TO THE LEADER OF THE STUDY (Tap to Expand)
Our society lifts up sexual immorality and it’s raging out of control. Teens have hormones that are newly active, and they can let them rage out of control. However, God has made it clear that he wants us all to wait for marriage to express our natural sexual desires. In the Bible, the term “purity” most often refers to sexual purity, but it also is used to refer to being free from contamination by worldliness in general. Contaminated water is undrinkable, just as a contaminated heart is unacceptable to God.
The purpose of this study is to help teenagers to understand and embrace God’s convictions about purity (share challenges with purity when you were a teen).
From Editor: In an effort to continuously equip our fellowship, here are some helpful resources to check out as you approach this topic as a teacher on it: For Parents – It is important to understand the line between encouraging purity without creating an environment of shame for natural feelings. For more on this hear from Dr. Jennifer Konzen:
Discussion
Have you, or has anyone you know, had food poisoning? Do you know what happens? Since the food is contaminated and poisonous, the body does everything possible to flush the poison out! It’s really gross, but if the poison is not removed, the person could die.
2. What are some ways teenagers are impure in everyday life?
- Lustful thoughts and “the second look”
- Watching sexually explicit movies
- Visiting pornographic websites
- Listening to or telling dirty jokes
- Flirting (Acting or speaking in such a way as to get attention from the opposite sex)
- Sexual immorality
- Masturbation
The goal of this study is to help you to take hold of God’s convictions about purity of heart and life. It will also help you see that following God’s plan is always the most fulfilling in the long run. Being contaminated/poisoned by the world will damage your soul. God has a great plan for your life and is excited about watching it unfold for you in his time!
The Scriptures
1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-8 (Tap to Expand)
What are some things we can do to stay pure?
Avoid sexual immorality
Control our own bodies
Bottom Line: God has high standards for us to be totally different from people in the world. We need to have the same expectations for ourselves as God does. He doesn’t call us to anything that is not possible. When we are impure, we hurt God, ourselves, and whoever else is involved.
Same some things God knows about you. Why does it make sense, to be honest all the time?
- God knows and sees when we even just think about lying.
- God knows and sees when we tell half-truths, when we exaggerate, when we’re deceitful, and when we lie.
Bottom line: God knows everything about us.
Lying to others instantly leads to lying to ourselves and ultimately, lying to God.
2 TIMOTHY 2:22 (Tap to Expand)
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
What are “the evil desires of youth”?
- Sensual pleasures like sex, drugs and recklessness
Why do you think God says these evil desires have to do with youth?
- They are new experiences (curiosity).
- Teenage bodies are changing sexually.
- The “young, wild, free, indestructible” mentality that you people can have.
What does it mean to “flee” from something?
- To desperately run away, usually, from something dangerous (a murderer etc.)
What does it mean to “pursue” something?
- To go after it with your whole heart
Bottom line: We have the right to choose where we spend our energy in life, whether on worldly goals or on spiritual ones. God calls us to run away from what our human nature screams for us to go after: destructive, worldly desires, activities and thoughts. We must instead pursue being godly in a godless world
Ephesians 5:3-5 (Tap to Expand)
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
- How much is a hint?
- What does God say to replace impurity with?
- What does it mean to have no inheritance?
Bottom Line: God takes purity very seriously!
Personal Heart Check Questions
1. How are you different from your friends in the world?
2. Are you willing to change your life, habits, and thoughts to be pure all the time?
Practical Applications
Read Psalm 119:9
• Remember that when you are tempted, the Word will help you to resist sin. Memorize scriptures about purity and impurity, to have ready for when you are tempted with this sin.
Read James 5:16.
• Confess your sin to someone who can help you. Remember that God loves you and forgives you! Next time, ask advice about movies, times w/boys and girls together, dates, etc.
Write out a half-page response about what you have learned from this study and how you were convicted. Write down how you are personally going to change and some things you will do differently from now on