Oasis 02.01.12 - New Series "True Love" & the Myth about Sex

So we started a new series last night at Oasis for the month of February called "True Love." We'll be focusing on the topics of love, sex, dating, and marriage and seeing how the Gospel applies to them. We talk about these issues a lot (at least every year), and we know that some students are perhaps tired of talking about them. Nonetheless, they are vitally important for high school students to think about. Why? Because living a God-honoring lifestyle in these areas can save them from a world of hurt and pain. We're talking about this stuff because we want students to have awesome relationships, with the Lord and with the opposite gender. 

So last night we talked about sex. God designed the marriage relationship and sexual intimacy in a marriage relationship actually to be a reflection and an expression of His exclusive, faithful relationship with us. 

Two preliminary things to be aware of were: 1. Your past will show up in your future - what you are practicing now will not easily go away in your future; so realize that what you're doing now MATTERS! 2. You think that meeting the "right person" will make everything alright. It won't. We always expect the other person to be our savior to some degree. The only problem is that they are looking at us and thinking the exact same thing. And we're both screwed up! We're both sinful; we both have issues. The question you need to ask yourself is "Am I the person that the person I'm looking for is looking for?" (read that slowly again.... it will make sense eventually!). 

We look at 1 Corinthians 6:12-7:9 and saw that the Bible holds up a radically HIGHER view of sex than any other view out there. Paul, in this passage, shows us that the biblical view of sex is neither the "sex is just a physical appetite" kind of thing or the "sex is gross and wrong and evil" view. 

The main myth about sex that we confronted is that sex is just physical. Our society says it's just physical. It's just something you do. But the truth is that sex is NOT just physical and we all know it. Ask a person who was sexually abused; ask someone who was raped. They will tell you that sex is not just physical. 

Sexual sin is not like any other sin NOT because God hates it more, not because it won't be forgiven you, not because it will keep you from heaven, but because it hurts you in a way that no other sin does. It is NOT just physical. 

The problem, though, is that NONE OF US is without sin. Most high school students already have some kind of sexual baggage. We've been hurt badly by a boyfriend or girlfriend; we've gone too far sexually with someone (maybe our boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe not); we've made a  certain crush on someone ultimate; we've made them our "god"; we've indulged in internet pornography; OR we think we're better than everyone else because we haven't done any of these things. When we think about this, it is SO GOOD TO KNOW (for those of us who are Christians), IT IS GOOD NEWS that Jesus Christ took all of our sin, and all of that guilt and shame and dirtiness that we've felt, and He paid the full price for it on the cross. If you have received that free grace from Him, it’s gone! You’re clean! You are freed! And you need to let go of it—some of you are still holding on to it! JESUS REMAINED PURE FOR YOU! HE IS SPOTLESS AND RADIENT! HIS PERFECTION COVERS YOUR MESS AND MY MESS! IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE; IT’S ABOUT WHAT HE’S DONE FOR YOU! Our response to this must be to worship Him. How else could we respond to such a wonderful Savior?