Irene Pepperberg, a visiting professor of animal behavior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is teaching a parrot how to surf the Internet. "Parrots are very social creatures," she says, but people who own them "leave them alone eight or nine hours a day." She says that leads to boredom and stress, and that leads to behavioral problems. She is developing special bird-enabled software, "InterPet Explorer", to make it easier for the animals to find sites of interest, such as those showing wildlife and music, or perhaps even chat rooms populated only by animals.
-That’s all I need - my dog, Snuggles, coming up to me and saying “Dad, can you punch in the credit card number. I found some rawhide chew bones on the Internet that will help me reduce stress and boredom”. Or, “Can we take a walk. I met a bull dog in an internet chat room and he just lives right down the street.”
-But stress and boredom have led to behavioral problems in humans as well. Satan has geared modern technology to offer internet sites and videos and DVDs that fit with his perfect plan of offering alternatives to God’s peace and love and joy. Satan’s plan is to get all men entangled in some form of pornography.
-No longer does a man or young man need to go into some seedy adult bookstore to view x-rated materials, the so-called adult entertainment industry now pumps the stuff right into our homes. This morning I want to talk about the dangers of and freedom from pornography.
-Uncomfortable topic – It was very late in the week before I had this message topic nailed down- I felt no peace trying to figure out what God wanted me to talk about – nothing seemed right. Then I literally felt a strong impression to “look in my Men’s Group folder on my computer for the topic I want you to speak on”. (By the way, I hope my saying that I believe I received an impression from God is a turn off for you – we have no problem talking about the strong impressions Satan gives us – What Christian or Christian leader would deny that Satan gives us strong impressions in the form of temptations – for instance - “go look on the internet for pornography” – why would we have a problem in believing that God gives us strong impressions?)
-Anyway, because of this impression I went into my Men’s Group folder on my computer and looked through many topics and finally I found some material we had discussed in the past on pornography. I had always felt it was only proper to talk about pornography. in the context of a men’s group but God seemed to be making it clear to me that He wanted me to talk about it this Sunday morning.
It is impossible to fully equip men or teenage young men without addressing this subject. We will address this topic more next Sunday night at our video seminar., “Every Young Man’s Battle” by Steve Arteburn. We invite all the men to come and if you have a teenage son - please bring him. Teenage boys, I really encourage you to come.
Perhaps the most enslaving aspect of the sin of pornography is secrecy. SO that is why the Lord wanted me to bring it out into the open this morning.
-Did you know that some of the best business minds in the country are working really hard to get you and your sons hooked on pornography. Some have called it - The Mainstreaming of Pornography – 60 Minutes did a story on this last Sunday night.
Consider these facts:
*Sales of sexual films in hotel rooms, homes, and online has become a $10 billion industry, according to Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass.
*General Motors, the world’s largest company, now sells more graphic sex films through its DirecTV subsidiary than does Hustler pornographer Larry Flynt, according to distributors of the films
*EchoStar Communications Corp., the No. 2 satellite provider, makes more money selling sex films than Playboy does with its magazines, cable, and Internet businesses, records from the companies show.
The sex business in America is estimated to be a $13 billion-a-year industry. It is estimated that 60% of all web sites are pornographic and that Americans spent $220 million in 2002 at fee-based adult web sites. By the year 2005, the amount is expected to reach $320 million. There are many free sites that are designed to get you hooked to become a paying customer.
-I don’t know that it is “Every Young Man’s Battle” but 90% of born-again Christians have said that they have had problems in relating to God or to other people because of shame and guilt over pornography.
-You may not have a problem with pornography – but other secret sins? –shopping; debt spending; overeating
How to overcome a secret sin:
1) Confess your sin to another person (James 5:16).
2) Stand in His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
3) Flee temptation, fill up with God (2 Timothy 2:22).
4) Walk in His power (Galatians 5:16).
1) Confess to another person (James 5:16).
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
we will never confess to God or man something that we are excusing or rationalizing
-Sexual lust is not OK–
1) Sexual lust is a sin - the Pharisees thought that as long as they didn’t commit adultery, they could think about it all they wanted to
- Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-30 - “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 lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
-men are primarily tempted through their eyes, that is why Job took a strong stance before temptation: -Job 31:1 – “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” -Men will be tempted a lot in this area because men are moved through their eyes. Remember temptation isn’t a sin but dwelling on and receiving that temptation is a sin. Martin Luther said, “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from building a nest in your hair”.
2) Sexual lust is not an essential part of being a man – ‘boys will be boys”.
-Often deer hunting lodges or automotive repair shops are full of pornographic pictures as if lust equals masculinity.
-In today’s world because of the proliferation of the homosexual lifestyle, some men feel the need to prove to others or themselves that they are not gay
3) There is no acceptable amount of sexual lust.
-so confess to another - bring the sin out into the open – get help
-ask someone to keep you accountable – to call at least once a week and ask “how you are doing”
How to overcome a secret sin:
1) Confess your sin to another person (James 5:16).
2) Stand in His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- we need forgiven – -we need cleansed - God doesn’t hold our sin against us.
-Remember that unconfessed sin:
1) Causes God to judge our sin
-1 Corinthians 11:27-32 - Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself… if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
-God sees in secret – He will judge us and bring discipline and hardship into our lives.
-Personal story – when we had just gotten the internet about 10 years ago, I gave into temptation to look at a pornographic website. I knew it was wrong and I felt guilty afterwards but at the very moment that night when I was looking at those images, someone was breaking into my truck and stealing many of my tools for my construction business – about $300 worth of tools. It was hard not to interpret that coincidence of events as a discipline from the Lord. I am not saying that every time we have a theft or a hardship that God is disciplining us –but in this instance, God made it clear to me that He wanted me to stay free of pornography. God can and does judge us if we don’t judge ourselves. He does this to steer us away from evil – it is a good thing.
Unconfessed sin:
2) Creates crippling guilt
-2 Peter 1:9 - For he who lacks these qualities (self-control, love, endurance, etc) is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
-Guilt has a role – like nerve endings in the body – guilt signifies there is something wrong
-Ongoing guilt and shame are not healthy. They can very well cause problems to perpetuate because they drive us to passivity and resignation in fighting the problem.
How to overcome a secret sin:
1) Confess your sin to another person (James 5:16).
2) Stand in His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
3) Flee temptation, fill up with God (2 Timothy 2:22).
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
-Timothy was a young man – Paul tells him how to handle the temptation of lust
-the path of victory is clear - Flee – do not say - “I can handle toying with this for a while”.
-One of the most dangerous and naive beliefs on this planet is that we can take words and images into our hearts and minds without being effected by them! -Advertiser’s axiom – “What goes in eventually often comes out”. That’s why they spend billions of dollars to influence your behavior – it pays off.
-but just getting away from temptation is not enough – notice the focus on filling up with righteouness, faith, love and peace -
-also - don’t do it alone - along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart
How to overcome a secret sin:
1) Confess your sin to another person (James 5:16).
2) Stand in His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
3) Flee temptation, fill up with God (2 Timothy 2:22).
4) Walk in His power (Galatians 5:16).
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
-we need power to overcome our sinful flesh - indwelling sin
-a greater power must help us overcome – this is why so many people have had success with the 12 step program in overcoming addictions – more success than professional counseling programs which may focus more on analyzing the roots of problems. The 12 steps, if they focus on Christ, can teach us that we cannot do it ourselves but through the Lord’s power we can overcome.
-I want to recommend a book for you to read if you want more time in this area - Neil Anderson’s book – Way of Escape. -Preach gospel -communion
