Necessary Sins- Lust Sermon

Opening

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been looking at some “necessary sins” that often sneak into our lives. First, we talked about lying—something so common that people often excuse it as just a “little white lie.” But the truth is, lying breaks trust, damages relationships, and pulls us away from God, who is the God of truth. Last week, we moved into the topic of anger. We saw how anger itself isn’t always a sin, but how we handle it matters. Sinful anger can explode or simmer until it hurts us and others, while sanctified anger can actually be used by God to bring about good when handled in His way. The big truth we’ve been seeing is that even small sins that start in the heart matter—because they grow and eventually hurt us.

Transition to Message:

Tonight, we are going to be focusing on lust. Lust is an intense, overwhelming, and often selfish craving for something—whether that’s sex, power, attention, popularity, or money. But here’s what I want us to really understand tonight: lust isn’t only about sexual desires. It’s bigger than that. God made us with desires, and desires themselves aren’t bad. In fact, He gave us desires for friendship, love, acceptance, and even attraction. The problem comes when those desires begin to control us. When our desires lead us to use people, when they push us to want what isn’t ours, or when they cause us to put something above God—that’s lust. And lust always promises to satisfy, but ultimately leaves us feeling empty.

Tonight, we are going to look at How Lust Hooks us, What Lust Does to us, and what to remember when dealing with lust.

Message:

How Lust Hooks Us

Have you ever seen that commercial or billboard on the road that makes you think, “Man, I really want that…that looks so good”? For instance, when you’re driving down the interstate, you’ll see Buc-ee’s signs. You can be 200 miles away, and they’re already getting your attention. They use catchphrases and fun ads to make you crave it and want to stop by.

We do the same thing when we scroll on our phones. We see shoes, clothes, food, or other stuff that makes us think, “I need that. I have to be a part of that.” On the outside, it all looks so good, and it seems like it will be the best thing for us. But in the end, it doesn’t really fulfill us.

That’s what lust does. It makes things look so good that we develop this deep desire for them—whether it’s a person, an image, popularity, or something else. But eventually, we realize it leaves us empty. When that happens, our hearts and thoughts get wounded. We start seeing people as objects instead of image-bearers of God. We feel the tension between desire and guilt. And when we try to justify it by saying, “It’s not that big of a deal…everyone does it,” it still leaves us empty.

Picture a young student who strives for popularity at school. She tries to impress her peers by becoming someone she’s not—exaggerating stories and flaunting possessions. Initially, the attention feels great, but soon she feels trapped and disconnected from her genuine self. The thrill of being wanted turns into a cycle of lies, and the weight of guilt feels heavy. It hits her that the friendships built on illusions aren't real, leaving her more alone than ever. This experience mirrors the empty promises of lust, leading us to forget our true identity as cherished children of God.

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

James 1:14-15

That word entice is actually a fishing term. It means to lure or hook something. Think about that. When you get hooked, you’re pulled closer and closer to what’s on the line. Lust does the same thing. It hooks us and drags us in until it starts taking over our hearts.

Maybe for you it’s desiring someone’s body and thinking it won’t hurt you, but in reality, it can create problems in your relationships now and even in your future marriage if it isn’t dealt with. Maybe it’s the desire to be like someone else so badly that you miss out on what God is actually calling you to do. Maybe it’s the desire to look a certain way, and you’re willing to do the wrong things to get there—but you realize at the end that you’re not really satisfied.

Here’s the truth: having desires isn’t bad. God gave us desires for goals, relationships, and good things in life. But when we let our desires go unguarded, when we give Satan a foothold, those desires start to drag us away from God. And when they grow, they lead to spiritual death.

What Lust Does to Us

We’ve already hit on this a little, but I want to zone in on two big things lust does to us.

First, lust distorts God’s good desires. God made desires to be good. He gave us attraction, ambition, and even intimacy — but when lust twists those things, it turns them into something they were never meant to be. Lust sneaks into our weak spots and tries to convince us that what God gave us isn’t enough.

Take intimacy, for example. God created it to be something beautiful in marriage between a husband and a wife. But when lust twists that, it pulls it outside of God’s plan. Our culture makes it look fun, exciting, and like everyone’s doing it. But instead of bringing life, it brings hurt, regret, and emptiness.

Second, lust distracts us from God’s purpose. When we set goals and start to focus on what God is calling us to do, lust creeps in and whispers, “You’re not good enough. You’re not worth it. Look at that person — I wish I could be like them. I want what they have.” That’s envy, and it comes from the same distorted desire. The truth is, there’s a reason God didn’t make you like someone else. He created you on purpose and for a purpose. But if you’re too busy chasing what others have, you’ll miss out on discovering the unique calling God has for you.

The Bible warns us what happens when we let lust keep pulling us away.

“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity.” — Ephesians 4:18-19

Do you see it? Lust hardens our hearts. It makes us lose sensitivity to God’s voice and separates us from the life He wants for us. Instead of freedom, joy, and peace, we end up chasing things that never satisfy.