some of God’s true children that seriously are struggling

with the areas that I’m going to deal with today.

And so,

I do want to, I want to visit these things.

The first one is a revisit.

2 weeks ago, we had this question come up,

and I want to, I need to deal with this again.

And, I just want to emphasize once again,

what I’m about to talk to is taboo for many,

but we have many people looking for Biblical answers in this very area.

I’m not trying to be unnecessarily graphic.

But the question that I fielded 2 weeks ago that I want to return to is this one.

A man by the name of Dan asked this question:

Is masturbating a sin?

I sought to answer that, and we got so much response.

And we got folks who felt that it wasn’t clear,

that maybe I was being dogmatic about things that

maybe weren’t really so much biblical.

There have been a number of responses that

just led me to believe that we probably needed to revisit this one.

You know, based on the feedback that I saw,

based on some of the things that I have heard,

I am quite convinced that probably every man in this room has struggled with masturbation.

I am quite convinced that almost as many girls, at one time or another.

What I want to do is... you know the question is, ‘is it sin?’

That’s the first question.

And what I don’t want to... look, I realize this...

this is a realistic issue

that we need to deal with;

the church needs to deal with, Christians need to deal with;

myself as a pastor, I need to address.

And I don’t want to do it in a way where I just beat everybody over the head,

I just dismiss you as, “well, if you’ve got a problem with this, you’re not a Christian.”

That’s not the case.

We’ve got true Christians that have struggles in this very area.

Now the fact is, if you’re over your head in bondage to it,

there may be a very likelihood

that a person in that situation, may still be under the power of sin, and may not be converted.

And that’s a very realistic possibility

that each one of us needs to evaluate

anytime any kind of sin gets a hold on us where we suffer defeat.

Now you see right there I’m making an assumption that it’s sin.

Well let me just show you some things about this

that I want you folks to take away with you.

What I want to try to do first here is just inform you a little bit.

The first thing, if you have your Bibles there, I’d like you all to turn to Matthew 5,

and verse 28.

You see, folks, one of my pastoral concerns is this:

We have a whole movement.

Really this has been a movement

on the move for 2000 years.

Because you can go back all the way to the time of the Scriptures,

and you’ve got the apostles themselves

saying, “Do not be deceived.”

Basically, if you are in bondage to sin,

if you are in bondage to unrighteousness,

they’re saying “don’t be deceived, you’re not a true believer.”

And we have false prophets rising up on every hand today

that would basically teach us

you can be a true Christian, and you can run and be a slave to all sorts of sin.

And that’s just not biblical and it’s just not true.

And that’s a pastoral concern, because I don’t want people to be deceived.

And you see one of the things is,

we’ve got folks, and probably some of you sitting in this room: you profess to be Christians,

and yet you are in such bondage to pride,

to lust, to your idols, to money, to some appetite, to something in life,

that, it’s a big waving red flag

that things are not well with your soul.

But because of false teaching, because of ignorance on your part,

you’ve been led to believe that, ‘once saved, always saved,’

and basically you said some prayer,

you basically went up to some altar somewhere, you raised your hand at some point.

Whatever it is. There’s a whole lot of this thinking today.

And yet, people do those things, and they’re quite convinced that they’re on their way to Heaven.

And then, the fact is, they are slaves of sin, and true Christians are not slaves to sin.

They’re slaves of righteousness the Bible tells us.

They’re slaves of God.

And here’s this big red flag waving, and yet you don’t have the eyes to even see it.

And what I don’t want, is I don’t want any of you waking up on judgment day to find out

“I was dead wrong.

The indicator was there the whole time and I missed it.”

Well the reason I had you turn to Matthew 5:28 is this:

Jesus Christ is teaching,

“I say to you, that everyone who looks at a woman...”

And obviously this could be a woman looking at a man.

“Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Now let me tell... I want to make several observations about that text.

Fornicators and adulterers do not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Bible teaches that.

You find that over in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9.

Fornicators and adulterers do not--you can find it in a number of other areas as well in the Scriptures--

but they don’t inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

That is an indication- to be under the power of that,

that is and indication that a person is lost.

And if they’re a slave to that type of thing...

Now look, don’t think I’m making this up here, because, just go on and read the next verse.

Jesus Christ is not saying that this is a minor issue,

it’s a small matter, and something that you don’t have to give a whole lot of concern about.

“If your right eye causes you to sin...”

Now notice, notice the context.

Jesus isn’t just coming out of the blue with this teaching,

He’s dealing with what He just talked about.

He just talked about not specifically the sinful act of adultery, but adultery in the mind.

And on that note, He says this:

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

It is better that you lose one of your members

than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”

Now I’m going to tell you something here.

Jesus Christ is teaching us that there needs to be repentance,

there needs to be evidence of true regeneration

in the life of somebody if they are going to escape hell.

That’s a reality.

He’s not saying this is a matter of whether you’re going to have greater or lesser rewards,

He’s saying this is a matter of life and death.

If you don’t tear out these eyes, and if you don’t lose these members,

you’re going to be thrown into hell, that’s what He’s saying.

You say, “Wait! Do I get to Heaven by my works, by being pure?”

Let me tell you this,

a person gets to Heaven by nothing less than faith in Jesus Christ,

but where there is genuine faith in Jesus Christ,

there is also genuine transformation of the heart.

God said, “A new heart also will I give them”

He said, “I’m going to write my law on them,

I’m going to put my Spirit within them.”

That Holy Spirit puts to death sin in those in whom He dwells.

If that’s not the case, then you’re not a true Christian.

That’s like Romans 8, what is it, verse 9?

If you don’t have the Spirit of Christ, you’re none of His.

You don’t belong to Him.

This is a matter of life and death.

Now lets come back to the masturbation thing.

Folks,

I’ve heard this week and last week about people insisting

that they can masturbate with nothing happening in the mind.

Now folks, I don’t think those people are being honest with themselves.

I have a hard time imagining orgasm of the body without pictures in the mind.

And if there are pictures in the mind...

and I heard somebody just recently say,

well, ya they get them, but they try to fight them off.

Well the fact is, they are involved in something that’s bringing them in.

They’re involved in something that’s bringing them in that would even force them to have to fight it off.

They’re opening the door to invite these things to come in.

Now let me just ask you guys something because I know this is especially a problem there.

You start taking images of a lady,

some young lady in your mind, what are you going to do?

Walk out the door here and go evangelizing?

How are you going to respect people of the opposite sex when you use them that way?

And you’re... that’s what it is,

even if it’s just an image of them that you have in your mind.

You’re going to use people of the opposite sex that way?

I’m... folks, this idea that people can be involved in this kind of activity

and they’re not sinning in thought...

I’m not going to say, I’m not going to be here and say,

“I’ve been in all your minds, and I know every circumstance,

and I’m going to say it’s impossible.” I’m not going to say that, I can’t dogmatically say that,

but I know, and you know that to be involved in that type of thing

without images in your mind...

And Jesus Christ says this is a matter of life and death.

And people can try to justify, but I’m telling you, this is a matter of life and death.

If you’re going to try to justify this, I would tread very, very carefully.

Because Christ is talking about lustful intent in the mind,

and being thrown into hell.

Don’t play with this thing.

And just on that note,

I’ve heard some guys try to say

this is how they try to cope with sexual temptation.

Wait a second, 1 Corinthians 6:18 says,

“Flee from sexual immorality.”

Flee from it.

And even the guys that say they try to use masturbation

to kind of take the edge off

so that they won’t fall into sexual temptation...

Look, if the same guys admit

that they’re also being attacked by images in their mind that they have to fight off,

I would just ask the question,

is masturbation running from sexual immorality,

or is it running into it?

Are you fighting against it, or are you inviting it?

That’s just something to ask.

Now, turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 13:4.

Because I also want you to see this passage.

Hebrews 13:4.

Again, this is another text I think we really, really need to take seriously.

Hebrews 13:4.

“Let marriage be held in honor among all,

and let the marriage bed be undefiled.

For God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

You know what’s so interesting about this passage?

You have one thing that God honors, which is what?

What is honorable?

The marriage bed.

And the writer of Hebrews

runs right from what is honorable, to what it dishonorable.

And it’s as though there’s no middle ground here.

The marriage bed is honorable.

And then right after that isn’t it amazing that he jumps right into

“God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Now I’m not going to be dogmatic here,

but it’s as though the writer is implying... what?

Everything aside from the marriage bed

as far as sexual outlet goes,

falls into the category of sexual immorality and adultery.

And if you’re going to say you’ve found some secret little middle ground that isn’t covered there,

again, I tell you, you’d better tread carefully.

Because just like in the other one we had hell threatened,

we have God’s judgment threatened.

This is not a small matter folks.

Don’t think you can toy with this and be wrong,

without it costing you much.

Lets go futher.

I want you folks to turn to 1 Corinthians 6:12.

And again, I think it’s so interesting here, here’s Paul’s words to the Corinthians,

it’s so interesting, his context.

I mean, its almost as though it’s written just for us to give consideration to,

just these kind of things.

1 Corinthians 6:12.

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.”

Now watch this.

“All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything.

Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food,

and God will destroy both one and the other.

The body is not meant for sexual immorality,

but for the Lord. And the Lord for the body.

And God raised the Lord, and will raise us up by His power.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?

Never!

Or do you not know, that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her?

For as it is written, “the two will become one flesh.”

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him.

Flee from sexual immorality.”

Isn’t it interesting,

where Paul’s saying “I won’t be enslaved to anything”

it’s right in this context of fleeing sexual immorality.

Let me tell you this:

When Paul tells us how he lives,

you are under commandment of God to imitate him as he imitates Christ.

Have you ever heard him say that?

Paul calls us to imitate his example repeatedly.

Now listen,

being brought under the power of anything, is basically what?

I mean, we might look at it as idolatry .