Pornography

Warning!

(Because of the Adult content of this message if you are under 18 you should have your parents read it first)

From the time I was a small child until today I have lived primarily in the same neighborhood. My childhood was nurtured in a country environment with a loving Christian family. We were in Church on Sunday's along with most of our family.

Every time my dad would take us "up the road," either to a restaurant or to the grocery we had to pass many adult dance clubs along Dixie Highway. A comedian once remarked about Louisville KY that Louisville had more strip clubs than it had churches. As a small child I often wandered what these places practiced and why my parents seemed to shield me from even looking in the direction of these buildings.

I shared this part of my childhood with you as a warning to not take things for granted. If it had not been for the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ I could have fallen into a lifestyle which would be in contradiction of God's plan for my life.

Here is what the scripture expresses about pornography. Matthew 6:22-23 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."

With age many times a person will develop cataracts on their eyes. This is painful and can cause permanent blindness if not treated. Sin is the same way, if it is not treated the results are death. To keep an eye clear from sin and full of light one must seek those things, which pertain to light. Light is a revealer of those things we cannot see in the dark. 2 Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."

Matthew 5:28 "But I say unto you, That whosoever looks at a women to lust after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart." This is a simple word from Jesus and must be taken literally.

Colossians 2:21 "Touch not; taste not; handle not;" This is basically the command which God presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Colossians 3:5 "Mortify (put to death) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication (sexual immorality), uncleanness, inordinate affection (lust), evil concupiscence (shameful desires), and covetousness, which is idolatry." Why does God prevent people from participating in such acts? It is because all of these things are the results of the curse! The sin, which Adam introduced into the world, gave birth to these things, which brings forth death. Galatians 5:24 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

Everything brought into this world, results in a physical death. People die, animals die, plants and tree's die. This world is about death but our lives can be about life. The only bright spot in this dark decaying world is the light, which comes from Christ shinning through all those who believe and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6: 19 "What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own. For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God's." Ephesians 1:13 "In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Ghost of promise." You as a born again Christian will be tempted with lust or pornography. Ever time you give in to these urges and lust you are grieving or ignoring the voice of God. Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption." We are to abstain from those things, which the world indulges in because they are contrary to our new nature in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 4:17-18 "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." People that misuse their bodies in acts of lust are in fact stealing from God. The world does by nature what they know. Sin is the makeup of those who do not know the Lord. We are all born into sin and have desires that are against a godly nature. Pornography is one of those weaknesses that many people fall into. 1 Corinthians 6:13-14 "Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God has both raised up the Lord, and will also raise us by his own power. Don't you know that your bodies are the members of Christ? Verse 18 seems to indicate that fornication can result in present danger. "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body."

There is a strict warning concerning the Lord's supper toward the believer. We are commanded to recognize this act in remembrance of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:26 "As often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come." Verse 29 "For he that eats and drinks unworthy, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." Who makes up the body of Christ? The church or the believers make up his body which Christ is the head. Jesus is the image of God on earth and we are the image of Christ because his spirit dwells in us then how can we participate in the remembrance of his body (communion) if sin reigns in our mortal bodies through lust and pornography? Would this not make us guilty of receiving the Lord's Super unworthy? Yes it would thus this wrongful and willful act of our disobedience to God in our flesh could result in what is described in verse 30 "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." It is my conclusion that the practice of pornography in a born again believer of Christ can result in sickness, disease and death! Are you worthy of the body of Christ? Are you clean in your heart because of his blood? Or are you trampling the blood of Christ under your feet because of you compulsion to fill your mind with the things of the flesh. 1 Corinthians 11: 28 "But let a man examine himself, before he eats of that bread, and drinks of that cup.

Paul said "Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) Imitate Christ as an example to the world. Did Jesus ever look at a women to lust after her? The answer is no! He was perfect in all ways and knew no sin. If we cleave to Christ in full surrender, saying Jesus I cannot go through this life alone, I am weak without you, he will come to your rescue and save you from yourself.

Practically everyone has a "sweet tooth" a desert candy or chocolate, which you crave. When your sweet tooth kicks in there is no satisfaction in any other dish except for that one desert which seems to be calling you. You know that this desert probably is not the best thing you could eat for your health however you know how delicious it is going to taste. If you fight that craving and go about your business you can indeed resist and the desire for the sweets will eventually go away. If you are struggling with pornography it is the same way. That temptation comes which tries to pull you away from God. You know if you give in you will loose that peace that you feel with God. You know that you will feel bad and will have to go to God and ask him for forgiveness if you allow your flesh to win. James 4:7 "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The closer we get to God the closer he gets to us and the further the devil is distanced. The reason so many people fall into pornography is because it is all around us. It is in the art world, t.v. music seems to be shoved down our throats. So as we resist the devil on the right he then is there on our left. He seems to have everything we want no matter how perverted or how outrageous. Man's appetite for lust has driven him into the world of the bizarre and even murder.

Pornography can lead to many other problems than just that of looking at dirty pictures. Now with the Internet this trash is provided not just around the corner, or at your doorstep but right into your home. It preys on the weak and those prone to addiction. Pornography is dehumanizing. There is no responsibility or love within the framework of the porn industry. It is all about money, indulgence, and lust. Males are more apt to become addicted through the visual stimulus. Pornography does not endorse commitment, truthfulness, or life. It will cloud the minds thinking and take over all thought process to make a person a slave to its will. When it is not fed it becomes a tormenter. Within families it can bring division and separation. Pornography disrespects women as a lower class and often leads toward forced aggression toward females. Pornography is a victimizer and is responsible for practically every serial killer, serial rapist and crimes against children. There is nothing glamorous or intimate about this disease. Any Christian which exposes himself to pornography through magazines, movies, peep shows, dance clubs or participation will feel the peace of Christ vanish from their hearts. Replacing that peace will be fear, guilt and shame, the accusers of the flesh will return. The feelings of unworthiness you once had before you knew Jesus Christ will return as you dismiss his love for lust.

Pornography usually starts at an early age with exposure to a magazine which someone smuggled into school or that their own parents own. If this is not dealt with instantly it leaves many unanswered questions in the mind of the young person. Their curiosity to explore can be fatal. By the time they are old enough to purchase magazines on their own they have already been exposed to many vulgar things. This can lead to frequenting adult bookstores where "peep shows" are played and where homosexuality is practiced in the booths. This also leads to people going to strip clubs and even to the street in search of prostitutes which carry the deadly virus aids along with a vast number of other diseases such as hepatitis, herpes, etc. All of these diseases can be passed on to one's wife. This type of life for a Christian is a double life of secrecy and lies.

Even though filled with guilt and knowing that this type of behavior is wrong and against God, people will still engage in this lifestyle knowing the wages of sin is death.

To yield to pornography is to rebel against God's design for sex. "Genesis 2:24 "For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh." The values, which permeate the content of most hardcore pornography, involve an almost total suspension of the sorts of moral judgement that have been espoused in the value systems of most civilized cultures. The things which society deemed perverted at one time is now embraced as alternative lifestyles.

Many people who have become drawn in to pornography have become so disillusioned with the "soft porn" and have found satisfaction in the "hard core." This has resulted in many men and women engaging in homosexuality and being confused about their own sexual identity.

How are we as Christians to protect ourselves from falling into these traps of perversion and disgrace to our bodies?

Romans 12:1-2 "I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." When your mind begins to wander, immediately replace your impure thoughts with righteous thoughts. Philippians 4:8 "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

God is able to create in man a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within him (Psalms 51:10) We should never limit God's ability to fix our problems and heal us. We should never minimize our importance to him or how far down he is willing to reach to pull us from the mud. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has ever seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it."

You need to avoid certain things in your life, which could lead to immorality. Avoid stores that displays pornographic material. Give up watching t.v. talk shows, soap operas, and cable movie channels. Put a lock on your computer and on you cable t.v. channels. You might say this is extreme. What will be extreme if you cannot give up this graphic material and have to stand before God one day and explain it all to him.

Avoid time alone. Make friends with other Christians and fellowship about righteous things. Participate in activities or exercise with other Christians.

James 5:16 "Confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed." Find yourself at least one other person to be accountable to. Weekly share with this person your victories and struggles.

Remember God loves us and forgives us. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things I write to you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous."

1 Peter 2:11 "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul."

Read your bible instead of looking at things you should not.

If you have struggled in this area of your life without remedy, even after exhausting many prayers, and tears of guilt and shame you need to seek help beyond yourself. Some things are hard to face alone. These are the areas where pride is involved. Pride must be dismissed sometimes in order to find the proper treatment for a sickness or addiction. If you feel uncomfortable about going to your pastor with this subject you need to find yourself a new pastor. If your are comfortable with going to your pastor, friends or family I would firmly suggest this.

In Christ Jesus,

Dale Thompson