Day Dreaming
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Orr and Sunday School leadership
Praying for Storm Alabama and wildfire victims west coast
Hugh Hefner could be labeled as the most interesting, most hated, and most loved man in the history of America. Hugh was loved by Men because he was viewed as a mans man. . . He was loved by women because he allowed them to express their sexuality freely (which had been confined by segments of our society). . .
yet he was hated by the same groups because he shined the light of the dark secret for so many. . the lusts that already existed in our hearts. Hefner who started playboy magazine championed the ideas of lust and sex in America, a country that is supposed to been a pious and religious melting pot. “How dare he have such photos and articles talking about sexuality.”
For years he profited off of the inner workings in the hearts of so many, and lived a life that most men think they want.
But for a man known for his life and what he stood for, he would say with his own words about how empty life was for him. “I’ve spent so much of my life looking for love in all the wrong places.”
Although he went on record saying he had been with Thousands of women. . . he says he could never find love.
This is the reality for many of us in life. We spend the best of our days searching for love in all the wrong places; only to find these pursuits leave us empty. Trying to find life following the lust of the eye the, lust of the flesh. . . always leads to emptiness.
Don’t believe me, I’ll give you just one example from scripture. Come here Solomon; when you read through his life and his words in Ecclesiastes you will see him say over and over again, that the LUST of More is all vanity. His pursuit of MORE women, more land, ,more riches left him as chasing after the wind.
God did not intend for us to live this way, and what we will see in our text is that God wants us to live an abundant life passionately pursuing Him and not the lust of our flesh.
The Sermon on the Mount calls us to a different way of living, Lust IS NOT LOVING!
“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
I must be honest with you as I am weekly, the reason we entered this series because we need to do heart surgery. The sermon on the mount crushed the brutal reality that we have arrived.
this week i can say that i have arrived in this area. But this morning I am happy to say that God delivered me from this warning in Matthew 5:27. No, I am not super spiritual or Extra Holy . . . I have not arrived and I like Paul in Philippians 3- “ i have not already attained it”
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
How have I mastered this you are probably asking right now? This issue most are failing, most men deal with every second of the day, not only men. . WAP has shown us women deal with daily as well. . . how did you do this?
Its really simple. In our house their is this thing called the Pantry. Its were all the snacks are stored. All the Good stuff- cheetos and takis, popcorn, all the bagels and stuff oreos. . all of what my kids love.
In the corner of this Pantry is something that sits like a trophy in a trophy case. Its never touched, there no expiration on it. No one uses it in the house. This item is bag of GRITS. We don’t eat them, but there sits this small bag. Some of your where I’m going. . . There was a certain man who got out of line with his wife and to punish him and remind him of her love, she boiled a nice pot and lovingly poured it out on him. True story, I’m sure many know someone who knows all too well about the power of Grits
By God’s grace the bag has never been opened in our house, but anytime my mind begins to drift, I think about GRITS! When i’m out and I see beauty. . I think about Grits.
Yes, God’s words should be enough to keep my T’s crossed but sometimes we need some earthly reminders of how devastating our choices can be.
Jesus says: adultery is a problem but to look with lustful intentions is just as bad. . and if this is the reality for you . . he says get rid of that member that causes you to lust. . Pluck out the eye. . cut of the hand. wow
But this vivid imagery “emphasizes the crucial importance of taking whatever measures are necessary to control natural passions that tend to flare out of control”
Discuss the psychosomatic nature of our lives: eyes see, heart feels, hands act
David- sees bathsheba, heart desires her, hands and power to get her into his presence.
many suffer on a regular basis with this; it not just relating to sexual desire but anything you desire that does not glorify the Lord.
Lust for something and coveting something
when we lust we covet as well. . we are in violation of two of the ten commandments.
Jesus starts off with the reminder from the law . . “you have heard it was said. . don’t commit adultery”. Most of the religious people said we got this one. I don’t mess around with married women physically. For many, this was true. . however; Many sanctified people of the day created holy loopholes to get around the desire for women.
yes, they would not “commit adultery” by messing with someone married. . . but they would with someone single. Married men of they day. . saw no problems with mingling with those not married and justified in some way shape or form they did not commit adultery.
Jesus knowing this levied upon us they actual problem. . . before the act. . . before the text message, before the phone call, before the meet up. . . before the DM . . its the Desire of the heart which causes us to get entangled in sin.
Lust of the EYE- v28
God doesn’t prevent people from looking, rather prohibits the Lustful look and feeling. . . if you don’t have self control- don’t look or don’t look too long
If were all here live: i could say some names of Celebrities and there would be some facial and noise responses: It used to be Denzel and women would faint. . now it might be Idris.. . Once upon a time it was Pam Greer. . .now its. .you following me
We begin to create these unhealthy images in our minds leading down a path of self destruction
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
3 sins of worldliness-flesh, eyes, pride
Desires (epithymia)-38 times in NT, 3 positive
2:16. The reason we are not to love the world is that the world’s values are in opposition to God. The cravings of sinful man are the sinful interests and desires that draw us away from God. The lust of [the] eyes refers to sinful desires that corrupt us. The eye is often used as a figure of speech to refer to sinful passions (Matt. 5:28).
When Eve looked at the forbidden fruit, it was “pleasing to the eye.” David’s sin with Bathsheba started when he looked on Bathsheba taking a bath (2 Sam. 11:2). It might be translated, “the desires that originate in what we see.”
Lust of the eye- has to do with seeing and wanting to have what one sees. Only wrong when we lust after what we see, and its against God commands, The desires of the eyes” describes someone who is captivated by an outward show of materialism.
· Pleasures and possessions of this world
· Sex
· Evil things
· Other Gods
LUST of the FLESH- v29
Lust of the Flesh (cravings)- senses of touch, taste, smell, feeling, hearing. The seat of desires and urges. Desires and urges are not wrong, but desire of flesh must be controlled. If not under control: the flesh begin to desire and lust more and more
· Its wrong when: these desires are against God or forbidden by him
· Galatians 5:16-24
· Lists of lust of the flesh:
o Idolatry- worship of idols
o Hatred-animosity, hostility
o Variance-strife, discord, contention fighting, quarreling . strive against another person in order to get something
o Emulations- desiring to have what someone else has (material, recognition, honor, position)
o Heresies- rejects fundamental belief of God and Christ, the scriptures
o Envyings- goes beyond jealousy, it wants what others have and begrudges the fact that the person has them. Wants the person to lose the things he has and suffer loss
Jesus uses Hyperbole to show how strongly we should fight against these desires. Pluck it out, Cut it off. . . describes the strong nature of how we must fight against LUST.
Pride in Possession- v30
Pride of Life- means two things 1. Self centeredness and 2. Self sufficiency
· Self centeredness- focused on oneself
o Seeks attention through the way they look
o Attention through rank or wealth
o Seeks honor
o Fame
o Power position
· Self sufficiency-focused on oneself and feels completely capable of handling life himself. Feels little need for God and is comfortable in plowing through life on his own.
o Arrogant
o Conceited
o Boastful
o Feels better than others because of rank or wealth