Kingdom Sex Series

On a December Sunday afternoon in northeastern Pennsylvania several years ago (2005), Pedro Sainvil sent two of his two children, ages 8 and 9, outside to play in the snow. Several minutes later, they rushed back into the house screaming, “Dad! Dad! There's a bear under the house!”

Sure enough, when Sainvil went to investigate, he saw a 700-pound black bear sleeping under his porch. It had settled there to hibernate for the winter. Sainvil and his wife were very concerned, because they had two elementary school-aged children and five-month-old twins. Sainvil's mother also lived in the house with them.

Local authorities were also worried. The State Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said, “The fact that this is across from a school bus stop heightens the concern.” They were able to remove the bear, but before that happened, Sainvil's mother said: “It's very scary. I'm just praying that he'll take off. It's like a bomb under the house.” (Dan Berrett, “An Unbearable Guest,” Pocono Record, 12-6-05; www.PreachingToday.com)

This morning, I want to talk about the “bear under the house” of many people in the church and in our world. That “bear” is pornography, and it can be very destructive to whole families, to children, and to the individuals that indulge it.

According to The Barna Group and Covenant Eyes: Over 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. The average visit lasts 6 minutes and 29 seconds; 47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home; Pornography use increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300%; Eleven is the average age that a child is first exposed to porn, and 94% of children will see porn by the age of 14; 56% of American divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites; 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn. This is not only a problem for men. Women too are increasingly viewing porn; 33% of women aged 25-and-under search for porn at least once per month; Now, only 13% of self-identified Christian women say they never watch porn, but that means that 87% of Christian women have watched porn; 55% of married men and 25% of married women say they watch porn at least once a month; 57% of pastors say porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation. And 69% say porn has adversely impacted the church. (Luke Gibbons, 15 Mind-Blowing Statistics About Pornography And The Church, https://conquerseries.com/15-mind-blowing-statistics-about-pornography-and-the-church/)

Pornography is a huge issue, like the “bear under the house,” which we tend to ignore in the church to our own detriment, but no more. Jesus addresses the issue as part of his Sermon on the Mount, so let’s take a look at what He has to say. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 5, Matthew 5, where Jesus is very clear about sex in His Kingdom.

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (ESV)

The experts in the Law focused on the outward act of adultery, but Jesus focuses on the heart. It’s not enough just to refrain from sex with someone you’re not married to. Jesus wants His followers to not even indulge the thought of it. He makes it very clear...

DON’T LOOK!

Don’t look at a woman, other than your wife, to lust after her. I.e., don’t look at a woman with the deliberate intention of fantasizing sex with her.

The key word here is “lust,” which in the original Greek simply means a “strong desire.” Now, depending on the object of that desire, it can be a positive or a negative thing. In Matthew 13:17, Jesus talked about the prophets who “longed to see” what His disciples saw. They longed to see the Messiah that they wrote about years before He came. It’s the same word translated “lust” here in Matthew 5, and that’s the right desire, the desire to see Jesus! However, when you look at a woman, who is not your wife, with the longing or desire to have sex with her, that’s the wrong desire.

Now, the desire for sex and the pleasure derived from it is right and normal. God created sex and called it “very good” in Genesis 1. In fact, the entire book of the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament celebrates sex within the context of marriage. So Jesus is NOT saying, “Don’t desire sex at all.” No! He is saying, “Don’t look at a woman, who is not your wife, ‘with the deliberate intention of lusting after her’ (Barclay), or of longing for sex with her.