Fight Your War Against Lust, Porn, and Sexual Sin: Why Jesus Calls for Radical Action

Lust, porn, and sexual sin are a ravenous, cancerous poison. It multiplies. It corrupts the mind, and it is more accessible and acceptable than ever. Jesus provides the radical solution in the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Mt 5:27-30

Jesus' Instruction

What is Jesus' answer to the sin of lust? He says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." While the details of Jesus' answer are not to be taken literally, the radical emphasis of the statement must be taken seriously. So why does Jesus give such drastic, over-the-top instructions for the problem of lust?

Answer: Because it is so dangerous.

Notice the alternative outcome if one ignores Jesus' instruction: "For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." In other words, lust destroys the soul. Therefore, extreme danger calls for extreme measures. This brings us to the key question: if Jesus isn't being literal about the eye-plucking, what is he trying to tell us?

Two things we must take from Jesus’ eye-plucking statement:

1. Brutally attack your problem. Go to war!

2. The problem is within you.

   
   

Going to War with Sin

Jesus is calling you to go to war with the sin of lust, and the major battlefield is within you, because the enemy lies within your heart. The Apostle Paul also communicates our struggle with sin as a war within, “Put to death what is earthly in you.” (Colossians 3:5) “Put to death the deeds of the body.” (Romans 8:13)

If you truly desire to win the battle against lust, to break away from your porn addiction, or to stop any sexual sin, you must be convinced that:

1. Your sin is the problem.

2. You cannot take it lightly.

3. You must fight armed with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

   
   

Below are tips to help you fight your war against lust, porn, and sexual sin.

Tip #1 - Know Your Enemy

Any good warrior understands that the more you know about your enemy, the greater your chance of victory. When you know their location, you know where to attack. When you know their weakness, you know how to attack. When you know their strengths, you know how to defend.

Sin within has corrupted your sexual drive and desires. It has taken what God made for love and beauty within the confines of a marriage (one man and one woman), and redirected it for the sake of self-satisfaction out of the bounds of the one-flesh covenant of marriage (See Romans 1:24-27), and any sexual activity, whether in the heart or with the body, outside of marriage is sexual sin.  With each thought of lust, each act of adultery, you act against God’s good design of creation.

One of the greatest weaknesses of Christians in the battle against sexual sin is thinking the number one enemy is in the computer, on the phone, or that flirty coworker. Thinking this way is like posting guards along the city walls to keep the enemy out after they have already entered the city.

With any battle against sin, the problem will always be found within you, and the solution will always be found outside of you. His name is Jesus. More on that in Tip #3.

Tip #2 - Know What You Are Fighting For

Consider David’s motivation for fighting Goliath. David wasn’t just fighting against Goliath; he was fighting for the glory of God, for Goliath was defying the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17). The greatest warriors are driven by great causes, and behind your battle against sexual sin lies the greatest causes to man: your soul and your marriage.

Your Soul

We see this in Matthew 5:29b when Jesus presents the alternative to fighting against your sin of lust when he says, “For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” Here, Jesus implies that your motivation for fighting is to save your soul from hell. From a negative angle, a refusal to fight against your sin of lust is to forfeit your soul to hell. This overlaps well with another statement Jesus makes, “Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Sadly, in the case of lust and porn, a person is willing to forfeit his soul, not by gaining the whole world, but for temporary sexual gratification.  The only corrective is to trust Jesus when he says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Your Marriage (or Future Marriage)

Your marriage is a holy and divine bond between you and your spouse. You were created by God for one another, and in that bond is great joy, pleasure, and love to be found in your affection and intimacy with one another. It is one of the great blessings of creation.

Hebrews 12:4 commands us to honor the marriage bed, the place of love, intimacy, and affection. It also commands us to keep it undefiled. To defile the marriage bed is to dishonor your holy union and break the covenant with your spouse. Your lust and sexual sin eat away at the love, intimacy, and affection that God intends for your marriage, and this will bring down your house upon your head and your family.

See in the following proverb how the scripture celebrates sexual intimacy and desire within marriage but also shows the devastation when that intimacy and desire finds its way to forbidden places.

Let your fountain be blessed,

    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

    a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;

    be intoxicated always in her love.

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?

For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord,

    and he ponders all his paths.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,

    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.

He dies for lack of discipline,

    and because of his great folly he is led astray. Proverb 5:18-23

Tip #3 - Fight with Christ and His Gospel

It is one thing to study and know the enemy; it is another thing to put that knowledge to use in battle. It is one thing to be a champion of causes with your voice; it is another thing to shout the war cry as you sacrifice yourself for the sake of the causes. So here I prayerfully encourage you to take up arms and fight your sin, put to death what is earthly in you. Go on the offensive.

Prayerful & Honest Examination

The only honest evaluation of yourself is one done with God in prayer. We are easily self-deceived. So take David’s prayer and make it your own.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24

Unfiltered Confession

Take all your sins and lay them out before God. Any sins that he has graciously revealed to you, do not try to hide them. Trying to hide your sin from God is like trying to avoid the sun; your efforts will be futile and harmful. Again, follow the prayer of David:

For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight Psalm 51:3-4a

And keep in mind the Apostle John,

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10

Divine Dependence

Cling to Jesus Christ by faith. It is only because of His life and sacrificial death that you can be forgiven. It is His Spirit that dwells within you, enabling and assisting you in the fight against your flesh.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8:11-12).

It is because of his saving work that the love of God will keep you, protect you, and preserve you for eternal glory (Rm 8:31-39). Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Heavenly Worship

Through faith in Jesus Christ, you have direct access to the presence of God. You have communion with Him. In the presence of God through Christ, you are equipped and built up for the battle. As you come to the presence of God and worship Him, you will be fed the Bread of Life, you will drink from the fountain of Living Waters, and you will be taught the Wisdom of God. Spiritual warfare is impossible without heavenly worship. Take to heart the admonition in Hebrews not to neglect meeting together. There is divine power when the Body of Christ gathers together under their Head, Jesus Christ, to worship the Triune God.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Faithful Fellowship

In the gathering of the Body of Christ, you should find faithful brothers and sisters to love you, encourage you, and challenge you. The local church is equipped with the Holy Spirit for the sake of “one another”. You need Jesus and his bride, the church. David was a better servant of God because of his relationship with Jonathan. God has called his people together that we may find many Jonathans in our local church.

Wise Defense

Finally, as you prepare to fight the enemy within, wisely fortify your perimeter. Set up boundaries. Unplug devices. Delete social media. Cancel your Netflix. But most importantly, don’t forget these words:

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13

Conclusion

In every war, there are moments when you feel like you have the momentum and moments when you feel like there is no hope. In spiritual battles, both instances can be opportunities for defeat. In the moments of triumph, do not forget that your progress is because of the grace and kindness of God. In the moments of hopelessness, remember the cross of Christ, the victory of Jesus, and the words He uttered, “it is finished”.  

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus going on before!

Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;

Forward into battle, see his banner go!

If you have any questions or would like prayer or counseling regarding fighting your sin, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church.

For an in-depth look at facing sin with the scriptures, read the first chapter of A.W. Pink's short booklet, Profiting From the Word. The men at CFBC are currently working through this booklet during Men’s Fellowship, which meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6pm.

This article is based on the sermon: Fighting the Sin of Lust.