Who or what is shaping your understanding of sexuality today, and your childrens? This sermon looks without flinching at the statistics on pornography and infidelity, then turns to texts that have survived thousands of years: the fathers speeches in Proverbs (Proverbs 5 and 7) about the strange woman, the mechanics of temptation, and the flattering illusion that we are the exception. The wise father has only one piece of advice for his son, and points to only one good place. Listen if you want the conversation about sex that churches usually avoid, held seriously and without shame.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Proverbs 7:6-23 a father watches from his window as a young man walks at dusk down the road to a strange woman's house. What circumstances and steps lead to his downfall, and what do they teach us about how temptation works?
- Proverbs 5 describes the strange woman: her lips drip honey, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood. Why does the sermon call temptation a good desire satisfied in the wrong way, and how does this picture show it?
- The sermon asks who or what shapes our understanding of sexuality: the internet, culture, personal experience, or Scripture. What influences your thinking in this area the most, and why?
- Instead of asking "how far is too far," the speaker encourages us to ask "how close is too close." How does that question change the way you approach temptation in everyday life?
- The speaker warns against believing in our own uniqueness: "that doesn't apply to me, I'm strong-willed." Why does that mindset make us an easy target, and where do you notice it in yourself?
- What one concrete step can you take this week to stay far from sin, such as turning off a show, deleting an app, giving someone you trust access to your phone, or listening to someone who sees more clearly?
