Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll Week 2-True Freedom

Big Idea: Freedom means choosing what’s best, not just what’s allowed

Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Supporting Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-17; John 8:36

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CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

[Teacher note: If you have a story about the first time you had money of your own (job, birthday, gift card) and how you spent it (wisely or unwisely), feel free to adapt this opening to share your own experience.]

· What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever spent your own money on?

· Think of the first time you had money that was your own.

o What did you buy?

· When the dust settled, there’s a chance you found yourself staring at it, thinking, “Wait. Why did I even buy this?”

· A week later, you might have found yourself staring at your empty wallet, thinking, “Where did all my money go? What do I even have to show for this?”

· Anyone who’s had an experience like this can tell you just because you can spend your money on anything doesn’t mean you should spend it on everything.

· We’re in the second week of our series called Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll, and last week, we talked about value and how our value isn’t determined by our physical relationships.

· This week, we’re going to talk about freedom, specifically the freedom to make choices.

o Real freedom isn’t just about being allowed to do whatever you want. Real freedom is about having the wisdom to choose what’s actually best for you.

o One place where this really matters is when it comes to substances.

o Vaping. Smoking. Drinking. Pills… Drugs. We’re talking about all of it.

[Teacher note: Use your own discretion with this next paragraph, especially if your group is mostly younger students. The goal here is to show your students that you aren’t simply making an assumption that everyone is already on the same page on this issue.]

· Maybe you already know deep down that you never even want to be anywhere near this stuff. Or maybe you know that drugs are bad for you, but you’re still at least a little bit curious. It’s also possible that some of you have already experimented. And it’s also possible that the line between experimentation and addiction turned out to be a bit blurrier than you originally thought.

· Wherever you are, know this is about recognizing that in your life, you have the freedom to make your own choices.

· Too often, we think that freedom means asking the question, “Can I do this?”

· Real freedom means being able to ask (and answer) questions like:

o “Should I do this?”

o “Is this wise?”

o “Is this the best choice for my future, my relationships with others, and my walk with God?”

· Because just like that money burning a hole in your pocket, just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

· The question of Can I? vs. Should I? is the exact question the church in the first-century city of Corinth were wrestling with about 2,000 years ago.

· Corinth had a reputation for being a place where people did whatever they wanted, especially when it came to their bodies, and that mindset had started to creep into the church.

· It seems that some people in the church had started teaching that since Jesus came to set them free, that meant that they could literally do whatever they wanted.

23 You say, “I am allowed to do anything” but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything” but not everything is beneficial. 24Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24 – NLT)

· You’ve heard this kind of reasoning before.

o “I can do whatever I want!”

o “You can’t tell me what to do!”

o “Nobody’s the boss of me!”

· Most of us really don’t like being told what to do.

· When we suddenly find ourselves experiencing new freedom for the first time, we tend to go a little overboard.

· What the Corinthian church missed is that there is more to freedom than simply being able to do whatever we want.

· It’s about choosing what’s actually best for you, for your relationship with others, and for your walk with God.

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:15-17 – NLT)

· Instead of abusing your freedom, use it to understand what God wants you to do and choose that.”

· This is what real freedom looks like.

· What Jesus offers us is not about how much we can get away with—it’s about how close we can walk with God and how much we can honor Him with our choices.

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

1. “I can” doesn’t mean “I should.”

· Just because you're allowed to do something doesn't mean there won't be consequences.

· Just because something's legal doesn't mean it won't hurt you.

[Teacher note: You may need to adjust the next paragraph depending on which country/state you live in to best reflect the age and legality of purchasing restricted substances like alcohol, nicotine, or cannabis.]

· In a few years, you'll be old enough to legally buy nicotine & alcohol.

· The question Paul would want you to ask is… just because you can, does that mean you should?

· Substances promise freedom but the line between experimenting and addiction can get blurry.

· Some might like how those substances make them feel, but your body starts needing more and more to get the same effect.

· Eventually, what felt like freedom becomes something that controls you.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:36 – NLT)

· Substances promise freedom but often deliver bondage.

· Jesus promises freedom and then actually delivers it.

· Real freedom is about having the wisdom to choose what's actually best, what actually leads to life.

2. Your freedom isn’t just about you.

· Paul told the Corinthians, “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.”

· Following Jesus isn't just about your personal relationship with God. It's about how you treat others, how you serve them, how your life impacts theirs.

· The choices you make about substances don't just affect you. They also affect the people around you.

· Real freedom, the kind Jesus offers, isn't about doing whatever you want without thinking about anyone else.

· It's about using your freedom to love and serve others. It's about asking, “How will this choice affect the people around me? Will it help them or hurt them?”

· When we start to follow Jesus, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. We become part of a community.

· Our choices either build that community up or tear it down.

Also, when you begin following Jesus other people begin to look up to you. What kind of example are setting for them? Are you showing them the love of Christ by honoring Him with your life? The reflection of Christ in what you do & don’t do could help make a difference in someone’s eternity. Your example affects others.

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

1. Identify your “why.”

·There’s a wide range of age & home situations in this room. Maybe you’ve been offered things that aren’t good for you. Maybe you haven’t. Either way, you can decide now to take your stand and honor God. Spend time with God and in His Word. Let the Holy Spirit give you the strength & wisdom to stand when the moment of tempation comes.

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (NIV) “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Before you're ever in a situation where you have to make a choice about substances, you need to know why you're choosing wisdom.

· Whatever it is, take some time this week to figure out your “why.”

· Once you know what it is, write it down and put somewhere you’re likely to see it again- like your bathroom mirror, phone wallpaper or car dashboard.

· If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re faced with a decision, let that “why” guide you.

· If you want to really double down, tell someone else about your “why.”

· When you say something like this out loud to another person: it becomes so much more real and so much easier to remember. It stops being just a thought in your head and becomes a commitment.

2. Find your people.

· This week, ask yourself whether or not you’re on the same page as the people you spend the most time with when it comes to decisions about using substances like drugs or alcohol.

· Are the people you’re hanging out with making it easier or more difficult for you to make wise choices when it comes to the substances you will and won’t allow in your body?

· You might need to be more intentional about who you spend the most time with.

· Your choices don't just affect you, they affect the people around you.

· But the reverse is also true… the people around you affect your choices. This week, be intentional about finding people who will help you continue to become the person God is creating you to be.

3. Rest in God’s grace.

· If you're struggling right now, this week is the week to get honest.

· Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent, a counselor, or small group leader.

· Don't carry this alone. Don't let shame keep you trapped. God's not waiting to judge you. He wants to help you.

· You’re not defined by what you've done—you're defined by who God says you are.

· He says you're loved, you're forgiven, and you're free.

· True freedom isn’t about just doing whatever you’re allowed to do… it’s about choosing what’s actually best for you.

· Sometimes choosing what’s best means walking away from what isn’t.

*Prayer*