by Malik Holden
2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices
Paul is here telling the Corinthian believers to immediately reinstate the brother who repented of his sin, because delay in doing so would give Satan an opportunity to take advantage of the occasion and lead the brother back into sin.
The sin that the Apostle Paul was referring to is in 1 Corinthians 5 verse 1
1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1
5 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
You would not think a thing like this would happen in the local church, but sometimes it does. Here is a case of incest.
Here is a man in the Corinthian church who had been committing fornication with his father’s wife. Now whether this is his mother or not, I do not know.
The Bible simply says with his father’s wife, meaning it could have been his stepmother or sadly his mother which to me could have been the worst kind of incest to imagination.
Now that I have the context out of the way
Notice the Apostle Paul said “Lest Satan should get an advantage”
An advantage in this context is defined as a strategic edge allowing Satan to outwit, manipulate, or gain a “foothold” in a believer’s mind and heart.
The last thing that the devil wants us to do is give 100% of our lives to God.
I heard a saying where someone said, “if you give the devil an inch he’ll take a mile.”
With that being said,
Turn back to
2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices
Paul said for we are not ignorant of his devices
Tonight, I want to preach on a device that we are all familiar with.
I want to give my thoughts on the device of
Lust
The word Lust in the Bible context simply means
“A desire or a craving, or a longing for something that God does NOT want you to have.”
The word lust and its variations appear multiple times in the King James Bible
Lust (singular): Appears 19 times
Lusts (plural): Appears 24 times
Lusted: Appears 4 times
Lusteth Appears 6 times
Lusting: Appears 1 time
First and Last Mention: The first occurrence is in Exodus 15:9, and the last is in 1 John 2:17.
Negative Definition: In the KJV, “lust” refers to inordinate, excessive, or unlawful desire. It is not limited to sexual desire but often implies any strong craving that opposes God’s will.
The 3 Forms: 1 John 2:16 identifies the main types: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
The Heart Problem of lust is taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:28 that looking at someone to “lust after her” is equivalent to committing adultery in the heart.
The Destructive Consequences of lust : Scripture indicates that “when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).
The Command against lust : The biblical instruction is to “flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).
So those are biblical Facts About lust.
If I could give you my definition of Lust I would say “It’s something that the Lord would prefer you not to have, something that is against Gods will for your life. It’s a desire to have what God says no to.”
Before we Got saved, we used to live a life of lust. We used to live a life of full-blown desires and longings against the word and will of God.
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1-3
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
That is who we were before we got born again. We thought nothing about being children of disobedience.
We were doing what felt good for our flesh. Whatever we wanted to do.
A lost man thinks nothing about that. He is just living life.
Ephesians chapter 4 verses 21-24
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So, the child of God is to put off something when he gets saved and we are to put on the new man when we get saved.
We are to put off the worldly lust when we get saved and start living for God and be Holy like we should and put on the new man.
Do you realize that we are all preprogrammed with Lust? Every last one of us.
All the way back in time since Adam and Eve we are all preprogrammed with lust.
I see it everyday at my job.
Kids coming in the store with their parents and scream “daddy or mommy I want that cake, or I want that pizza”
You know what that is? That is Lust.
When I was younger, we would ride past McDonald’s and say Mom can we have McDonald’s? We would bug her to death, and she would answer “No we have food at home” Then we would mumble under our breath, and she would get us when we got home.
But that is lust.
Let’s turn to
Genesis chapter 3 verse 6
This device of the devil goes all the way back to the garden of Eden
Genesis chapter 3 verse 6
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
It does not matter that eve has all the other trees to eat from, God gave eve all the other trees and said you can freely eat of it eve. Just do not touch that one.
Ain’t that us? I don’t want everything I got, I want that better job, I want that better car, I want that better career, I want lobster instead of crabs, I want a million bucks instead of what I got in my bank account.
Lust is pre-programmed since Genesis chapter 3 in all of us.
It is something that Satan uses to try to destroy all of us tonight.
So, I have a 5-point blog on a Lust
Point #1
The Community or Climate of Lust
In other words, the area that we live in. We live in a climate that is full of lust. We live in a generation built on lust
1 John chapter 2 verses 15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
As I was studying, I came across
Oliver B. Greenes commentary on this matter and he said
“Regardless of what our temptation may be, it comes through one of these 3 avenues
1. The lust of the flesh
2. The lust of the eyes
3. The pride of life
These things are not of God and in verse 15 we were told that if any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him. It is possible for a person to be attracted to some of the things this world has to offer and still be a believer, but one who is in love with the world cannot be in love with God at the same time.
Back to the sermon
I will go out on a limb to say this; do you realize that 99 to 100% of the commercial commercials on television and the ads on YouTube are all about lust?
If you pay attention now, all the commercials say, “you do not have this, you need to get this.” It is all consuming on lust!
You know what else consumes on our lust?
Our cell phones. What about social media? Trust me, I need to get better with that myself.
That was one of my prayer requests a few weeks back.
Think about it everyone on Facebook can look at your life. “They will say look I wish I had their life, their husband or wife, I wish I could do this or that.”
Even our “Cell phone devices” consume on our list.
The devil ain’t stupid. He calls it a “cell phone devices”
James chapter 4 verses 1-3
4 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
I will be honest sometimes I wonder how many prayers I have prayed to God almighty that the only reason I prayed them was just so I could get something for me.
As an honest man I can admit that I have prayed selfish prayers. It was just simply because I wanted something for me. My lust is so deep rooted that sometimes I’ve gotta check myself and ask is this really for my Good or for my lust.
I am just being honest. That is tough and convicting to me.
We are still in the first point but let me end it with this statement
Do you realize that there are lustful churches in the world? Lust landed in religion.
2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1-4
4 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices
Before I get deep into my thoughts on this matter I want to first give you the context of this verse and why Paul said it.
Paul is here telling the Corinthian believers to immediately reinstate the brother who repented of his sin because delay in doing so would give Satan opportunity to take advantage of the occasion and lead the brother back into sin.
The sin that Paul was referring to is in
1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1
5 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
You would not think a thing like this would happen in the local church, but sometimes it does. Here is a case of incest.
Here is a man in the Corinthian church who had been committing fornication with his father’s wife. Now whether this is his mother or not, I do not know.
The Bible simply says with his father’s wife, meaning it could have been his stepmother or sadly his mother which to me could have been the worst kind of incest to imagination.
Now that I have the context out of the way
Notice the Apostle Paul said “Lest Satan should get an advantage”
An advantage in this context is defined as a strategic edge allowing Satan to outwit, manipulate, or gain a “foothold” in a believer’s mind and heart.
The last thing that the devil wants us to do is give 100% of our lives to God.
I heard a saying where someone said, “if you give the devil an inch he’ll take a mile.”
With that being said,
Turn back to
2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices
Paul said for we are not ignorant of his devices
Tonight, I want to preach on a device that we are all familiar with.
I want to preach tonight on the device of
Lust
The word Lust in the Bible context simply means
“A desire or a craving, or a longing for something that God does NOT want you to have.”
The word lust and its variations appear multiple times in the King James Bible
Lust (singular): Appears 19 times
Lusts (plural): Appears 24 times
Lusted: Appears 4 times
Lusteth Appears 6 times
Lusting: Appears 1 time
First and Last Mention: The first occurrence is in Exodus 15:9, and the last is in 1 John 2:17.
Negative Definition: In the KJV, “lust” refers to inordinate, excessive, or unlawful desire. It is not limited to sexual desire but often implies any strong craving that opposes God’s will.
The 3 Forms: 1 John 2:16 identifies the main types: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
The Heart Problem of lust is taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:28 that looking at someone to “lust after her” is equivalent to committing adultery in the heart.
The Destructive Consequences of lust : Scripture indicates that “whenlust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).
The Command against lust : The biblical instruction is to “flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).
So those are biblical Facts About lust.
If I could give you my definition of Lust
Its something that the Lord would prefer you not to have, something that is against Gods will for your life. It’s a desire to have what God says no to.
Now, you may ask the question
“Why wouldn’t God want me to have what I want to have? Those things make me happy.
People all around the world say “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?”
NO! God wants us to be HOLY.
Let me explain that statement a little further.
I heard a man once say
“You can be happy and be completely lost and out of the will of God for your life”
I’ll give you an example.
The world calls it Pride Month (June) which is a global movement aimed at promoting the dignity, equality, happiness, and visibility of the LGBTQ community.
Does God approve of that? NO! We can read what he did to Sodom and Gomorrah about their wickedness.
True holiness in a child of God’s life, will produce through happiness in a child of God’s life
Sadly, there are Christians today that think if they live a holy life, they will not find any happiness in that Holy life.
That is not true.
Now for someone who’s lost that is true.
I believe that a lost man or woman will be miserable trying to live a Holy life.
You may ask why?
I say that because there is nothing inside them that will enjoy it.
But a born-again child of God will genuinely appreciate and enjoy the benefits of living a holy life because it brings them closer to Jesus Christ.
I heard a preacher say
“Anything that brings you happiness and not Holiness at the same time is probably not of God.”
Before we Got saved, we used to live a life of lust. We used to live a life of full-blown desires and longings against the word and will of God.
Turn to
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1-3
2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
That is who we were before we got born again. We thought nothing about being children of disobedience.
We were doing what felt good for our flesh. Whatever we wanted to do.
A lost man thinks nothing about that. He is just living life.
Ephesians chapter 4 verses 21-24
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So, the child of God is to put off something when he gets saved and we are to put on the new man when we get saved.
We are to put off the worldly lust when we get saved and start living for God and be Holy like we should and put on the new man.
Do you realize that we are all preprogrammed with Lust? Every last one of us.
All the way back in time since Adam and Eve we are all preprogrammed with lust.
I see it everyday at my job.
Kids coming in the store with their parents and scream “daddy or momma I want that cake, or I want that pizza”
You know what that is? That is Lust.
When I was younger, we would ride past McDonald’s and say Mom can we have McDonald’s? We would bug her to death, and she would answer “No we have food at home” Then we would mumble under our breath, and she would get us when we got home.
But that is lust.
Let’s turn to
Genesis chapter 3 verse 6
This device of the devil goes all the way back to the garden of Eden
Genesis chapter 3 verse 6
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
It does not matter that eve has all the other trees to eat from, God gave eve all the other trees and said you can freely eat of it eve. Just do not touch that one.
Ain’t that us? I don’t want everything I got, I want that better job, I want that better car, I want that better career, I want lobster instead of crabs, I want a million bucks instead of what I got in my bank account.
Lust is pre-programmed since Genesis chapter 3 in all of us.
It is something that Satan uses to try to destroy all of us tonight.
So, I have a 5-point sermon on a Lust
Point #1
The Community or Climate of Lust
In other words, the area that we live in. We live in a climate that is full of lust. We live in a generation built on lust
1 John chapter 2 verses 15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
As I was studying, I came across
Oliver B. Greenes commentary on this matter and he said
“Regardless of what our temptation may be, it comes through one of these 3 avenues
1. The lust of the flesh
2. The lust of the eyes
3. The pride of life
These things are not of God and in verse 15 we were told that if any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him. It is possible for a person to be attracted to some of the things this world has to offer and still be a believer, but one who is in love with the world cannot be in love with God at the same time.
Back to the sermon
I will go out on a limb to say this; do you realize that 99 to100% of the commercial commercials on television and the ads on YouTube are all about lust?
If you pay attention now, all the commercials say, “you do not have this, you need to get this.” It is all consuming on lust!
You know what else consumes on our lust?
Our cell phones. What about social media? Trust me, I need to get better with that myself.
That was one of my prayer requests a few weeks back.
Think about it everyone on Facebook can look at your life. “They will say look I wish I had their life, their husband or wife, I wish I could do this or that.”
Remember I am preaching on the device of the devil which is lust. Do you know what they call this here? A cell phone device (pull out my phone)
The devil ain’t stupid.
James chapter 4 verses 1-3
4 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
I will be honest sometimes I wonder how many prayers I have prayed to God almighty that the only reason I prayed them was just so I could get something for me.
I have prayed selfish prayers. I can admit that. It was just simply because I wanted something for me. My lust is so deep rooted that sometimes I’ve gotta check myself and ask is this really for my Good or for my lust.
I am just being honest. That is tough and convicting to me.
We are still in the first point but let me end it with this statement
Do you realize that there are lustful churches in the world? Lust landed in religion.
2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1-4
4 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
People lust over false teachings today!
I will give you 3 false gospels today being preached that people flock too.
1. The Prosperity Gospel (Health and Wealth) This message promises that God wants all believers to be physically healthy and financially prosperous. It often twists the gospel into a “sales pitch” focusing on worldly gain, neglecting that Jesus and his disciples often suffered. It can also be seen in the “Poverty Gospel” which argues that suffering is the only true mark of holiness.
2. The Self-Help/Self-Esteem Gospel. This gospel views Jesus not as a Savior from sin, but as a life coach or a means to self-improvement. It focuses heavily on “loving yourself” and “achieving your potential,” treating sin as merely a lack of self-esteem or “negative self-image”. It promotes “me-centered” worship over Christ-centered living.
3. The Moralist Gospel. This is the belief that being a Christian means being a “good person” and following rules to earn God’s favor. It reduces sin to mistakes that can be fixed through willpower and places more emphasis on behavior modification than spiritual rebirth.
That is the type of preaching that makes you “feel good about you”.
But no it is not about you it is about Jesus, and if it were not for Jesus, we would all be in HELL.
I do not have any good thing to say about me other than my salvation and that is through the one who loved me and laid his life down for me.
So, Point # 1 The Community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
What are the consequences of lust?
James chapter 1 verses 13-15
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Watch the consequences according to verse 15
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
There are 4 steps to the consequences of lust. Temptation, then lust, then sin, then death. It is all throughout the Bible.
By the way, temptation is NOT SIN.
Just because you get tempted does not mean that’s sin. It is when you start lusting after what your being tempted with is when it turns into sin.
Even Jesus was tempted, but he did not start lusting and thank God he did not sin.
We don’t have to yield to temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it
So the 4 steps to the consequences of lust.
1. Temptation,
2. Lust
3. Sin
4. Death
I will give you some examples
1. Achan
Joshua 7:21
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
So, to catch you up to speed, in the previous chapter God sent Joshua and his men to Jericho as they marched around the wall 7 times (the number of completion) and they blew the trumpet. The walls came tumbling down.
So, Joshua and the camp just came off great victory at Jericho. After that, We can read of Israel’s shocking defeat against Ai caused by Achan’s transgression of taken the accursed things (Spoils devoted to God) from Jericho.
So as Joshua is praying to God, the Lord reveals to him that there is sin in the camp. Get it right.
What was the sin?
The sin was of Achan as he confessed that he coveted and took a goodly babylonish garment , 200 sheckles of silver and a wedge of gold, hiding them under his tent. Joshua 7:20
What was the consequence of the sin?
It was because of the disobedience of Achan that God’s anger was against Israel, causing them to lose the battle against the city of Ai.
The execution was when Joshua, along with Israel took Achan, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his sheep, asses and his tent, and all his belongings to the valley of Achor which means the “valley of trouble “
The judgment was that they were all stoned with stones and burned with fire to remove the accursed thing and turn away God’s anger.
I could just imagine his family looking at him with tears in their eyes as they got snatched out of the tent and dragged to the valley of Achor as the stones were hitting them in the head and body and face as they’re just in pain , all because of his sin.
I did my research and typically those stones were heavy and larger stones designed to cause fatal trauma. The goal was for the crowd to act as the executioner, meaning stones had to be heavy enough to cause death as the stones were often conducted outside of city limits. The Bible did not say how big and heavy the stones were in this passage, but for them to die , the stones had to be heavy enough for capital punishment.
Joshua chapter 7 verse 26
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Here are the 4 steps that I mentioned to you a little while back.
First, we see
#1 The temptation
“When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver.
(That is not Achans fault that he walked by it and there it laid. It’s not his fault that the temptation presented itself. It’s not your fault when something pops up that you truly weren’t looking for.
#2 We see the Lust
Then I coveted them, and took them.
See the problem is when he saw them, he should have said Nope, God does not want me to have them he said not to touch that stuff, but instead he looked at it and said “man I would love to have that wedge of Gold. He started to lust after that.
Sin:
He stole the forbidden items.
Death:
Achan and his family were stoned to death.
Joshua chapter 7 Verses 24-25
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Because of 1 mans lust, Joshua, along with Israel took Achan, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his sheep, asses and his tent, and all his belongings to the valley of Achor which means the “valley of trouble “
The judgment was that they were all stoned with stones and burned with fire to remove the accursed thing and turn away God’s anger.
I could just imagine his family looking at him with tears in their eyes as they got snatched out of the tent and dragged to the valley of Achor as the stones were hitting them in the head and body and face as they’re just in pain , all because of his lust and sin.
Be careful with lust. It can ruin your family’s life as well.
Another example
David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel chapter 11)
It was David that had done the wicked sin when he slept with another man’s wife then she conceived and had a son and on top of that, David brought Bathsheba’s own husband Uriah back home and then sent him on the front fields of battle and then told Joab, his leader to retreat from him and let him die on the battlefield.
So David had an affair with her and he got her husband killed. Nobody knew what David had done by the way, but God knew!
Now all of a sudden one day, David sitting in his house and there’s a knock on the door and he goes to the door and there’s a man at the door named Nathan, and Nathan gave him an illustration about a man that had 4 sheep and another guy had just 1 and the man with 4 took the guy’s sheep, the only 1 he had.
Then David spoke up and said I don’t know who it is but they are going to pay for what they’d done.
Nathan looks at David in response and says Thou art the man. David will pay 4 fold.
All 4 times we can read that David Paid. We can read that it broke him and you find him in the pavilion begging God to forgive him , but God didn’t forgive him until he broke him.
David says in
Psalm chapter 51 verse 3
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
The four deaths generally understood to fulfill David’s punishment for his sin was:
The child born to Bathsheba: Struck down by God in 2 Samuel 12:15-18.
Amnon( David’s son): Murdered by his brother Absalom in 2 Samuel 13:28-29.
Absalom (David’s son) : Killed by Joab in 2 Samuel 18:14.
Adonijah(David’s son) : Executed by order of Solomon in 1 Kings 2:25.
These tragic events are understood as the “fourfold” restitution for the murder of Uriah and the stealing of his wife, as pronounced by David himself in Nathan’s parable, where he stated, “And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity”
Charles Spurgeon once said
“ Christians can never sin cheaply. They pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, bring darkness over the soul; therefore be not a serf or bondman of sin.”
Let’s look at the 4 steps
Temptation: David saw a woman washing herself
Lust: He desired her.
Sin: He committed adultery and arranged the murder of her husband.
Death: The child died, and the sword never departed from David’s house.
Next we see
Eve (Genesis 3:6)
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Temptation/Lust: She saw the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes.
Sin: She took the fruit and ate it.
Death: Spiritual death instantly, physical death eventually entered the world.
So point #2 is The consequences of lust.
The next 3 points will be shorter points
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Matthew chapter 5 verses 27-30
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
I’m going to expound on verse 28 in this point. Jesus Christ makes it very plain that just as one can be guilty for murder without firing a gun or shedding another’s blood, it is possible for a man to be guilty of adultery without taking another man’s wife. If he looks on a woman with lustful desire, he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Now, the woman that the man is lusting after, on the other hand may not be aware of what’s going on.
She may not even know the man who looks upon her with evil desires. In such an instance, she is not held accountable for a man’s sin.
But sometimes woman deliberately dress or behave in such a way as to entice men and in those cases, they are also guilty and they will give an account to God for their manner of dress and their behavior.
The man who looks upon a woman and continued to look instead of turning away is described in
2 Peter chapter 2 verse 14
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
I believe that the corruption starts from within. Kill the lust before it eventually kills you.
Point #1 The community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Point #4
The concealment of lust
(Meaning the act of hiding your lust)
Numbers chapter 32 verse 23
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
Proverbs chapter 28 verse 13
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Hidden lust and sin will always find you out. You may think that you’re safe because no one can read your mind. But let me tell you, there’s a God in heaven that knows all and sees Be careful and ask God to help you with your lust.
So
Point #1 The community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Point #4 The concealment of lust
Last but not least
Point #5
Conquering over lust
How do we conquer over this subject of lust.
Now before we start your last point, I want to say that There are some things that we will have to battle for the rest of our lives until we get home to glory but I do believe that we can live a victorious life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Philippians chapter 4 verse 11
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
The apostle Paul wrote this from a roman jail cell. He’s in a Roman jail cell ,and he saying he’s completely content where he’s at.
Real contentment must be learned.
1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 6-8
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Contentment , over lust , typically contrast , feeling deeply satisfied , peaceful and emotionally fulfilled with the fleeting often self is or consuming cravings of lust.
We need to stop lusting over what we don’t have and start being thankful of what we do have.
We sing a song named count your many blessings named them one by one.
Instead of saying i wish I had this or that start saying thank you Lord for that!!
Not only do you need to be content you need to crucify lust!
Galatians chapter 5 Verse 24
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
I’ll say I’ve never seen a dead man lust over anything. My grandfather, Larry Stewart loved money, he owned a car business and a convenience store in my hometown Laurel Delaware. He was all about money, but I tell you if I was to run a dollar bill under his nose in his casket, he wouldn’t be able to wake up in grab , because if you’re already gone , you can’t lust over anything.
That’s how we should be with lust. We should crucify it and kill it. Every day we need to crucify it.
Romans chapter 13 verse 14
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The word provision in this verse means not to cater to it or make a way to.
If you know that you are weak in a certain area in your life, then don’t go to that area.
If God saved you out of alcoholism, then do not go witness in a bar. You should not be in a bar as a Christian anyway.
If someone struggles with sexual lust, do not go to a store that sells bad magazines or go on wicked websites that will draw away to your lust.
STOP MAKING PROVISION FOR IT.
I will close with this story
There was a man who had an appointment at the doctor’s office. He was an overweight man , so the Doctor told him that he should stop eating donuts and drinking sodas.
But this mad loved Krispy cream donuts. He thought it was sinning against God to pass the Krispy cream donut shop without getting a dozen glazed donuts.
So, he was passing by there and he said “Lord I know that you do not want me to eat anymore donuts, and I told you that I would be eating healthier but God if you would allow an open parking spot to come free, I would take it as a sign that you would allow me to stop there, and he said it took me 8 times to circle the block before a parking spot finally came open.
You know what he did? He kept making provision.
In conclusion we see the points
Point #1 The community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Point #4 The concealment of lust
Point #5 Conquering over lust
I pray this was a help and blessing Amen
truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
People lust over false teachings today!
I will give you 3 false gospels today being preached that people flock too.
1. The Prosperity Gospel (Health and Wealth) This message promises that God wants all believers to be physically healthy and financially prosperous. It often twists the gospel into a “sales pitch” focusing on worldly gain, neglecting that Jesus and his disciples often suffered. It can also be seen in the “Poverty Gospel” which argues that suffering is the only true mark of holiness.
2. The Self-Help/Self-Esteem Gospel. This gospel views Jesus not as a Savior from sin, but as a life coach or a means to self-improvement. It focuses heavily on “loving yourself” and “achieving your potential,” treating sin as merely a lack of self-esteem or “negative self-image”. It promotes “me-centered” worship over Christ-centered living.
3. The Moralist Gospel. This is the belief that being a Christian means being a “good person” and following rules to earn God’s favor. It reduces sin to mistakes that can be fixed through willpower and places more emphasis on behavior modification than spiritual rebirth.
That is the type of preaching that makes you “feel good about you”.
But no it is not about you it is about Jesus, and if it were not for Jesus, we would all be in HELL.
I do not have any good thing to say about me other than my salvation and that is through the one who loved me and laid his life down for me.
So, Point # 1 The Community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
What are the consequences of lust?
James chapter 1 verses 13-15
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Watch the consequences according to verse 15
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
There are 4 steps to the consequences of lust. Temptation, then lust, then sin, then death. It is all throughout the Bible.
By the way temptation is NOT SIN.
Just because you get tempted does not mean that’s sin. It is when you start lusting after what your being tempted with is when it turns into sin.
Even Jesus was tempted, but he did not start lusting and thank God he did not sin.
We don’t have to yield to temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it
So the 4 steps to the consequences of lust.
1. Temptation,
2. Lust
3. Sin
4. Death
I will give you some examples
1. Achan
Joshua 7:21
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
So, to catch you up to speed, in the previous chapter God sent Joshua and his men to Jericho as they marched around the wall 7 times (the number of completion) and they blew the trumpet. The walls came tumbling down.
So, Joshua and the camp just came off great victory at Jericho. After that, We can read of Israel’s shocking defeat against Ai caused by Achan’s transgression of taken the accursed things (Spoils devoted to God) from Jericho.
So as Joshua is praying to God, the Lord reveals to him that there is sin in the camp. Get it right.
What was the sin?
The sin was of Achan as he confessed that he coveted and took a goodly babylonish garment , 200 sheckles of silver and a wedge of gold, hiding them under his tent. Joshua 7:20
What was the consequence of the sin?
It was because of the disobedience of Achan that God’s anger was against Israel, causing them to lose the battle against the city of Ai.
The execution was when Joshua, along with Israel took Achan, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his sheep, asses and his tent, and all his belongings to the valley of Achor which means the “valley of trouble “
The judgment was that they were all stoned with stones and burned with fire to remove the accursed thing and turn away God’s anger.
I could just imagine his family looking at him with tears in their eyes as they got snatched out of the tent and dragged to the valley of Achor as the stones were hitting them in the head and body and face as they’re just in pain , all because of his sin.
I did my research and typically those stones were heavy and larger stones designed to cause fatal trauma. The goal was for the crowd to act as the executioner, meaning stones had to be heavy enough to cause death as the stones were often conducted outside of city limits. The Bible did not say how big and heavy the stones were in this passage, but for them to die , the stones had to be heavy enough for capital punishment.
Joshua chapter 7 verse 26
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Here are the 4 steps that I mentioned to you a little while back.
First, we see
#1 The temptation
“When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver.
(That is not Achans fault that he walked by it and there it laid. It’s not his fault that the temptation presented itself. It’s not your fault when something pops up that you truly weren’t looking for.
#2 We see the Lust
Then I coveted them, and took them.
See the problem is when he saw them, he should have said Nope, God does not want me to have them he said not to touch that stuff, but instead he looked at it and said “man I would love to have that wedge of Gold. He started to lust after that.
Sin:
He stole the forbidden items.
Death:
Achan and his family were stoned to death.
Joshua chapter 7 Verses 24-25
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Because of 1 mans lust, Joshua, along with Israel took Achan, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his sheep, asses and his tent, and all his belongings to the valley of Achor which means the “valley of trouble “
The judgment was that they were all stoned with stones and burned with fire to remove the accursed thing and turn away God’s anger.
I could just imagine his family looking at him with tears in their eyes as they got snatched out of the tent and dragged to the valley of Achor as the stones were hitting them in the head and body and face as they’re just in pain , all because of his lust and sin.
Be careful with lust. It can ruin your family’s life as well.
Another example
David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel chapter 11)
It was David that had done the wicked sin when he slept with another man’s wife then she conceived and had a son and on top of that, David brought Bathsheba’s own husband Uriah back home and then sent him on the front fields of battle and then told Joab, his leader to retreat from him and let him die on the battlefield.
So David had an affair with her and he got her husband killed. Nobody knew what David had done by the way, but God knew!
Now all of a sudden one day, David sitting in his house and there’s a knock on the door and he goes to the door and there’s a man at the door named Nathan, and Nathan gave him an illustration about a man that had 4 sheep and another guy had just 1 and the man with 4 took the guy’s sheep, the only 1 he had.
Then David spoke up and said I don’t know who it is but they are going to pay for what they’d done.
Nathan looks at David in response and says Thou art the man. David will pay 4 fold.
All 4 times we can read that David Paid. We can read that it broke him and you find him in the pavilion begging God to forgive him , but God didn’t forgive him until he broke him.
David says in
Psalm chapter 51 verse 3
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
The four deaths generally understood to fulfill David’s punishment for his sin was:
The child born to Bathsheba: Struck down by God in 2 Samuel 12:15-18.
Amnon( David’s son): Murdered by his brother Absalom in 2 Samuel 13:28-29.
Absalom (David’s son) : Killed by Joab in 2 Samuel 18:14.
Adonijah(David’s son) : Executed by order of Solomon in 1 Kings 2:25.
These tragic events are understood as the “fourfold” restitution for the murder of Uriah and the stealing of his wife, as pronounced by David himself in Nathan’s parable, where he stated, “And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity”
Charles Spurgeon once said
“ Christians can never sin cheaply. They pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, bring darkness over the soul; therefore be not a serf or bondman of sin.”
Let’s look at the 4 steps
Temptation: David saw a woman washing herself
Lust: He desired her.
Sin: He committed adultery and arranged the murder of her husband.
Death: The child died, and the sword never departed from David’s house.
Next we see
Eve (Genesis 3:6)
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Temptation/Lust: She saw the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes.
Sin: She took the fruit and ate it.
Death: Spiritual death instantly, physical death eventually entered the world.
So point #2 is The consequences of lust.
The next 3 points will be shorter points
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Matthew chapter 5 verses 27-30
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
I’m going to expound on verse 28 in this point. Jesus Christ makes it very plain that just as one can be guilty for murder without firing a gun or shedding another’s blood, it is possible for a man to be guilty of adultery without taking another man’s wife. If he looks on a woman with lustful desire, he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Now, the woman that the man is lusting after, on the other hand may not be aware of what’s going on.
She may not even know the man who looks upon her with evil desires. In such an instance, she is not held accountable for a man’s sin.
But sometimes woman deliberately dress or behave in such a way as to entice men and in those cases, they are also guilty and they will give an account to God for their manner of dress and their behavior.
The man who looks upon a woman and continued to look instead of turning away is described in
2 Peter chapter 2 verse 14
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
I believe that the corruption starts from within. Kill the lust before it eventually kills you.
Point #1 The community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Point #4
The concealment of lust
(Meaning the act of hiding your lust)
Numbers chapter 32 verse 23
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
Proverbs chapter 28 verse 13
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Hidden lust and sin will always find you out. You may think that you’re safe because no one can read your mind. But let me tell you, there’s a God in heaven that knows all and sees Be careful and ask God to help you with your lust.
So
Point #1 The community or Climate of Lust
Point #2 The consequences of lust
Point #3 The corruption of lust
Point #4 The concealment of lust
Last but not least
Point #5
Conquering over lust
How do we conquer over this subject of lust.
Now before we start your last point, I want to say that There are some things that we will have to battle for the rest of our lives until we get home to glory but I do believe that we can live a victorious life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Philippians chapter 4 verse 11
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
The apostle Paul wrote this from a roman jail cell. He’s in a Roman jail cell ,and he saying he’s completely content where he’s at.
Real contentment must be learned.
1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 6-8
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Contentment , over lust , typically contrast , feeling deeply satisfied , peaceful and emotionally fulfilled with the fleeting often self is or consuming cravings of lust.
We need to stop lusting over what we don’t have and start being thankful of what we do have.
We sing a song named count your many blessings named them one by one.
Instead of saying i wish I had this or that start saying thank you Lord for that!!
Not only do you need to be content you need to crucify lust!
Galatians chapter 5 Verse 24
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
I’ll say I’ve never seen a dead man lust over anything. My grandfather, Larry Stewart loved money, he owned a car business and a convenience store in my hometown Laurel Delaware. He was all about money, but I tell you if I was to run a dollar bill under his nose in his casket, he wouldn’t be able to wake up in grab , because if you’re already gone , you can’t lust over anything.
That’s how we should be with lust. We should crucify it and kill it. Every day we need to crucify it.
Romans chapter 13 verse 14
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The word provision in this verse means not to cater to it or make a way to.
If you know that you are weak in a certain area in your life, then don’t go to that area.