Sex & Our Youth: Continued

Dad didn't tell his son, John, about the sexually explicit Internet files he discovered in the computer. He had a better idea.

A few days later, John and his friends came home from school, logged on to the Internet and began surfing for the 'good stuff' they found earlier. This time, a message kept appearing: "access denied… try another search." Every word for sex they tried brought "access denied."

Dad came home from work and checked his new "Cybersitter" computer protection program. The print out showed hundreds of attempts to access pornographic areas. With the evidence in his hand, Dad entered John's room and said: "We have to talk…"

The sexual intimacy between a man and a woman within the covenant of marriage is a beautiful gift of God. The world unfortunately has different ideas. The Christian sees sex on many levels, including emotional and spiritual where the main ingredients are a lifelong commitment of love, self-sacrifice and loyalty to one partner. The world often reduces sex to an anything-goes physical act that promotes the lie of unending joy, passion and ecstasy.

One view promises a lifetime of lasting pleasure while the other only fulfills short-term appetites that eventually become a recipe for disaster. The latest news from the White House certainly illustrates the potential dangers of unrestrained sexual desire.

How can we share this important truth with our youth?

Let's look in Jude (20-23).

1.     Build on the foundation of your holy faith… It always starts with us. We must set the best possible standard of what sexual intimacy can really mean.  

2.       Pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit… A disciplined life of prayer acts as a reminder of Who is really in control. Our prayer life can give us direction in dealing with the world. 

3.       Live in such a way that God's love can bless you… Another reminder to practice what we preach. There is nothing worse than a pious phony.

4.       Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering... Take a stand on the issues, but offer the hand of love and forgiveness to those who struggle.

5.       Rescue others from the flames of judgment… When someone is in trouble, look for ways to help… not judge.

6.       Be careful that you aren't contaminated… Prevent this by returning to step 1.

The passage ends with this promise as you live a life of faith… God will keep you from stumbling, and will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. There are no easy answers to teaching our youth moral values, only good examples which come from our own honest struggle to keep the faith while resisting the temptations of an often-immoral world.

After discovering Mary in bed with a boyfriend, her family and church began to really reach out to their troubled daughter. They helped her realize how much God loved her and wanted the very best for her. One day, Mary told her boyfriend that she wouldn't sleep with him any more.

He said, "But Mary, I love you. I just want to show you how much I care."

She turned to look at him; "Can you show how much you care by waiting? We are wrong and God would not want me to have sex with anyone unless that love was pure and committed to me for a lifetime in marriage. Do you love and respect me that much?"

At first, her boyfriend walked away… but later he returned. The following Sunday, he joined Mary's family in church. There will be more struggles; more questions but Mary's family and God will be with her every step of the way. Maybe this is what the church is really all about.