Lust

Virus – Hidden Infections in the Spiritual Life
Lust – 1 Th. 4:1-8

Intro: Video Clip – It’s Just Sex

Trans: Last week we started a new series on the (7) deadly sins – Virus. Our goal is to place these deadly sins under the microscope of God’s Word to understand their infectious tendencies and to discover a remedy. Today we’re going to look at lust.

Story: A girl talking to her grandma asked, "How old are you?" The grandma replied, "Dear, you shouldn’t ask that question. Grownups don’t like to tell their age." The next day, the girl asked, "Grandma, how much do you weigh?" The grandma replied, "Honey, you shouldn’t ask grownups how much they weigh. It isn’t polite." The next day the girl was back w/ a smile. She said, "Grandma, I know how old you are – 62, and you weigh 140 pounds." The grandma was surprised and said, "My goodness, how do you know?" The girl said, "You left your driver’s license on the table, and I read it." Grandmother said, "So that’s how you found out." The girl said, "That’s right, and I also saw on your driver’s license that you got an “F” in sex."

Trans: When it comes to lust and sex many of us failing b/c we’re naïve to the power of lust. We treat it like it’s a rubber snake when it’s a King Cobra. And unless we gain a biblical understanding of its power, it will inflict a great deal of pain in our lives.

Stats: (Insert Stats on Porn and Sexuality) Read: 1 Thes. 4:1-8

I The ROOT of Lust

Define: Lust is an insatiable craving to gratify your fleshly desires by seeking to satisfy a legitimate desire in an illegitimate way. Truth is we can lust after money/possessions – greed; food – gluttony; and recognition – pride. But for the sake of our study today, we’re going to discuss lust w/in the context of sexuality.

Note: Under God, sexuality is a gift to be enjoyed by married adults w/in the context of a loving relationship. But since the fall, sexuality has been perverted and misappropriated in lude acts of lust and self-gratification contrary to God’s plan.

Text: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Col. 3:5

A Lust ORIGINATES in the Flesh

Note: Its origin is found in the flesh and the portals of the soul include the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Verse: Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that’s in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t of the Father, but is of the world.

Note: Since the fall, the flesh (or natural man) craves but one thing – immediate and complete satisfaction at all cost. The flesh is filled w/ a desire to satisfy its shameful appetites, showy appearances, and shallow applause. It will indulge in all kinds of perversity to satisfy its desires but will never be filled. (See Romans 1:16-32)
Note: The flesh is totally depraved and despicable – completely self-centered and self indulgent. The flesh is only capable of gratifying itself and perverting what God intended for good into an act contrary to the heart and will of God.

B Lust must be EXECUTED by the Spirit

Note: It must be put to death – which is only possible through the cross. No person