11 Powerful Sermons on Porn and Tips for Writing Your Own

Porn can be an awkward subject, and preaching a sermon on porn can be difficult for many pastors. However, there are some POWERFUL messages about the dangers of porn and how to escape the grip of lust.  

Whether you’re someone struggling with porn, a pastor looking for good examples of sermons on porn to pull from, or simply a believer who wants to hear how God’s timeless Word addresses a pressing contemporary issue, here are 11 convicting and hope-filled messages that tackle the problem of porn.    

11 Powerful Sermons on Porn

The following list is in no particular order and by no means exhaustive. If you’ve heard other great sermons about porn, let us know in the comments below.

1. Philip Ryken: “Window on the World – Cybersin”

The world has changed drastically, even in the past 15 years. However, some things haven’t changed.  

Dr. Philip Ryken, then a pastor and now the president of Wheaton College, preached this brief sermon on porn way back in 2006. It still holds up. Although he spoke before the advent of smartphones, when a significant number of people were still using dial-up, the problems he recognizes are the same problems we’re dealing with today. Dr. Ryken gives a remarkably succinct summary of the problem and 6 important steps for Christians dealing with it.  

Listen to Dr. Ryken’s sermon “Window on the World – Cybersin.”

2. Craig Groeschel: “Your Porn Battle Plan – Warrior” 

“One of the most common ways that Satan will attack warriors,” says Pastor Craig Groeschel, “Is through a battle of the mind with lust.”  

This message outlines the problem of porn and looks to the story of King David in 2 Samuel 11 for answers. Packed full of practical suggestions and a powerful personal testimony, Pastor Groeschel looks to equip people with the tools to quit porn.  

Watch “Your Porn Battle Plan – Warrior.”

3. John Piper: “You Can Say No To Porn” 

Initially, this message might be frustrating for you if you’re someone who feels unable to quit porn. Pastor John Piper contends that porn addiction is a relative and not absolute condition. You may be addicted to porn, but at any given moment, that condition can be reversed by the right set of circumstances.  

A short snippet from a longer message, Piper looks to a number of different passages to show the power of the Holy Spirit for changing our circumstances. Ultimately, he points to the hope we have in Christ for overcoming any addiction.  

Watch this snippet of “You Can Say No to Porn.”

4. Tim Keller: “Love and Lust” 

This sermon is about more than just porn. Confronting the world’s idea of sex head-on, Pastor Tim Keller explains the superiority of God’s plan to anything we can imagine. Pastor Keller looks to Matthew 5:27-30 and shows why porn fails to measure up to God’s beautiful design for sex  

Instead of thinking about sex as a consumer good, Pastor Keller shows how sex within a covenantal relationship draws two people together in a demonstration of love.  

Listen to Pastor Keller’s message “Love and Lust.”

5. Jonathan Pokluda: “Lust & Self-Control” 

Not many pastors want to talk about porn from the pulpit, but Pastor Jonathan Pokluda knows from personal experience how important this message is. He says, “I’ve been a slave to this sin. I hope to turn the light on because I’ve seen the cell walls… You think you’re going to live outside the boundaries of God’s law, his commandments, and you won’t.”  

He goes on to share his story of God’s grace and mercy in his life and the power of the Gospel to overcome sin. 

Watch the sermon “Lust & Self-Control.”

6. Michael Todd: “The Compromise of Pornography” 

“This is a man who has strength and success beyond measure, but he still has an Achille’s heel: porn.” This is a high-energy sermon on porn from a pastor who admits his own struggle with it right at the outset. 

Pastor Michael Todd looks to the story of Samson in Judges 13-16 and how sexual sin can defeat even the strongest warriors. Learn about the self-inflicted pain we cause by looking at pornography in this message.  

Watch Pastor Todd’s sermon “The Compromise of Pornography.”

7. Heath Lambert: “Overcoming Pornography” 

Counselor Heath Lambert tackles three factors that lead someone to look at porn: anonymity, access, and appetite. Remove just one of these and porn is no longer a temptation. Lambert looks to Romans 13:11-14 for some practical steps toward the path away from porn.  

Listen to Lambert’s message on “Overcoming Pornography.”

8. Denny Burk: “Pursue God Not Pornography”  

Denny Burk begins by talking about the porn crisis in society and the church crisis. What’s the most often-counseled issue, of all the other issues you have to deal with? Nothing comes close to the number of professing Christians they talk to who are in the throes of this particular sin.   

“You cannot pursue God and pursue pornography. You can pursue one or you can pursue the other, but you cannot pursue both.”  

Burk looks to 2 Timothy 2:22 for insight into how someone can flee porn and pursue God.  

Watch “Pursue God, Not Pornography.”

9. Paul Washer: “Abstain from Sexual Immorality”  

Trigger warning! If you know anything about Paul Washer you know he pulls no punches and isn’t afraid to hurt your feelings. This message on lust is no exception. The text is 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3. Washer says that dealing with lust is only a baby-step in the Christian walk and calls on people to grow up! In the midst of these hard words, however, Washer points us past our sin struggles and calls us to live out our identity as Christians.  

Watch Washer’s message “Abstain from Sexual Immorality.”

10. Sean McDowell: “The 3 Myths of Pornography” 

Speaking to a youth conference, apologist Sean McDowell exposes the lies that porn tells people. In this high energy and wide-ranging message, McDowell covers everything from the dark side of the porn industry, to brain science, to the hope and power of the Gospel for overcoming porn. 

Check out “The 3 Myths of Pornography.”   

11. Brad Cooper: “Pornography”  

“What I want to do is tell how God used this evil in my life to bring about God. To do this, we need to get above the issue of pornography, and look at biblical sexuality itself,” says Pastor Brad Cooper. Pastor Cooper looks at the first few chapters of Genesis to explain God’s original design and intent for human sexuality. He reveals how this design is hijacked by porn.  

Listen to Pastor Cooper’s sermon “Pornography.”

5 Tips for Preaching Your Own Sermon on Porn

1. Be bold when confronting porn. 

As a preacher, I have to confess that I’ve sometimes soft-shoed around the issue of porn. I’m more comfortable with euphemisms like, “looking at things you shouldn’t,” or “lustful thoughts.” You have to know your audience, but more and more I’m convinced that we need to be bold and straightforward in speaking to these issues from the pulpit.  

One of the most notable things about all these sermons is how bold they are in tackling the problem of pornography head-on.  

2. Be vulnerable and honest about your own struggles. 

Though not every preacher has had a personal struggle with porn, a number of the preachers on this list have. Their testimonies are powerful! If you’ve struggled with porn, don’t let this keep you from preaching about it – share your victories!  

3. Address both men and women.

Too often, when porn has been confronted from the pulpit it’s only “a man’s problem.” We know that’s not the case—one-third of porn users are now women, and the number may be rising.  

I once heard Jessica Harris say that simply adding two words, “and women,” can be life-changing for the girl who thinks she’s the only one struggling. Porn is not a man’s problem; it’s a people problem.  

And remember that for every husband struggling with porn, there’s a wife hurting because of it. And for every wife struggling with porn, there’s a husband impacted as well. For tips on helping these hurting spouses, check out the blog post, “5 Common Mistakes When Helping Wives of Porn Addicts in Our Churches.” 

4. Remember that lust and porn are multi-faceted issues. 

If you go through this list, you’ll notice that different preachers emphasize different aspects of porn. Some focus on our view of God, and how the enticements of sex can pull our eyes away from satisfaction in him. Others focus on the wounds in our past, and how porn merely deepens the wounds we’re suffering. A number of the preachers talk about the neuroscience behind porn addiction and what’s happening physically when people are trapped in this sin.   

Different congregations (or individuals) may need to hear different messages depending on where they’re at. If you want to encourage someone who’s trying to quit or if you have the opportunity to preach on porn yourself, pray that the Holy Spirit would guide you to preach God’s Word faithfully! 

Check out these insights from minister and researcher  Jay Stringer into the relationship between lust and anger.  

5. Include practical help for those who want to quit watching porn.

There’s no shortage of help available for those looking to quit. Whatever aspect of lust and porn you’re looking to tackle in your message, be sure to provide your congregation with practical steps they can take to dealing with temptation.  

Check out our go-to steps for quitting porn from Dr. Doug Weiss.  

If you’re a pastor and still hesitant to preach on porn, see “How to Preach About Porn Without Filling Your Email Inbox.” 

Have you come across other great sermons on porn that aren’t on this list? We’d love to hear what sermons and tips have been helpful for you—leave a comment below!