Mathematica Policy Research released a study saying that students who attended abstinence programs were just as likely to engage in sexual activity as those students who did not attend. Also, the median age of a child’s first sexual experience was the same: 14.9. The government spends over $150million per year on these programs. [Read a press release from Medical News Today here.]

Critics are saying that these programs are not working. That may be the case, but I believe the focus is not on the right place. Where are we told that the schools are supposed to be teaching children about abstinence?

This is simply another case of the Bible needing to be taught! Families and congregations of God’s people need to be teaching children about proper sexual behavior. This is just another reason why people need the Bible. When God’s Word is properly taught and lived, children are more likely to make right moral decisions.

I understand that not every child has good Christian parents, and I do believe that schools should be teaching proper morals, but we don’t need to say that these programs don’t work based on one study. It’s not the school’s job to teach such things–the school should be reinforcing, and there is a major difference.

Following are links to the PowerPoint presentations for the two sermons I plan on presenting Sunday. I hope they encourage you. The website these are loaded on does not allow users to incorporate “animation” in the shows, just slide transitions.

Sunday morning’s sermon is entitled “From Every Stormy Wind.” The slides that contain word art have each verse of that song from The Paperless Hymnal in the background. I am preaching one point about the Lord’s Supper from each verse.

AM SERMON: From Every Stormy Wind

Sunday evening’s sermon is entitled “Sounding Forth.” The major points come from Willmington’s The Outline Bible, but all supplementary material is mine. The lesson is an expository sermon of First Thessalonians chapter 1. It is designed to encourage all members of the 9th Avenue family to work, but it is also meant to “fire up” our young people for Lads to Leaders Bible Bowl for 2008. The books to study are First and Second Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy and Titus. I thought by preaching this sermon, some might see that there is a lot of great material that can be learned from these books.

PM SERMON: Sounding Forth

I hope these are encouraging to you. They have been, as all sermons are, an encouragement to me in my study and preparation.