Rules to Live By Series: Adultery, Lust, Resources for Pornography Addiction
On Sunday, we talked about the Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Not cheating on our spouses, if we’re married, seems reasonable enough.
Then we heard how Jesus understands this commandment: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
Jesus makes adultery more than about marriage, he understands this commandment to be about all lust. Our culture is saturated with lust: it’s a marketing tool, a pass time, and a vice. It’s all around us, on apps on our phones, in the media we consume, and on the websites we visit.
Pornography use and the Internet are almost synonymous. As the hit song from the Broadway Musical “Avenue Q” puts it: “The Internet is for Porn.” And, like all good jokes, there is a truth to this that should cause us to pause.
The way pornography perverts our hearts, allows lust to govern us in private moments, and causes us to see image bearers of God as objects for our consumption is deeply problematic for anybody who is following Jesus. Jesus says even lustful looks are adultery-at-heart, and we are called to be a faithful people. Faithful to God, and faithful to each other.
After Sunday’s sermon, Pete Nojd wondered if we could help people be more faithful by sharing some resources—and Pete has helped us curate the list below.
Learn More:
“Your Brain on Porn” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2mhQf8RjQs
“How I Overcame My Porn Addiction” https://www.cru.org/us/en/how-to-know-god/my-story-a-life-changed/how-i-overcame-my-porn-addiction.html
Seek to live a more faithful life:
Apps to help break a porn addiction: https://www.maketecheasier.com/beat-porn-addiction-android-apps/
Accountability and community for porn addiction: https://xxxchurch.com/
Software for accountability in breaking addition: https://www.covenanteyes.com/
We also encourage anybody beginning this journey to reach out to a member of our pastoral staff for pastoral care and prayer on the way, and we also have counselling support available for anybody who may want the help of a counsellor in getting to the root of some of their addictions and additional accountability on this journey.
We serve a faithful God, who does not seek our shame but our restoration and calls us to new lives as faithful people. Let us be faithful in how we steward our sexuality, in how we see other fellow people made in God’s image, and in love for God and neighbour such that lust may not flourish in our hearts.
Your pastor + friend,
Nick
