"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
Today’s media, teen entertainment and for the most part public education are lying to our youth and teens about sex! The music industry is marketing sex to them. Pop star Jewel made that clear when she told Rolling Stone magazine, "I think that, largely…people in the [music] business right now…are looking at selling addictions. It’s just the biggest return you can have, if you can get people addicted to a kind of music. And pretty much all the music that’s being sold right now has an addictive quality. It’s usually selling sex-addicting kids to sex. It’s a marketed, very contrived effort…."
The entertainment industry is fascinated with sex and saturates their productions with their corrupted sexual ethics, teaching our children that premarital sex, and same sex relationship are safe and normal. This lie is ravaging millions of young people’s lives.
Perhaps you are wondering, "Is that just preachers hype or is it really true. Judge for yourselves. Statistics say that 63% of youth aged 14 to 21 are sexually active. 1 in 4 sexually active teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease. 2/3 of all people who acquire a STD (sexually transmitted disease) are under the age of 25. 80% of teens who have STD are unaware they are infected. Nearly half of teen girls become infected with an STD during their first sexual encounter. "When it comes to AIDS, the data is even more chilling: of the new HIV infections each year, about 50% occur in people under the age of 25." (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Close to 1 million teen pregnancies occur in the U.S. each year, most of them unwanted. Finally, "safe sex" is not safe!
So, what can be done about this attack on our youth? In the June issue of AFA Journal there was a revealing article titled "Sex…To whom are teens listening?" Here’s what a 2001 survey conducted the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found about whom teens are listening to…
37% Parents
30% Friends
11% Religious Beliefs
11% Media
11% Miscellaneous influences
The article goes on to say, "Beyond what kids are taught in school, however, is what they are taught at home and church. According to a growing body of research, parents and religious beliefs are a potent one-two combination when it comes to influencing a teen’s decision about whether or not to have sex." When you add 37% and 11% you get 48%.
Let’s focus on the family for a moment. The Bible is clear that parents are to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6. Further, Paul wrote to the Ephesians "bring them [the children] up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4. Parents, you are to set the standards in you homes, including sexual standards, and these standards are to be biblical standards.
The Alan Guttmacher Institute (which is the research arm of Planned Parenthood) did a study on teen sexual involvement and, to the surprise of many conservatives, the findings were published in their Family Planning Perspectives magazine. They found that parents can best keep their teens from becoming sexually active by doing three things:
Maintain a warm loving relationship with their children (see Titus 2:4; Ephesians 6:4)
Let your teens know that they are expected to abstain from sex until marriage (Deuteronomy 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
Avoid discussion of birth control (The natural consequence of sexual relationships is children. The wide prescribing of birth control agents makes it seem that you can fornicate without consequences)
There is a fourth point that I believe they missed. But the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health picked up that point…
That moms of girls who were still virgins tended to know where their daughters were when not at home, knew their daughter’s friends, and insisted on things like shared family mealtimes. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Parents, you must do your part in bringing up your children biblically. The church can preach what is right, but if you do not promote and practice what is right in your lives and insist that your children practice it, your children will likely be a part of the 63% that are sexually active.
In the remaining time that I have, I want to look a key Bible passage relating to sexuality.
- Sexual Relationships Are For Marriage Only
Turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 13:4 "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."
Let’s look at the very first word, marriage. Let me clearly define marriage for you. My Websters 1828 dictionary gives us a good definition of marriage -- MAR'RIAGE, n. [L.mas, maris.] The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children. (see Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5).
Marriage between a man and woman is said to be honorable. That is, it is respectable, precious and to be looked on as right, because it is God’s design.
Next we come to the phrase and the bed undefiled. The word bed is a translation of the Greek word koith koite (koy’-tay; 2845), which means together for the purpose of sexual relationships. Simply stated, sexual relationships are undefiled or pure within the context of marriage. But, sexual relationships are defiled and sinful in any other context! The verse makes that clear. The sexual activities of whoremongers and adulterers are wicked, corrupt and defiled. Therefore, it is important that we understand what these two words mean.
The word whoremonger refers to a person who is a fornicator; one who is involved in unbiblical sexual encounters. In the context of this verse, it is a reference to anyone who is involved sexually with someone before marriage.
Abstain from fornication – Acts 15:29; 1 Thes. 4:3
Flee fornication – 1 Cor. 6:18
Avoid fornication – 1 Cor. 7:2
Let not fornication be once named as becometh saints - Eph. 5:3
Mortify fornication – Col. 3:5
The word adulterer refers to a person who has sexual relationships with anyone who is not their spouse (marriage partner). In the case of a married person having sexual relationships with an unmarried person they are both a fornicator and an adulterer. An example would be former President Bill Clinton’s involvement with Monica.
Our popular culture winks at fornication and adultery
if they take any notice at all. But the God of the universe does not.
"Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Sexual sin will be judged by
God.