Stormproof Men #1: Sexual Purity in a Sex Saturated World

Welcome back to the Men's podcast! This week, we're starting a new series that covers topics from the book "Stormproof Men" by Roger Fankhauser. We'll dive into what it looks like to achieve sexual purity in a sex-saturated world.--The PursueGOD Men's podcast helps guys apply God's Word to their lives to become full circle followers of Jesus. Join us for a new men's episode every other Thursday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/men.Learn more about "full circle" Christianity through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources with men and boys at church.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected] Now --Conversations about sexual purity can’t be had too often. As Solomon was passing on wisdom to his sons, four of the first seven chapters in Proverbs contain warnings about sexual immorality.  He obviously thought it was a big deal. Proverbs 2,5,6,7According to Common Sense Media, a child advocacy group 75% of teens have viewed porn online by age 17, the average first exposure is 12 years old I reviewed several other studies and the average ages of first exposure were from 11 to 13.3 years of age and some studies indicated nearly 100% of boys had viewed porn online by the age of 17.   4 Critical QuestionsThere are four critical questions that need to be asked as we journey towards sexual purity:   Do I want to experience purity? Is it possible to experience purity? What do I think God thinks of me? If it is possible, how do I experience purity? Do we want to experience purity?No book, no counseling, no program can make us want to - we have to start there. Should you put this book down if the “want to” is not there? Absolutely not! Our “want to” must flow from the heart, but perhaps reading what follows will help change your heart as you see the value of honoring God and experiencing purity. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.Excerpt from page 3 My “want to” story. Is it possible to experience purity?Job 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. Job is making a final protest of innocence here.  He is saying that he had victory in this area.  We know Job wasn’t perfect, since no one except Christ is perfect, but overall, Job had victory in this area of his life.  You might argue that Job didn’t live in a culture that was as sexualized as ours.  There is probably some truth to that statement, but Job had wealth in a time when prostitution wasn’t illegal. Ephesians 1:19-20  I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. 20 It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This same power put Christ at God’s right side in heaven.What do we think God thinks of us?God keeps me as his child only if I meet certain performance standards. If I continually sin or lose my faith, I will lose my salvation. If I continually sin, then I never really believed in the first place.  God isn’t interested in me because I’m not a true believer. God is an angry God focusing on my failures.God does not see my sin, as it is all covered by the blood of Christ. God sees me as his adopted son, recognizes my sin, but encourages me to walk right. This view focuses on my position in Christ, but also recognizes that God does not ignore my sin. If it is possible, how do we experience purity? Original DesignGod’s original design for sex brings blessing physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Adam and Eve experienced a level of intimacy unlike most ever know because they brought no guilt, shame, worries of inadequacy, or wounds into the relationship. Genesis 1:27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. Genesis 2:23-25 At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone,  and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.No shame, no wounds, no feeling unloved, no feelings of inadequacy, no comparison to previous partnersGod can bring redemption from our past sins and wounds.  Pursuing purity is worth it.