Watch sermon video here
Introduction
–
In 2018
there were 16,743 abortions in QLD, that is 16,744 too many. But what is even
worse is that after that terrible abortion legislation was passed in 2018, in
2019 we had 26,583 abortions. That is a 58% increase in one year.[i]
26,583 children murdered. I have good friends who lost a child in the last
year, to natural causes. They did everything to save her life. Everything they
could. It was the first funeral I have ever been to where the coffin was that
small. They would have loved this little girl. Wicked people have aborted
26,583 young Queenslanders, for whatever reasons they wished, while good people
mourn the loss of their children every day. Evil rules our society, no
question.
We began a
theology of the evil one last week. Theology can sound ‘theoretical’ but this
is not theoretical. It is not just words on a page, or thoughts spoken out
loud. Evil is real, and pervasive, and it rules our world, and indeed our
society, at least right now. Hebrews 2:14 does say that Jesus died on the cross
so “that through his death he destroy the one who has the power of death,
that is the devil…” but Hebrews 2:8 says this, “8 putting
everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in
subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not
yet see everything in subjection to him” (Hebrews 2:8). The Devil is
defeated, his destruction is guaranteed. But he can steal, kill and destroy
still today. And it appears nothing delights him more than destroying young
life. Hence 26,583 young people fell to his schemes in 2019, and that’s just in
QLD.
So, when I
say we are building a theology of evil, this is no ivory tower exercise. This is
God revealed information, from his Word, that we need to understand so as to be
aware of the Devil’s schemes in this world.
We
established last week that the evil one got power over death by usurping the
man and woman’s roles, he is now at war with the descendants of the woman and
he likes to attack through women in a unique way. As difficult a topic as this
is for the modern mind it is not in the least bit controversial from the
Bible’s perspective. We are just not supposed to notice what the Bible says,
and last week we noticed it, and we will continue, by the grace of God, to
notice what the Bible says on gendered issues, and on everything really.
And this morning
we are going to look at some of the great evil he wreaks on humanity through
men, and if we have time, we will then turn to some of his other strategies. So,
let’s continue to trace how the Devil works, let’s make ourselves even more
aware of his schemes.
1. The Devil Specializes In Corrupting
Men – I want us to
launch off today with something we looked at last week, but looking at if from
a different angle. I mentioned last week how the Devil attacked man through
woman and I said this, “This worked because…and no one will be offended by
this…this worked because man’s greatest weakness is woman. And here was Adam
standing before the most perfect and beautiful women ever, naked, offering him
a bit of forbidden fruit…more men have fallen before that, than have stood.”
1.1 And this is what we read in Genesis
3:6 – “6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that
it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one
wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who
was with her, and he ate.” What did she do? She took the “wisdom” the
“divine mysteries” that the Devil had taught her and passed them on to her
husband, encouraging him to eat. This is a direct act of pagan priesthood. And
this is exactly how it was viewed by the ancients, and by the ancient Church.
1.1.1
But what did the man do? He left the Devil unopposed, and he fell before
the naked beautiful women. We see here two more strategies of the Devil.
Firstly,
2. Getting men to check out – “and he ate” - I can’t
help but notice here that Adam checked out. There is only one way to accurately
describe how he acts in this situation: passive. He literally allows his wife
and the evil one through her to walk all over him. This is both the least
masculine thing he could have done, and one of the most common things that men
do. Many men just check out, they go passive.
2.1 Maybe because it is all just too hard.
Maybe it is because their wife pushes too much. Maybe because they are just
worn out. Or maybe it is because they were raised by domineering mothers, and
passive fathers. For whatever reason, men checking out and being walked all
over by their wives and by society is so common, and here we see it happening
with the first man.
2.1.1
Overly domineering men is a real problem in society, it exists and it is
bad. But passive men, especially in the West, are a much more common issue.
2.2 There are guys out there who are
terrified of their mothers, because their fathers are terrified of their wives,
and their lack of leadership wreaks havoc through the whole family. Passivity
is a plague amongst men.
2.2.1
I have seen what having a passive father does to their sons, it is
devastating.
2.3 Why would a man, who has been
commanded by God to “name” his wife, which means lead her - the women being
named by the husband means the women is coming into the frame, or authority, of
her husband – why would a man who knows this choose to be so passive?
2.3.1
Because it is easier, “It is better to live in a corner of the
housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife” (Proverbs
21:9). I don’t think Solomon is saying this is a good situation, I think he is
just pointing out the approach many men take.
2.3.1.1 Many men find it easier to just check
out. It is the path of least resistance. Just avoid their wife and seek peace
where it comes. Many men take this approach is various aspects of their lives.
2.3.2
We read this about Hezekiah in his day, “5 Then Isaiah said to
Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming,
when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till
this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7
And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall
be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is
good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days”
(Isaiah 39:5-8).
2.3.2.1 How wicked, and passive is this
thought of Hezekiah? Hezekiah is told about all the evil that is coming on his
descendants and he is ok with what is coming, because he won’t see it. This
sums up the passive man, happy to push his responsibilities down the line.
2.3.3
So, we can add to our theology of how the evil works, that he likes to
get men to just check out, take a backseat. And probably his most successful
strategy of getting men to check out is…
3. Slaying men with porneia – Here was Adam standing before the
most beautiful and most perfect woman ever, designed by God himself, and like
Samson, like David, like many after him, he leaped at the chance to fall before
the beautiful woman.
3.1 Look how this sin eventually brings
down the whole world in Genesis 6:1-4 – “6 When man began to multiply on
the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw
that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any
they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever,
for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth
in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the
daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who
were of old, the men of renown.”
3.1.1
This situation is unique because it is talking about the fallen angels,
the Watchers, laying with human women (daughters of man). But it shows us 1)
the power of the evil one to use sexual temptation to corrupt, 2) the damage
that it can wreak on the world. If these angels could fall before it, how much
more could mortal men?
3.1.2
Ergo, how much more should we be on our guard, being far less holy and
set apart than heavenly messengers (at least before their fall). We basically
need to assume that if we allow this sin a door of entry that it can bring us
down. And many men do leave that door open.
3.2 Pornography today has gone crazy,
rampant and viral. But you have to understand it does not just exist, it didn’t
just develop naturally. Pornography was pushed by people who think like this: “Some
porn stars viewed themselves as frontline fighters in the spiritual battle
between Christian America and secular humanism…Pornography thus becomes a way
of defiling Christian culture and, as it penetrates to the very heart of the
American mainstream (and is no doubt consumed by those very same WASPs), its
subversive character becomes more charged. Porn is no longer of the “what the
Butler saw” voyeuristic type; instead, it is driven to new extremes of
portrayal that stretch the boundaries of the porn aesthetic. As new sexual
positions are portrayed, the desire to shock (as well as entertain) seems
clear.”[ii]
3.2.1
In other words, porn was pushed in the USA to help destroy Christian
society. I know we don’t live in America, but Hollywood, and its underground
offshoot, the Porn Industry, have had a massive effect on Australian culture –
the exact same effect.
3.2.2
But note this: these people are against Christ. As one famous
pornographer Al Goldstein says, “…We think that Christ sucks. Catholicism [aka
Christianity] sucks. We don’t believe in authoritarianism.”[iii]
He conflates Christianity with authoritarianism, because Christianity says obey
your government, pay your taxes, only practice sex in a marriage between a man
and woman, teach your kids to be respectful, and good citizens, among other
things.
3.2.2.1 To the wicked, these things are
totalitarian and must be subverted. Porn was designed to help tear down our
successful Christianised culture, and it has worked. Now you can be angry at
the purveyors of this stuff, and you should be, but they could not succeed if
people did not buy or watch their product. At risk of making myself sound
absurd here, to quote Obi Wan Kenobi, “Who is the more foolish, the fool? Or
the fool who follows him?”
3.3 I know that some women watch porn,
this number is increasing, and the industry could not exist without women, some
of whom join it willingly, though many don’t. The sex industry overlaps with
slave trafficking. But let’s put all this to one side for now, and hear this: Men,
porn is not just something that is bad for you, it is something designed to
destroy you, which presents itself as freedom but is actually slavery.
3.3.1
Proverbs tells us this, “23 For the commandment is a lamp and the
teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24 to
preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her
eyelashes; 26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a
married woman hunts down a precious life. 27 Can a man carry fire next to his
chest and his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his
feet not be scorched? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbour's wife; none who
touches her will go unpunished. 30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, 31 but if he is caught, he will pay
sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house. 32 He who commits adultery
lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself” (Proverbs 6:23-32).
3.3.2
I know this is talking about the actual act of adultery, but didn’t Jesus
say that those who look at a woman with lust have committed this sin? It’s not
right to say the Devil made you do it. But it is correct to say that he has
successfully used porn to turn the western man largely into a passive,
pusillanimous, masturbater who has allowed civilization to begin to collapse on
his watch. The kind of men who are ok with children being aborted are the same
kinds of men who are ok with spilling their seed to screens instead of real
flesh and blood women.
3.3.3
And be warned, a society given over to this sin will see no boundaries of
sexual depravity, “7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding
cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural
desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire…10 But
these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed
by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.”
(Jude 1:7,10).
3.3.3.1 Porn is designed to twist you
sexually and to push you to further and further depths of depravity. Our
society is clearly enslaved by it. Why join in on the Devil’s schemes?
3.4 In fact, Paul tells us directly that
this is an area the Devil watches over people ready to attack, 1 Corinthians
7:1-5 – “1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good
for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the
temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each
woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal
rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have
authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does
not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another,
except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves
to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you
because of your lack of self-control.”
3.4.1
This is not rocket science, the antidote to sexual temptation is for each
man to have a wife, and each wife to have a husband, and for them to have
regular sex.
3.4.2
It’s interesting how the Devil has not really changed how he has worked
for all of history. He has no new tricks. He just plays them over and over
again. He stepped in between the man and the woman and twisted their
relationship, corrupting their marriage, and he does the same thing to
marriages today, if you give him the opportunity.
3.5 So, we can add to our theology of
evil so far that the Devil specializes in corrupting men, and especially
slaying them with porneia. Let me ask you a simple question here married
couples? Does Satan rule this area of your life? Or does God? Because it
matters.
4. It matters for society as a whole – Proverbs
6:32 – “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys
himself.” And if
society is given over to sexual sin, it tends to destruction. Both porn and
abortion are population control measures. This has been known for a long time.
Abortion is easy to understand, it directly takes viable children out of the
population. Pornography’s connection to population decline, is less obvious, but
clear once you look at its effects.
4.1 Porn makes it harder for men to
engage with women.[iv] Researchers
have known this for a while now. “Increased and consistent porn use in
heterosexual men will cause the following to occur: 1. Reduced interest in sex
and physical intimacy with long-term spouse/partner.”[v]
Less sex, means less opportunities for children, less children for Christian
families makes the Devil’s job far easier in this world.
4.2 What was God’s first blessing/command
for all of humanity? Genesis 1:26 – “26 Then God said, “Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all
the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living
thing that moves on the earth.”
4.2.1
People debate over whether this is a command or blessing. I think this is
a silly debate because great blessing is found in following the commands of
God. And the first blessing/command God gave us is: be fruitful and multiply. Why?
Because God wants us to fill this world with little image bearers of him. By
this he means believers of him, seeking to live out his will in this world. The
Devil wants to stop as many image bearers of God from coming into being as
possible.
4.2.2
Whether it is porn, abortion, abortive birth control or other methods the
Devil’s schemes have done a lot of damage.
4.3 The Devil has enabled many men and
women, through his schemes, to destroy themselves, and in turn our whole
society. Western civilisation is running on steam right now, and this is not
good. Because the West, despite all its flaws, was mighty for the kingdom of
God for so long.
4.3.1
Is it not good to want the West to be a missions power house again? If
yes, then let’s stop allowing him to run amuck in our lives.
4.4 Jesus died on the cross to take the
penalty for our sins. He also died on the cross to defeat the evil one. Why
would we give the Devil a foothold again through sexual immorality? And we have
only talked about one aspect of it today. Whenever you look at porn you join
hands with the Devil to help him defeat yourself and your society.
4.5 So, another aspect of the Devil’s
strategy we can see here is that in anyway he can, he wants to lay waste the
peoples and sexual sin is a powerful tool that he uses.
5. Conclusion – I said last week the Devil likes to
attack through women in a unique way. But as true as this may be, he
specializes in corrupting men, and corrupt men have wrought untold damage in
this world to men and women. Men don’t allow yourselves to be allied with the Devil.
Don’t let him rule your sexual affections. Don’t be passive before him. And if
in anyway you feel trapped in this snare of evil, remember that Jesus has
defeated the one who has power over death, that is the Devil. He has crushed
him, and his schemes cannot lay hold of you if you walk truly in the
forgiveness and grace of the cross. You can stop it, you can assert back
control in that area of your life, by the power of God, if you choose not to be
passive.
List of
References
[i] Life
Choice Australia 2021, “58% Increase In Qld Abortions Since Abortion-to-Birth
Legalisation”, LifeChoice, accessed 14/05/2020, https://lifechoice.org.au/58-increase-in-qld-abortions-since-abortion-to-birth-legalisation/
[ii] Vinther,
Kenneth 2021, “Oppresion by Orgasm”, The Unz Review, accessed 14/05/2020,
https://www.unz.com/article/oppression-by-orgasm/
[iii]
Ibid.
[iv] Postmedia
News 2021, “Young men would give up sex for video games, says U.S. study”,
Toronto Sun, accessed 14/05/2021, https://torontosun.com/news/world/young-men-would-give-up-sex-for-video-games-says-u-s-study
[v] Weiss,
Robert 2011, “Does Watching Porn Affect Intimate Relationships? (Part One: men)”,
PsychCentral, accessed 14/05/2021, https://psychcentral.com/blog/sex/2011/05/does-watching-porn-affect-intimate-relationships-part-one-men#1
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