Documents

Documents about different biblical subjects

Purity

February 5th, 2012

To the leader of the study
Our society exalts sexual immorality, and it's raging out of control. Teenagers have hormones that are newly active, and they can let the rage out of control. However, God has made it clear that he wants us all to let the natural sexual desires remain dormant until they can be expressed within the marriage relationship.
In the Bible the term "purity" is most often referring to sexual purity, but it also is used to refer to being free from contamination by worldliness in general. Contaminated water is undrinkable, just 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 some of your challenges with purity when you were a teen.

Intro
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 is really gross, but if the poison is no removed, the person will die.

What are some ways teenagers are impure in everyday life?

  1. Lustful thoughts/fantasies and "the second look"
  2. Watching movies or TV shows with sexually explicit scenes and themes
  3. Listening to or telling dirty jokes
  4. Flirting (desiring attention from the opposite sex and acting or speaking in such a way as to get it)
  5. Sexual immorality

The goal of this study is to help you 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 and 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
What are some things we need to do to stay pure?
  1. avoid sexual immorality
  2. 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 hurt God and ourselves and, if someone else is involved, them.

2 Timothy 2:22
What are "the evil desires of youth"?
Sensual pleasures like sex and drugs and reckless abandon

Why do you think God says evil desires have to do with youth?
  1. They are new experiences, so they appeal to curiosity.
  2. Teenage bodies are changing sexually
  3. The "young, wild, free and indestructible" mentality can take hold of young people

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, go after the challenge of being godly in a godless world.

Ephesians 5:3-5
  • 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

How are you different from your friends in the world?
Are you willing to change your life, thoughts, and habits to be radically pure all the time?

Practical Applications

Psalm 119:9
Remember that when you are tempted, the Word will help you to resist sin.
Memorize scriptures about purity/impurity to have ready for when you are tempted with this sin.

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 with boys and girls together, dates, etc.
  • Write out a one-page essay about what you have learned from this study and how you were convicted.
  • Write down how are personally going to change and some things you will do differently from now on.