lesson loop 11.21.14

Middle School - "Our relationship with God"
We began by listing the various kinds of relationships we have - family, friends, neighbors, classmates, etc...
We then talked about what makes a relationship work. What is it that separates good relationships from bad relationships.

Then we turned the corner and talked about our relationship with God from Romans 12:1-2

Big Idea: A relationship with God is based on sacrifice.

1. Our relationship with God begins with Christ's sacrifice
   "Therefore" - we love God and serve Him because He first loved us and gave His only Son for us. We considered the context of the book of Romans - our desperate need for a Savior, Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the salvation acquired by all who believe. This is where a relationship with God begins.
   *Every good relationship has give and take.
   
   Romans 5:8
   “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
   1 John 4:19
   “We love Him because He first loved us…” Every attempt at a relationship with God apart from Christ is futile and pointless. We need to believe in Jesus as so much more than an example for us. He is a sacrifice that takes our sin upon Himself and gives us purity. This is a great exchange.
2. Our relationship with God is expressed through our sacrifice to God The way in which we show our love for God is by being a living sacrifice. We can't just tell God we love Him with our lips. This is the same for every relationship we are involved with. We looked a little bit at the Biblical idea of sacrifice in the OT, and considered what it is like for us to be living sacrifices each day of our life as a teenager. We cannot be conformed to the world, but transformed into what God wants us to be!

High School - Proverbs 7

We first reviews 5 reasons to flee sexual sin (from a couple weeks ago):

1. What you see is NOT What you get.
2. Sexual sin is bankrupt
3. Covenant sex is fulfilling
4. We live “Coram Deo”

This past Tuesday we focused on more of the "how" than the "why".

Big Idea: Intimacy with God and intentional living will keep us from sexual sin.

1. Intimacy with God will keep us from sexual sin (v. 1-5) There is a direct connection between keeping God's commandments and knowing God, having a relationship with Him. We thought about how we develop intimacy in any relationship - communication, spending time, sharing experiences, trust, etc... This of course applies to our relationship with God as well, and a big part of this is the communication that God makes with us through His Word. This is central to our relationship with Him. vs. 1,2 - "keep" - 3x. If we keep the Scriptures, it will keep us from sin. "This book will keep us from sin, or sin will keep us from this book." - John Bunyan We should treasure and protect the Word of God. Students were challenged to make sure they are having a regular Bible reading. We have devotional Bibles available for all students who need something.
2. Intentional living will keep us from sexual sin (v. 6-27) In Proverbs 7 the Father is very instructive to his son, challenging him to be intentional so that sin does not catch him off guard. He uses the illustration of a simply young man who is destroyed by an immoral woman. "Holiness will not happen by accident." We should be intentional about: where we go, what time we do things, and the direction of our heart. The truth is, we are simply not strong enough to avoid certain temptations, so we must stay far away. We also saw that sexual sin is: attractive, it presents itself as harmless, it makes you feel special (in a dangerously twisted way), and it is an extremely dressed-up death trap! I also cited 2 books which I have ordered and I plan to have available to students who want to borrow them: "Overcoming Sin and Tempation" by John Owen "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection" by Thomas Chalmers.