Hey, this is James with I’ll Be Honest, I just wanted to do a video blog with an email I got from someone. This is a person who believes they were saved not too long ago, and they were addicted to pornography. And I bet some of you are watching this right now because you yourself are addicted to sexual sin, to pornography, and it has you in bondage. And I hope that by reading this, again the point can be emphasized, that you are not to pursue freedom from pornography. You are not struggling with a pornography addiction, you’re struggling with a sin addiction. And as you pursue Christ, as you trust in Him, you will find freedom from the addiction to sin and freedom from sexual sin. Freedom from sexual sin and from any sin doesn’t from looking that sin in the eyes and saying “I better overcome that.” It comes from finding that which is more beautiful which is Christ, and as you see Him, as you look to Him and you see Him as better then you’ll naturally overcome it.
And so, I want to read this real fast, he says to me, he says, “James, it’s real funny. I was reading the first message you sent to me and all you said was look to Christ. It was so mind-boggling for me at the time. That I would write back asking for some steps and procedures to salvation. And now, I can really understand all you said to me.” He goes on to say, “For a final thought I wanted to share with you something that I was meditating the other day and it made me laugh. I started this adventure, so I can have freedom from pornography and now months later I don’t even remember that’s the reason that made me begin. Now all I care and desire is Christ and His glories; that’s all that can quench me; that’s all I pursue.” I can tell you that he’s found hope.
That email right there shows a man who is no longer worried about “My issues with pornography, my issues with lust. Oh no, I’m a porn addict.” No, it’s a sin addict. And the only way a person can be free from the power of sin and from the wrath of God from being a child of the devil, from being an enemy of God is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down as a man lived a perfect sinless life. As a brother said, “The God who couldn’t be contained by the universe, Jesus Christ, who laid the foundations of the earth squeezed inside of a mother’s womb.” He humbled Himself to such an extent and then He went to that cross and He suffered the wrath of God in full. He put away all of my sin, not in part, but the whole, it was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.
In John 8:32, it says, “You shall know this truth and this truth will set you free.” That I can be saved not because of works done by me in righteousness, but according to the mercy of Jesus Christ. That truth is what sets me free. That’s the only reason that I’m not going back to any sin, is because I’m satisfied with Christ. I am seeing what He has done is everything. I mean, what can I do, but to worship Him, but to live for Him? Are there struggles? Are there battles against sin? You better believe it. This is an all-out war. But as brother has said, “You are delivered by your desire for Christ because your desire for Christ is greater.”
1 John 5:3 says, “This is the love of God, that I keep His commandments. That His commandments, they’re not burdensome to me.” It’s not a burden to be alone with the lover of my soul. It’s not a burden to want to read the love letter that He’s given me. The burden is when I do sin and I’ll tell you the Bible says, “Let anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12 It says in 1 John, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” I say it like this, “Keep yourself as a little child and you will keep yourself from idols.” Because a little child is totally cast on his father. He knows it, he sees his inadequacy. But he realizes, my adequacy comes from God. My hope is justification in Christ. That I can be declared right with God on judgment day through Jesus Christ alone. Not my works, not my feelings, not some experiences, not anything that I have done, but entirely what Christ has done.
As long as you pursue freedom from pornography, as long as you’re thinking your problem is pornography addiction, you’ll never find freedom. The worst thing that can happen is that you do find freedom, while pursuing freedom from pornography. And then, you pat yourself on the back and you think that everything is fine. Yet still, if you’re not born again, if you’re not a lover of Christ, if you don’t have intimacy with Him, you’ve still got the wrath of God over you. You’re still a child of the devil and an enemy of God. So your problem is not solved.
Until you can see the beauty, that God the Father walks into some shop, He goes to the back, past all the pretty, religious people and all the prettiness of the world and He goes and He buys, He takes you. Some filthy, vile wretch. Some disgusting, dis-formed person. and He slaughters His son as a sacrifice and He buys you with the price of His son. He adopts you, you’re no longer a child of the devil, but a son of God. The papers are signed on Calvary and He says, “If you thirst, if you desire, come drink the water of life, without price.” – Revelation 22:17 Without price.
Then why is it you’re still trying to pay something? You’re still trying to say, “God, look what I’ve done. I’ve got sixty days of freedom. What? How is God impressed with sixty days of freedom? Christ was free for all of an eternity. That is the only hope of salvation. That is the only way. I am making this video again, to plead these same truths that are already out in tons of other videos. Because maybe this time, as you hear these words, it’ll hit you for the first time. Christ alone can save me. I’ve got to go to Him. Psalm 62:8, “Trust in Him at all times.” Pour your heart before God. God is a refuge for us. Man, let’s look at Psalm 63. He says, “O, God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You. My flesh faints for You. I’ve looked upon you. I’m beholding Your power and glory, Your steadfast love is better than life. My lips will praise You. I’ll bless You. My mouth will praise You. My soul will be satisfied.” You see, when you’re satisfied with Christ, you don’t need to go prostitute yourself to an idol. If you’re a Christian, and you’re satisfied with your marriage with Christ. You won’t need to go prostitute your heart to some idol. Because you’re satisfied with that intimacy you have. The issue in Matthew 7, when He looks at those who have done mighty works and He says, “I never knew you.” The issue is He’s saying, “I never had intimacy with you.” “Depart from Me you worker of iniquity.” Oh, you had a fat head, you knew the truth. You knew the facts, but you didn’t know Me. Depart from Me, you never had intimacy, there was never a prayer life, there was never a hunger for the Word of God.
I mean, what do we find in Thessalonians? He’s coming back afflicting vengeance on those who don’t know God and those who don’t obey the Gospel. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you’ll keep my commandments.” Love for Christ produces an obedience that’s not a compulsion: “Well, I’ve got to do this.” But it’s: “Of course, I have to do this.” If He died for me, how can I not serve Him, honor Him, live for Him alone, completely. Paul said in First Corinthians 2:2, “I have determined to know nothing among you, except for Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Just like we see here, “My soul thirsts for You.” It’s for You, Lord, only You can help me. I’m not going to do anything perfect, I’m not making this video perfectly, I’m not, I am so helpless, I am so cast on Christ for my salvation, for everything in my life.
Are you there? Do you think that’s crazy? Because if you do, let anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. It’s those who realize I can’t stand. Lord, if You don’t help me I can’t stand. Lord, I can’t stand on that Judgment Day, unless I’m dressed in the beautiful righteousness of Your Son. I can’t stand against lust. I can’t stand against all the thousands of billboards and all the wicked ads, and all the perverted sexual Facebook pictures, and all these things. Lord, I can’t stand against this, unless I’m standing and abiding in Your Son. Unless I’m trusting in Him alone for my joy, for my satisfaction, for my salvation alone.
I mean, if you pick up your Bible if you read through the Psalms. This is all you see. You atoned for my transgressions. I’m satisfied with the goodness of Your house. He turned the sea into dry land and they passed through the river on foot. Look at the Red Sea before you, you’re going to try to get through it on your own? You’re going to try and stand and split that sea on your own power? Give up. Trust in Christ. He says, “Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and,” He says, “I will give you rest.” I’ll give you rest. He says, “My arm is not short that it cannot save you.” He says, “My ear it’s not deaf, that it cannot hear your cry.”
I mean, who is more wicked, the man in Norway, who just killed eighty children, a couple months ago, or you, who sit under the Gospel, you, who watch the I’ll be Honest videos, but don’t have intimacy with Christ and don’t know Him? Who, who’s more wicked? Guess what? The man who’s killed eighty kids, and you, who have all the knowledge. You and him are committing the same sin. The greatest sin, the sin that is not pardonable: Rejection of Jesus Christ. John 5:39 says, “You search the Scriptures, you search them, you think in them you’ll find eternal life, but they testify about Me. Yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.” That man in Norway, God will save him, if he forsakes his sin and comes to Christ. And you, right here, who are more worried about freedom from sexual sin, and you’ve got all the knowledge in the world, if you’ll forsake your greatest sin, of rejecting Christ. He will abundantly pardon you, of everything. Completely saved. Peace that surpasses all understanding. Isaiah 26:3, “He keeps them in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the Lord.” Because he’s trusting in the Lord. The God of the Bible is my salvation. Christ is my hope. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. As long as you’re in the sinking sand and you’re trying to get yourself out, you’ll only sink deeper, but when you give up, when you realize I can’t get out. I can’t get out, I’m sinking, I’m going to suffocate, I’m about to suffocate, and you say, “Save me, Lord.” He’ll save your soul.
Psalm 34:6, “This poor man cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard him and delivered him from all of his troubles.” He wasn’t rich, he was spiritually poor. He was bankrupt, and he went to the one who owns the worlds, who created all, the one who came down as a man, who humbled himself and died in your place, if you trust in Him to put away all of your sin, you’d be a fool to keep pursuing freedom from pornography, instead of pursuing Christ. Just like that email I read, that can be you in a moment. Trust in Christ. Believe in Christ. And you’ll realize, I started this thinking I needed freedom from pornography, instead I found Christ. I got salvation; I’m born again. Now all I care and all I desire is Christ and His glories. And He alone can quench all my desires. He alone is the one I pursue.
Think on these things. If that’s you, I hope you find hope in Christ. I want that, that’s why I’m responding to your emails, that’s why I’m making these little be honest submission responses to some of you who email me. Because I want you to see Christ. It’s not complicated. My job’s pretty easy. Open this Bible and point people to Christ. I mean, it’s not complicated. No matter what it is, Christ will save you, Christ will satisfy you, Christ is the answer. Oh, to dwell in the house of the Lord. That’s the one thing I seek and I need to keep pursuing Him and keep those affections in my heart hot for him. And I’ll make it to the end, in Christ alone. Bye for now.
