
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit
I. Purity
a. What is Purity?
i. “freedom from contamination, from anything that would spoil the taste or the pleasure, reduce the power or in any way adulterate what the thing was meant to be.
b. What has God Created us to be? The reflections and image of the Triune God
i. Genesis 1:26= “Then God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.
ii. Anything that keeps us from displaying the image of God is also making us impure.
iii. Purity Does not begin with sexual purity, but rather it begins with a heart for God.
iv. This series is a focus on what we believe is one of the greatest challenges facing every young person in our culture. Today sexual purity is under attack.
II. Sex
a. What is sex?
i. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “Sexual Intercourse”
ii. Are Christians held to a higher standard than worldly philosophy and interpretations? Absolutely
iii. We clearly see this today in film and music. Virginity in worldly standards only has to do with one thing, but God has called for his Children to not think and behave as the world but rather “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2)
iv. What does the Bible say about sex? Well it’s all over the book but here are a few key verses that get to the point!
1 I Corinthians 6:16-20 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
16 Do you not know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For it says, The two will become one flesh. 17 But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee from sexual immorality! "Every sin a person can commit is outside the body," but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
Ephesians 5:3-4 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 And coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.
Hebrews 13:4 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
4 Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.
Romans 13:14 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.
1. The Bible does not suggest sexual standards. Many people will tell you this is ok as long as you don’t do this, but God’s word is not made up of hidden messages. Instead it is clear.
2. Here is what the Bible says: males and females have no place or right before a holy God to conduct or even suggest relationships that can even lead to lust or sexual tendencies.
3. What does that mean? God’s word is telling all young men to keep their hands to themselves and their eyes and ears protected from anything that can lead to them unholy thoughts.
4. If you take part in anything that makes you think about sex or desire sexual tendencies the Bible calls it sin.
III. How do we stay Pure?
A. Let’s look at some basic concepts tonight and we will go further next week.
1. Stay pure by living for Christ one day at a time. Too many people are racing through life and bypassing their youth. How many kids do you see who wish they were teens and how many teens wish they were adults.
2. Solid and open relationship with Christ. Is he your Lord? Jesus said “if you love me keep my commandments”.
3. Adore him. Can Christ fulfill and satisfy your needs?
IV. What if I have gone too far?
A. Let’s look at some basic concepts tonight and we will go further next week.
1. What can separate you from the Love of God?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[c]
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[c]
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
2. If your answer is nothing can than you missed Paul’s message. You see God’s love is overwhelming and that is plain in this verse, but what many people don’t realize is we have a sin problem in this world. Nothing can come against God’s people and separate them from Christ, but when we let sin in then we are separated. I will explain more next week
3. So what do you do? Repent! Repentance means not that you are sorry but that you are turning away from sin.
Let’s pray!
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