Porn Sunday - Week 1 Series

Porn Sunday #1

© 2008 Eric Bain

NOTE: The following sermon is available in audio format at www.sanctuary-church.com

Well good morning and welcome to what we are calling Porn Sunday, here at Sanctuary! If you’re a first time visitor, maybe you’re new to Christianity, and you came because you saw one of our flyers that said… PORN! I don’t want to disappoint you… we’re not actually showing any porn here this morning – although that probably attract a large number of visitors… (act as if you’re thinking about it) No – we’re not going to do that! Nonetheless, the plan for this morning is to talk about pornography from a Christian… theological… perspective. Lord knows…

• I am not an expert on Pornography…

• And I’m not a counselor…

• I’m not a sociologist…

• But what I do know a lot about, is Christian Theology.

In other words, I’ve spent an awful lot of time studying, and learning, and thinking about what the Bible has to say about…

• God…

• About us…

• And what it means to be true, Follower of Christ.

So today, I’m going to talk about that… in regard to pornography & sexuality. And what that means, is that if you don’t have a Bible… you’re going to want to grab one. Because we’re going to be looking at several different passages.

In fact, you can open up to the book Matthew, Chapter 5, verse 5 (page ______ )

While your doing that, let me just answer one question that you may be wondering, and that’s this… Why we are having… a Porn Sunday?

• Well, the simple answer is… You guys have asked me to!

• Maybe not all of you, but what I want you to know, is that over the past 3 years – and especially in this last year – I’ve had numerous people – both men & women that have told me that pornography is a major issue in both their spiritual and relational lives.

• Which isn’t all that shocking when you consider that porn is a $57 Billion dollar industry.

o Many of you just got done watching the Super Bowl last Sunday. You know that companies spent huge amounts of money to air television commercials during the game. What may surprise, however, is to learn that Porn revenue is larger than the revenues of all professional football, baseball, and basketball franchises… COMBINED!

o Friends… Porn is huge!

Now, maybe you’re sitting there thinking… Yeah, but we’re Christians!

• We’re saved by Jesus!

• Our men are Promise… Keepers!

OK… but maybe it would surprise you to know that…

• Promise Keepers did a survey… and 53% of their men admitted to viewing porn… in the last week!

• And in one survey of Christians… 47% - nearly half – said that porn is a major problem in their home!

Friends, what that means, is that many of us in this room are suffering… and we’re suffering in silence. But the irony is… Jesus came to bring about an end to suffering. To bring about healing. So if that’s the case… what does our Christian Theology have to say about Porn?

• I think we really need to talk about this!

• I think we need to talk about it here… in church.

• And I think we really need to know what the Bible has to say about this issue.

And so that’s what we’re going to do.

So… what’s my ultimate hope in this? What do I hope to achieve today?

Well, my hope for you today, is nothing more than this… that through our conversation… and the power of the Holy Spirit… all of you will have a greater understanding of what the Christian faith as to say about Pornography.

But that’s not all… I’m also hoping that some of you… will experience the beginning… to the end of your suffering.

Let me say that again…

I hope that some of you…

Will experience the beginning… to the end of your suffering.

Now, that being said… I recognize that the beginning of a journey… is sometimes the most painful part!

• Truth is… some of you don’t even know… that you’re on this journey yet.

• And finding out… might rock your world.

Those of you that have already begun such journeys… know exactly what I’m talking about.

• So I want to ask you – If you’ve already begun such a journey – to be praying for the people sitting next to you.

But for now… let’s all PRAY!

Open your Bibles to the book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 27 (page ______ )

MT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.