Pornography: The Soul Defiled Part 2

Looking to Jesus in the sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave some teaching on morality, telling those in lost to lockout their minds.

Could he have been serious today looking to Matthew chapter 5 met some really tough love from the son of God church in Chicago this morning when Sir clear teaching helps us make it cross the finish line. Master Luther today you're talking about doing whatever it takes to stop viewing porn that's tough when it's a mouse click away.

You're absolutely right were living in a day and age in which pornography is you a quick test that is to say it is everywhere that the end of the day. I think the only thing that can help us and keep us is the desire to please God. Remember, Joseph said how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.

Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God's our desire for purity has to be greater than our desire to sin. That's what it takes.

Looking to Jesus the whole time I've written a book entitled seven snares of the enemy breaking free from the devil's grip. It contains the message and the material that you are listening to in this series of messages. Here's what you can do for a gift of any amount.

It can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Ask for seven snares of the enemy, and thanks in advance for helping us financially as thousands upon thousands listen to this ministry.

RTW offer.com 1888 if you're phoning 1-888-218-9337 and now let us listen with open hearts and listen very seriously to the word of God on a topic that is critical for this generation.

Jesus is saying that if you find yourself falling into the pit and your eye is causing it, gouge it out and cast it from you if that's if that's your problem. Take care of your and then he uses the hand which is also used particularly I think of women who are affected by tender caresses, usually coupled with sweet words, often lying words but nonetheless Jesus, if that's your problem, cut off you say. Well Pastor Luther he's not speaking literally is no of course he's not speaking literally.

You could cut out your right I and still lost with your left. For example, you could cut off your right hand and still and still use your left is not talking literally. But what Jesus is saying is literally true, isn't it. It would be better to arrive in heaven with one eye than to be in hell with two eyes. It would be better. You know to arrive in heaven and have to be left-handed for the rest of your life because your right hand is gone, it would be better to arrive in heaven named Ben to be in hell hole. Wouldn't it. Jesus is saying in the strongest possible language he saying to me and to you.

Do whatever you have to do take drastic measures so that you may not keep falling into that deep well of oblivion and moral darkness.

Whatever it is to it. One day I was meditating on this passage of Scripture and I began to ask myself the question question, I began to ask, is that what would it be like actually in the days before anesthetic to have your hand cut off or your eye gouged out. Would it be like well very profoundly very profoundly. I concluded first of all, that would be very painful, very painful. Just imagine having your hand cut off just sought off. Ouch. Imagine, and I think I would suppose.

I took someone here is sitting near the front and took a knife and just went like this and turned it in the I plopped down on their lap. Wouldn't it. Thank you for your lighthearted affirmation and you know that that's that's the way that's the kind of pain that you might have to go through to finally be free from that secret snare. Did you know that. And by the way, that will talk about this next week there. Some of you who are in relationships that are sinful and you made such a commitment to that person and maybe even sexually bonded to them and you say I know that this is wrong, but I can't get out of it like a man I told I said you know it's like cutting out your eye. It is like chopping off your arm. Of course it hurts painful but Jesus says do it do it for some of you it may mean changing jobs. If you're a businessman traveling you're staying in hotels where you can have all of the movies that you like and then beyond that there is that whole shadowy world that you can get involved in because you have anonymity. I'll tell you something we need to pray for a business people who live in that world with all of its temptations. It might be best for you to switch jobs to give it the sale.

I can't do that. I have a family to support.

Well, tell me what would you rather do.

Would you rather give up your job or have your right I cut out in your left hand cut off. What's your preference. Some of you need to go through that difficult difficult experience of of saying this is a part of me but it has to go. Remember a college student who said to me you know just gathering together all of my pornographic pictures and throwing them all away. He says he says it was as if there was a part of me that had been my life. Yes, of course, Jesus says do it, do it there's another part to the pain here and that is the need for you to share it with someone significant. The need, the need for you to simply say look like I have a problem and you share it with someone who is willing to accept you and to affirm you as a human being worthy of being loved and worthy of of God's love. Even though this is a snare into which you have fallen. When Jesus talks about the works of darkness. What he means is the work done in secret.

Now let's remember this as we talked about these snares is that the thing that you will lose them is the hidden shame that causes them. I've known many instances when finally there is some sense of sharing and and and we could talk about it and it would be out in the open will help.

That is, to those who struggle. And Jesus said, he said whatever it takes just do it. Yes it's painful, but do it.

Second characteristic as I was meditating on this is this commitment to associations purity and associations is that it is thorough test to be thorough and suppose you're going for surgery and do you have a cancerous growth and the doctor said we don't. We decided to do. We decided to take just just three quarters of at this time and then we leave the other quarter for some other time because we thought that what we ought to really do is to give you the option of still having a little bit of cancer.

As we were always dealing with sin is that I counseled a man one time said to him, now let's just suppose that God were to just come and just read used thoroughly and totally of this struggle. This addiction and you never struggled with it again. It would be gone. Would you be willing to accept that and he thought a moment and says well I think so, but he said I just have to tell you honestly, I prefer to keep my options open and it's those options you see those options that keep making us fold back into the pit.

It was Koser who said that that part of us that we rescue from the cross, you know, the part that we retake from the cross and the part that we hide. That then becomes the seat of our struggles right there.

Many people who want to deal with their problems but to leave the roots in the ground.

We need to have opportunity for something to still grow out of this because the thought of cold turkey is overwhelming, overwhelming, but it needs to be thorough, once your eye is out in your arm is off like to tell the story in Canada.

True story of a man who was assisting with the doctor and the doctor had a: had to leave and said help yourself with anything that's in the fridge and opened the fridge and they are wrapped in plastic was a human hand told me said some reason II saw that night. I wasn't hungry anymore's a little too late.

You know when your hand is wrapped in plastic to say, you know, on second thought, I'm not so sure whether we should have done at this point I'd like to say what I've said before that if you're going to jump across the chasm is much better to do it in one long jump than into short one sin needs radical surgery for some of you it may be to get rid of your TV you say will that's really radical LOL and what would you rather have keep your television set and watch it with one eye, but what's your options. Here Jesus is saying whatever needs to be done. You have to do it have to do it all.

Some of you struggle with cruising you know all the hotspots in Chicago. You know the ritual that you go through some of you, bless you what you need to do is to finally say it's over it's over.

Let me say thirdly, it dawned on me that it's really worthwhile is that you know if you have surgery.

Even if your eye is cut out. I would rather lose, and I then lose my life.

And if you have a hand cut off and and you and you had a growth or a tumor. You say boy goodbye to hand but thank God I still have my life. It's worth it all. It was painful.

I wondered whether or not it was going to live through it. Thank God it was worth it very same way, did you know that it's worth it worth it is better to live with unfulfilled desires and be a friend of God, and walk with God, with a clear conscience, then it is to fulfill those desires outside of the will of God and do your own thing. I think of what Walter Trowbridge said the task we have, to face is the same whether we are married or single, to live fulfilled lives in light of and in spite of unfulfilled desires because you know what happens, though, don't you, begins to become your desire he fills up the vacuum. He takes away all those polls promises that has has all of that of what shall we say all of that shaman and everything else involved. He takes care of that and and therefore God becomes what we want and there is an experience in which you say God is my all in all, so it's worth it better to live single and frustrated and when I say that I don't mean to imply that all singles are frustrated many of you are very very happily adjusted in your certainly a lot happier than some married folks I know, but it is better to be single and frustrated. If that's what's happening, then it is somehow to fulfill those frustrations and to simply say I have this coming to me in all of life is passed me by, and I have to get in on some pleasure because I'm getting older and look at where this is going known. Jesus said it is better you look at that person was just had surgery.

His arm is off his eye is out.

He intended to be a baseball player he intended to be an airline pilot. He doesn't have those options and aim yes he has unfulfilled desires.

Jesus said it is better. It is better to say pastoralists are, how do we honestly and truly get out from under the shadows. Couple of thoughts. First of all, you really do have to come to the light yet to come to the light.

One day in Washington DC. A man said you're flying to Chicago tonight and you don't know my name and I won't tell it to you but I need to talk with you and we took a walk around the block.

Using his umbrella because it was raining. He said I want you to know that I am a Christian and he said I spent $400 a month on pornography and he said also I want you to know that nobody knows about it except me and God. I reminded him that there actually was somebody else that knew and who I'm talking about. The devil always shows up and things like that do you think that man can get out of it alone know he's cried to God. 100 times in 101 time he goes back course, he has to come out from under the shadows. He needs significant people who can still affirm him as a is a worthy human being and say you know you've fallen into this snare.

You've fallen into this snare. But we're here to help you. There is a way out and you can begin to establish those relationships and I hope here at the Moody church. There's a sense of openness in which we can say yeah hey were struggling. I I kind of pity the man who cannot share his struggles with his wife by seeing you with one of these magazines again.

I'm out of here.

As a matter of fact, what are you some kind of a pervert was of the exact words of a woman I know speaking to a husband, I know when she discovered his pornography. Just think of what she did. Number one she took it all personally as an attack against her, and in a sense it was. But in another sense it wasn't really that on the table. But secondly, all that she does is contribute and add to the shame these already experiencing the shame is that that's Adam bomb just now. The most significant person in his life has just shamed him. He's already drowning in it.

Think of how different it would have been if she does it well you know what you do really hurts me, but I want you to know I love you and your worthy human being, your worthy of my love in your worthy of God's love. Let's figure out how we can work at this together because you fell into that snare and I have my sins to. Let's work together on on being the people that God wants us to be. Think of how differently their relationship would end. First of all, you have to come to light.

Secondly, of course, and perhaps it should've been my first point you really do need to know what it is to have a cleansed conscience, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, and though they be red like all I say to those I say to those of you living years and years and years secret I say to you the Scripture is very clear. As far as the east is from the West. So far that he removed our transgressions from us like as a father.

His children, so the Lord pity, and them that fear him, for he know if our frame hearing member that we are. He knows that the snares of the very things that we fall into willingly fall into unless by his grace, he comes to prevent us to help us. He knows that he is not there to can you, he's there to read some of you have never trusted Christ as Savior you've never believed on him as Savior and transferred your trust to him and that's the beginning point for a relationship, not with higher power but higher power who is God Jehovah forgives sin and what you need to do and there's more that could be said, but what you need to do is to have some kind of a plan of attack. Don't imagine you live in the city and the enemy comes over the same place in the wall all the time all the time you exactly know where he's coming from. The speed with which he is coming and what weapons is going to get and you never build a wall or make it strong in that area you just say what you know the walls broken down in is nothing I can do have to be ready when the young man came to me and fine young man who is who is a what shall we say, occasional user never bought anybody looked at magazines and how he struggled and promised himself a thousand times love God, love the people of God and was being used by the Lord.

Wonderful to know that we don't have to be perfect before God uses I said look I said why don't we make a deal. Okay here's here's the deal. Like I want to I want you to make a promise to me and this is what the promises quantity.

I want you to take five verses of Scripture and I hope to scratch out what the references where I said I want you to take these five verses of Scripture and know them.

Absolutely cold verses like Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God versus like cup Philippians where it says that you, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are honest, think on these things.

First Peter you know I abstain from fleshly lust. The war against the soul verses that say big on site and, for it is written suffer nurses and I said we would like you to do is to memorize these verses cold and then before you pick up one of those magazines want you to do is to is to quote all those verses meaningfully and after you quoted them once I want you to go and do it again and again and again. This will take a few minutes but do it five times, wouldn't you know it a great temptation came to him a pornographic magazine was wrongly delivered to his mailbox in the apartment building. Now he had it in his hand. No one there to see what he would look at but it made a promise and a promise is a promise is a promise. So he began to go through this. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are honest with server things are of good report, and he went through those verses and then he started and he went through them again and again and again. He told me later he was able to take the magazine wrap it up rather than give it to the person I guess, to whom it was supposed to be built delivered. He did throw it away without opening it doesn't mean that the struggle with Prague if he is over know because tomorrow will be another test, but at least he had a plan. The Bible talks about the motions of sin. What do you do when suddenly you you feel this sense of saying this is what I wanted what was your plan or withhold shall a man keep his way, taking heed thereto according to his word.

Well it's been a longer message than I planned it to be. This was supposed to be 20 minutes and I think it could be over that by now how would you like to have a martyrs crown. I've often wondered about that. I thought you know I'd like to have a martyrs crown, but I guess I can't have one because I live in America we have freedom of religion is snapped off.

We have freedom of religion. Therefore, no martyrs crown, you can have a martyrs crown Bible says in the book of Revelation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life and the very same expression occurs in James chapter 1 where it says Blessed is the man who in your 10 patient for when he is tried. Assume that he endures it properly, he shall receive the crown of life. Of course it's a battle because the devil is all wrapped up in this. But Jesus would say whatever the Spirit says to you, just do it and you know my friend, this is Pastor Luzerne. It's been my experience that people who fall into this snare cannot get out alone. You need the body of Jesus Christ, you need a support structure you need accountability but at the end of the day. God wants to birth purity in our hearts and our love for purity.

The message that you have just heard is included in my book 7 snares of the enemy breaking free from the devil's grip seven snares of the enemy breaking free from the devil's grip out can be yours for a gift of any amount.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or you can call us if you prefer. 1-888-218-9337. As you look around in our society today.

Can you think of a topic that is more important than this purity in the midst of a world that has lost its way and pornography everywhere, and yet God calls us to purity, even as this message emphasized the book I've written in title seven snares of the enemy breaking free from the devil's grip. Thanks in advance for helping us financially. You can go to RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 in a world that is so confused we need biblical answers and to pay the price of purity in this age.

You can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Extramarital sex is a choice that can ruin our lives and the lives of others.

Too many people, even Christians find themselves paying a high price, the sexual revolution has a dark side we'd better count the cost facing up to disease, abortion, divorce and fractured families.

Next time I'm going to win. Don't miss another trap. Christians can fall into sexual affairs poisoned oasis. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Luzerne this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church