welcome to this episode of real Christianity my name is Dale Partridge reach week I offer 15 to 20-minute answers to tough theological and pastoral question this is 100% listener support audio Ministry of relearn. Org and for those who don't know our mission a tree learn.org is to educate and equip ordinary Christians to plant biblical confessional and missional house churches for more information just visit relearn. Org forward slash house
 okay big question here do you look at pornography if not statistics say that you absolutely know somebody who does Studies have shown that somewhere between 95 and 98% of men have looked at poor Nat least once I went in aren't far behind that 70 to 80% 60 to 70% of Christian men and 35 to 40 5% of Christian women say they look at porn on a monthly basis about 10 to 25% of foreign users would call themselves addicted or long-term users and the big question of the day is do you are you a regular or recurrent horn user and what are the Bible have to say about this and how can you find healing or to be discussing this and more but before we begin I just want to make one quick announcement because this episode is on pornography I have to tell you about our program that I developed at stand in Victor
 read. Org I developed specifically for this reason and if you're struggling to break free from pronography consider enrolling at stand in victory.org it's a short program it's is made up of three 15 to 20-minute lectures and 3 study guide PDF the program is very affordable and we've had nearly a thousand men and women find Healing from nography through this simple gospel centered online course and so you can roll anytime at stand in Victory. We even offer it for free for those who can't truly afford it and so please don't use that we have to get those costs covered by somebody another donor but if you can't afford it at all we have a way for people to get that for free as well we are also noticing as you guys may have heard there's a huge Spike on Pandora
 to use since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic which I think leads us to some pretty serious conclusions and also a dire need for a conversation and that's what we're doing today. Question is from an honest gentleman in Wheaton Illinois and he asks Pastor Dale I have been going to church for almost 10 years but I must confess that I have been looking at porn the entire time I have what seems to be gaps of in frequency but at the end of the day I keep returning to porn I have read scripture prayed over it and even fasted once but nothing seems to work I Want to Be Free can you help me well first thank you for reading this question I expect actually that thousands of people men and women are going to be edified by your willingness to make such a vulnerable question and for sending that into us this is such a large discussion that I'm going to try
 be very careful on what I say and what I don't say Willy have 15 to 20 minutes we might go over just a tad here on this one and the one with a recurrent PornHub it doesn't have a porn problem you have a bondage to sin problem and there's only one way to be set free from the bondage of sin and that's through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I'm going to I'll probably be quite Raw on this topic but only because the Bible is raw on this topic so what whatever a person who calls themselves a Christian admits to an ongoing habitual patterns Mystic long-term and bondage like experience with any Sim
 I believe these are valid pastoral grounds for questioning someone's conversion another words has this person truly been born again because my experience as a pastor has taught me that just because somebody says that they're a Christian doesn't necessarily mean that they're saved I personally known and heard of people who thought they were Christians for many years they end up having a born-again experience right there in the Pew. They've been sitting at for the past decade and Jesus talked about this and Mathews 15:8 when he says this people honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me Titus 1 15 through 16 says to the pure all things are pure but to the defiled in the unbelieving nothing is pure but their minds and their consciences are defiled they profess to know God but they deny him by their works pretty fascinating that these people you know would would act this way
 and profess to know God but they deny them by their work then Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 23 which we covered in last week's episode go back there if you haven't listened to it he says quote not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father in Heaven many will say to me that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and then many wonders in your name and then I will declare them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness and I want you to remember this statement you who practice lawlessness we're going to talk about that later in today's episode basically what we need to swallow is the reality that many people have come to church without coming to Christ and they've confused religious moralism or regeneration of the soul and they have not been set free from the bondage of sin because they were never really presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ and said they were
 set a man made efforts to convert them within in an emotional moment where they prayed a prayer and they were told that they were saved by some Minister who had that Doctrine now I'm generalizing here but years later these in a falsely assured people in the church begin to realize that they you know they've been made better by good behavior by religious good behavior but they've not been made new by the power of the Holy Spirit and they begin to notice that the sin in their life has a grip on their heart and they're actually just like the Pharisees as whitewashed tombs right clean on the outside and Ratchet on the inside and I said that the quote last week from dr. Steven Lawson I'm going to put it in this episode to he says the only thing worse than not having the Assurance of Salvation is having the false Assurance of Salvation in fact that too often our pride won't let us see
 our true spiritual status in these situations where were falsely assured it almost always requires a preacher To Boldly proclaim the gospel over and over and over and in God's timing he opened up their eyes and they finally let go of their dead testimony and truly come to Christ in genuine repentance and saving faith and if you haven't read my testimony again that's a tree learn.org Ford's testimony and I speak with authority on this because this was me this is me I was dead in the Pew for many many years now I'm not saying that if you look at porn that you're not saved Thomas Watson said it best when he wrote Walston Still Remains in the born-again Christian sin does not rain in the born-again Christian so Christensen but they're not slaves to sin Christians fall but they don't lay in the mud right
 fail but they fail less and less as they are Sanctified by Christ and we're never going to be perfect until we're glorified but there is a improving our maturity that's occurring and what I'm saying is that if you look at porn in a long-term habitual addictive like manner you'd be wise to as if Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 13:5 examine yourself to see if you're in the face and you know I can also confirm that you know we had many people who have testified personally in writing after going through our program at sinen victory.org that they finally realize that they actually weren't born again and that through that very real self examination process by God's grace they found themselves still spiritually dead in their bondage to send when they thought that they just needed to work harder to not look at poor
 they just thought they just need to work harder and and sometimes there is a discipline of just being obedient and that's that is part of that but the deeper discussion we're going to try to have a bit of it today and if you want to learn more you can go to the program but again if you're a regular phone if you were I was going to Subs Christian you may be a new believer and you just need more information about what the Bible says about sexual immorality meaning that you may simply just be ignorant of God's will regarding pornography and sexual immorality and once you hear the truth in these matters are going to find Freedom for Spirit empowered obedience but on the other hand you might also find out that you're not actually born again and you're actually still in bondage to your sin and you can't quit because you don't have the spirit of God assisting you through conviction and strength and your religious behavior modification is come to the end of his rope and you actually need to come to Tri-Cities
 time to be set free so you might be in one of these camps since we have limited amount of time here I'm going to just walk us through just one text that I have found to be very fruitful for dealing with people in the church who have a long-term habitual porn viewing I guess habits its first John 3:4 through 10 and I'm going to read it here in the ESV but now I want you to remember remember I said earlier to keep the verse in Matthew in mind where Jesus said I never knew you depart from me who you who practice lawlessness I need need you to see how that verse in Matthew connect to the verse were about to rehear 1st John 1st John the Apostle John rights and I quote everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness sin is lawlessness
 you know that he appeared in order to take to take sin away
 and in him there is no sin no one who abide in him keeps on sending no one who keeps on sending has either seen him or known him little children let no one to Seaview whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil for the devil has been sitting for the beginning the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's sake to buy than him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God by this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God... And quote okay now I wish I could just deliver an entire 60-minute expository sermon on this passage of scripture but I'm going to have to settle for a brief explanation and some application instead
 again in our online program I dive into greater detail on this passage if you feel like you need it the first question we have to ask is what does it mean to practice something to practice lawlessness as the Apostle says and is Jesus as a way for me to part for me you who practice laws and what does it mean to practice something well it means you're getting better at it okay and in relationship to porn this may mean that you're learning what websites that you like or what kind of porn you prefer another words you're improving your experience this is a form of practice it might also mean that you're getting better at hiding it you know when to look at poor and how to hide your online Trail again you're improving your getting better at it it also means that you enjoy it and that's why you improve at it now you might say no tail I actually hate it I just can't stop
 I would disagree with you Dynamics in meaning committing sin not omitting like not not not a sin of omission but the sin of commission Dynamics in doesn't happen to us we choose it now I know that you may hate the way it makes you feel after you look at it or the way that it hurts your spouse because you know you you look at porn but you don't hate pouring you actually love it and again I'm not talking about the one time user who failed once per year or less confesses the same repents and moves on I'm not talking about you I'm talking about the habitual porn user who calls himself or herself a Christian and if this sounds like you if you practice the sin of pornography in this manner this passage in first John should cover you in the fear the lord
 verse that says no one who abides in him keeps on sending no one who keeps on sending as either seen him or known him I think it's 17th or 18th century I believe 18th Century theologian John Gill commented on this verse saying this does not mean that he has no sin in him or lives without sin but that he does not live in sin nor does he give himself up to a vicious course of life for this would be inconsistent with his dwelling in Christ and enjoying communion with him nor has he ever saving lean on him or been truly acquainted with him for though he may profess to know him and words he denies him in works the next verse believe that verse 7 says little children let no one to Seaview whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the day
 this is basically teaching the idea of good trees bear good fruit in bad trees bear bad fruit and if you're not bearing good fruit Jesus in Matthew 7:16 through 20 tells us of false Christians he says quote so every healthy tree Bears good fruit but the diseased tree Bears Bad fruit a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire thus you will recognize them by their fruits right this is a good example I think about a tree a tree that generally produces good fruit will still have a Bad Apple on it you know you can send fail and stuff a bad fruit moment but the ideas if you're walking and habitual bad fruit this is a different situation right of the Texas teaching us that there are people who sin
 and there are people who practice sin and Christians sin but we don't practice sin for those who practice in the Apostle the same they are not Sons and Daughters of God they are Sons and Daughters of the devil so what's the solution
 we find it in verse 9 it says quote no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God and what what do you mean by that is you cannot keep on sinning willfully habitually it's too painful because he understands that he's he's spitting in the face of the Savior when he does. Right it's too painful to do it habitually We All Fall we all have these moments but to do it eventually the different situation the only path to Freedom From The Bondage of any category of sin is through the spiritual process of being born again and that's something that's a work fully at the Lord because we're born in bondage to our sin by the cause of Adam the only way for our hearts to be redeemed and restored it to be born
 Again by the cause of Christ this this happened only by humbly coming to the Lord recognizing that without Christ you are guilty against the holy God and deserving of the Eternal consequences in this means that you really need to cast yourself at the feet of Christ and trust in him alone in his righteousness alone for him to earn the righteous verdict that you cannot earn on Judgment Day When you stand before God and this means also that you repent of your sin and you turn away from your sin and you turn to Christ for strength and sanctification you know without Christ you cannot conquer any sin none of it
 this means that the gospel is really the only path to True Freedom From The Bondage of pornography now I wish that I could spend more time breaking this down and again that's why we created standing victory.org as a companion Ministry to what we do in order to have healthy churches you have to have healthy Christians and we find that people in churches have to deal with this issue of pornography or marriage and that's why we've created somebody's companion Ministries that support our church ministry prayer for anyone who feels right now the weight of their sin at this moment praise God this is the Lord drawing you and making you aware that you need to repent
 and come to the Lord potentially for the first time and I would say get before the Lord quietly in a room and beg him to save you just scream out save me Jesus says in John 637 all the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never cast out if you come he will not turn you away what a wonderful promise that is I am praying for you through these words that you may come to know him in a born-again experience free find yourself free from the bondage of pornography with a few resources that you can find on the post page for this episode a tree learn.org this is episode titled how to break free from photography of number 112 and 2 resources one is a video titled you're not addicted the power to resist pornography by
 John Piper at the 5 minute video actually break this down and Detail in the program so you can see it there for you can also see it outside of the program another video is how to fight addiction and pornography in a pornographic Culture by voddie baucham another great resource and we also provided a link first and victory for you there is well thank you guys for listen to this episode if your regular listen to this podcast would appreciate if you could leave it there with you you just need to tap the stars but if you don't want to write anything you don't have to but if you do write something I will read it and they are very encouraging to us it's a blessing to see you guys in Courage and hear some of your stories so thank you for those who have left a review and the last thing I want to say is if you don't follow our ministry on Instagram you can do that just search for relearn. Org on Instagram and you will find us there and we love to have you as we produce resources to
 but healthy house churches my name is Dale Partridge and I will see you guys next week
 thank you for listening to this episode of real Christianity if your regular listener to this show would you perfectly consider making a donation to support our ministry efforts simply visit relearn. Org forward slash donate again at 3 learn.org for donate and for those looking to explore the idea of joining or planting a church in your home you can download our free pdf ebook titled the basics of biblical House Church by visiting relearn. Org house lastly do you have a few logical question you would like answered on the show The Mayor question a tree learn.org for question thanks for joining us on this episode of real Christianity will see you next Wednesday