I could probably spend the next 30 minutes telling you about all the scary things that can happen to you physically if you have sex. I could tell you about all the STDs you can get, the babies you might have, or the death you might die from something as serious as AIDS, but I’ll leave that up to your health teacher.

I think we need to talk about the things that your health teacher won’t tell you. So, I am going to be really honest with you about some things and lies that we are told about sex every day.

The first lie we hear about sex is that, “I can have sex without the feelings going deeper.” We hear that hookups, shack-ups, and friends with benefits are normal. This may surprise you, but God wants you to have an amazing sex life...at the right time. You see, the Bible says that when we have sex, “the two shall become one flesh.” This means the one of the most intense connections we can ever experience...and it is really good unless we intend to make that connection over and over again. Sex is like glue, it bonds two people together. What happens when I put super-glue between two pieces of skin? What happens when I try and tear them apart? They rip. Sex is the same, the bond is huge and amazing, but if it is approached lightly, the rip leaves a lot of pain.

The second lie we hear about sex is that, “you will be amazing”. We see Mel Gibson getting his groove on, but somehow in real life it’s not quite like that. Let me just tell you, sex is awkward. We see in movies this ridiculous idea of what sex is and it sets us up for a lot of discouragement. Sex outside of the protection of marriage opens up the door to being embarrassed or to a lot of regret. Do you remember the first time you rode a bike? If you were anything like me, it was awkward and I made a lot of mistakes. If I had tried riding by myself I would have ended up with tons of scrapes and bruises...that is why I needed someone I could trust holding the bike. In the same way, sex was designed to be in marriage for a reason. The Bible describes sex at one point at, “they were naked together and not ashamed.” It is in the comfort of knowing that you have a lifetime of work out all the kinks and that the other person isn’t going anywhere and truly loves you. Studies have shown that married couples experience their best sex in their 40s.

The third lie we hear about sex is that, “it isn’t really that special anyways.”
I’ve got a gift here that I want to give to someone special. We have been dating for almost 2 years and I think we’re going to get married someday. I definitely love her. She unwrapped it for the first time.

6 months later she cheated on me and we broke up...I had to take my gift back and re-wrap it.

I got into college and started partying. One night I met this really hot girl. My buddies all told me that I should give her my gift, so I did. Since she didn’t really know me, she was a little less sensitive unwrapping it and tore it into a few different pieces.

I woke up the next morning and took my gift with me and never saw her again.

I got out of college and started dating a girl seriously again. We moved in together and I thought she should definitely have my gift if we were living together. She kept it for almost 3 years until she wanted to get married and I wasn’t ready.

So I took my gift back and kept looking.

Finally, I knew I had met her. We started dating and before you know it we were in love and engaged to be married. She looked beautiful in her white wedding dress as she walked gracefully down the aisle. That night I decided it was time for me to give her my gift. Somehow, my gift didn’t look as pretty or new as when I had first shared it. My wife asked me, why is it so broken, shredded, and gross? Memories filled my mind of the times that I had given my gift to others. I tried to tell her that I loved her, but all she could do was look at the gift and ask, “if you loved me so much, why is my gift ruined?”

Think for a second about getting married someday. Statistics show that almost 90% of you will get married someday, so it’s something we have to think about. What will your gift be? Will it be perfectly wrapped, new, and exciting or will it be old, used, or even destroyed?

My challenge to you is to keep your gift special because it is worth it. God didn’t tell us to wait until we got married to keep us from having fun, but actually it makes it even more fun and we can move forward with no regrets. When I got married I had the opportunity to tell my wife that I had waited for her for my whole life and it was an amazing thing.

Some of you might be saying, “I’ve already had sex, so what is the point?” Think of the gift? The first time it was opened it was still able to be somewhat put back together. You can make up your mind tonight to keep that gift and it can still be special. If you haven’t had sex, I am so proud of you and you have the opportunity to save your gift for that one person you marry someday. Trust me, it it worth it!

Also, if any of you are in a relationship where there is sexual abuse, you need to get out. If you need help, please ask, because that is totally unacceptable and you need help. You need to know that your virginity is something that you give and isn’t taken from you. If you have been raped, abused, or sexually assaulted this isn’t your fault and God still considers you pure still.