in all purity

"Wise Up About Sex!" {Prov5}
* Sex a powerful force -- used by advertisers, politics, whole culture
- What should Christian attitude be toward sex?
- Prov devotes almost 3 chapters on subject of sexual immorality
* Sex is good; God created it. {Prov5:18-19; Gen1:27-28; SongofSol}
* Like all good gifts from God, sex can be misused & perverted {Prov6:27-29}
- Like H2O becoming a flood
- Not exercised in His boundaries & purpose, sex can be ugly & destructive
* Boundaries of sex are boundaries of marriage {Ex20:14; Heb13:4}
* Your sexual purity is essential to your walk w/ God {Prov28:9}
* You are vulnerable to sexual immorality {Prov16:18}
* Your body belongs to God {1Cor6:20}
* Sexual purity begins in the heart/mind {Prov23:7, 4:23}
* Avoid walking the fire {Prov5:8, 7:6-8} -- temptation to live outside of His boundaries always looks better than it really is
* Consequences of sexual immorality {Prov5:9-14}
- Your life
- Your wealth
- Your physical body
- Regrets
- Public humiliation
* The alternative {Prov5:15-20}
- Culture portrays Christians as anti-sex or sexually repressed
- Sex is positive & beautiful within God's boundaries
* Everything we do is observed by God {Prov5:21-23}
* What about cohabitation?
- Sinful {Prov16:25; 1Thess4:3-8}
- 40% cohabitations break up before marriage
- Cohabitations have 50% higher rate of divorce
* What about those who've already sinned sexually?
- Repent {1Cor6:9-11; 1John1:9}
* Resources: Focus on Family and Eternal Perspectives Ministry
* Other practical suggestions:
- Guard what enters heart/mind
- Small group accountability
- Dress modestly
- Avoid close friends of opposite sex
- Romance your spouse