The Cross and Pornography

The following is from my most recent book (Harvest House) due out around the first of the year. “What Every Man Wishes His Father Would Have Told Him.”

 

I offer this additional excerpt from the chapter on pornography in response to your “requests” from my last post. I found the criticisms warranted and agreed with them. Thanks S.L. I should have offered a few more paragraphs so as not to assume anything. This then is the very next series of paragraphs from within that chapter. For the record, the book itself is saturated with the message of the Gospel. The second chapter being entitled, “Never Move Past the Gospel.” My own personal subtitle for the book is “The Gospel and Manhood.” Point is, there is a larger context to the thoughts offered here in.

This particular chapter on pornography is born out of my experiences as a pastor at Community Bible Church, in Nashville. It is my attempt to make sense of sin’s insanity. Our church recently traversed the details of on sexuality. We pulled no punches and dealt head on with the matters of pornography. As a staff and elders, we’ve determined to take back sex and sexuality from the corruption of the world. We have developed a ministry dedicated in part to giving young men freedom from the destructive power of porn (Trajectory). There is a freedom in Christ.

I have wept with men (and their wives) shattered by the pain and despair of pornography’s lethal venom. As recently as today (6/21), I wept with a young marriage ravaged by it. I hate pornography and what it can do to men. I consider it a damnable lie of the devil. My heart is broken. Keep Reading....

The Theology of the Cross

Hold Your Banner High

The Cross of Christ (pt 2)...the Salvation of Sinners and the Satisfaction of God

While things continue to be chaotic in the world around us, I want to encourage you to keep our eyes on what is important, edifying, essential, and praiseworthy: the cross of the gospel, the content of the gospel, and the call gospel. I will be posting on this specifically over the next few days on seven key things that constitute the genuine gospel of Jesus; and seven things that should mark any gospel call to all people everywhere, imploring them to be reconciled to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a very important and critical discussion, debate and dialogue that needs to continue and needs to be biblically addressed with humility, grace, truth and courage. Here is also a broadcast that you need to listen to in its entirety.

This article in three parts on the cross by J.C. Ryle is excellent foundation for our discussion. I have subtitled this post: "the salvation of sinners and the satisfaction of God." Here we clearly see the dual purpose of the cross: Read the rest HERE

The Cross of Christ (pt 1)...by J.C. Ryle

"Far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." -Galatians 6:14

What do we think and feel about the cross of Christ? We live in a Christian land. We probably attend the worship of a Christian church. We have, most of us, been baptized in the name of Christ. We profess and call ourselves Christians. All this is well—it is more than can be said of millions in the world. But what do we think and feel about the cross of Christ?

I want to examine what one of the greatest Christians who ever lived, thought of the cross of Christ. He has written down his opinion—he has given his judgment in words that cannot be mistaken. The man I mean is the Apostle Paul. The place where you will find his opinion, is in the letter which the Holy Spirit inspired him to write to the Galatians. The words in which his judgment is set down, are these, "But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now what did Paul mean by saying this? He meant to declare strongly, that he trusted in nothing but "Jesus Christ crucified" for the pardon of his sins and the salvation of his soul. Let others, if they would, look elsewhere for salvation; let others, if they were so disposed, trust in other things for pardon and peace—for his part the apostle was determined to rest on nothing, lean on nothing, build his hope on nothing, place confidence in nothing, boast in nothing, "except in the cross of Jesus Christ."

I wish to say something about "the cross" to the readers of this volume. Believe me, the subject is one of the deepest importance. This is no mere question of controversy. It is not one of those points on which people may agree to differ, and feel that differences will not shut them out of heaven. A man must be right on this subject, or he is lost forever. Heaven or hell, happiness or misery, life or death, blessing or cursing in the last day—all hinges on the answer to this question, "What do you think about the cross of Christ?" Read the rest HERE