Seven Deadly Sins; Lust

Introduction

Recap Series - Seven Deadly Sins

Pride - Think of myself less

Gluttony - be filled with the Holy Spirit

Anger - Live in the understanding of the grace we have received

Sloth - We were created for good works that point people to Jesus

Greed - Contentment is found in the power of Jesus

Envy - Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep

Today - There is only one left… Lust

Lust = a passionate desire for something

most often sexual

my initial reaction is to jump on the bandwagon that our world is overly sexualized now

but really this not much different than when the Bible was written

sexual sin existed, was rampant all throughout history, that is why there is so much in the Bible about it

can be anything; they had a lust for power

lust is a passionate desire for something

meaning we chase after if with a deep desire believing that thing that we are lusting after will make me whole, will complete me

Throughout our series we have not overly spoken about the sin, but the biblical answer to that sin

in praying about this this, “how do we not lust?”

we could go through the different things that we lust after and assign bible verses to them

here is how you do not lust after the opposite sex, or for power, or for control, or whatever you are lusting for in your life

but the list is endless and it does not get us to the root of the problem

John Piper - “One reason we are drowning today in America and in the church, in an ocean of lust and pornography… we are intellectually and emotionally disconnected from a finite, soul staggering, divine grandeur.”

the phrase that came to mind… Behold him.

John 1:14 (CSB)

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Behold vs Observed - I do not like observed, we do not use behold as much, but the meaning is a little different

behold = to gaze admiringly, or to gaze upon something that stimulates the moral and mental faculties in an impressive and often astonishing way

observe = notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant

I can notice a big play in a sporting event, know that it is significant without being astonished

Isaiah 40:21–31 (CSB)

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth?

22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He reduces princes to nothing and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.

24 They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem hardly takes root in the ground when he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

25 “To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

26 Look up and see! Who created these? He brings out the stars by number; he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing.

27 Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God”?

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.

29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.

30 Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall,

31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

PRAY

We lust after the things of this world because we do not behold the glory of God.

His Glory is Powerful

The prophet Isaiah is writing at a time just before the exile

God’s people have left him time and time again

lusting after other gods, and defiling themselves with them

Isaiah 40:21–26 (CSB)

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth?

22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He reduces princes to nothing and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.

24 They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem hardly takes root in the ground when he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

25 “To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

26 Look up and see! Who created these? He brings out the stars by number; he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing.

All creation cries out to his glory

consider how massive creation is

I was struck by this when we were in California a few years back looking at the giant sequoias

Jimmy and I stretched out our arms… not even half way around them

it was like a coop elevator

the observable universe is 47 billion light years away in every direction

they believe the universe is 250 times larger than that

a light year is about 6 trillion miles

I cant even do that math!

yet he simply lays it out as a sheet

this is not difficult for him

he is not struggling to hold it together, he spoke it into existence

he is enthroned above sitting outside of creation

it is a picture of a king simply sitting relaxed on his throne

Created man cries out to his glory

this is why life is so important

school shooting, abortion, all murders have the same issue

we no longer value human life

we no longer see each other as image bearers of the one tru God

yet all together we are nothing more than grasshoppers

we have a lot of grasshoppers this year

mowing - they are everywhere constantly - but I am not scared

we are not so great that we ever make God swerve, duck or cause him any instant of alarm

even the princess and rulers among us

they are simply like dried stubble

nothing created can measure his power

I was curious as to how much power it would take to stop the earth from rotating

it takes about 1000 newtons of power to lift a human

it takes about 7 decillion newton meters to stop the earth

first you have to know what a newton is… then you have to know what a decillion is

decillion is 33 zeros

understand that even if we can create this type of power it is no match for God

as Jimmy told me, God could just whisper and it stops

His Glory is Eternal

The Lord is not merely powerful

what good is his power for my life if he doesn’t see me, hear me or care about me

my problems are insignificant in the day to day

does he see

is he too tired to care

Isaiah 40:27–28 (CSB)

27 Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God”?

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.

Isaiah speaks to a future Israel

soon to be exiled Israel

when your world seems to be upside down it is easy to think God has lost sight of us

especially when we think that it is going against God’s promise

it is funny how we remember the good side of his promises but not the bad

They were in the promise land and God was to be on their side

he told them when you leave me and follow after other gods, I will exile you out of the land

But God knows their heart… because he is eternal, he is all knowing

They will say, “God does not see us, God has abandoned us”

God knows what will be their thoughts and words in a future time that he already sees

God uses covenant name

think of Hosea - one of the children born in Hosea was named, “Not my people”

God does not use that name, but the name Israel, who he has a covenant with

this shows that the covenant that he made with Abraham that was passed down to Isaac and Jacob is not gone

that even though Israel has left God, God has not left them

We walk in these shoes, has God abandoned us

we look at our problems

why is the nation like this

why is my town like this

why did this happen to my family

we can feel like God has abandoned us and so we look for something else to fill the perceived void

we long for it to come and make us feel whole, loved, and safe

what good is a god who is powerful if he cannot see me and help me in my problems

we could say the same for us about the end times and Christ’s return

this is not something to fear, but to look forward to

he wrote to us in different prophecies about the end times knowing that we would be fearful, possibly led astray

God is eternal and sees all past present and future

he providentially uses those events for his glory and your good

for those who love him and are called to his purposes

His Glory is Grace-filled

All said to those to be exiled to remind them the powerful creator God wants to renew them

we think grace only saves

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB)

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—

9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

but grace also gives us the strength to get through today

Isaiah 40:29–31 (CSB)

He gives strength to the faint

and strengthens the powerless.

Youths may become faint and weary,

and young men stumble and fall,

but those who trust in the Lord

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not become weary,

they will walk and not faint.

Even the strong among us stumble and fall

athletes get to the point of exhaustion

watching football game this weekend the offense strategically made it to where the defence could not substitute out their lineman and they could not get a good pass rush on

in our pride we think that we are invinsable

but those who trust in the Lord, he will renew their strength

trust - eagerly await for the Lord

This is our God! Behold Him!

Gaze upon his beauty, majesty power and love and suddenly the things of this world will seem so dim

John 1:14 (CSB)

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is Christ!

this is what the disciples beheld in Christ

the fullness of God dwelling with them in Christ

for us, may we behold Christ in all of his glory

Exalting Jesus in Isaiah (Reflect and Discuss)

Reflect and Discuss

1. How would meditating on God’s amazing attributes on display in this chapter help people go through times of suffering?

2. How do verses 1–2 point directly to the cross of Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins?

3. How did John the Baptist fulfill the predictions of Isaiah 40:3–5? How can preachers of the gospel seek to level mountains and raise valleys now?

4. How is the glory of the Lord revealed in the restoration of the Jews to the promised land after Babylon? How is it more clearly revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ?

5. Why is the humbling of verses 6–8 so necessary, especially because so many people try to fight the aging process?

6. How do verses 6–8 exalt the greatness of God’s eternal Word? How does this passage relate to Matthew 24:35?

7. How is Isaiah 40:9 in many ways the centerpiece to the whole chapter? What does “Here is your God!” mean? Since God is invisible, how does the ministry of the Word fit into that?

8. How does verse 11 encourage you in your life? How does it relate to Jesus Christ and to his words in Matthew 11:28–30?

9. How does Isaiah 40:12–17, 21–26 show the infinite greatness of almighty God?

10. How do verses 27–31 personally encourage you to seek God when feeling weary and weak?