Bible Text: Selected Scripture | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: God’s Design for Marriage

Recap of 9/22/13:

1.  Resources for the sexual relationship in marriage:  Intended for Pleasure by Dr. Ed Wheat; The Gift of Sex and  52 Ways to Have Fun, Fantastic Sex by Clifford and Joyce Penner; Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus.

2.  God calls Christians to live a life free of immorality (1 Corinthians  6:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4).  The only legitimate “one-flesh” relationship is that of man and woman in marriage.

3.  The struggle over pornography is rampant in our society and in the church as well.  Current statistics show that: for every 10 men in the church 5 are struggling with pornography; 34% of church-going women have also admitted they have intentionally visited pornographic websites; and 37% of Pastors have admitted to having a struggle with pornography. 

4.  A resource for those struggling with pornography is the podcast by Radio Bible Class’ “Words to Live By” entitled “”Escaping the Trap of Pornography: David’s Story” found at http://words.net  In this podcast David catalogues his descent into pornography and some strategies to deal with it.  Strategies such as: 1) Enlisting his wife and others to come alongside him in his struggle, being transparent with them; 2) Learning that God doesn’t take away our problems, but that as we turn them over to Him, He provides His strength through our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), and asking Him for forgiveness and help (2 Corinthians 10:12); 3) Enlisting Scripture such as 1 Peter 1:13-16, Romans 7, 1 John 1:9, Philippians 4:8, James 1:15; and 4) Searching out tools and books to help in the fight. 

5.  Brian Orme, writing to Pastors,  has said: “Viewing porn is a major obstacle to experiencing the abundant life God gives us freely through the cross.  Porn is enslaving and we were meant to be free.  In recent studies, we’ve also learned that viewing pornography makes us more likelyu to have an affair, more vulnerable to divorce and depression, and the guilt involved can often become numbing—rendering us ineffective for life and ministry.  In short, viewing prrn gives the enemy freedom to ruin our relationships, our ministries and our churches.”