EXPLORE THE BIBLE, TEACHING PLANS
VOLUME 9, SESSION 10
Your goal this week is to help adults acknowledge the dangers of sexual immorality and commit to a
biblical standard of moral purity.
1. Get Started
• Prior to the session, gather and display a few products that claim to be pure or “100 percent” of something (such
as: soap, hand lotion, fruit juice, and so on). During the session, show the products to the learners. Q: Why is it
important for these products to be seen as pure or untainted? How does that affect the way consumers
purchase these items? How do you know if something is really ‘pure’?
• Q: How do we define purity when it comes to our lives? Is it possible for a person to be ‘pure’ these days?
Why or why not? Discuss what purity means from a human perspective while identifying the differences
between a cultural worldview and a Christian worldview.
• Direct attention to Poster: Unit 2 (Pack Item 7) and highlight the title and focal passages for this session. Say:
This session from the Book of Proverbs examines the topic of moral purity from a biblical perspective. Emphasize
that we are surrounded by sexually charged imagery in music, television, movies, online, and advertisements. Note
that while the focal passages deal with sexuality, the same principles could be applied to other immoral behavior—
lying, stealing, cheating, and so forth.
2. Get Into the Word
Bitter Deception (Proverbs 5:3-6)
• Display a box of assorted chocolate candies, making sure that every learner can have one piece. ( Note: If
learners have allergy issues, such as to nuts or gluten, discourage them from taking part. Allow them to
describe something that did not taste as they expected.) Direct each learner to take one piece of candy. Q: By
looking at your piece of candy, what do you think the filling would be? Why? How do you know? Allow
learners to share responses. Encourage learners to bite into their chocolates. Q: Were you surprised by what you
found inside? Why or why not? Say: Sometimes, what really happens in life is very different from what we
expect.
• Call for a volunteer to read aloud Proverbs 5:3-6. Call for another volunteer to read aloud the information for
verses 3-4 in the Personal Study Guide (PSG) (p. 86). Q: What made the “forbidden woman” seem so desirable?
How did things turn out much different than expected? Point out that our culture makes sexual immorality look
fun and free of consequences, but there are always consequences to sinful choices. Q: What are some of those
consequences? Challenge learners to avoid being deceived—whether through an improper relationship, an Internet
site, or some other opportunity for compromise.
Utter Downfall (Proverbs 5:7-14)
• Q: What are some things that sap your energy? Record the responses on the markerboard. Q: Are you more
likely to be alert to things going on around you when you’re feeling that way? Why? Say: When we don’t feel
well we tend to be more vulnerable to bad attitudes and bad decisions.
• Instruct learners to read silently Proverbs 5:7-14. Q: Who is the “her” mentioned in verse 8? Point out that
these verses refer back to the “forbidden woman” mentioned in verse 3. Emphasize how immoral behavior takes
a physical toll on us. Q: How does immorality sap our energy? How does this affect those around us? What is
the end result, according to verses 11-14?
• Review the information on verses 7-14 in the PSG (pp. 87-88). Share that Solomon challenged his son to avoid
the personal destruction that accompanies poor choices and immoral behavior. Discuss the respon se question at
the end of this section on page 88 in the PSG. Lead learners to suggest ways to avoid living with regret and
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record those responses on the markerboard.
Enlightened Direction (Proverbs 5:20-23; 6:23-24)
• Display your wedding album or a wedding photo. Q: What are some of your favorite wedding memories?
What did/do you expect marriage to be like? Note that most people go into marriage with some kind of
unrealistic expectation, but that believers should understand the commitment and security that characterize a
marriage relationship.
• Call for a volunteer to read aloud Proverbs 5:20-23. Q: Based on these verses, what kind of security does
immoral behavior provide? Call for a different volunteer to read aloud Proverbs 6:23-24. Q: What kind of
security does moral purity provide? Point out that God’s way involves saving all sexual expressions of love for
the marriage relationship—none before marriage and none outside marriage. Q: What is the reaction of
contemporary culture to this teaching? Why? Emphasize that this is the only way individuals—whether married
or single—can experience God’s protection and security.
Dreadful Disgrace (Proverbs 6:27-29,32-34)
• Q: Have you ever suffered a burn of some kind? How did that teach you to avoid that mistake again? Allow
time for volunteers to share. Note that the pain of a burn can be a great motivation for avoiding that action in the
future. Point out that parents understand the dangers of playing with matches or touching hot stoves and warn
their children against it. Display Poster: Playing with Fire (Pack item 16). Point out that while fire can be
dangerous if used improperly, it can be very helpful if used appropriately. Lead learners to suggest ways fire can
be good or bad and record responses in the appropriate columns on the poster.
• Call for a volunteer to read aloud Proverbs 6:27-29,32-34. Use information from pages 110-111 to highlight
the images raised by the rhetorical questions in these verses. Q: In what ways can sexual immorality be
compared to fire? Note that while these verses specifically relate to sexual immorality, other forms of immoral
behavior can be just as devastating.
3. Get to the Point
• Q: What kind of stigma does immoral behavior carry in our society? Point out that some people will
overlook premarital sex but judge adultery more harshly. Acknowledge that some people believe it’s none of
their business and will not take a stand against any kind of sexual immorality. Q: As Christians, how are we
called to respond to sexual immorality?
• Encourage married learners to identify several actions they can take to protect themselves from the deception
of sexual immorality and to nurture a stronger relationship with their spouses. (Examples: date nights, praying
daily for spouse, avoiding situations where temptation is likely, avoiding certain media, and so forth)
• Encourage single learners to identify respected married couples and ask them to serve as relationship mentors.
Encourage them to learn from these mentors, and to commit themselves to daily taking actions that will protect
their purity.
For further discussion
• What contemporary examples can you identify of the damage caused by immoral behavior? Why are
these lapses in character so devastating? (Prov. 5:7-14)
• From the Personal Study Guide (PSG): Why are we tempted to ignore Scripture’s warnings about sin’s
physical consequences? (Prov. 5:20-23; 6:23-24)
• In what ways are biblical commands like a light? How do they offer protection? Why do we hesitate to
rely on them for that protection? (Prov. 5:20-23; 6:23-24)
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• Proverbs 6:33 says an adulterer’s disgrace will never be removed. Do you really believe that? If so,
what impact does it have on your daily life? (Prov. 6:27-29,32-34)
GET STARTED or DEPARTMENT Idea
Instruct learners to draw a basketball court or a football field. When they are done, allow them to share their
drawings. Q: As you started this assignment, what was the first thing you drew on the paper? Many (if not all)
learners began by drawing the boundary lines. Q: Why did that seem like a natural place to start? Emphasize the
importance of boundaries in sporting events. Note that playing on a field or court with no boundaries would lead to
chaos and could be dangerous. Q: What kind of boundaries do we set up for our personal lives? Emphasize the
importance of understanding what the Bible says about sexuality so we can honor God through our lives within the
boundaries He has set.
Hymn—“Purer in Heart, O God” (Hymn 591, The Baptist Hymnal, 2008). Available for purchase at
lifewayworship.com/ETB.
GET INTO THE WORD Idea
To add to the discussion of Proverbs 5:3-6, show a video of carnivorous plants, such as the one at:
www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/nature/venusflytrap.html. After the video, point out how the plants lure their prey.
Note that the bugs are tempted with the promise of something good, but end up being destroyed.
GET INTO THE WORD Idea
To apply Proverbs 5:7-14, prepare a game where learners pull out individual blocks of wood that have been stacked
on top of one another. The goal is to pull out a piece of wood without knocking over the tower. Allow learners to
play until someone knocks over the tower. Point out that in a similar way immorality, especially sexual immorality,
chips away at our character until everything utterly falls apart in our lives.
GET INTO THE WORD Idea
To discuss Proverbs 5:20-23; 6:23-24, display an umbrella and discuss its purpose. (Protection from the rain, the
wind, or the sun.) Q: What would happen if you decided to walk in a thunderstorm without an umbrella? Read
the verses and discuss how God’s plan for moral purity provides an umbrella for our lives.
GET INTO THE POINT Idea
Show the clip “No More Addictions” from the movie “Fireproof” on WingClips.com at
http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/fireproof/no-more-addictions. In the movie, fire chief Caleb Holt (played by
Kirk Cameron) comes to faith in Christ and commits to winning back the heart of his wife. However, Internet
pornography has planted seeds of lust in his life and has put extra strain on his marriage. Affirm that husbands,
wives, and single adults all wrestle with various “parasites” that seek to destroy us and those around us. Q: What
steps can you to break the chain of pornography or other immoral addictions?
STAY ON TRACK
“Infatuated with a forbidden woman” (5:20)
“Ravished with a strange woman” (5:20)
“Intoxicated with a forbidden woman” (5:20)
“Intoxicated with another man’s wife” (5:20)
The Hebrew word used in this verse can be translated infatuated, intoxicated, enraptured, or even ravished. In the
verses preceding 5:20, the writer described the incredible power of sexuality within the bonds of marriage. It truly
is staggering and completely satisfying. In the context of this marital bliss, the writer understandably asks why a
© 2013 LifeWay. Reproduction or redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of
LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 27234.
man would want to find satisfaction anywhere else. While a man’s wife can stagger him with sexual pleasure inside
God’s framework, immoral relationships serve only to stagger him with confusion and guilt. Q: What are some of
the influences/temptations that threaten marital fidelity? Why are those temptations so strong?
Reflect and Evaluate
In what ways can moral purity enhance our relationships with others?
Why is the pleasure produced by sexual sin such a strong pull?
What steps will you take to protect yourself from falling into moral compromise? And for those
whom you care about?
© 2013 LifeWay. Reproduction or redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of
LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 27234.