- Why is it so special?
- How would you feel if I broke it?
WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF GOD’S SPECIAL GIFTS.
Q. What is the LAW OF CHASTITY?
A. No sexual relations outside of marriage.
Q. Why no sex outside of marriage?
A. Sexual relations in marriage is a gift from God. This gift is wonderful, glorious and sacred. With it, we can become co-creators with our Heavenly Father. If we use this gift the way God intended, it will bring blessings of love, joy and happiness in marriage. Because it is so special, it should be used only with His permission and blessing and never outside the bounds the Lord has set.
Q. Why is breaking the law of chastity so serious?
A. Having sex outside of marriage is abusing God’s gift and is a sin that will surely bring sorrow and guilt. In fact, God has said that breaking the law of chastity is a sin second only to murder in seriousness. Murder and having sex out of marriage both abuse one of the powers that make God-God. The power to give and take life. We cannot restore life and virtue when taken away, which is a condition of true repentance.
Summary- God created sex for marriage- If you’re not married- NO SEX
Q. What are Sexual Relations? (Bill Clinton’s trickle-down immorality)
What constitutes breaking the law of chastity?
A. Elder Ricahrd G Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve leaves no question “Any sexual intimacy outside of the bonds of marriage—I mean any intentional contact with the sacred, private parts of another’s body, with or without clothing—is a sin and is forbidden by God. It is also a transgression to intentionally stimulate these emotions within your own body.” See Elder Scott's additional quotes below
TEMPTATIONS ARE OFTEN A MATTER OF PROGRESSION-
SO WHERE IS THE LINE?
Holding Hands
Arm Around Each Other
Hugs
Kiss - (May not be a sin but is it being honest? When does a kiss become sexual?)
Making Out -Disobedient. Prophet says not to in “For Strength of Youth”
_____________________________________________THE LINE IS HERE!
Petting - Defined as touching private parts. Important because this is over the line! Refer to Elder Scott’s quote.
Sexual Relations -Oral, Intercourse, etc.
*ADDRESS SEXUAL ABUSE The abused are not guilty of sexual sin but should see the bishop who can help them feel the Saviors love and help heal their wounds.
Q. If it is a sin to use these powers before marriage, why did God give them to me?
A. These strong urges are to help men & women accept the responsibilities of home & family.
One of our purposes in life is to conquer the “natural man”.
Q. Why stay morally clean?
A. “It is better to prepare and prevent. than to repair and repent.” List Blessings vs. Consequences Remember: Although God can forgive transgressors who repent, earthly consequences are often inescapable.
Conclusion- Bare testimony of the power of repentance but put more emphasis on the power and true freedom that accompanies abstinence. “Don’t be fooled by the excuse that everyone is doing it. Your intelligence should be insulted and your spirit offended by such reasoning.” Glen L Pace. God has promised that he will bless us with the power to keep the law of Chastity if we are prayerful and obedient! We CAN do it!
The church has a great new video that treats this subject with clarity.
https://lds.org/youth/video/chastity-what-are-the-limits?lang=eng
Elder Ricahrd G Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve- Complete text
Question: What constitutes breaking the law of chastity?
Answer: “Any sexual intimacy outside of the bonds of marriage—I mean any intentional contact with the sacred, private parts of another’s body, with or without clothing—is a sin and is forbidden by God. It is also a transgression to intentionally stimulate these emotions within your own body.
Question: How far is too far to go if it is with your girlfriend?
Answer: Before marriage there can be no sexual contact with a girlfriend, fiancée, or anyone else, period. Satan tempts one to believe that there are allowable levels of physical contact between consenting individuals who seek the powerful stimulation of emotions they produce, and if kept within bounds, no harm will result. As a witness of Jesus Christ, I testify that is absolutely false.
Satan particularly seeks to tempt one who has lived a pure, clean life to experiment through magazines, videocassettes, or movies with powerful images of a woman’s body. He wants to stimulate appetite to cause experimentation that quickly results in intimacies and defilement. Powerful habits are formed which are difficult to break.
While a commandment, that standard is for your happiness. That’s why the Church counsels you to go in groups and not to date while you are young. Later, as you prepare for marriage, remember that true love elevates, protects, respects, and enriches another. It motivates you to make sacrifices for the girl you love. Satan would promote counterfeit love, which is really lust. That is driven by hunger to satisfy personal appetite. Protect the one you love by controlling your emotions to the limits set by the Lord. You know how to be clean. We trust you to do it.
Question: What sins should you tell the bishop?
Answer: All of the sexual transgressions we have discussed require sincere repentance with the participation of the bishop. Should you have done any of this, repent now. It is wrong to violate these commandments of the Lord. It is worse to do nothing about it. Sin is like cancer in the body. It will never heal itself. It will become worse unless cured through repentance. Your parents can help strengthen you. Then you can become clean and pure by repentance under the guidance of the bishop. He may seem to be busy or unavailable. Tell him you are in trouble and need help. He will listen.
A youth in serious trouble said: “I have done things that I knew were bad. I have been taught they were ever since I can remember. I know repentance is a great gift; without it I would be lost. But I’m not ready to repent of my sins, yet I know when I am ready I can.” How tragic. The thought of intentionally committing serious sin now and repenting later is perilously wrong. Never do that. Many start that journey of intentional transgression and never make it back. Premeditated sin has greater penalties and is harder to overcome. If there is sin, repent now—while you can.
Please stay morally clean. The Lord will make that possible as you do your part with all your strength. Jesus Christ lives, and He loves you. He will help you as you do your part. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Background:
I know, I know, it is straight talk. I am asked to speak on Chastity quite often so I have developed this lesson as a way to communicate respectfully yet directly. I do not use explicit terms for shock value, no, the world is talking counterfeit sex to our kids in a blatant no holds bar approach. We must talk as plainly about the real thing or our message will get lost.
One of my favorite quotes on chastity is from a talk by Elder Glenn L Pace entitled, "They're Not Really Happy". I so appreciate the way he explains the temptations of todays world that I committed the talk to memory. In it he compares the blessings of obeying God's commandments to the consequences of partying with those in the great and spacious building found in Lehi's dream. He said, "Compare our faithful young men and women who still have a blush in their cheeks, with those who having long lost their blush, try to persuade them to join them in their loss." LOVE IT! But more and more, I find myself having to explain what that incredible quote means. Sad, but you can't apply a band aid when a tourniquet is needed.
I have often felt saddened that Elder Scott and the other brethren have to speak so openly about private things. But they do so under the direction of the Spirit.
I normally ask the young people to list on the board the blessings of obeying this law vs. the ugly consequences of disobedience. We list everything from mission implications to increased poverty and lower education of unwed parents to STD's and losing the Spirit. Try to find a pro for every con. Invite the Bishop to share the latest directives from the brethren regarding missionary worthiness. Our young people should not be surprised during a prospective missionary interview. They will better reach the bar that has been raised if they know upfront what to expect.
This is set up to fit in a 30-40 minute time period. It is hard to teach this principle effectively in less than a half hour. One caution, do not conclude the discussion without stressing the hope found in repentance and that sex abuse victims have not guilty of breaking this law. I usually follow this lesson up with one on resisting temptation the very next week. With young men, we review the “For Young Men Only” pamphlet / talk from Elder Packer during that follow up lesson.
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