Lust

Matthew 5:27-30 “27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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.”

Righteousness in Christ

We desire the Law. Slaves to sins, we look for the easy way out. None of us attempt to uphold the Law of Moses or look to Leviticus to guide our lives. We create our own law. We do everything we can to find righteousness in anything but Jesus. We look for the approval of others, set boundaries with our boyfriend/girlfriend, attend church, don’t say bad words, and whatever else we can come up with. Doing these things aren’t bad but there is only slavery found in a works based righteousness.

Jesus is much too invasive for our comfort. If we live according to our law we make for ourselves, we keep total control of how much Jesus can see of us. Jesus doesn’t get our whole life but only the works we offer to him.

We either brush off sin because it’s not directly against our law’s standard, or we live in guilt and shame because we believe we can fall out of grace because we think grace is earned.

Adultery

Matthew 5:27 “27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’”

Commandment #7 addresses adultery. Adultery is not all that difficult to avoid, or at least takes a long path of disobedience to get there.

Exodus 20:14 “14 “You shall not commit adultery.”

The Bible gives countless warnings against adultery and sexual immorality. Jesus’ audience would have thought of these passages and more when he mentioned adultery.

Proverbs 6:27-32 “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 neighbor’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.”

2 Samuel 11 - David and Bathsheba

Leviticus 20:10 “10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

Deuteronomy 22:22 “22 “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.”

Someone who commits adultery is seen as completely detestable. One who deserves anything and everything that would be a result.

Just like we treat murderers, we have no problem jumping on the bandwagon of ridicule and contempt against adulterers.

The Heart of Adultery: Lust

Matthew 5:28 “28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Sexual desire is designed by God for God’s glory. Adam and Eve were commanded to fill the earth and God designed sex to be used for just that.

Lust is sexual desire contrary to God’s design, outside of the context of marriage, with or without the intent of physical action. “What if?”

Our culture is inundated with lust. Everywhere we look there is promiscuous and racy videos, pictures, and songs. It does not take much to find sexually enticing information.

Spotify Top 10 Songs:

Flowers - Miley Cyrus

A guy cheated on me so I will love myself

Kill Bill - SZA

I’m going to kill my ex boyfriend and his new girlfriend because I love him

Boys a Liar Pt. 2 - Pink Pantheress, Ice Spice

He lied to me and is cheating on me

Escapism. - Raye, 070 Shake

My boyfriend dumped me so I’m escaping with a night out getting drunk and doing drugs and having sex with strangers

Love Again - The Kid LAROI

I got dumped and I’m begging you for love again

Lust is a matter of the heart that will manifest itself in countless ways and is a real issue for guys and girls.

Guys it’s usually physical.

Our culture attacks men with provocative images everywhere we look. The idea is there is no collateral damage when it remains completely physical, especially if there is no actual physical contact. “What does it hurt to look?”

Girls it’s usually emotional.

Our culture plays with the emotions of women with romance and fake love stories. It does not seem dirty or nasty when it’s not graphic. “I’m only dreaming.”

Pornography - depicted behavior intended to cause sexual enticement

Porn revenue

2001 - $3 billion

2022 - $100 billion

Social media is filled with temptation.

There is no denying the war for our minds on social media. Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Instagram are desperately (and successfully) fighting for our attention. Nothing sells like sex!

Would you want your explore page, follow list, or search history to be displayed on the screen?

Homosexuality is simply a misuse of sex. It allows man/woman to redefine the nature in which God designed and use sex however and for whatever we want.

Most of us fall prey to lust which means we are adulterers. We fall into the category of the ones we are so eager to destroy for being cheaters and liars.

Response to Adultery

Matthew 5:29-30 “29 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. 30 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.”

Jesus commands us to be diligent and radical in our fight against adultery. He is not actually saying to physically injure ourselves but be desperate in the fight.

Scripture addresses this fight:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

2 Timothy 2:20-22 “20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

We should be proactive in protecting ourselves. Seek the Lord and his wisdom, counsel, and guidance. God has set us free from sin, therefore we are no longer slaves! Don’t be afraid to attack this sin.

“The best defense is a good offense.” - George Washington?

Set helpful boundaries, create accountability, whatever it takes to FLEE!

Don’t wait around and linger when sexual temptation is present. It is far too dangerous and powerful to take lightly. FLEE from it.

Hope for Adulterers

So what now? We deserve punishment as adulterers. Jesus has paid for that sin!

Jesus is not done with us when we are caught in sin. He sees us in our sin and sends us out from it as free people.

John 8:2-11 “2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””

Jesus expects us to be perfect and has a high standard for us. We should live according to our hearts’ condition of salvation. He also knows we have a sin problem. He expects us to know it, admit it, and repent from it.

1 John 1:5-10 “5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

We have the best Savior ever who continually pleads with the Father on our behalf.

1 John 2:1 “1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Righteousness is not earned but given. We live according to what has been freely given to us as God’s children.