INTRO
Recap Deep Fake Series
Tonight’s Deep Fake: “Everything I need to know about sex can be learned in health
class.”
Are you surprised we’re talking about this in church? Maybe you giggled. Maybe your eyes rolled. Maybe you squirmed a little because you’re uncomfortable. Others, maybe this has your attention for the first time ever!
No matter how you feel about this topic, please commit to these two things tonight:
1. Listen to what God has to say about sex. I want you to learn from Him, and He really has some important things to say about it.
2. Please don’t distract others from hearing what God has to say about this. Sometimes, when we get a little uncomfortable with a topic, we’ll do things to try to feel a little more comfortable. We’ll crack a joke. We’ll look at others and see if they are as uncomfortable as we are; and, if they are, we’ll do things to try to break the discomfort. In the process, we actually distract ourselves and others from what is going on.
TENSION
From talking to you, it seems as though many of you feel beaten-down. You’re trying to do the right thing, but it seems like, no matter where you turn, you’re beaten down by a nonstop onslaught of sexual content in the media, and in the conversations that swirl around your schools, teams, and clubs. Recent statistics confirm that you’re having a tough time with this…
- By the time most boys reach college age, almost all of them are exposed to pornography, and 62% of girls are.
- Many identify the average age of the first exposure of porn to be 11 years old.
- Through social media and streaming, today’s teens are exposed to more than quadruple sexual content their parents were exposed to.
This probably isn’t news to you. No wonder you feel beaten-down. Tonight, you need a success story, and we find one with the story of Joseph.
In Joseph’s victory over sexual temptation, we see God’s plan for sex, and how, through God’s power, people can honor him in the middle of a culture that doesn’t. You’ll learn, through this victory, that the same God who won the battle for Joseph lives in you!
TRUTH
Scripture: Genesis 39:6-15
- Background: Genesis themes, arc
- Context: Joseph had been, recently, nearly killed by his brothers, and then sold into slavery. A wealthy Egyptian ruler named Potiphar hired him, and put him in charge of his whole house.
Read & Comment: Joseph is tempted, but through the power of God, resists breaking from God’s plan. This is a success story, a reminder that a relatively young person can honor God in the area of sexuality in the middle of a culture that often doesn’t.
We learn three things from Joseph’s success story…three things you may not learn in health class…
- You don’t have to look for temptation. It comes looking for you.
- Some things, Joseph couldn’t help.
- Joseph couldn’t help his looks.
- Joseph couldn’t help his past. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Did his rejection drive him into the arms of someone who was trying to convince him to sin?
- Joseph couldn’t help his environment. He was in a culture that didn’t honor God, and worked in the house with a lady who actively tried to get him to dishonor God.
- Temptation doesn’t happen just once.
- “She spoke to Joseph day after day.”
- It often escalates…”She reached out and grabbed.”
- Breaking from God’s plan for sex affects your relationship with others, and your relationship with him.
God’s Plan for Sex
- What it isn’t (Look at the Greek words dealing with sex in 1 Cor. 6:9-20, a passage on certain sins…)
- Pornos – Any sex outside of marriage, including our thought life (Matt. 5:27-28)
- Moichos – Cheating on a spouse; adultery
- Malakos – Prostituion, (commercialization of sex)
- Arsenokoites – Sex with someone of the same gender
- As the passage continues, the Apostle Paul reminds us that sex is more than a purely physical activity (v.12-20). It affects our minds and our souls.
- What it is (1 Cor. 7:1-2)
- God’s gift to be enjoyed in a marriage relationship between a man and a woman. God designed it to produce intimacy, not shame (Gen. 2:24-25).
- Each man should have his own wife.
- Each woman should have her own husband.
Breaking from God’s plan affects your relationship with others.
- With your future spouse.
- With your parents.
- With your future kids.
- With members of the opposite gender.
Deviation from God’s plan affects your relationship with God.
- Sin assaults God’s character, breaks God’s law, and misses God’s mark of perfection.
- It causes immediate spiritual & physical problems…
- “The Lord blessed Joseph…” (v.5) 2x
- “The Lord was with him…” (v.2,3)
- Causes loss of fellowship with God. Don’t experience his blessings, but his discipline.
- [OBJECT LESSON: Pop Can] When you give someone a piece of your soul, you can’t get it back.
- Causes impending eternal death, apart from the saving power of Jesus.
- This is a reminder of why we need Jesus! More on that in a minute.
- You never stand alone.
Joseph seemed to be the only one who was concerned about pleasing God. He lived in a pagan culture that didn’t believe the victims, and didn’t respect people who did the right thing.
We live in a time when people want the aesthetic of Jesus, but not the teachings of Jesus. When your grandparents grew up, Jesus’ teachings on sexuality were generally considered normal. Today, a teen who holds to Jesus’ teaching that God’s plan for sex is a committed marriage between a husband and wife will be considered “weird.” In a culture that often celebrates what God hates, and persecutes what God loves, endeavor to be weird.
- Weird means a healthy relationship with your future husband/wife.
- Weird means peace when your head hits the pillow at night.
- Weird means being able to respect people as being made in the image of God without undressing them with your eyes.
- Weird means not being strung along in a terrible relationship because you’ve shared intimacy together.
- Weird means being able to look your parents in the eye when you come home at night.
It’s not easy being weird. Just ask Joseph: it landed him in jail. But here’s the beautiful thing: God was with Joseph the whole time. And Jesus promises to be with you as you serve him. You may feel like you stand alone, but you’re never alone. Just as God was with Joseph, his with you if you’re a believer in Jesus.
APPLICATION
DEEP FAKE SURVIVAL GUIDE: SEX
#1 – Figure out boundaries now, not later.
Joseph was ready when temptation came. Are you? Whether you’re in middle school or high school, you need to resolve in your heart and mind what’s honoring to God, and what’s not. Boundaries are better set at home with a Bible, than on Friday nights alone with a date.
#2 – Flee. Don’t flirt with temptation.
Joseph shut it down as soon as it happened. When he could not, he fled! Isn’t it interesting that we’re told to resist the devil (James 4:7), but to flee lust? That should tell us how destructive and dangerous it is. This isn’t the time for tact. If you’re in a bad situation, get out. Go nuclear…CALL YOUR PARENTS!
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:2).
#3 – Receive forgiveness through Jesus. (1 Cor. 6:11)
We can’t stand strong without Jesus. We can’t find forgiveness and restoration without Jesus. The Bible is full of people who messed up in the area of sexuality, but God graciously restored them. The immediate consequences may remain, but you don’t have to face them alone. Through Jesus, you can be “washed” (forgiven), “sanctified” (made holy/set apart), and “justified” (declared righteous in God’s sight).
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)
#4 – Discover freedom from addiction.
It’s easy to fall for the lie that everyone does it, and there’s no way to break the habit of sexual addiction. If you’re struggling with pornography or lustful thoughts, there’s freedom in Jesus. As you “renew your mind, (Rom. 12:2)” the Holy Spirit will transform your wants and desires into God’s will for your life. Get in God’s Word, and enlist someone to hold you accountable!
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).
#5 – Find help through godly friends.
Here’s the cool thing. God stands with you. You don’t stand alone. And not only does God stand with you, but you have a family of brothers and sisters in Christ here to love and encourage you. If you feel beaten-down tonight, reach out to: YOUR PARENTS, YOUR TAG LEADER, SOMEONE IN THE REFUEL FAM.
LANDING
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