“LUST”

(NO RESTROOMS/PDA/AIRPODS)

(YOUVERSION NOTES)

>>>God established man and woman to come together and be husband and wife (marriage).

>>>Marriage is one of the most sacred relationships a human can have.

>>>Adultery is when a husband/wife begins to engage in sexual behavior outside of marriage.

*It is seen as a betrayal of the spouse.

*It also includes ANY sexual behavior outside the confines of marriage.

>>>Adultery was something taken very seriously in the Jewish culture.

*The consequence for adultery was death.

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>>>The title of the message is “Lust”.

>>>Jesus continues to talk specifically about things common to His listeners.

Matthew 5:27–30 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

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

>>>Jesus references the 10 commandments as He did talking about anger. This time He references the 7th commandment-adultery.

>>>His listeners would have agreed w/the sanctity of marriage and honoring the covenant made between the man and woman.

Matthew 5:28 “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

>>>Jesus goes deeper into the meaning of the commandment regarding adultery and includes lust.

*“lust” generally means desire, but in this sense talks about craving a person sexually. This is not just thinking a girl is attractive. It is wanting her for her body.

*This leads to thoughts/comments/desires/actions that do not belong in the life of a kingdom citizen-not even in a marriage (unhealthy desires).

>>>He says looking at a woman with lust is committing adultery in the heart.

LUST IS ADULTERY.

>>>To look at someone with lust is equivalent to the act of adultery-men cheating on wives/women cheating on husbands.

*We are betraying the one God has for us and who He has for them.

>>>It takes looking to lust, but lust is in the heart.

LUST IS FROM THE HEART.

>>>Looking creates things internally that step away from what God says is right.

>>>Lust is an unhealthy sexual desire born out of sin that creeps into our hearts.

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Matthew 5:29–30 “Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

>>>Jesus takes this lesson and gives application. While He repeats this way of avoiding sin in other passages, this context specifically addresses lust.

>>>(v.29) Jesus starts with the “window” of lust: the eye. If the eyes cause stumbling (sin), Jesus says “tear it out”.

>>>Obviously Jesus is speaking in extreme hyperbole, but He is saying to take drastic measures to avoid temptation and falling into sin.

>>>The eyes are directly connected to the brain, which communicates with the rest of the body. It is so important to guard what our eyes see (“be careful little eyes what you see”).

Job 31:1 ““I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I look at a virgin?”

>>>Job says he made a “covenant” with his eyes. He talks about his eyes like they are a person he is in agreement with. The agreement is that he will not look lustfully at a woman.

Matthew 6:22–23 ““The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

>>>The eye is the gateway to the body. If we look at what is sinful, we gaze in a way that is lustful, it will corrupt our entire self.

*This happens despite what the woman/girl may be wearing.

>>>(Back to Matt. 5) Jesus says that it is better to enter God’s kingdom having lost a part of the body (eye/hand) than for the whole body to go to Hell.

*Lust in the heart is something deserving hell/leads to destruction.

LUST LEADS TO DESTRUCTION.

>>>Jesus suggests extreme measures to avoid sexual temptation because of the severe consequence it can bring.

>>>We have to understand the severity of sin and our need to be mindful of what we allow ourselves to see, have in our minds, and desire in our hearts.

*phone limits/accountability/switching seats in a restaurant/friendships/dating

>>>This is not something just limited to men. Girls can be just as guilty of lust.

*Girls can also have unhealthy desires that is also adultery in the heart.

*Lust is with the eyes and in the heart. But girls should still be mindful of what people are allowed to see from them.

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>>>Lust is a sin that is just as deserving of hell as any other sin a person commits and can lead to a destructive lifestyle. Our world is constantly putting forward all sorts of sexual temptations.

>>>God created us for marriage to the one He has for us-and ultimately a marriage to Jesus. Lust hurts what God has for us. We must be proactive with what we let into our eyes/mind/heart to live the holy life God wants us to have.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.) What is lust?

2.) What is the difference between lust and simply having a crush on someone?

3.) What struggles do you have with lust?

Small Group Accountability: How has spiritual growth been this week?/(Small Group Challenges)

*Have a student close in prayer.