Eternity Is at Stake in the Fight Against Porn
- Message Excerpt by
- Topic: Pornography
Audio Transcript
The blood of Christ was the price of our self-control and the beauty of Christ is the mission of the Spirit in us. The blood of Christ purchases the presence of the Christ-exalting Spirit, and the Spirit is there to exalt Christ in all that we do — including self-control. Therefore, the way the Spirit produces self-control is different from the world’s self-control.
“The all-satisfying beauties of Christ can be lost forever in the bondage of lust. Or they can be enjoyed forever in the purity of heart.”
The way the Holy Spirit produces self-control in the believer is by revealing the beauties of Christ to our souls as supremely beautiful and supremely satisfying. He removes the hardness of heart and the blindness of the soul so that it can see and savor the beauties of Christ for what they really are. What he shows us through the word of Christ is that the all-satisfying beauties of Christ can be lost forever in the bondage of lust. Or they can be enjoyed forever in the purity of heart. That’s what he shows us. That’s how he works the miracle in us. He shows us the day is coming, and now is, when we will enjoy Christ with the fullness of joy that outweighs every possible pleasure of lust.
This brings us back now to ISIS and the million dollars. He’s about to slit the throat of your best friend or about to give you one million dollars. The Holy Spirit, on this analogy, shows us that the stakes are much higher than that. It’s what he reveals to us: the stakes, as we face the temptation of lust, are higher. The beauties of Christ, he reveals, can be lost forever in the bondage of lust or enjoyed forever in the purity of heart. This means that the Holy Spirit, by the word of Christ, reveals this:
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:29)
That’s the final ISIS slit but way worse. The Holy Spirit brings to your mind: you can lose everything of Christ in the bondage of lust. And the Holy Spirit reveals to us the other word of Christ, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” That’s a reward forever, infinitely superior to a measly one million dollars, for which every one of you would have self-control.
Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. He creates the miracle, we act the miracle. He creates it by opening our eyes to see the beauties of Christ, that they can be lost forever in bondage to lust, or they can be enjoyed forever in the purity of heart.
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