SAMPLE DOWNLOAD. Characters depicted in HighPoint are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental.

Transcription

1 Purity SAMPLE DOWNLOAD reproducibles do Make copies of this book if you (or someone in your organization) are the original purchaser. Please follow instructions provided. Make copies of this book if you are using the copies you make for noncommercial purpose (such as promotion or teaching) within your church or organization. don t Make copies if you or your organization are not the original purchaser of this book. Make copies if you are using the material in or on a product for sale. Characters depicted in HighPoint are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 198 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved by Gospel Publishing House, 15 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright owner, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers or as specified on this page under Reproducibles Do and Don t. Printed in United States of America Gospel Publishing House Springfield, Missouri Session Guide with CD-ROM

2 Why teach about sexual purity? Sex Is a Gift From God When God made the first people, male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). God s plan from the very beginning was for men and women to bond to one another in marriage and enjoy a committed, pure physical relationship. Our culture is Impure We live in a culture that somehow manages to view sex both as much less and much more than God intended it to be. The secular view reduces sex to a biological function and doesn t respect it as the uniting in one flesh experience that God designed. (See Genesis 2:2.) At the same time, sex is regarded as being more valuable than morality, purity, or respect. Boundaries that God gave to protect sex are treated as constraints to be thrown off to experience pleasure at all costs. Kids are Sexual Beings God never intended for kids to be sexually knowledgeable nor active. However, kids develop their identities as male or female at a young age. They can and should learn to value the opposite gender. They can and should learn to appreciate and respect marriage. They must learn to protect their bodies and minds from things that are sexually inappropriate. Sexual Purity Protects A protected, healthy view of sex is a great gift to the adult that each kid will become. That s why we created this unit on sexual purity. We wanted kids to recognize that God s plan was a good plan, a plan worth waiting for. Don T WORry We won t be teaching the birds and the bees. We re providing God s principles for pure, healthy relationships. We ve kept the language discreet enough for early elementary kids. Explicit topics are covered in margin notes. You can choose which you use, depending on the ages and background of the kids in your group. If you have a wide range of kids, you may wish to break up the Hub Groups according to age and gender. Then the Tour Guides can deal with topics the kids raise. This will avoid telling younger or more innocent kids things they shouldn t hear in a group setting. What Will Parents Say? The Parent Letter (on page 22 and the Unit CD-ROM) contains more information than usual. We ve included the Bible stories and lesson focuses to help parents understand what we re teaching their kids.

3 Dear Parents, In the Purity unit, your child will discover God s plan for sexual purity. But don t worry, we re not explaining the birds and the bees. We re teaching God s principles for pure and healthy relationships. Here s what we ll be discovering: What is God s plan for purity? Through the story of Adam and Eve, we discover that God s plan for purity (and sex) is the marriage of one man and one woman. What does choosing purity look like? Through the story of Joseph and Potiphar s wife, we discover that we should yell, run, and tell if anyone tries to harm our purity. How should I react to temptation? Through the story of Noah s sons choosing whether or not to show respect to their drunken, naked father, we learn to guard what we hear, see, say, and do. What can happen when I give in to temptation? Through the story of God s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we discover that making bad purity choices eventually leads to destruction if we don t repent. Can I choose purity again if I ve messed up? Through the story of the woman caught in adultery, we discover that God wants to give us forgiveness and healing if we will just repent. Through HighPoint s fun travel theme, we ll visit the Great Mayan Reef where Snorkel Smith, a diver, is learning to protect both nature s purity and his own purity as well. Our Life Verse shares more about the importance of guarding our purity Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs :23, NIV) The Point wraps up the Purity theme in one unforgettable phrase I ll be careful what I choose to hear, see, say, and do! Want to get involved in your child s HighPoint journey? Watch for Boarding Passes after every session that let you know what your child is learning, challenge your child to read God s Word, and encourage you to catch your child living The Point. Thanks for letting your child travel with us on HighPoint s Purity adventure. We look forward to an unforgettable journey together! 22 Please remind your child to return the completed Boarding Pass the next time he or she goes to HighPoint.

4 What can happen when I give in to temptation? what s the point? I ll be careful what I choose to hear, see, say, and do! Life Verse Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs :23, NIV) Objective Kids will discover that impurity leads people further and further from God and God s good plan. Impurity eventually leads to destruction spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Bible Story Zero Percent Pure (Genesis 13:10 13; 18:20 23,32; 19:1 26; 2 Peter 2:6 9; Jude 7) What Kids Do Preparation Check-In Get Passports. Takeoff Play HighPoint Challenge Display a globe or map. to review Session 3 and Print the script from the visit with Snorkel Smith Unit CD-ROM. who reinforces the Print the Ticket from the character trait. Unit CD-ROM. Hub Time Discuss The Point and learn how to apply it to life. Obtain supplies and volunteers for Check-In. Make a copy of the Boarding Pass for each kid. Leave them at Baggage Claim. Supplies Passport for each kid HighPoint or Unit Stickers Unit DVD* Unit CD-ROM* Go the Distance Music CD* DVD player*, TV or big screen* CD player* Computer*, printer* for CD-ROM Globe or map, yarn Paper folded like a brochure Costume for Snorkel Smith Small hammer Ticket from the Unit CD-ROM Make one copy of the Hub Time Itinerary for each Hub Group. Hub Time Itinerary (one per Hub Group) Connecting Flights Varies for each See Connecting Flights section at the back of this Session Guide. See Connecting Flights section at the back of this Session Guide. Landing Practice the actions for the Life Verse. Practice the Bible story. See page 83 for Bible story preparation steps. Box or paper bag Bible Story Signs from the Unit CD-ROM Tape See page 87 for Object Lesson supplies Boarding Passes (one per kid) Connecting Flight. Review the Life Verse and participate in a Bible story. *Unit DVD, Unit CD-ROM, Go the Distance Music CD, and electronic equipment for them are used throughout the session. 73 Activity

5 Check-In Preparation: Obtain supplies and volunteers for Check-In process. Make a copy of the Boarding Pass for each kid. Leave them at Baggage Claim. As each kid arrives at Check-In, write his name on a Passport. Add a sticker to each kid s Passport. Ask the kids to give their Passports to their Tour Guides. Play lively, exciting music as the kids enter the HighPoint room. Choose songs from your favorite worship CD or the Go the Distance Music CD. Play the Unit DVD Check-In segment while you are waiting for everyone to arrive. Play the Unit DVD Takeoff Countdown segment when you are ready to begin. Hola! HighPoint Flight 287 to the Great Mayan Reef is now boarding. Your flight to fun begins in ten seconds. (On-screen: HighPoint!) Supplies: Passport for each kid HighPoint or Unit Stickers Go the Distance Music CD, CD player Unit DVD, DVD player, TV or projection screen Takeoff Welcome and Worship SAY Supplies: Unit DVD, DVD player, TV or projection screen Unit CD-ROM, computer, printer Globe or map, yarn Paper folded like a brochure Costume for Snorkel Smith Small hammer Ticket from the Unit CD-ROM Welcome back to HighPoint! Are you ready for another exciting adventure at the Great Mayan Reef? (Group response) Me too. I can t wait to see what we discover this time. But before we get started, let s sing a few songs. Play these songs from the Go the Distance Music CD: Track 9: Believin On Track 10: Cast All Your Anxiety On Him (1 Peter 5:7) SAY This time, we ll be going to a place called the Great Blue Hole, a really deep hole in the ocean created when a cave roof collapsed. Let s loosen up for our adventure. Everyone needs to raise your hands over your head and shake them for ten shakes. (Have the kids shake their hands in the air.) Now rotate your shoulders and shake your head. (Pause.) Now put your hands on your hips and lean from side to side. (Pause) Finally shake out your legs. (Pause.) I think we re all loosened up for our snorkeling adventure. Everyone find your seat, because we re taking off! Actions to the songs are provided on the Go the Distance Music Actions Training DVD. 7 Display a globe or map. Print the script from the Unit CD-ROM. Print the Ticket from the Unit CD-ROM. As kids gather, encourage them to sit with their Tour Guides. Tour Guides will introduce visitors to their Hub Groups. Preparation:

6 Play the Unit DVD Takeoff Video segment to simulate the plane s ascent. Play the Unit DVD Great Mayan Reef Landing segment. Welcome to HighPoint Airlines, the fun airline for all your travel needs. We ll soon be arriving at our destination the underwater beauty of the Great Mayan Reef. Say I sure have discovered a lot about the Great Mayan Reef and purity that I didn t know before. Let s review a few things we ve discovered. ASK What is God s plan for marriage? (One man and one woman.) Is marriage part of God plan for purity? (yes) What should we do if someone tries to touch us in a bad way? (Yell, run, and tell.) What statue positions did we learn that can help us avoid making bad purity decisions? Lead kids in covering their ears and saying, Hear no evil. Lead kids in covering their eyes and saying, See no evil. Lead kids in covering their mouth and saying, Speak no evil. Lead kids in placing their hands behind their back and saying, Do no evil. Display a globe or world map. Use yarn to mark the route to the Great Mayan Reef from where you are. Say You know, those actions remind me of The Point. Play the Unit DVD What s The Point? segment. What s The Point? I ll be careful what I choose to hear, see, say, and do! HighPoint Challenge Say Now, let s see if you can answer some more questions. It s time for HighPoint Challenge. I ll ask five questions. You shout out the answers you think are right. ASK Are you ready? (Group response) Then let s get started! Play the Unit DVD HighPoint Challenge for each quiz question and answer segment in turn. ASK 1. Did Ham make good choices to protect his purity? Yes or no? What s the answer? (After group response, play the DVD clip.) No. Ham didn t make very good choices to protect his purity. He gave in to the temptation to see, say, and do wrong things. 75

7 ASK 2. Did Ham s choices hurt his relationship with his dad? Yes or no? What s the answer? (After group response, play the DVD clip.) Yes. Ham made bad choices when he saw his father, Noah, drunk and naked. He didn t respect his father. Noah was so unhappy that he asked God to punish Ham for being disrespectful and impure. ASK 3. Did Shem and Japheth choose to protect their purity? Yes or no? What s the answer? (After group response, play the DVD clip.) Yes. They both chose to be careful what they saw, said, and did. They took great care to protect their purity. ASK. Does refusing temptation help protect your purity? Yes or no? What s the answer? (After group response, play the DVD clip.) Yes. We can protect our purity by choosing to do right in what we hear, see, say, and do. When we refuse to do wrong, we protect our purity. ASK 5. Is it always easy to avoid temptation? Yes or no? What s the answer? (After group response, play the DVD clip.) No. Sometimes we have to go to a lot of trouble to avoid temptation. We must purposefully choose to avoid anything that is impure. Choosing purity is worth any effort that we have to give. Preparation: Print the script from the Unit CD-ROM. Print the Ticket from the Unit CD-ROM. Supplies: Unit DVD, DVD player, TV or projection screen Unit CD-ROM, computer, printer Paper folded like a brochure Costume for Snorkel Smith Small hammer Ticket from the Unit CD-ROM Say When we choose to avoid temptation, we protect our purity like Shem and Japheth did. Later we ll hear more about how our choices can affect our purity. Right now, let s explore the Great Mayan Reef! Snorkel Smith Visits In this skit, Snorkel learns that giving in to temptation can lead you further and further from God s plan which is never a good thing. Say (Hide the script in a travel brochure. ) Long ago, a massive cave off the coast of Belize collapsed, creating the place we re visiting today the Great Blue Hole. The Great Blue Hole is almost a thousand feet wide and about four hundred feet deep. It s almost perfectly round and surrounded by coral reefs. If you dive deep enough, you can see underwater stalactites. It s a very popular scuba diving spot for divers who are experienced enough to make the dive. Start the Unit DVD Snorkel Smith Visits background segment as Snorkel Smith enters. 76

8 Snorkel: (Enter from the side, swim fins flapping against the floor, carrying a ticket and a hammer.) This is bad. I mean this is really, really bad. Say Snorkel! Hey, it s good to see you again! Snorkel: You won t think so after I tell you what I ve done. See page 20 for a description of Snorkel Smith s costume. Say Uh-oh. What s happened? Snorkel: I m in real trouble this time. Real trouble. ASK What happened, Snorkel? Snorkel: I m almost afraid to tell you. You ll think I m a bad guy. Say You may have done a bad thing, but that doesn t necessarily mean you re a bad guy. Snorkel: I sure feel like a bad guy. ASK What are you carrying, Snorkel? Snorkel: (Wave hammer.) Oh. This? This is a hammer. Very handy for driving and pulling nails out of wood. Not so good for breaking off souvenir pieces of underwater stalactites. Say Snorkel, you didn t! Snorkel: (Hold out ticket.) And this is evidence that trying to break off samples of underwater stalactites is a bad idea. The local police pulled me out of the water and slapped me with a huge fine. Say Oh, no! Snorkel: Oh, no is right. I m forbidden from diving at the Great Blue Hole. Banished. For life. In fact, one of the guys said that even my grandkids wouldn t be welcome at the Great Blue Hole. Say Ouch. Snorkel: Not that I ll ever be able to afford to have kids, much less grandkids. ASK So the fine is pretty expensive? Snorkel: Nothing pretty about it. I ll have to take out a bank loan to pay my ticket. I ll probably have to get a second job. And I can forget about buying anything I want for the next ten years. Say I m sorry, Snorkel. Snorkel: Why are you sorry? This is my fault, not yours. You even warned me not to do anything that might get me in trouble. You warned me to respect the purity of nature. 77

9 Say Yes, I did. But still, we can tell you re a good guy even if you did something we don t approve of. Snorkel: Really? Say It s the same with God. He loves you and wants to forgive you no matter what you ve done wrong. Snorkel: That s good to know. I m just so sorry. I wanted to prove to Emma and Tausha that I wasn t mild-mannered boring Stanley Smith. I was Snorkel Smith, deep sea adventurer, and a cool guy to date! Say But in order to impress those girls, you were willing to break the law. Snorkel: Yeah. That s no good. I m beginning to think I want to be plain old Stanley instead of Snorkel. You know, if Emma and Tausha would ve liked me as Stanley, I wouldn t be in the mess I m in now. Say Wait a minute, Snorkel you can t blame your actions on others. No one told you to try and break off a stalactite from the Great Blue Hole. You have to answer for your own actions. Snorkel: I understand. ASK Do you? Do you really understand how important it is that places like the Great Blue Hole are protected and left pure? Snorkel: Yeah. If everyone that dove there tried to take a sample, it wouldn t take long to destroy the underwater cave. Say And that would be a shame, because it s one of a kind and worth saving. Snorkel: Yes, yes it is. Say Just like you, Snorkel. Snorkel: What? Say You re one of a kind. There can never be another you. And God loves you. He loves you so much that He thinks you re worth saving. It s why He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. He wants you to keep yourself pure. Snorkel: I I see. Oh, boy. So when I do something wrong, it s like I m destroying a piece of me, just like this hammer (wave hammer) destroyed part of the Great Blue Hole. Say That s right. And if you keep doing the wrong things, you keep adding damage. Over time, you can really mess yourself up. 78

10 Snorkel: Wow. I need to go off and think about this for a while. (Begin to exit, flippers flapping.) I hope you don t mind. Say Not at all, Snorkel. I hope we see you again! (Turn to address kids.) Well, Snorkel s got a lot to think about, doesn t he? I sure hope we bump into him one more time before we leave the Great Mayan Reef! Say Snorkel found out the hard way that giving in to temptation can cost a lot. In our lives, giving in to temptations can also cost a lot. Let s move to our Hub Groups and talk more about what can happen when we give in to temptation. 79

11 hub time Preparation: Encourage kids to stay in the HighPoint room and gather around their Tour Guides. Specific instructions for Hub Time are given in the Hub Time Itinerary on the next page. Make one copy of the Hub Time Itinerary for each Hub Group. Play the Unit DVD Hub Time segment to signal the beginning of Hub Time. Move around the room and listen to the Hub Groups. Play the Unit DVD Connecting Flights segment to signal when it is time to leave Hub Time and move to the Connecting Flights. Buenos dias! Your HighPoint Connecting Flight will be departing soon. Please listen for further instructions. Supplies: Hub Time Itinerary (one per Hub Group) CONNECTING FLIGHTS SAY Supplies: Dismiss for Connecting Flights. Visit each Connecting Flight and make note of positive things to be mentioned later in the session. About 5 minutes before Landing is scheduled to begin, visit the Connecting Flight rooms and signal the leaders. Play the Unit DVD Departure segment to signal when Landing is about to begin. HighPoint Flight 287 is ready to depart at a gate near you. Passengers, prepare to board your airplane. See Connecting Flights section of this Session Guide. 80 It s time for Connecting Flights where you ll discover more about purity. Now boarding! See Connecting Flights section of this Session Guide. Preparation: Dismiss kids and Tour Guides to the selected Connecting Flight activities. Specific instructions for the various Connecting Flights are located in the back of this Session Guide.

12 HUB TIME ITINERARY Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs :23, NIV) What can happen when I give in to temptation? Welcome everyone to your group. Introduce any visitors. Then proceed with the following. ASK What happened when Snorkel chose to give in to temptation and break a stalactite? (He was fined a lot of money and banned for life from the Great Blue Hole.) Who did Snorkel blame for his actions? (His friends) Whose fault was it? (his) Say When a person gives in to temptation, it s their own fault, not someone else s fault. Say Sometimes temptations feel like a game of tug-of-war. Raise your hand if you ve ever played tug-of-war. (Allow responses.) It became numb. That s kind of how sin works. At first, it stings. But if you keep sinning, it doesn t sting anymore. ASK Do you think it becomes easier and easier to make wrong choices about purity once you start making bad choices? (Allow responses.) Say Once you give in to a temptation and choose impurity, it s easier to give in to the next temptation and choose impurity again. Giving in to impurity temptations can cause you to become sick, to hurt other people, to get injured, or to become a parent before you re ready to be a parent. ASK What happens when you lose? (You fall.) Say Losing is not fun! Guess what? When we make bad choices with our purity, we fall down, kind of like in a game of tug-of-war. Good choices lead us closer to God and His plan for us. But bad choices can lead us further away from Him. ASK Is it easier to make other bad choices once you ve made one bad choice? (yes) Why? (Allow responses.) Say Once you make a bad choice, you open yourself to even more temptations to make bad choices. And after awhile, you may not even notice that the choices you make are bad. Say I want you to flick the thick part of your left hand (by your thumb) with your right index finger. (Striking it against your hand.) Do that a few times. ASK Did it sting a little at first? (yes) What happened after you did that several times? (It didn t hurt anymore.) Say That s right! It may have stung at first, but after a few hits, it didn t hurt anymore. ASK Is it hopeless if you ve made bad purity choices? (no) Do you think it s possible to start making good choices once you ve made bad ones? (yes) Say That s right! God wants to help people start over and make better choices. He wants to give us courage to say no to temptations. He wants to give us the courage to ask a safe adult for help. He wants us to ask for His forgiveness for our wrong choices and for His help making right choices. Prayer Say Let s pray and ask God to help us make right purity choices. (Also pray for needs.) Dear God, thank You for loving us. Help us to be quick to ask You for forgiveness when we make bad purity choices. Help us run from temptation and make good purity choices. We love You. Amen. Get to know your kids better by asking: What s your favorite hot dog topping? Have you ever ridden a horse? 81

13 Preparation: Practice the actions for the Life Verse. Read through the Bible story a few times for practice. Print the Bible Story Signs from the Unit CD-ROM. Place the Sodom and Gomorrah sign on a box or paper bag. Post the God s Good Plan sign on one side of the room and the Destruction sign on the other side. Supplies: Unit DVD, DVD player, TV or projection screen Box or paper bag Bible Story Signs from the Unit CD-ROM Tape Large glass container Water Bar of Ivory soap Several bars of different brands of soap Boarding Passes (one per kid) LANDING Kids will gather in the HighPoint room to discover how someone in the Bible learned about The Point. Play the Unit DVD Landing Countdown segment to begin Landing. Hola, amigos! It s HighPoint Landing time. Please be seated. Stow your snorkel mask under your seat. Landing begins in ten seconds. (On-screen: Landing.) Introduction Say Welcome back! Have you been having fun at HighPoint? (Group response) ASK What s been your favorite Connecting Flight? Why? (Allow responses and make positive comments.) Say I know I ve enjoyed our trips to the Great Mayan Reef, and I think we ve discovered some cool things. This time, we ve been talking about what can happen when we give in to purity temptations. Can you remember what you talked about during Hub Time? (Group response) ASK What can choosing to give in to one purity temptation lead to? (More bad choices about purity.) Say Choosing to give in to a temptation to be impure can make it easier to choose impurity again and again. Those choices lead us further and further from God s plan for purity. That s why guarding our heart so we don t make bad purity choices is important. Let s say the Life Verse together. Play the Unit DVD Life Verse segment. Life Verse Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs :23, NIV) Do the actions shown on page 21 as you say the verse. Repeat the Life Verse several times with the kids. Say Our choices can either protect or hurt our purity, depending on what those choices are. When we choose to avoid temptation, we protect our purity and guard our heart. ASK But what happens if we choose to give in to temptation over and over? We ll hear a story about that from the Bible. 82

14 Bible Story: Genesis 13:10 13; 18:20 23,32; 19:1 26; 2 Peter 2:6 9; Jude 7 Play the Unit DVD Bible Story segment as background during the story. Say On our first HighPoint visit to the Great Mayan Reef, we discovered that God has a plan to help protect our purity. That plan is marriage. ASK Who can remember what God s plan for marriage is? (One man and one woman.) Say God gave us this plan to help protect our purity and the bad consequences that come from impurity. God s plan is the best part of purity. Our Bible story this time is about the opposite of God s good plan. It is about the really, really bad things that can happen when people choose impurity over and over and over. Preparation: Read through the Bible story a few times for practice. Print the Bible Story Signs from the Unit CD-ROM. Place the Sodom and Gomorrah sign on a box or paper bag. Post the God s Good Plan sign on one side of the room and the Destruction sign on the other side. Supplies: Unit DVD, DVD player, TV or projection screen Box or paper bag Bible Story Signs from the Unit CD-ROM Tape Say Our story happens in two towns named Sodom and Gomorrah. These towns were very close together and they were alike. Gesture toward the box labeled Sodom and Gomorrah. Say When our story starts, a man named Lot has moved to live near Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot loved God, but he chose to live near Sodom and Gomorrah because the land was very good and beautiful. There was a problem with his choice. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were very impure. They were much more impure than average. In fact, the Bible says they were evil and were badly sinning against God. ASK Do you think Lot s choice to move to Sodom and Gomorrah was a good choice to protect his purity? (no) Say Last time, we heard a story that showed us that we have to hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, and do no evil. When we make those choices, we protect our purity. Optional: Lead the kids in reviewing the motions used in the last session for hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, and do no evil. Say Lot was choosing to put himself in the middle of a group of people who chose impurity as a lifestyle. He would definitely see and hear impure things. Lot s move turned out to be a bad idea. Any time we choose to stay near impure things and people, we move further away from God s Good Plan (point to that sign) and closer to Destruction (point to that sign). Zero Percent Pure The men of Sodom and Gomorrah demonstrate that when people choose impurity again and again, they become worse and worse in their behaviors. Focus: We need to stop making poor choices and accelerating the damage that impure choices cause. If your group used the Patience unit, briefly review the story of Abraham and Lot separating. 83

15 Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. Say God saw and heard all the bad things the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing. God was very displeased. He was so displeased that He decided to act. But first, God told Lot s uncle, Abraham, that He was planning to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asked God if He planned to destroy the good people with the bad. God promised Abraham that if He could find ten people who were trying to live pure lives, He would spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. ASK Do you think God was able to find ten pure people in these cities? (Group response) Say No. God searched the cities and could not find even ten people who were trying to stay pure. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. Say The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed. But God would save Lot, because Lot was not like the other people in those two cities. God sent two angels to Lot s house to rescue him. When the angels got to the city, Lot invited them to his home. He was afraid the people of the city would hurt them if they weren t safe inside his house. ASK Does that sound like Lot knew he was living in a place that wasn t very pure? (Group response) Say Lot knew the people in his city weren t one bit pure. He knew that the people of the city might try to hurt the angels God had sent. Lot wanted to protect them. He had probably seen the people do similar things before. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. ASK Do you think the angels chose to stay with Lot? (Group response) Say They refused at first, but Lot was able to convince them to stay with him. Lot did the right thing. Here s why he did the right thing. After dark, men from all over Sodom came to Lot s house and surrounded it. They called out, asking Lot to bring out the men who were staying at his house. The men of Sodom didn t know that Lot s guests were really angels. 8

16 The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to force the angels to have sex with them. They wanted to force the angels to go against God s plan for purity. ASK Were the men of Sodom and Gomorrah making a pure choice? (NO!) Say This was a very impure thing for the men to do. They were so driven by their impure desires that they didn t have manners or respect for others. See additional, more explicit, copy in the margin. Cover the topics that are appropriate for your kids. Sex Outside Marriage God s plan is for sex to only be between a man and a woman who are married to each other. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to go against God s plan by having sex with strangers. Say This story shows how impurity can destroy people socially. Not only did the men of Sodom and Gomorrah want to go against God s plan for purity, they wanted to force someone else to do it too. That moved the people even further from God s plan. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. Say Lot went out of his house and tried to talk to the men. He tried to get them to leave his guests alone. But Lot couldn t talk the men out of their evil plan. They didn t go away. In fact, the men said rude things to Lot and pushed him back. They were getting ready to break down the door to his house. ASK Were these men choosing purity? (Group response) Say No, they were rejecting God s plan for purity. They were choosing to be very, very evil. Their choices were destroying them emotionally and socially because they no longer cared about the needs or rights of others. They only thought of themselves. They were moving closer to destruction. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. Say Just when it looked like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were going to hurt Lot, God s angels opened the door, pulled Lot inside, and shut the door. Then the angels struck the men of Sodom and Gomorrah with blindness so they couldn t find the door. That kept Lot and the angels safe. Say Once Lot was safely in the house, the angels told him why they were there. If you have daughters or sons or sonsin-law in the city, get them out of here. God has sent us to destroy these evil cities. Homosexuality The Bible is very clear that homosexual relationships are not a part of God s plan. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to have sex with angels, who appeared as men. Rape God s plan for sex never involves forcing someone to do something they don t want to do. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to force the angels to have sex with them. This was rape, an act of sexual violence. It s one thing to choose impurity for yourself, but much, much worse to force your impure choice on someone else. You may point out that the angels weren t guilty of any impure actions, but they were targeted for rape by impure people. Kids who aren t guilty of any impure actions can be targeted by impure people for sexual abuse. Victims aren t guilty, since sin is a conscious choice. All the guilt belongs to the abuser. 85

17 So Lot tried to warn the men who were engaged to his daughters to leave the city with him. The men wouldn t listen. They thought Lot was joking and refused to leave the city with him. They chose impurity rather than God s plan. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. Say Early the next morning, the angels told Lot and his family to hurry out of the city. They told Lot to escape to the mountains. But Lot and his family weren t moving fast enough. The angels grabbed Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hands and led them out of the city. ASK Does it sound like Lot wanted to choose God s plan? (Group response) Say Even though Lot knew God s plan was to destroy the city, he wasn t in a hurry to leave. He wasn t making wise choices, was he? Lot was no longer sensitive to what was right and pure according to God s plan. He actually wanted to stay in an evil place. Lot was a good man, but because he lived with evil people every day, his good heart was being influenced by the evil things he saw and heard. Move the Sodom and Gomorrah box closer to the Destruction sign. (The box should be next to the Destruction sign.) Say When we choose to be close to impurity as Lot did, it hurts our ability to make wise choices. We don t recognize and run from dangers to our purity as fast as we should. We don t think it s dangerous or bad to hang around people, places, and things that are impure. We may not choose to live in Sodom and Gomorrah, but we might watch TV shows we shouldn t, go to houses where we know impure things are said, or allow ourselves to be close friends with people who are impure. Impurity slowly but surely destroys us spiritually, socially, and emotionally. Say Even though Lot s purity had been damaged enough that he didn t want to quickly run away from Sodom and Gomorrah, the angels got him out of the city. Run to the mountains! the angels told Lot and his family. Don t look back and don t stop until you leave the valley. 86

18 Lot and his daughters listened to the angels and ran away. But Lot s wife looked back. She became a pillar of salt. Say After Lot was a safe distance away, the angels destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with a rain of burning sulfur. Everything and everyone in the cities was destroyed. Step on the box labeled Sodom and Gomorrah to crush it. Say When we choose impurity, it not only destroys us spiritually, socially, and emotionally eventually it destroys us physically as well, just as God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God made Sodom and Gomorrah an example of what will happen to those who choose to go against God s plan for purity. ASK Is there hope for people who choose impurity? (Group response) Say Yes! At any point the people of Sodom and Gomorrah could have turned from their impure ways. And God would have forgiven them. Object Lesson Display a large glass container full of water, along with several different kinds of soap, including a bar of Ivory soap. Say I have several different kinds of soap here. They are all basically the same, but one is different. ASK What do you think is different about these bars of soap? (Group response) Say One of the bars of soap will float and the others won t. Which bar do you think WILL float? Let the kids vote on which bar of soap will float. Say Let s find out. One at a time, drop the different bars of soap into the water, leaving the Ivory soap until last. ASK Does anyone know what kind of soap floated? (Ivory soap) Say Ivory soap doesn t look much different from the other bars of soap, but it floats because it has air in it. Just as the air makes the Ivory soap float, our pure choices can lift us above the consequences of making bad purity choices. Preparation: None Supplies: Large glass container (punch bowl or aquarium) Water Bar of Ivory soap Several bars of different brands of soap 87

19 ASK What are some of the benefits of choosing purity? (Group response) Say Some of the good things about choosing purity are having no guilt, maintaining a good reputation, avoiding punishment, keeping a good relationship with God and others, and having no addiction or negative consequences related to impurity. Point to the soaps that sank. Say These soaps all sank to the bottom of our container. These represent making bad purity choices. They are like Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities that were basically 0 percent pure. When we choose impurity, it causes us to sink into destruction spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically. ASK What are some impure choices that can cause destruction? (Group response) How can these choices hurt us? (Group response) Say Impure choices can hurt our relationships with others and God, and it can make choosing impurity easier in the future. The more we choose impurity, the easier it becomes. Salvation Emphasis ASK What is the first step to choosing purity? (Group response) The following Scriptures may be used to assist with leading kids to a salvation experience. Bible Text Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Say We can t make ourselves pure on our own. We can try to make good choices and avoid temptation, but to truly be pure we must have a relationship with God s Son Jesus. We must ask Him to forgive our sinful mistakes and live in our heart and life. And if we mess up and sin after we ve asked Jesus to live in our heart and life, we can ask Him to forgive our sinful mistakes and He will. Jesus forgiveness is the only way we can be totally pure in this world. Every person makes mistakes; we all sin. But God s Son, Jesus, was born and lived as a man and He never sinned. He died on a cross to pay for our sins, because He had no sins of His own. But He rose again. If we ask, Jesus will forgive our sins and come to live in our heart and life. Then He lives in us, giving us the strength we need to make pure choices. Ask all the kids to close their eyes. Invite any kids who are interested in salvation to raise their hands. 88

20 Also ask those who need God s forgivness for things they ve done after salvation to raise their hands. Pray the following prayer. Dear Jesus, thank You for giving Your life to pay for my sinful choices. Please forgive my sins. (Pause to let kids pray for forgiveness.) Please live in my heart and life. I ask for Your help in making pure choices. Thank You for Your love and help. Amen. Conclusion Say What a fun trip we ve had to the Great Mayan Reef! I don t know about you, but I discovered something I didn t know before. I wonder what we ll discover next time. What s The Point? Play the Unit DVD What s The Point? segment. I ll be careful what I choose to hear, see, say, and do! Repeat The Point several times. Tour Guides should be ready to talk to kids who pray the sinner s prayer for the first time. Say Well, it s time to head home once again. But make sure you come next time. We have a very special adventure planned. Maybe we ll run into our new friend Snorkel Smith again. I hope he figures out purity by then. Play the Unit DVD Landing Video segment to simulate the descent of the plane. HighPoint Flight 287 will land soon. Shake the sand out of your sandals and get ready to land. We hope you can come back soon for another HighPoint flight! Adios! Say Before you leave, please stop by Baggage Claim to turn in your Passport and pick up your Boarding Pass. Be sure to fill out and bring back your Boarding Pass next time. I know we ll find out some new things about the Great Mayan Reef and about purity. See you then! P u r i t y What can happen when I give in to temptation? What s The Point? I ll be careful what I choose to hear, see, say, and do! I lived The Point! I discovered that God wants me to stay pure because it s for my good. One way I will avoid being impure is by. I practiced the Life Verse! Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs :23, NIV) I read the Bible story! Zero Percent Pure (Genesis 13:10 13; 18:20 23,32; 19:1 26; 2 Peter 2:6 9; Jude 7) Bring this Boarding Pass with you next time! Name HighPoint Parent Perspective I caught my kid living The Point by... Session Boarding Pass Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 198 by International Bible Society. Full-sheet copy masters for the Boarding Pass are available on the Purity CD-ROM or at gph. org/highpoint. Print them on the back of the Purity Postcards or on brightly colored paper. 89