Do Not Open Until Married

“Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:15)

SEX IS GREAT!

Now that I have your attention let me quickly explain where I’m going with this before you start judging me or thinking I’m crazy. Well, okay…I’m already crazy I know.

I just returned from New Life Bible Camp for their annual Fall Teen Retreat in which I preached on the topic of sex. Today our teens and even adults are absolutely confused about sex. I’m not talking about how to have sex, that’s ingrained into our DNA. We’ve all been designed for it. I’m talking about knowing when and why or why not? Just about every form of media is telling us, no screaming at us, to have sex. TV commercials, magazine ads, music and the internet are teaching our teens its okay to have sex anytime and with anyone…as long as they use protection and play it safe. There are many schools across our nation that make condemns easily available to students by handing them out. When I lived in NJ several years ago I remember walking into one of the local high schools to meet a student from our youth ministry for lunch. When I went into the office to sign in low and behold on the counter was a bowl filled with condemns free for the taking. It used to be when you walked into the office of a school the bowl was filled with mints. And yes I’m sorry to say it, but the truth is, many churches are making the topic of sex confusing. It’s not being talked about enough within the church because the mere mention of the word sex is taboo, private and/or embarrassing. Think about it, what reaction would you get if you announced from the pulpit, bulletin, or youth website that your next teaching series is sex? How many of you would have parents approaching you after the morning service because they need to…”have a word with you.” And how many parents would keep their son/ daughter home during that series because, as one parent expressed to me, “sex is to be taught at home by the parents.” In which I reply; “I agree, but teaching them by simply saying ‘Don’t have sex until you’re married because God says so’ is not complete biblical sex education.

The fact is our teens are confused about the truth of sex and it’s time the “church” teaches them, not the media, society or culture. And shouldn’t the church be teaching it, God created sex as a gift to us to enjoy in the confines of marriage. Each year as part of the Christmas season many of us exchange gifts that are meant to be opened on Christmas day and not before. I remember reading tags on the gifts under the tree that read; “do not open til Christmas.” And no matter how curious I was, and how tempting it was to open the gifts my parents told me no, not until Christmas. God has an awesome tremendous gift for us called sex, but it’s got a label that reads, “do not open until married.”

He also wants us to enjoy the gift with ONE person. Someone he has set aside just for us. He [Adam] gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him…This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one (Genesis 2:20; 24).

My friend, who will be getting married in several days, once told me she wished she had someone in her life, but deep down she knew she had to wait until God brought him to her. Now she’s preparing for her wedding and the day that her and her husband-to-be will open an awesome gift that God set aside for the both of them long before they were even born. She also knows that her husband-to-be is wonderfully complex and marvelously made by the Creator and he’s been chosen to be her husband. What an awesome gift!

We’re long over due in our youth ministries and churches when it comes to teaching our teens the truth about sex. And teaching them the truth about sex according to God is NOT about feeding them stats as a scare tactic. One last thought, we can spend four to five weeks in a series about sex, but if our teens have not put their faith in trust in Christ alone the entire series will mean nothing. This is why I suggest that the gospel be presented in every lesson you teach about sex. As a matter of fact, why not give the gospel in EVERY lesson period.