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What you say is powerful.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
James 3:1-6 ESV
Review “Off and Running” on page 264 of your SRT New Testament and focus on Point 2.
Every year, fires devastate acres and acres of forests. How often do you hear about a fire being caused by a camper carelessly starting a fire and letting it get out of hand? Just as a spark can set woods ablaze, careless words can fuel verbal fires. Gossip spreads very quickly! But you can stop the fires from ever starting by not spreading hurtful rumors.
Be careful not to spread rumors. Even if you say something in "secret," chances are that half your school will have heard about it by the next day. The best first step in getting to the bottom of a rumor is talking to the person who it's about. Really listen to what that person has to say! Then you’ll get to hear his/her side of the story, and talk with the person directly instead of getting all your facts secondhand.
How careful are you with what you say?
Describe a time when you’ve seen a rumor get out of control.
Have you ever been hurt by a rumor? Explain.
My dear brothers and sisters,
Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 NLT
Follow only the true gospel of Christ, seeking the approval of God, not man.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you have received, let him be accursed.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-10 ESV
Part of what is unique about Paul is his decisiveness. Paul had been a leader in the Jewish church and the biggest persecutor of Christianity. Christ totally turned Paul’s world upside down. Once he knew that Christ was God, Paul did a complete turnaround and was transformed into one of the most important leaders of Christianity.
As a result of his miraculous conversion, Paul followed God’s will and didn’t worry about what anyone else besides God thought. That’s how we can tell that he was a man of God. He preached the gospel and lived out his life for God.
There will be people in your life who try to lead you astray from the gospel. Some people will demand that you prove your love for them by doing things that are contrary to the gospel, like having sex outside of marriage. The simList some examples of teaching or popular opinion that is contrary to God’s word.
How can you tell if someone’s teaching or ideas are right or wrong?
Who do you look to for approval in your life? Why?
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 ESV
Paul confronted Peter and Barnabas when they were not following the gospel.
When I saw that they were not following the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you trying to make these Gentiles obey the Jewish laws you abandoned? You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ – and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law.”
Galatians 2:14-16 NLT
If you made your abstinence pledge with SRT, you should have made your commitment with an accountability partner. This is a vital step in maintaining your pledge! Even Peter, one of the most important leaders of the early church, needed someone to keep him accountable. You and your accountability partner shouldn’t just blindly support each other and assume the other is keeping his/her pledge.
Keep asking your accountability partner questions! Don’t let each other justify impure behavior. Confronting someone you care about is never easy. Sometimes it might seem easier just to keep your mouth shut, but that’s not “real love.”
If you let borderline behaviors slide, you’re giving the impression that you actually approve of what’s going on. If you do that, you aren’t being an accountability partner. Be a true friend, and help your friends strengthen their walk with God instead of letting them push God away.
What kind of relationship do you have with your accountability partner? If you don’t have one, why not?
Have you ever known that someone was right when he or she called you out on something? How did you react?
How do you share the truth with a friend who is making bad choices?
I’m living for my God
Not the approval of others around me.
How can I be…anything but happy? – Jessi Hutsko
32: How Sex Impacts Others
God wants us to be holy and free from lustful passion.
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You are doing this already, and we encourage you to do so more and more. For you remember what we taught you in the name of the Lord Jesus. God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor – not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 NLT
Read “Cornerstones” on page 262 of your SRT New Testament and focus on Points 1-3.
If you feel yourself tempted to be sexually impure, think about the long-term consequences of your actions. There are consequences not only for you but also others. You and the other person could get hurt, not to mention the impact on your families…both present and future.
Having sex with someone outside of marriage puts a huge strain on your relationship with God. Remember, God can’t just leave your body when you decide to engage in this behavior. But he never agrees with immoral behavior!
When you feel tempted, keep faith and remember the blessings that God has in store for you. When you have faith in God’s plan for your life, you will be blessed with more love than anyone can imagine!
How do your relationships affect other people?
Did any of the verses, reflections, or questions remind you of something going on in your life? If so, what?
What thoughts do you have about what you have studied so far?
God has called us to be holy because it is his will.
Never cheat a Christian brother in this matter by taking his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives. Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
1 Thessalonians 4:6-8 NLT
Review “Cornerstones” on page 262 of your SRT New Testament and focus on Points 4-6.
You are so important! Like an instrument in an orchestra, you add a vital component to God’s symphony. We are all special because God has called us to be part of his family. We’re parts of a giant, living puzzle where we, together, form a beautiful picture.
As a Christian, you are part of God's family tree and what you do influences other people’s perception of Christianity. If you are sexually impure, your actions change the outlook others have of the gospel. In addition, you lose a lot of your credibility and ability to witness. Sexual impurity distorts your piece in the body of Christianity into something it wasn't meant to be.
In the grand puzzle of life, do you think Christ would be happy to lose or tarnish even one piece of the puzzle? Though we cannot always see our usefulness, we can be assured that we are useful and part of God's plan. And part of his plan for us is to be sexually pure and save sex for marriage!
Christ does not want to lose any part of the body that he has “called” into place. He has indeed called you to be a part of his kingdom’s work and will continue to connect with you through the Holy Spirit. Thank God today that he will never let you go.
How do you see your relationship with God? Do you see yourself as part of his family?
How have your words or actions had a positive impact on your friends?
How do you keep your life holy?
Thank you, Lord, for making me part of your family.
Help me to be pure and sanctified.
34. A "Do-it Yourself" Project
Replace youthful passions with virtues from God.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV
Read “Cornerstones” on page 276 of your SRT New Testament.
When you look at all the things that you are called to do as a Christian, it might seem overwhelming. And if you really did have to do it all yourself, you would fail. But if you listen to what God is saying through scripture, all that is required of you is willingness and enthusiasm. When you are ready to change your life, God will give you the strength to do it!
In order to really open yourself up to God’s will, you need to purify your thoughts. While you can’t always control the outside environment, you can control what goes on in your own mind. The next time you find your mind drifting to a sinful thought – for example, if you lust after someone – turn it around into a prayer. Pray that both you and the person you’re thinking about will stay pure for your future spouses.
What is a sinful thought that has crept into your mind?
How can you turn this sinful thought around into a positive, Godly one?
Write a brief prayer to God, asking for the strength to keep your mind pure.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your
uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
Ezekiel 36:25-26 ESV
Thank you for the gift of the cross.
Treat each other with love and forgiveness.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12-17 ESV
Review “Cornerstones" on page 70 of your SRT New Testament and focus on Point 3.
When God forgives you for your sins, all you see is the end result of that forgiveness – your freedom from the sin. But the consequences of sin don’t just magically disappear; instead, God takes them on himself and pays the consequences. That's why Christ had to die on the cross for us – in order to pay for the death we deserve.
If you forgive someone, it breaks the chain of the consequences of your friend's actions; it means that you take on the responsibility. When you chose to forgive out of love, there’s always sacrifice involved. If a friend hurts you, you still have to deal with the pain when you forgive him/her.
Sometimes the consequences for our actions are more than any other human can take. Christ takes on the responsibility for the moral sin on our souls when we accept him. God will also help you to forgive others. When we love others, we'll be able to share part of the forgiveness that Christ has given us. But without love, we have nothing!
Describe an experience when someone forgave you and took on the responsibility for what you did.
How do you make up for what you've done wrong, while accepting the forgiveness of Christ?
Write out a brief prayer to Christ, thanking him for his sacrifice for you.
"If you forgive those who sin against you,
Your heavenly Father will forgive you."
Matthew 6:14 NLT
Christ is our intercessor and the face of God in our lives.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or “Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.”
Luke 17:20-24 ESV
Review “Cornerstones" on page 70 of your SRT New Testament and focus on Point 5.
The Jewish people were searching for a militant savior; they had been living under oppression for centuries. From Ancient Egypt to the Third Reich to the continued fighting in the Middle East, Israel has known persecution and conflict! When Christ came, Israel was under Roman rule. The Jewish people assumed the Messiah was a powerful leader who would literally deliver them from their oppressors.
But Christ wasn’t a military leader; he came to free the poor from oppression in a more personal and everlasting way. When we are freed by Christ, we accept our weaknesses and embrace his strengths! The “oppressors” he frees you from are sin and the trials of daily life; he gives you the grace to grow through your experiences. When you share your burdens with Christ, you are free!
What does Christ free you from? Is there a specific burden or sin that you have given up to God?
Did any of the verses, reflections, or questions remind you of something going on in your life? If so, what?
What thoughts do you have about what you have studied so far?
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