2/9/2020

I want to welcome you all to worship this morning.

This is our final sermon on the series sermon series incognito. Which discusses pornography and our faith in really the world in which we live? Sometimes we really desire. To live in almost a Mayberry like Community, right? We even got Sheriff Andy. What more can we ask for write? Like we live in this in this desire to have a protected world. That doesn't get impacted by the things around us. But we don't get that luxury and the only time we get a remember that luxury is when we remember it through the filter of fantasy. The reality of the world in which we live is that it's deeply complex and interconnected. Part of this series is acknowledging the reality of pornography in our culture. and it's Set up against this desire that sometimes we think our lives oughta be just perfect. It ought to be just perfect. At least if others can see what others see at least they can think that things are perfect. Even when in reality things are far from perfect. They just can't see it. And so how do we live out our faith in a world that acknowledges? That the world is broken and that we're broken. And not only that but how do we share our faith with others in a world that tells them that the most immediately gratifying experience is what is good historically the church has done a horrible job because in response to this the church has said one of two things, especially the sex and pornography. It's been silenced or it's been shame. An earlier in the sermon series I've highlighted every week and I'm going to highlight it again this week shame implies that there's something wrong with how God created us that there's something off in our DNA. We are Fallen we're broken at times but there's nothing wrong with who God made us to be. And so empowering others to see how God made them allows them to see the love of God in them as well. What is begin with the word of Prayer? Lord May the meditations of our hearts in the words of my lips be pleasing in your sight our Rock and Our Redeemer. amen

I have to give a fair amount of credit to Matt fradd. This is a wonderful book as a pastor. Sometimes. It's nervous when someone says hey Pastor Rob, I got a book for you. Okay, sometimes I'm like, I don't know. What's it look like who wrote the book has it been this this is good. This is good stuff and it's good stuff about the myth of pornography. And that's really what p*** is is it's it's a mess. It's a mess. It's fantasy. The problem we have is that we begin to to think that that's the way reality works.

And really it's just fantasy and so over time people are just things to be used for sexual gratification. As long as I feel good. It doesn't even matter to them, right? And that's the problem with pornography.

But when I graffiti is rampant in the world around us, we can't get away from it. Think about it this way. In 1990 if you wanted to see something that was questionable. You probably had to go if you were curious about the human body. You probably had to go to the library to the medical section and hope the library and didn't run you off. That's how that worked before the internet. But now if people are curious even if kids are curious even if small children, you're curious there just one search away not necessarily even from what they're looking for. But the extreme of even what they're not looking for that there's a difference between pornography and nudity. I hate to the point that out but there is but there is David that the statue of David Wright is he naked or is he is he covered up? He's naked. Have you always been naked? Really? These two have a perfectly-placed leaf. Cuz I thought nudity wasn't wasn't Godly so then but they just cover it up with the leaf. And then when the Renaissance came along they took the leaf off again, so that was all that truck. But even when we look at Art we can begin to think something is

not okay with what we look at and what we see and so even the beginning even before we get to pornography. We have we have this reality that we're really not comfortable with nudity or even talk about the human body to things that we don't talk about if we do talk about them in the open then we worried that people might think we're a little off, right. In our own parenting it even comes down to like the terminology we use with our kids, right? Is it a penis or a vagina or do you have other words for it? Right? Can we talk about the human anatomy in a way that makes sense to two kids in ways that acknowledges our human body? Think that's important.

So, how do we respond? In the world around us. we

so there was a study I was done in England and it was in a classroom and it was in a private school a private preparatory school and they brought in sex education consultant. Okay. So these are the kids that are the good kids right cuz like our kids right? That's what really we think sometimes is that these things affect other kids but not our kids. And that's not true. And so that they had this classroom and they ask the teachers to stand against the wall and they handed out pieces of paper and they asked the children to write down every sexual term that the new no matter how extreme

and then they took that and they ended up against the wall. and the teachers

we're surprised to say the least. Of all the terminology that the kids knew. They even had words up there that the sex educator didn't know. Let me tell you something in the research for this thing Pastor problems and terms. I didn't even know and I'm not going to share them with you cuz they're not. but the reality is there's a lot of information out there. So what do we say to kids who have access to all of that information when we aren't willing to talk about the topic at all? I don't know about you, but I have no interest in talking about my sex life with anyone anyone other than my wife especially my kids, right? So therefore I'm even scared for them to ask and their two little some lucky.

But the reality is if if they believe that it's not a safe topic to talk about. Been there never going to discuss it. And they're never going to find out that pornography isn't intimacy, and it's not even. romantic

just sex

That's some of the cultural. Disconnect sometimes that p*** can lead to as well. It's just sex. It's just sex. It took a study took the most sold videos from 2007 the highest sales of pornography videos in 2007 and it was like 300 and some odd sex scenes 73% of which included and active degradation towards the female. That's one in every minute and a half. slapping hitting name-calling Most of which showed the women enjoying it?

That's the problem when we view when we think of what our kids view or what others view as a representation of reality.

You know it it's so easily accessed that one girl. Who said when her dad caught her watching pornography on the computer that she was 13 and he totally flipped out. She said that's the last time he thinks I've seen p***. Cuz I made sure never to get caught again. It doesn't mean that the question stop having healthy dialogue means that there's discomfort in but if the church and if we and Faith just take a blind eye and say well that's something for everybody else. Then that means that everybody else isn't something to God. That's not what God says. Like how do we treat one another as children of God? You know we could sit here and we can talk about all the ways in which we can try to shield and protect our kids from pornography and there's value in all of those things. But the reality is are going to see it. So what happens when we see it what happens when they ask about it? One of the one of the best things that we can do is we can model love and affection. in real life

we can model love and affection in value and intimacy. for them to see the impact of then it's not something to be consumed like then sex isn't something to just have something to have it for the immediate gratification.

So

this suck class study. the sex educator also did and

and it immediate pole of the kids and it asked them in a scale between 1 and 10. how

often and how much of the population of your class views pornography?

It's mostly tens. some nines And one solitary eight. one solitary 8

so in response to this What are we as Christians as Disciples of Jesus Christ called to do in a world that is full of pornography. First is to realize that we are not defined nor valued based on the thing that we have consumed or his conflicted us. we are not defined by the

sing or value by the thing of pornography We also have to acknowledge that p*** isn't going away. But talking about pornography and telling what it really is fantasy.

And to show what it is not which is romance and intimacy by the way, women are some of the largest demographic looking at pornography like searching for rock if you want to know what their number one searched term is Romance. Guys what that sink in for a second. The number one term is Romance.

That should tell us something about what the world has. encourage people to become

also to educate your children to counter the negative body images that p*** cells by talking about healthy body self-image and the power of each person has over their own body.

That's empowering.

So on college campuses now. When they do freshman orientation and things like that, it used to be like no means no, right and stop means stop. That's what they used to these to teach on. The college campus is okay. And now a lot of the college campuses are changing. Okay. This is wild this is what they're changing it to. seek consent ask permission and it changes the way that the people interact in the time. So the one person is not waiting for a no, right? They're looking for a yes people do not stop to ask permission for the next thing. Okay, your ass isn't just yes, it could be a sigh it could be alone. It could be a lot of different things but it's seeking permission from the other person which then values the other person's experience. Just as much as your own. And for some college students that's news. Used I need to hear.

So how do we in a world of p***? Have conversations with our children and our grandchildren and tell them p*** isn't real right.

One way you could do it. Is this a I got this really crazy pastor and he preached for 3 weeks on p***. Is it really that big of a deal?

I mean that will make your children or grandchildren completely uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong. But also opens the subject matter this is how prevalent in our society.

What are the number one p*** searches on May 4th and he guesses?

Star Wars Star Wars That's how prevalent it is. so

the Pointe business is not in the business right knowledge in that people under the age of 18. Look at pornography. Right? So my understanding is that use it by IP address is okay. So it's it's a male or female based on the IP address and then it's also age, right. So the number one demographic according to the Google Analytics. He's like 30 to 40 year olds, right? So like oh, this is a demographic of 30 to 40 year old. I'm going to suggest What age of people have teenagers? 3240 year olds and young kids so how how do we Cher What real sex is versus p***? in a world where one of the number one searched terms is not Minecraft

a popular game most popular game right now fortnite fortnite fortnite

I know if you're curious, I don't know but that's what it is. so Clearly people are looking for something right. and corn makes a horrible horrible sex educator

and we're just kind of giving it up to the p*** industry to educate our kids about sex.

Because it's something to where I'm comfortable to talk about in church or in the house.

I think God calls us to something much much more.

And that's for us.

To invest and instill in the character of our children so that they know how to respond when they encounter pornography. It's not if it's when

also how we model our Christian faith for our kids. Where we acknowledge that there's there's things that we may not be comfortable talking about but something that God calls us to to share and love.

you know when I was looking up scripture verses

pornography I made a decision a filter. And I made that filter on purpose. It wasn't going to talk about sexual immorality, right? It wasn't going to be in the negative. Who's going to be in the positive something for us to do write something for us to to remind ourselves of what God has called us to? Until when Romans chapter 12, it says therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in the view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a Living Sacrifice. Holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 for it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves but is a gift from God not by works so that no one can boast.

For we are God's handiwork created in Christ. Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This work that we have to do it is what we're going to talk about. after lunch

It's the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ. It's the work of sharing love with children and adults.

the work of growing in our own face and we each have a long ways to grow and to go. But when we purposely set out to fuel in to engage in discipleship. We seek to help others as they go through their own struggles in life.

And knowing more about what other people struggle with. Is a way to better reach out to them and support and encourage them and to love them. I have empathy for them in sympathy for them. May Our Love Of Christ grow in us so that we can share God's love with others no matter what they are dealing with.

We don't live in this world incognito.

We live in this world in relationship with one another. Call to share God's love. with all people

including ourselves

Let us pray.

Ord

we don't pretend to be perfect.

We come seeking answers.

knowing that you are a guy that can handle all of our questions.

guide us and direct us

help us to raise children.

with the light of your hope

recognizing That each and everyone will struggle.

And that we all are covered by your grace and your mercy.

Not because of our works.

but because of your love

in Jesus name we pray. amen