I’m blessed to teach young people about God’s word and His will for their lives as found in that word. Among the things God expects of His children is purity and holiness. We naturally associate sexual sin with these ideas; today, sexual sin–and its resulting impurity and filth–are rampant around us. Here is a “transportation” related illustration I’ve used to portray the dangers of using our bodies in ways contrary to God’s will:
When driving down the road, it’s near impossible to miss train tracks. They’re often marked with lights and warnings. In almost every case, if we get hit by a train, it’s our fault. We saw the warnings; we probably saw the train; we tested it anyway. Almost anytime we commit “immoral” sins, the sin itself was preceded by a series of unwise choices. In other words, we should have seen it coming. (Prov. 7:6-23)
The thing that makes trains so dangerous to cars isn’t necessarily the speed, but the weight. Getting hit by something moving 30-40 mph isn’t as damaging as getting hit by something moving 30-40 mph that weighs a couple hundred tons and is thousands of feet long. Sexual sin is heavy. It’s initial impact isn’t as deadly as it’s long-lasting guilt, shame, and helplessness. (Prov. 5:1-6)
There are very few stories out there about people who have raced trains, lost the race, and survived. Train and automobile safety is of utmost importance because physics dictates the train always wins. Likewise, there are few survivors of sexual sin. It naturally leads its victims farther than they ever intended to go and farther than they are prepared to withstand. Though difficult, the Lord provides power to overcome its powerful draws (1 Cor. 6:11).
The key phrase for train safety is “stop, look, & listen.” In order to be aware of trains, we must stop at tracks, look for trains (or visible signals, smoke, etc.), and listen for horns or the train barreling down the tracks (I hear it sounds like a tornado). The key to avoiding sexual sin is to NOT stop, look, or listen. The Bible tells us to flee sexual sin (1 Cor. 6:18). Don’t stop to think about it, just get away from any semblance of it! Our eyes are what often leads us down paths of immorality. We must protect them at all costs (Matt. 5:28). Finally, we must not listen to the lies of the world about how great it feels, how much we deserve it, and how it’s really okay. (Prov. 6:25).
Let’s do all we can to avoid the “locomotive” of sexual sin and help others avoid its damage as well. Next week, we’ll look at another “transportation-based” illustration dealing with sexual sin.
