Oct. 23, 2024

Christians and Pornography

Christians and Pornography

A look at a recent news article about Christians and Pornography

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A look at a recent news article about Christians and Pornography

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Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is

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the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good afternoon everyone.

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It is Wednesday, October the twenty third, twenty twenty four.

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It is currently one thirteen pm Central Time, and I

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am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio

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located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, on this podcast,

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we have spent a lot of time in the last

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few months, it feels like a good portion of twenty

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twenty four, but over the last few months specifically really

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talking about sin, Christianity and sin and how Christian's and

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my estimation in my opinion Christianity is. You would think,

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I know what I'm about to say sounds crazy, but

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I think in a very practical way, what I'm about

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to say is very real. Christianity seems incapable of actually

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being able to talk about and handle the reality of

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sin in any meaningful way. A Christians approach to sin

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is to basically act like when you become a Christian,

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you basically can stop sinning. You basically can say no

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to sin, yes to God. And even though they will

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try to just say, well, I mean, you won't be

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perfect everything they say and everything they talk about basically

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makes it sound like, well, you should be really really

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really really really really really close to perfection, and if

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you're not, you're probably not saved. That's the typical Christian approach, right.

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Christianity is all about morality. Christianity is all about practical righteousness,

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and almost even though they don't mean to, the concept

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of being saved by imputed righteousness basically is overshadowed. That's

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kind of thrown out. It's all about what you do,

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what you do, do this, don't do this, do this,

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don't do this, do this, don't do this. We're Christians,

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we don't. They're not Christians. They do. We're the good guy,

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they're the bad guys. We're there. We're almost sinless. They

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are sinful. And whenever sin shows up within Christianity, Christians

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just kind of like, well they're not saved. That's kind

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of the go to answer, Well, they're not saved, or

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they're probably not saved, or or something's not right because

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Christians just don't do these things. So I get very

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frustrated with this. So a lot of my philological discussion

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about the subject, I will say I have put forth.

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I'll state it this way. I have put forth my hypothesis.

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I have put forth my theories. And some may say

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that my theories are theoretical, they're just theory, they don't

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really work in practice. But I would argue that most

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Christians view about sin and being almost sinless. That's theoretical,

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but in practice it doesn't really work. But everyone has

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their theory. Everyone has their hypotheses. So what I want

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to do is take something that's very practical, that's very real,

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to offer as support to we'll call my theory. All right. Now.

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I could approach this in a much more sensational way, like, oh,

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look at this story, what does this mean? And this

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is a problem with that you. I could come at

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it in a very moralistic, pious way, kind of very phariseical.

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But I don't want to approach it this way because

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I want to talk about something that's being reported and

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I don't want to do so as a way to

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go see, I told everyone I want to look at it, going, hey,

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this this is once again shows us that there's a

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reality that nobody wants to talk about. And this reality

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involves you and it involves me, even if you're not

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guilty of the sin. We're going to be talking about

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even if you've never struggled with it, even if you've

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never experienced it, even if you've never encountered it, you

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still have sin in your life. And that's something I've

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keep trying to convince Christians of. But no, it seems

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Ruicians want to just constantly try to claim they're basically sinless.

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But that's a lie. Now, the subject we're going to

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be talking about, and we're going to be mentioning a

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number of things. You may not want young people around.

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You may not want your children around, so you may

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want to put on headphones, you may want to you

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may want to just wait until this is available on demand.

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So just we're going to be talking about, we're just

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going to get very real and get very well. We're

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going to well, we're going to get very biblical. And

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when we get very biblical, it can get very explicit.

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So that's exactly what we're going to do, all right,

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So I hope you are ready. Let me first of all,

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establish what I believe to be basic facts. I don't

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believe these facts are theoretical. I don't believe this is

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even hypothetical. I believe this is factual. I know many

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Christians will push back, but I believe I can prove

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this over and over and over again. And then we'll

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get to the news article that I think adds proof

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to my perspective. Are you ready? Here are the facts.

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God is absolutely holy, he is separate from sin. He's

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other than sin, he is sinless, he is perfect, he

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is pure. God is without sin, He is holy. All right,

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I think everyone should be able to acknowledge that that's

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a biblical factual reality. Number two, I think this is important.

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God calls us. God calls us to be completely holy

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and perfect internally and externally. God is holy, and he

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calls you, he calls me. He calls all of us

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to be completely holy and perfect. Be ye holy as

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I am holy. That's in Leviticus, that shows up in

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what One Peter. He tells us to be perfect as

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your heavily Father is perfect. That's in the Sermon on

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the Mount, the Gospel of Matthew. And this perfection and

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this holiness is not just something that's extra. It is

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to be internal as well. We are to be perfect internally,

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we are to be perfect externally. We are to be

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perfect in every area of our life. God is holy,

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and he calls us to that same level of perfection

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and holiness. So number one, God is holy. Number two,

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God calls us to be completely holy and perfect internally

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and externally. Number three, we still have a sinful nature.

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We still have a sinful heart, and this is proven

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by the fact that we continue to sin and thought, word, deed,

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desire action, internally and externally. Number one, God is holy.

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Number two, God calls us to be completely holy and

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perfect internally and externally. Number three, we are still sinners.

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We have a sinful nature, We have a sinful heart,

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and this is proven by the fact that we continue

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to sin internally and externally. We sin in thought, word, deed,

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desire action. We still sin in our nature and our action.

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Every part of us. We still sin. Number four. We

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cannot keep God's law. We cannot keep God's law. We cannot.

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It's not that now that we're Christians that we can.

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We cannot keep it. We fall short of it continually.

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And because we fall short of it continually, if we're

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guilty of one point of the law, we're guilty of

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all of it. Therefore, you and me we live in

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perpetual sin. Because God demands perfection We're not perfect, so

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we're in perpetual sin. God calls us to keep the law.

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We can't keep it. We are in perpetual sin. So

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number one, God is holy. Number two, God calls us

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to basically be perfect. Number three, we have a sinful nature,

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a sinful heart, and we sin and thought word, deed,

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desire action internally and externally. And number four, we cannot

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keep God's law. Therefore we live in perpetual sin. That's

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the reality of Christianity. It's the reality nobody wants to

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talk about. It's the reality that we try to act like. No, no, no,

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When you become a Christian, ooh, everything's changed. No, what's

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changed is my position? Practically, I'm still a sinner. I

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still sin. Therefore, what should you expect in your life sin?

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What should you expect in the life of anyone you

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know who's a Christian? Sin? What should you expect in

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your church sin? What should you expect in Christianity sin?

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What do Christians act like that they expect perfection? Christianity

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entire perspective is broken and confused. Now, we've talked about

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how the early Church seemed to acknowledge the fact that

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we are still sinners, because in their liturgies they always

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began with what some type of confess confession of sin.

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Let me just read one, Most Merciful God, we confess

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that we have sinned against you and thought word. Indeed,

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by what we have done and by what we have

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left undone, we have not loved you with our whole heart.

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We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are

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truly sorry, and we humbly repent for the sake of

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your son, Jesus Christ. Have mercy on us and forgive us.

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Worship services over and over and over began with a confession.

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Why because whenever Christians gathered together, it's a gathering of

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sinners who have sinned. They are in sin, and they

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will continue to sin. They are sinners. Why are they Christians?

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Because they've been saved by grace alone, through faith alone,

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because of Christ alone, and by faith, his perfection is

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imputed and accredited to them. So they sit there positionally perfect,

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but they sit there practically sinners. They sinned on Monday,

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they send on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. They woke

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up Sunday morning sinning. They drove to church sinning. They're

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sitting there in the pew sinning. They're gonna leave sinning,

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and they're gonna come back still sinning. That's reality. Whenever

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I say that, people like, oh, no, you have a

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weak Christianity, you have a defeated Christianity. No that's not

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the case. Well, you can talk the big game and

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you can act all phariseical and all pious and all righteous,

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but I know the reality. You are a sinner, just

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like I am. Now, I have talked about this, and

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talked about this, and talked about this. This has been

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like we've been discussing it. We were doing a series

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on the Six Secrets of the Christian Life in a book,

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trying to offer some kind of solution and remember how

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utterly confusing and confounding that God. We've looked at, listen

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to sermons, and just all the things we've discussed. It's

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been on going. Well, we obviously we got distracted. I

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guess you could call it distracted. This podcast takes lots

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of twists and turns, and next thing you know, we

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found ourselves over here talking about an axehead. Then Isaiah

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forty three and hermoneutics and Bible interpretation, and we kind

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of got started talking about these other things. But what

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day was it? Let me give you the exact date.

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I do not want to give you fraugilent information here.

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What date was it? Let me see here? It was Tuesday,

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October the twenty second, twenty twenty four. That's yesterday when

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the Christian Post published an article. This is from a

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Christian website. A Christian website headline, majority of practicing Christians.

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A majority of Christians admit to viewing porn, many comfortable

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with the habit. According to a study, the majority of

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practicing Christians admit to viewing porn, and many are just

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comfortable with it. Now. The minute I say that, some

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of you are going to be like, absolutely not. The

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study is fraudulent because real Christians never look at porn,

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because real Christians never commit sexual sin, because real Christians

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are basically perfect. Well, you can believe that, and you're

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living a lie, because the reality is, Christians commit non

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sexual sin. Christians commit sexual sins. Christians commit sins, and

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the mind and their speech and their thoughts and their

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thinking and their actions and their desires, they commit sin.

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They commit sin the things that we may not even

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give much attention to, like being proud or being bitter.

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I mean, we can go on and on in covetious,

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on and on all the different sins. You may not

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be struggling with this one. But what we have a

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tendency to do if it's sexual sin, we just throw

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those people out. You can commit basically five thousand sins

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and nobody will call in a question of your salvation.

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Just don't commit a sexual and because that's the end,

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you're gonna be crucified. You're gonna be burned at the stake,

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you may be hung, you're gonna be branded, and then

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they're gonna throw you into the deepest ocean with what

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you know, cement tied to your feet so that you'll

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never be seen again. So when I read this, I'm

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just gonna be honest. I'm just gonna be honest. I

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know I can be sarcastic. I know I can be

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very cynical. But when I read this, I basically acted like, oh, shocking, Christians,

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look at porn. Who could have ever thought? Who would

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have ever guessed? This is shocking? I can't believe that.

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And I acted, you know, like I'm not shocked. I'm

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not surprised any way, shape or form and all of

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the years of broadcasting, and all of the years of

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broadcasting if I offered I think at one point I

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had a booklet adult dealing with Christian Christian Men in pornography,

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and I think I did a broadcast where I offered that.

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I think I got more email request for a copy

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of the booklet than anything I have ever done. I've

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offered Bible study materials, access to digital curriculum, I've given

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away books, I've given away commentaries, I've given away surveys

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of old and New Testament. Nothing was more successful than

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offering a booklet about Christian men and pornography. I'm out

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helping men who struggle with pornography. That got the most

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response of anything I have ever done as far as

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email traffic. Now, I wonder why that could be. Well,

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you know why, because there's a lot of Christian men

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struggling with porn But guess what. They can't tell anyone

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in their church. They can't tell anyone, but they can

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contact some anonymous guy on the Internet and say, yeah,

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send me the booklet. Because you know what they're looking for.

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They're looking for an answer, They're looking for hope, they're

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looking for a way to do something about it. Any

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other time that I've talked about pornography in any way,

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shape or form, inevitably that's when I get, I'll get,

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I'll get I'll get all kinds of emails. Now, I

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don't say that because I'm like, ooh, look, it's shocking. No,

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I'm not shocked by it in any way, shape or form.

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But here's what frustrates me. One, if the men are

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exposed for pornography, they'll be viewed as the worst sinners

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in the history of mankind, even though there's all of

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these other sins and nobody seems to care. And if

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you're guilty of one point of the law, you're guilty

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of all of it. And you're in a perpetual state

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of sin because God says, be holy as he is holy,

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and you're not holy as He is holy, so you're

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still a sinner. You're judging that sin, and God says,

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be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, and you're

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not perfect. Well, you're yelling and screaming about that sin.

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We're all sinners, even though pornography may not be your sin.

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But for some reason that sounds like, oh, you're making

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an excuse you're making an excuse. No one's making an excuse.

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It's trying to deal with the reality that sin abounds

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in us even though we're saved. Positionally, I'm a new creature.

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Practically I'm very much the old I know I can't

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say that because Christians get submitted. But how many different

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studies do we have to have that offers proof that

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what I'm saying is the only accurate way to really

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understand this, or we're never going to get anywhere. So

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here's the story. Are you ready? Majority of practicing Christians

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admit to viewing porn. Many come with the habit, according

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to a study. Now, if you'll look at the comments

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underneath this article, where there's currently two hundred and seven,

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almost right out the gate, these aren't real Christians. Almost immediately,

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these aren't real Christians. I know because real Christians could never,

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could never commit sin, never, because it's all and you

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just listen everyone, Oh, we have the power of God,

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we have the Holy Spirit, we can basically be perfect.

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And it's like, oh, I'm so sick of hearing Christians

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talk that way. Any logical person would be like, well

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wait a minute, well then I could be perfect. Well, no,

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you can't be perfect. Well, if I've got the power

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of God to tell me stop sinning, I should be

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able to be perfect. Well, you can't be perfect. So

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I have the power of God, but he can't get

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me to perfection. And if I can't get to perfection,

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how can I then brag about having the power of God?

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Because if I can't get to perfection, that means I'm

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perpetually in sin because perfection is the only standard when

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I'm no longer sinning, I have the power of God,

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but I'm perpetually in sin. Okay, yeah, makes a lot

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of sins. Well, here's the story. First, the first I

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guess sentence. Here, A majority of practicing Christians, including pastors,

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admit to viewing pornography, and a large share say they're

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comfortable with the habit. A new study has found. Please

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note a majority of practicing Christians, including pastors. No way

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are you telling me pastors could possibly have sexual desires.

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This is shockcast See now I'm being a little sarcastic.

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I'm not trying to make light of it. I'm trying

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to demonstrate that the church seems incapable of being able

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to admit the reality of sin because we try to

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create a hallmark movie version of Christianity where everyone's basically perfect.

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It's not that way. But look, this is not the

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first study. I've been seeing these studies, going all the

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way back to the I think the first time I

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started really seeing these studies was the nineteen nineties. How

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many Christian men struggle with porn? How many pastors struggle

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with poor? Hey, porn? Porn is being viewed by members

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of your church far more than you even want to

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admit it. Study after study after study, and anytime you

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give the studies you you always get Christians like, I

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don't believe these studies. They're not real Christians because real

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Christians don't send basically. And it's like, well, how about

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we just admit maybe there's a problem. And the recent

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and the recent release okay, if I can let me

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rewrite this sentence, and the recently released research entitled Beyond

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the Porn Phenomenon, produced in partnership with Pure Desire Ministries,

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researchers found that pornography use is so prevalent among all demographics,

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and the gap in use among Christians and non Christians,

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as well as men and women, has grown narrow over

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the last eight years. So now the gap between men

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and women using porn is much closer than it's ever been.

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And now the gap between supposedly Christian and non Christian

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using porn is much smaller than it's ever been. In

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other words, everything is pretty much evening out. It's not still,

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it's not there yet, but it's getting closer and closer

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and closer. And just this is very important. Whenever they

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do studies about Christians and their use of porn, you

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always have to at least to account. But the numbers

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are not really as high as they even actually are

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because a lot of Christians are just not going to

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admit it. A lot of Christians don't want to admit

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how sinful they are. We all got to put on

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our church mask. We got to put on our fig leaves,

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We got to put on our robe of self righteous.

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That's what churches do, right, Churches They look church if

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you want. Okay, I know, I'm gonna get myself in

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trouble for this. We talk about Halloween, and everyone dresses up.

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Church plays Halloween every Sunday. Everyone dresses up in their

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Sunday best and we all come acting. Oh look, there's

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husband and wife and kids. Oh, we're good a Christian family.

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Everything's perfect, and we're all godly, and we're so much

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better than those pagans. We play dress up every Sunday.

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Rarely can you be as honest as you want to be. Now,

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I know there's a time and place for honesty. I'm

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not saying everyone should walk into the sanctuary and go

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I have committed the first these thirty four sins. You

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may not have to come in admitting you've committed those

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thirty four sins. But first, the early Church always started

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their worship service if I ever went admitting that they

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are a sinner. And maybe we could just, I don't know,

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get rid of this arrogant, smug self righteousness and be

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a little bit more humble and broken and stop saying

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them them them them them, and say us US US.

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Even though practicing Christians still view our found of you

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pornography less frequently than non Christians, the gap between the

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two groups was only fourteen percent points. Now, again, it's

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only a fourteen percentage point difference. To me, that fourteen

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percentage point is not even a true fourteen percentage points

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because there's a lot of people I guarantee just not

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going to admit it. Some fifty four percent of Christians

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reported viewing pornography, compared with sixty eight percent of non Christians,

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So it's between fifty four percent for the Christian and

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sixty eight the non Christian. I think the non Christian

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is going to be much more open about it, much

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more willing to admit it, may even be proud of it.

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But even then it depends on the situation. Even the

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non Christian may be a little hesitant, depending on the situation.

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But okay, in general, here we go. Seventy five percent

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of Christian men and forty percent of Christian women reported

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consuming porn on some level. It's seventy five percent of

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Christian men. I can't speak to the women. I'm not

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I don't even have you know. That's the women can

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address it for themselves. I'm a man, so I can

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only speak for men. But I've told you I've seen

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it in my own, my own life, my own ministry,

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whether broadcasting or in church. I cannot tell you how

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many men have spoken about the struggle with pornography to

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some level or degree. The numbers are staggering. The reality

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I'm I'm just telling you the reality is far more

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than anybody wants to admit. And so while we're running

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around saying we basically don't sin, we basically we have power.

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We have how about we just admit I'm still a

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sinner with a sinful nature, and not only that. I

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know this is shocking. Okay, I know this is shocking. Okay,

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this is a secret. So shit, don't tell anyone sexual

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desire it's kind of a natural biological need. It's like,

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it's pretty natural to have the desire for sex. I know,

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I know this is shocking to some of you. I

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know you don't want to admit this. I know this

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may just mess up your whole life. But it's it's

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inside of us. It's it's a very natural desire of

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There may be different levels of desiring different people, but

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it's there, ladies and gentlemen, it is there. Nothing puts

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it inside of us. It's already inside of us. Is

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that shocking to you? Maybe it may be because many

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Christians act like when I became a Christian, the desire

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was just gone. It just disappeared. It just it doesn't

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work that way. Despite the Church's stance against lust, generally,

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it seems little progress has been made to deter any

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of those who fill the pews from pornography consumption. Specifically,

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a researcher said, the gap between professed beliefs and actual

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behavior raises the question about the efficacy of current approaches

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within faith communities. In other words, what they're saying is,

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after all of these years, we haven't figured out anything

401
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that works. Oh, I wonder, I wonder, I see. Now

402
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you just name this. Forget pornography, name the sin right, gossip, slander, bearing,

403
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false witness, unforgiveness, not loving your enemy, not loving your

404
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neighbor as yourself, not loving God. Just do all things

405
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without complaining and murmuring. Just go on and on and

406
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on it. Just list all of the possible sins. Every

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00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:52.279
approach the church has to fix them never work because

408
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it's nothing more than moralism and it's basically nothing more

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than the same. It's like the twelve step program. You

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have a problem, it's all a bunch of dues, and

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don't you know how we want to resolve all of

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the problems within Christianity. Our solution is it's always law,

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base law, law, law, law, don't do this, do this,

414
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don't do this, have an accountability partner, do this. Have

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a blocker. Don't do this. Don't do this, don't do this,

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don't do this. Lock yourself in a monastery, rip out

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your eyeballs, cut off your hands, bury yourself. Die. That's

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the only hope. Instead of going wait a minute, wait

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a minute, how about we acknowledge the issue. Here's the issue.

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You're still a center, I'm still a sinner. You have

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a sinful nature. I have a sinful nature. Therefore we're

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going to sin. We got to just start right there.

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Sin is the reality of the Christian life. Nobody wants

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to admit that we have to start there. I'm not

425
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excusing it. I'm not saying it's right. It's a reality.

426
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So what is the solution. Well, first and foremost, the

427
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solution is acknowledging that we're still going to sin, and

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our only hope is in an imputed righteousness, which does

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00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:03.279
not change us. I know that's shocking to everyone, but

430
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we are saved by an imputed righteousness, meaning at foreign

431
00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:10.319
alien righteousness is accredited to your account. It does not

432
00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:13.240
transform you. It does not change you. You are transformed

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and changed positionally, but practically you are still a sinner

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with a sinful nature and you're still going to sin

435
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if we can't, if we don't start there, so then

436
00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.359
we shouldn't be so shocked by it. Well, sin is

437
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going to just show up. It's the natural thing that's

438
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going to happen. And again, it's not you can remove

439
00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:36.720
pornography from this. See everyone's going to make this about pornography.

440
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Forget pornography, name any sin, any sin. The study noted

441
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that in the last eight years since the report was

442
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first published, the rapid shift in the culture and digital

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landscape has compounded the issues in the church with pornography

444
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and unwanted sexual behavior. Now I'm going to start right

445
00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:02.839
here and I'm going to get frustrated. Hey, what has happened?

446
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The digital landscape has changed, so now the problem is

447
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even worse. Oh, stop it. We always want to blame

448
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:16.119
everything outside of us. This problem has existed way before

449
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there was ever the internet. Okay, ever before there was pornography,

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sexual sin has been prevalent. Do I need to remind

451
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you Christians, I don't know of something called the Bible.

452
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Let's just take a quick journey from Genesis through the

453
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Book of Exodus. Just the first two books, Genesis and Exodus.

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We're going back to the beginning. Everybody wants to say,

455
00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:45.279
let's go back to Genesis. Well, let's go back to Genesis,

456
00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:48.359
all right. Here's a list of the sexual sins that

457
00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:53.359
are mentioned or condemned and just Genesis and Exodus. First Genesis,

458
00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:57.000
chapter twelve, ten through twenty and Chapter twenty, verses one

459
00:28:57.039 --> 00:29:02.279
through eighteen. We have adultery. Abraham's wife Sarah's taken into

460
00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:06.279
Pharaoh and later a Bimelech's household, suggesting a potential for adultery,

461
00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:08.599
though God does intervene, which we can have all kinds

462
00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:11.279
of discussion. This act shows the risk of adultery when

463
00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.240
Sarah's presented as Abraham's sister, So almost immediately we have

464
00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:19.759
the possibility of adultery being mentioned. Wait, you're gonna take

465
00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:22.680
her and she's not really your wife? And okay, already

466
00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:27.440
adulteres being at least hinted at. We have rape in

467
00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:32.039
Genesis nineteen five through eight, and sodom men try to

468
00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:35.119
force themselves on lots of visitors angels Lot offers his

469
00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:38.519
daughters in their place, highlighting the perversion of Sodom's people.

470
00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:41.480
So we have rape. Now, well, we could even go

471
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:44.920
into we could go into some other things about Well, yeah,

472
00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:47.720
there's other things we could go into. But already we

473
00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:50.599
have adultery and rape, and we're just now in Genesis nineteen.

474
00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:56.319
We have adultery in rape. Then we jump to Genesis

475
00:29:56.440 --> 00:30:00.000
chapter nineteen Versus thirty through thirty six, we have in sessions.

476
00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:04.319
Some would refer to this as incestuous rape. Lot's daughters

477
00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:07.400
get him drunk. Obviously he therefore he cannot give consent,

478
00:30:07.559 --> 00:30:10.880
so that would be rape. It's an incest because it's

479
00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:13.319
his daughters. They get him drunk and they sleep with

480
00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:16.920
him to conceive children, resulting in the birth of Moab

481
00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:20.559
and Ammon. The act of incest is viewed as im moral.

482
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:24.039
So just now we're just up to Genesis nineteen. You

483
00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:27.200
have adultery, we have rape, and we have incestuous rape.

484
00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:33.519
Nineteen chapters of the first Book of the Bible. Well,

485
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:37.240
then we have the rape and violation of Dinah Genesis

486
00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:40.039
thirty four one through two. Shechem, the son of Hamar

487
00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:43.880
the Hitte, rapes Dinah, Jacob's daughter. The incident leads to

488
00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:48.000
her brother seeking vengeance by killing the men of Shechem's town. Right,

489
00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:51.680
so we have rape, Right, we had incestuous rape. Now

490
00:30:51.680 --> 00:30:53.720
we have rape. How about net we have adultery and

491
00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:57.000
attempted adultrey. In Genesis thirty nine, Potiphar's wife Trust has

492
00:30:57.079 --> 00:31:00.799
seduced Joseph, but he resists her attempt. Her attempt adultery

493
00:31:00.920 --> 00:31:04.720
is condemned, and Joseph is portrayed as righteous for fleeing

494
00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:09.279
the temptation. So we have adul attempted adulterree. There. Then,

495
00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:12.880
in Genesis thirty eight, fifteen through eighteen, we have prostitution.

496
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:16.759
Judah mistakes his daughter in law Tamar, for a prostitute

497
00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:19.400
and sleeps with her. The act highlights the sexual and

498
00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:22.759
morality of prostitution, although the situation is complex due to

499
00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:26.079
Judah's prior neglect of Tamar's right to marry his son.

500
00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:28.480
But you even have the idea of thinking someone's a

501
00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:34.319
prostitute already in Genesis thirty eight. So early on in

502
00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:38.200
the recorded history of humans in the Bible, after the Fall,

503
00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:42.240
sexual sin just starts showing up in all kinds of way. Adultery, rape,

504
00:31:42.559 --> 00:31:49.759
incest a, prostitution, all of this going on. Genesis thirty eight,

505
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.440
thirteen through twenty six incestuous relationship. Judah knowingly sleeps with

506
00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:57.359
his daughter in law Tamar, while Tamar's actions are part

507
00:31:57.400 --> 00:32:00.319
of seeking justice for being denied offspring the relations so

508
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:04.319
the relationship itself is condemned, as is incestuous. So we

509
00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:07.640
have incest, we have rape, we have adultery, We have

510
00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:11.599
all of this going on. How about in Genesis, if

511
00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:14.960
we go to Genesis four nineteen, Genesis sixteen one through four,

512
00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:18.000
and Genesis twenty nine, twenty one through thirty, we have polygamy.

513
00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:22.480
Polygamy occurs throughout Genesis, including Laymack Abraham taking Hagar as

514
00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:24.720
a concubine. Now we could say that when he sleeps

515
00:32:24.759 --> 00:32:27.480
with Hagar, do we reference that as sexual violence and rape?

516
00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:29.440
Because I don't think she could give much consent. So

517
00:32:29.480 --> 00:32:32.519
even that, we've got problems going on. Jacob marrying Leah

518
00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:36.119
and Rachel, although not explicitly condemned, the narrative surrounding polygamy

519
00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:39.720
often depict resulting strife and dysfunction, such as jealousy between

520
00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:42.680
Rachel and Leah. So we have polygamy going on, we

521
00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:45.359
have incest going on, we have rape going on, we

522
00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:47.960
have adultery going on, and we're just in the first

523
00:32:47.960 --> 00:32:52.240
book of the Bible. Oh, in Genesis nineteen five, we

524
00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:55.519
have homosexuality. The men of subdom attempted to engage in

525
00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:58.000
homosexual acts with Lot's guests, which is part of the

526
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.880
wickedness that leads to the destruction of sodom. So now

527
00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:03.200
we have homosexuality, and just now, let's not forget a

528
00:33:03.279 --> 00:33:05.519
Lot offering up his daughters for them to do whatever

529
00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:07.839
they want. I don't know where we even classify that.

530
00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:09.920
Where do we even count that? I don't know. I

531
00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:14.400
don't even know where. You tell me where you classify that. Then,

532
00:33:14.440 --> 00:33:18.000
in Genesis twenty twelve we have incestuous marriage. Abraham marries

533
00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:21.200
his half sister Sarah, which, while not condemned in Genesis,

534
00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:24.079
is later prohibited by the law of Moses. Now we

535
00:33:24.119 --> 00:33:27.359
come to the book of Exodus. Exodus twenty fourteen, adultery

536
00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:32.599
is condemned. We have Exodus twenty seventeen coveting another spouse,

537
00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:36.039
the tenth Commandment forbids coveting your neighbor's wife, which indirectly

538
00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:40.160
addresses sexual sin related to lust and envy. Next, sexual

539
00:33:40.240 --> 00:33:45.519
relations with animals Exodus twenty two nineteen. Beastiality is specifically

540
00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:48.759
condemned and carries the death death penalty. Now you're in

541
00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:53.160
Exodus twenty two, and a law has to be passed

542
00:33:53.720 --> 00:33:57.799
about bestiality, A law has to be mentioned about people

543
00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:05.839
sleeping with animals. Come on, now, that means there was

544
00:34:05.880 --> 00:34:11.800
a problem. That means there was an issue. I mean, like,

545
00:34:11.840 --> 00:34:13.519
I don't know what else we have to do. I

546
00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:20.599
mean that's insane. Next, prostitution Exodus twenty two, sixteen through seventeen.

547
00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:23.920
Although not explicitly mentioned as prostitution, there's a law aby

548
00:34:23.960 --> 00:34:26.880
seducing a virgin and the requirement to marry her or

549
00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:30.599
compensate her father, which could imply situations evolving inappropriate sexual

550
00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:34.840
relations outside of marriage. These examples illustrate various forms of

551
00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:37.519
sexual immorality and how they were viewed in the earliest

552
00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:40.960
Biblical text, often tied to both social and moral consequences.

553
00:34:41.079 --> 00:34:43.880
Many of these acts are later explicitly condemned in the

554
00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:46.920
law given in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. What I want you

555
00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:50.239
to see is sexual sin has been there from the

556
00:34:50.280 --> 00:35:00.039
word go. They didn't need pornography, they didn't need a

557
00:35:00.119 --> 00:35:03.519
our movie, they didn't need a pornographic magazine or a

558
00:35:03.559 --> 00:35:08.239
pornographic website. Because sin, the desire for sex, is inside

559
00:35:08.239 --> 00:35:12.000
of us. It's there it's biological. It's there. And guess

560
00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:14.440
what else is inside of us? Sin? So you have

561
00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:16.760
sin and you have a desire for sex, and guess

562
00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:21.559
what the two they create? Then, well, sexual sin because

563
00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:24.239
well your desire or are you're already going to be

564
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:27.239
wanting to fulfill that biological need, maybe in a way

565
00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:30.159
that God forbids, and then you may act upon it.

566
00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:40.960
This has been going on from the beginning. And you

567
00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:43.480
have Christians, all right, just man, just the problem is

568
00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:45.719
so bad today? The problem is so the problem has

569
00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:51.360
always been bad because we're sexual creatures with sinful natures.

570
00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:55.599
Guess what that means. There's going to be sexual sin.

571
00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:59.880
If just forget sex, forget pornography, forget it, you are sinful.

572
00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:04.320
Therefore you are sinful in your thoughts and your words,

573
00:36:04.559 --> 00:36:08.559
and your deeds and your desires. Your sinful in your relationships.

574
00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:21.719
You're sinful, oh so many ways. The article goes on

575
00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:28.039
to say, beyond the porn phenomenon represents a sobering call

576
00:36:28.159 --> 00:36:31.440
to realize our collective struggle has not improved. In spite

577
00:36:31.480 --> 00:36:33.679
of some initial steps to bring health to the church.

578
00:36:33.960 --> 00:36:36.920
The average Christian is not experiencing freedom in this area.

579
00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:39.400
Seventy five percent of Christian men and forty percent of

580
00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:42.679
Christian women report that they're viewing pornography at least occasionally,

581
00:36:45.239 --> 00:36:48.159
noting that the statistics for pornography use among today's young

582
00:36:48.199 --> 00:36:51.480
adults Generation Z are even worse. While may be more

583
00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:55.079
troubling is that that well over half of Christians who

584
00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:58.119
use porn say they're comfortable with the porn youths. The

585
00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:00.400
reality for those who struggle in the church that they

586
00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:02.800
too often feel like they are alone. When asked who

587
00:37:02.840 --> 00:37:05.840
is helping you with your struggle with pornography, a staggering

588
00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:09.800
eighty two percent of Christians say no one isolation is

589
00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:12.840
the enemy's playground. Well, of course, no one is going

590
00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:16.800
to because what do you do one? Because you're raised

591
00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:20.639
in a Christianity that basically says you should be basically perfect,

592
00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:22.880
Well you're not. See if you were raised in a

593
00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:26.199
situation where you could admit you're a sinner, whatever sin

594
00:37:26.239 --> 00:37:28.880
you're struggling with, nobody here is going to be shocked

595
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:32.719
or surprised because we all are right. But I understand. Look,

596
00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:35.000
I do understand. There has to be a time and

597
00:37:35.119 --> 00:37:37.760
place and how this is done. There's got to be

598
00:37:37.840 --> 00:37:40.440
I know there has to be I know, you can't

599
00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:42.760
just come into the sanctuary and just say, hey, last

600
00:37:42.840 --> 00:37:46.000
night I was I spent forty five minutes on pornhub. Right,

601
00:37:46.039 --> 00:37:48.480
That's and the reason I'm mentioning porn hub just is

602
00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:52.239
because it's literally right here in the article. The artwork

603
00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:55.840
here is porn hub. Okay, So don't everybody else are going, oh,

604
00:37:55.960 --> 00:37:58.360
he knows about porn hub. It's right here in the article,

605
00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:00.519
Ladies and gentlemen, Okay, it's right here in the articles.

606
00:38:00.519 --> 00:38:04.960
Everyone calm down, Okay. So the point is you can't

607
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:10.000
necessarily do that, and I understand that. But even if

608
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:13.639
you create an atmosphere not where everyone has to just

609
00:38:13.760 --> 00:38:17.960
openly admit it, but they can openly admit that they

610
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:21.480
are a sinner and they still sin, and everyone's like, well,

611
00:38:21.519 --> 00:38:24.239
welcome to the club. We're all sinners here, and we're

612
00:38:24.280 --> 00:38:27.599
all struggling with sin. I don't excuse yours, you don't

613
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:31.360
excuse mine. Nobody's making an excuse. But everyone can be like, okay,

614
00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:34.400
all right, this is where sinners meet, and this is

615
00:38:34.400 --> 00:38:36.679
where we confess that we are sinners, and this is

616
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:39.199
where we put our hope and trust in imputed righteousness,

617
00:38:39.400 --> 00:38:42.280
and we look to Jesus Christ for that forgiveness as

618
00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:47.119
we then seek and struggle against these sinful issues, if

619
00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:49.239
we can at least create an atmosphere where people could

620
00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:51.599
be at least admit that much, even if you don't

621
00:38:51.599 --> 00:39:01.679
admit the name of the sin. I know Christians will say, no,

622
00:39:02.039 --> 00:39:04.559
that's the way we present it, But just listen to preaching.

623
00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:08.840
It's almost inevitably basically if you're a Christian. I mean, look,

624
00:39:08.840 --> 00:39:12.840
come on, almost very few churches handle if anyone is

625
00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:14.840
in crisis a new creature. Old things have passed away,

626
00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:17.679
behold all things that become new. Ninety nine percent of

627
00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:20.280
churches do not handle that in even a remotely correct

628
00:39:20.280 --> 00:39:24.079
way that's even attached to reality. They all say, no,

629
00:39:24.159 --> 00:39:26.719
when you become a Christian, you literally become a new creature.

630
00:39:27.519 --> 00:39:30.280
You practically everything has changed and everything is new. Well,

631
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:32.840
we know that that's not true. That is only true

632
00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:36.960
of us positionally. So if you go around telling everyone, hey,

633
00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:39.400
basically you should stop sinning, well, then what do you do?

634
00:39:40.320 --> 00:39:44.599
Now here's the weird part. The people who struggle with

635
00:39:44.679 --> 00:39:48.760
porn will be filled with brokenness, guilt, shame, embarrassment, humiliation.

636
00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:52.159
But all the other people committing fifteen other sins, they

637
00:39:52.199 --> 00:39:55.880
don't feel the same guilt, shame, embarrassment, and humiliation. Why

638
00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:58.880
is it only this sin? That's the point I'm trying

639
00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:02.000
to make. This is not aboutography, This is about sin

640
00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:06.119
in general. The church is filled with sin, not just

641
00:40:06.199 --> 00:40:17.599
this sin. The one of the leaders said, the church

642
00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:19.320
needs to be a place where people can get free

643
00:40:19.320 --> 00:40:22.880
from the troubling habit. So so many Christians have now accepted.

644
00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:25.400
And I think you see it's like, well, the church

645
00:40:25.440 --> 00:40:29.519
is the place where you get free. Well, see that's

646
00:40:29.559 --> 00:40:32.719
such a subjective. You get free from that sin, but

647
00:40:32.719 --> 00:40:34.480
what about the other You're never going to be free

648
00:40:34.480 --> 00:40:37.280
from sin. See that's that's see. It already starts to

649
00:40:37.320 --> 00:40:39.599
meet with the wrong focus. You need to come here

650
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:42.280
to get free. You're never gonna be free from sin

651
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:46.119
until glorification. Now I'm not excusing it, but if you

652
00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:47.960
come in and go, oh, we got to get free

653
00:40:47.960 --> 00:40:49.960
from this sin, well then okay, you get free from

654
00:40:49.960 --> 00:40:51.440
this sin, But what about this sin? This and this

655
00:40:51.559 --> 00:40:54.239
and and this and this and this sin. We got

656
00:40:54.280 --> 00:40:56.760
to start with a more like realistic idea. Okay, we're

657
00:40:56.760 --> 00:40:59.559
never going to be free from sin. But this particular

658
00:40:59.599 --> 00:41:05.679
sin could have the following negative consequences. Right, could hurt

659
00:41:05.679 --> 00:41:08.039
your marriage, could hurt your relationship. We could get into

660
00:41:08.039 --> 00:41:11.280
all the possible negative consequences that could come arise from it,

661
00:41:11.360 --> 00:41:14.119
and we can talk about that and then struggle with it.

662
00:41:15.199 --> 00:41:17.480
But I think you go into it though. Just realize,

663
00:41:17.480 --> 00:41:19.840
even if you get free from this, you're not free

664
00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:30.039
from sin. They go on to say, some sixty two

665
00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:32.760
percent of individuals surveyed in the study in general express

666
00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:36.039
comfort with their level of porn consumption. Another sixteen percent

667
00:41:36.079 --> 00:41:38.400
said they had some reservations about it, but said they

668
00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:41.800
found moderate levels of use acceptable. This group still wish

669
00:41:41.880 --> 00:41:45.159
they did not use pornography as frequently. The study further

670
00:41:45.239 --> 00:41:48.880
highlighted how comfortable people have become with pornography. Only fourteen

671
00:41:48.920 --> 00:41:53.280
percent expressed a desire to kick the habit entirely. Gen Z, though,

672
00:41:53.480 --> 00:41:56.440
those individuals born between nineteen ninety nine and twenty fifteen

673
00:41:56.760 --> 00:41:59.360
are the least likely to say that we're comfortable using

674
00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:02.519
hang on, so gen Z, those individuals born between nineteen

675
00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:05.679
ninety nine and twenty fifteen were the least likely to

676
00:42:05.679 --> 00:42:09.480
say that we're comfortable using pornography. That's interesting Nearly forty

677
00:42:09.559 --> 00:42:12.280
nine percent of practicing Christians who are also porn users

678
00:42:12.320 --> 00:42:14.719
said they were comfortable with their level of use, compared

679
00:42:14.760 --> 00:42:17.519
to seventy three percent of non Christians. Another twenty one

680
00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:20.760
percent expressed a desire to completely abstain. Still, a majority

681
00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:23.800
of US adults believe that regular porn use, which most use,

682
00:42:24.239 --> 00:42:27.039
which most won't get into what they all use it for.

683
00:42:28.119 --> 00:42:31.280
Most believe has no impact on their overall sexual health

684
00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:33.360
and claim that they can regularly view porn and live

685
00:42:33.400 --> 00:42:36.559
a sexually healthy life. This view is held more strongly

686
00:42:36.599 --> 00:42:40.480
by men seventy five percent women fifty nine percent. Practicing

687
00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:44.280
Christians are less likely to agree compared to the general population. Still,

688
00:42:44.320 --> 00:42:47.719
more than half of practicing Christians fifty five percent agree

689
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.480
a person can regularly view pornography and live a sexually

690
00:42:50.519 --> 00:42:54.239
healthy life. Researchers noted additionally, a majority of US adults

691
00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:57.880
sixty percent, agree that watching pornography can improve a person's

692
00:42:57.920 --> 00:43:00.400
sex life. This sentiment is shared by almost half of

693
00:43:00.440 --> 00:43:11.320
practicing Christians forty eight percent. To help the church address

694
00:43:11.840 --> 00:43:16.440
pornography problem among the pews, researchers encourage leaders to, among

695
00:43:16.519 --> 00:43:20.719
other things, partner with experts prioritize education and awareness, and

696
00:43:20.760 --> 00:43:24.480
create a safe space for people to get real. Ultimately,

697
00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:26.280
the church is meant to be a source for hope

698
00:43:26.360 --> 00:43:29.280
for people facing all sorts of challenges in life, including

699
00:43:29.280 --> 00:43:33.280
struggles with pornography. By addressing the issue had on with care, understanding,

700
00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:36.079
and practical support, churches can fulfill their role as a

701
00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:39.440
place of healing and restoration. They said. Even small steps

702
00:43:39.440 --> 00:43:42.480
towards openness and support can make a significant impact in

703
00:43:42.519 --> 00:43:45.559
the lives of those struggling. That's the last paragraph. You

704
00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:48.119
immediately go to the comments and they're like, these people

705
00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:51.480
aren't real Christians. Well, guess what. You're not going to

706
00:43:51.559 --> 00:43:54.159
find any love and support in a church when immediately

707
00:43:54.159 --> 00:43:56.239
you're saying you're not a real Christian. And what I

708
00:43:56.280 --> 00:43:58.440
love is the people in the comments who say they're

709
00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:01.079
not real Christians. But I guess it's the sin they commit.

710
00:44:01.280 --> 00:44:03.320
They are still real Christians. So you can be a

711
00:44:03.360 --> 00:44:06.159
real Christian and commit these sins. You just can't be

712
00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:10.280
a real Christian and commit that sin. That just shows

713
00:44:10.320 --> 00:44:20.079
you how utterly messed up Christianity is. Now again everyone's

714
00:44:20.079 --> 00:44:24.119
going to make this about pornography. You're missing the point.

715
00:44:24.760 --> 00:44:28.559
The point is This article about pornography is simply a

716
00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:34.559
practical piece of evidence to support my overall claim, which

717
00:44:34.679 --> 00:44:38.280
is we are sinners. We're going to continue to sin,

718
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:41.159
and we live in perpetual sin, and we cannot keep

719
00:44:41.199 --> 00:44:44.760
the law of God because God's law, God's standard is

720
00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:50.159
perfection internally and externally and thought, word, deed, desire, and action,

721
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:53.320
and we cannot do it, we never will do it.

722
00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:56.719
We live therefore in a perpetual state of sin. That's

723
00:44:57.000 --> 00:45:01.199
reality that is not debatable, that can cannot be argued

724
00:45:01.400 --> 00:45:04.039
unless you claim that you are sinless. And if you

725
00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:07.480
claim you're sinless, then you've got a major problem because

726
00:45:07.480 --> 00:45:14.519
you're diluted and you're out of your ever living mind. Now,

727
00:45:14.639 --> 00:45:17.079
how do we live the Christian life where you admit

728
00:45:17.760 --> 00:45:21.320
I'm a sinner. I admit I'm a sinner, and we're like, well,

729
00:45:21.360 --> 00:45:27.239
we're sinners together. Now, how do we proceed moving forward? Well,

730
00:45:27.239 --> 00:45:33.639
we don't proceed by pretending something that's not real. And

731
00:45:33.679 --> 00:45:36.840
the first thing we're going to need is a good

732
00:45:36.960 --> 00:45:39.400
grasp on imputed righteousness, and we're going to have to

733
00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:41.360
cling to that with everything that we have. That's the

734
00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:44.159
only thing that's going to give us any hope and

735
00:45:44.199 --> 00:45:47.039
we know, so we can cling to imputed righteousness that

736
00:45:47.119 --> 00:45:50.400
gives me hope in the present. Right, Okay, my salvation

737
00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:52.039
has nothing to do with what I do or don't do.

738
00:45:52.159 --> 00:45:54.159
It's all about what Christ did. Christ save me with

739
00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:57.000
an imputed righteousness, not an infused righteousness. So I'm still

740
00:45:57.039 --> 00:45:58.679
a sinner, So sin is what I'm going to do.

741
00:45:58.800 --> 00:46:01.239
We can at least grab onto this imputed righteousness. We

742
00:46:01.280 --> 00:46:04.000
can look towards the future when there'll come a time

743
00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:06.400
where I will have a glorified body and there'll be

744
00:46:06.480 --> 00:46:08.320
no more sin. Okay, so there's going to be a

745
00:46:08.639 --> 00:46:12.239
time I'm going to be free. I'm right now, positionally free.

746
00:46:12.400 --> 00:46:16.519
Practically though, between being saved by an imputed righteousness and

747
00:46:16.559 --> 00:46:20.599
positionally perfect and glorification, well then I'll be made perfect.

748
00:46:21.280 --> 00:46:26.000
And between is this great valley of sin and failure

749
00:46:26.639 --> 00:46:33.119
and humiliation and ups and downs. Now, how do we

750
00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:39.320
live in that valley? Well, we don't want to come

751
00:46:39.320 --> 00:46:43.239
into the valley and say, hey, do whatever you want.

752
00:46:46.159 --> 00:46:49.400
At the same time, we got to admit it, no

753
00:46:49.400 --> 00:46:51.360
matter how many victories we have, we're going to still

754
00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:53.239
be in the perpetual state of sin, because that's just

755
00:46:53.280 --> 00:46:57.239
a reality. I don't have some easy solution for it,

756
00:46:58.320 --> 00:47:02.679
but I know the ones we cannot have is creating

757
00:47:02.719 --> 00:47:06.840
a fake idea that Christianity is something. Then it Then

758
00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:10.039
it is, because we've been doing that for a very

759
00:47:10.079 --> 00:47:19.400
long time, and we're not fooling anybody. We're not fooling anyone.

760
00:47:21.679 --> 00:47:25.119
Purity culture tried to convince everyone, and it didn't work.

761
00:47:25.280 --> 00:47:31.039
It failed. Many of the major proponents of some of

762
00:47:31.039 --> 00:47:39.800
those ideologies apologized for them. Now does God call us

763
00:47:39.840 --> 00:47:45.400
to holiness? Yes, that's law, and we immediately see we

764
00:47:45.440 --> 00:47:48.440
can't do it. So then we need christ imputed righteousness. Okay,

765
00:47:48.599 --> 00:47:52.719
right now, But how do we do in the meantime, Well,

766
00:47:52.760 --> 00:47:55.199
we got to just be able to be honest and struggle.

767
00:47:55.400 --> 00:47:56.719
But I don't I think we have to just be

768
00:47:56.760 --> 00:47:58.559
able to one to look, okay, man, that person's in

769
00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:02.639
that's not good, all right. So what we do, Well,

770
00:48:02.679 --> 00:48:04.280
you can throw them out of the Kingdom of God,

771
00:48:04.320 --> 00:48:06.840
which is our first thought. You can immediately start saying, well,

772
00:48:06.880 --> 00:48:08.400
now you can never do this, and you can never

773
00:48:08.440 --> 00:48:10.079
do this, and give them a list of all the

774
00:48:10.079 --> 00:48:13.639
supposed rules that they're disqualified from based off our own imagination.

775
00:48:13.760 --> 00:48:16.440
Because scripture never really gives us that list of how

776
00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:19.280
it works. Okay, how about we just do this instead

777
00:48:19.280 --> 00:48:22.679
of worrying about that. We're like, okay, we need a medic.

778
00:48:23.559 --> 00:48:26.159
I talk about this all the time. Christianity should be

779
00:48:26.199 --> 00:48:29.639
filled with battlefield medics. Right, you got the red Cross

780
00:48:29.639 --> 00:48:32.840
on your arm, you got your medical kid, Right, you're

781
00:48:32.840 --> 00:48:36.280
in the battlefield. Someone goes down, they just got their

782
00:48:36.360 --> 00:48:39.280
leg blown off. They got there, We need a medic,

783
00:48:39.480 --> 00:48:42.400
and you come running not to go, well, you idiot,

784
00:48:42.599 --> 00:48:45.320
you're probably not even a real soldier. What are you doing.

785
00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:47.960
You're now disqualified from ever being in the military. How

786
00:48:48.000 --> 00:48:50.960
about we just stop that and say I'm here to help.

787
00:48:51.320 --> 00:48:53.519
Here we go, we got to stop the bleeding. Okay,

788
00:48:53.519 --> 00:48:55.559
we got to do this. Okay, we gotta do all right.

789
00:48:55.599 --> 00:48:57.519
We need to get you transported back, and then we

790
00:48:57.559 --> 00:48:59.760
need to get you, you know, ara of backed out

791
00:48:59.800 --> 00:49:01.880
so we can get you more care because we're going

792
00:49:01.920 --> 00:49:09.599
to need extensive surgery. But we saved the life. We

793
00:49:09.599 --> 00:49:10.800
don't want to save love. We don't want to be

794
00:49:10.840 --> 00:49:13.360
battlefilm medics. We want to go like, oh, oh they

795
00:49:13.360 --> 00:49:18.000
did what, Well, let me go tell everyone what they did. Now,

796
00:49:18.079 --> 00:49:20.719
let's all sit in our podcast and YouTube channels and

797
00:49:20.760 --> 00:49:23.320
bind the pulpit and pass judgment on what they did.

798
00:49:24.480 --> 00:49:26.480
Let's see if we can add more shame and humility.

799
00:49:26.559 --> 00:49:28.239
Let's se if we can kick them and destroy them

800
00:49:28.280 --> 00:49:30.400
and kick them out of the body of Christ. Let's

801
00:49:30.400 --> 00:49:32.440
not come to pick them up and to help them. No,

802
00:49:32.880 --> 00:49:35.639
let's use it as now. Nobody else does this, because

803
00:49:35.679 --> 00:49:43.199
if you do it, see what happens to you now.

804
00:49:43.239 --> 00:49:47.400
I wish Christianity was a system that when you get saved, boom,

805
00:49:47.840 --> 00:49:50.400
the old is completely gone. You're completely new, and you

806
00:49:50.440 --> 00:49:53.159
can you can basically stop so you can stop sinning.

807
00:49:53.280 --> 00:49:55.920
Wouldn't that be great if the minute you became a

808
00:49:55.960 --> 00:49:59.039
Christian God removed your sinful nature and you never sinned again.

809
00:49:59.320 --> 00:50:08.840
Wouldn't that be the greatest thing in the world. I've

810
00:50:08.840 --> 00:50:11.559
said it before and I'll say it again. I'm just

811
00:50:11.599 --> 00:50:17.519
a sinner with a microphone. And you know why I'm

812
00:50:17.519 --> 00:50:20.920
a sinner with a microphone, because there's a lot of sinners. Listen.

813
00:50:20.920 --> 00:50:23.920
Who needs to listen to a center with a microphone

814
00:50:24.079 --> 00:50:26.639
Because I'm a sinner, You're a sinner, and we're just

815
00:50:26.679 --> 00:50:29.159
sinners trying to figure this out and what we have

816
00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:30.920
to do is start with the reality of what we

817
00:50:30.960 --> 00:50:38.960
are sinners. And it seems the primary means in which

818
00:50:38.960 --> 00:50:41.480
God has addressed our sin is in the finished work

819
00:50:41.559 --> 00:50:43.840
of his son, Jesus Christ, and by putting our faith

820
00:50:43.840 --> 00:50:46.519
in him, his perfect righteousness is imputed in my account.

821
00:50:46.800 --> 00:50:49.440
He does not change me, he does not infuse it.

822
00:50:49.440 --> 00:50:52.199
It's imputed. And I'm declared to be that which I

823
00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:57.920
am not. And he promises me there'll come a day

824
00:50:58.639 --> 00:51:02.039
that I will be transformed, changed, and no more the

825
00:51:02.039 --> 00:51:04.840
body of sin will be completely gone. But in the meantime,

826
00:51:09.159 --> 00:51:17.760
sin is what happens. Now, don't leave here making this

827
00:51:17.880 --> 00:51:21.559
about pornography. Just make it about the reality of sin.

828
00:51:22.800 --> 00:51:25.079
And if you hear this and you're struggling with pornography,

829
00:51:25.480 --> 00:51:30.480
well we're all struggling with sin of some sort. We

830
00:51:30.599 --> 00:51:32.480
all are. And you say, well, what's the Is there

831
00:51:32.480 --> 00:51:35.559
a magical solution? Well, first, just submit you struggle with sin,

832
00:51:36.159 --> 00:51:39.519
cling to that imputed righteousness. And then, of course, I mean,

833
00:51:40.800 --> 00:51:43.639
it's the same simple steps that are offered for any

834
00:51:43.960 --> 00:51:47.199
even the world offers the same steps for behavioral modification.

835
00:51:47.320 --> 00:51:49.679
We'll do this and don't do this, and do this

836
00:51:49.800 --> 00:51:51.719
and have this, and well, you can make all of

837
00:51:51.760 --> 00:51:54.719
the you know, all those things if you would so

838
00:51:54.840 --> 00:52:00.800
to do so. But there's no magical step. Now Christians

839
00:52:00.800 --> 00:52:04.119
will say, read your Bible more, pray more, and give

840
00:52:04.159 --> 00:52:06.519
you more law to try to keep, and then you'll

841
00:52:06.559 --> 00:52:10.079
just have more sins to confess. I don't read enough,

842
00:52:10.079 --> 00:52:12.360
I don't pray enough, I don't go to church enough,

843
00:52:12.400 --> 00:52:14.760
I don't do this enough. You'll just find out that

844
00:52:14.840 --> 00:52:17.960
you while you're so, you'll stop worrying about pornography because

845
00:52:17.960 --> 00:52:20.960
you'll realize the thirty seven thousand other sins that you're committee.

846
00:52:23.960 --> 00:52:28.519
All Right, there you go. I don't know if that

847
00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:30.960
was of help. I just think it fits perfectly well

848
00:52:30.960 --> 00:52:36.960
what we've been talking about, and it's just proof of

849
00:52:37.000 --> 00:52:40.440
what I've been saying. But it doesn't have to be

850
00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:43.079
about pornography. It could be about literally any sin. It

851
00:52:43.119 --> 00:52:48.639
literally could be gossip, slander, false witness, coveteousness, bitterness, unforgiveness,

852
00:52:48.719 --> 00:52:51.079
not loving your enemy, not turning the other cheek. I

853
00:52:51.079 --> 00:52:54.679
could just do not doing all things without grumbling and complaining.

854
00:52:55.599 --> 00:53:02.000
I mean, you don't rejoice always. I mean the list

855
00:53:02.119 --> 00:53:05.480
is so long that we could break every one of

856
00:53:05.480 --> 00:53:08.440
those sins down into percentages. The majority of Christians commit

857
00:53:08.519 --> 00:53:11.400
this sin. The majority of Christians commit this sin. The

858
00:53:11.400 --> 00:53:15.800
majority of Christians commit this sin, no matter which sin

859
00:53:15.840 --> 00:53:18.159
it is. The majority of Christians committed in some way,

860
00:53:18.159 --> 00:53:20.960
shape or form, because that's what we do. All right,

861
00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:23.920
Thanks for listening, everyone, have a great day. I'll stop there.

862
00:53:24.440 --> 00:53:27.320
I think I've hopefully made the point. God bless