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LIVING
WITHOUT LUSTING Introduction: The church has had much to say about sex throughout history. Some has been good and some not so good. The church's attitude concerning sex has not always been God's attitude. In fact, God has much to say about sex in the Bible. After all, He created it. Jesus did not and would not agree with the liberal and pervasive mindset in society today. From the biblical text before us, we can see clearly that not only did the Seventh Commandment apply to the physical act of adultery; it applies to the heart attitude which causes the physical act. What we need to do is to look at sex from a biblical perspective. We need to understand the reasons why we were created as sexual beings and how God intends for sex to impact our lives as well as the dangers inherent in the misuse of sex. I. CREATED FOR COMPANIONSHIP (Gen.2:18-23) It is
important to understand that we were created for companionship. When God
created man, He said that it was not good for a man to be alone. Then God
created a woman to be a companion for the man. This was in God's plan all
along. He created a man. He created a woman from the man. Then he brought
the man and the woman together. A. A Desire Shaped by God (vv.19-20) This
desire awakened in us causes us to begin to look on members of the
opposite sex with interest is natural and God given. Adam received Eve as
"Bone of my bone and flesh of
my flesh." “Now this
one’s like me” Here is one who I can’t live without. Here was
one who was compatible with him, one with whom he could carry out the
Lord’s directive. Adam received her as a part of himself.
B.
A Desire Satisfied
By God (vv.21-22) The
Lord never awakens a desire that He doesn’t prepare a way to fulfill it
in His own way and in His own time. When God awakened this desire in Adam,
God set out to meet his need. God then instructed them to come together in
a one flesh union. He intended for them to have a personal, intimate,
pleasurable, sexual union in which they would find fulfillment and
satisfaction. Our problem is that we set out to satisfy these desires in
our own way and in our own time. When we do, we short-circuit God’s plan
and are thin ice. · Now some have perverted sex by negative attitudes toward it. But to conclude that sex is inherently sinful is to make a false assumption. That assumption is not supported by Scripture. While there are some who pervert sex by their negative attitudes, · Others pervert it by letting it consume them. God intended sex to provide fulfillment in a mutually satisfying relationship. Some, however, turn it into lust. Lust, by its very nature, is one-sided. Lust is a desire to use another for our own pleasure. And lust can become all consuming. Lust is a perversion of sexuality. God did not create lust, man created it, and while some would pass lust off as love, it is not. It is a perversion of both sex and love (1Cor.7:1-9). God created us male and female, as sexual beings, so we could enter into a relationship for companionship and mutual fulfillment. In this context sex is good.
II. CREATED TO MAKE A COMMITMENT We were created for companionship, with all the sexual aspects of that relationship implies. But that companionship was designed to exist in a committed relationship. We were not only created for companionship, we were created for commitment. · That commitment is known to us as marriage. When God created Eve and brought her to Adam, He joined them together for life. That was the first marriage in human history. Since that time men and women have entered into a covenant relationship called marriage in which they have agreed to live their lives together as partners. In that committed relationship called marriage we share our lives together, face life together, reproduce and raise children together, share burdens together, and grow old together. And part of that relationship is sexual. · Remember, God is pro-sex when sex is within the context of the marriage relationship. That is the message of the Seventh Commandment and the passage before us. When God says, "You shall not commit adultery," He confines the proper area for sexual relationships to marriage. You may say it another way but sex is for marriage, and only for marriage. · And by marriage I mean the committed relationship of a man and a woman. There is no room in the Scripture for homosexual marriage. But I might add that there is also no room for heterosexual sin through premarital or extramarital sex. Sex belongs in marriage, and only in marriage. God, in His wisdom ordained it to be so, and with many good reasons. Sex is risky. By its very definition, it is one of the most intimate encounters two people can have. Because it is intimate, it places us in a very vulnerable situation. That is why God confines it to the committed covenant relationship of marriage. There, in the marriage relationship, trust can grow. There is love, devotion, respect, communication, confidentiality, and loyalty implied in the covenant of marriage. When someone violates that trust, they violate another person. Adultery is a sin against God; it is also a sin against another person. Additionally it is a sin against yourself. We do not live in isolation. Adultery causes pain. It destroys our relationships and robs us of our self-esteem. Adultery devastates whole families as it crushes our mate and cripples our children. It is for these reasons that God so opposes adultery. This is why Jesus not only affirms the Seventh Commandment but also extends its meaning to include the heart attitude behind it. Avoiding the lustful desire as well as the lustful deed protects our self-worth, the sanctity of our marriage, the welfare of our children, and our relationship to God. There is great truth in the popular proverb: "Sow a thought and reap an act. Sow an act and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny." It may serve us well to look at some practical suggestions designed to help us avoid falling into the trap of sexual sin. All of us should want to know how to safeguard our own marriages. All of us should be interested in how to avoid becoming involved in relationships which are doomed to fail. There are several things that we can do. The first thing any of us can do is A. Center Our Life On Jesus Christ. The best defense is a good offense. As we aggressively follow Jesus Christ we will be strengthening our defenses against all sin. When Jesus becomes the center of our lives, His desires will become more important than our desires. The second thing that you can do, if you are not married, is to: B. Commit To Marry Only Another Christian. The Bible repeatedly warns us of the dangers of marrying an unbeliever. So many Christian young people ignore this warning only to suffer the consequences of their actions. Do not be deceived in thinking that everything will work out because you "really love each other," or because your future mate will "become a Christian soon," or because you are "mature enough to handle it." When it falls apart, you will have to pay an enormous price. Don't do it. A third thing you can do is to focus on ways to: C. Communicate To One Another. The sexual fulfillment of our marriage relationship will depend greatly on the success of our communication. Unless we develop intimacy outside of the bedroom, we will never develop intimacy inside of the bedroom. We must focus on our communication. D. Consistently Avoid Situations That Tempt Us To Stray. Unless you build a wall of protection around yourself by avoiding certain types of contact with certain things, you may live to regret it. The Bible exhorts us to flee temptation. We are also exhorted not to be overconfident in our own ability to stand, lest we fall. If you play around the creek bank long enough, you’re sure to slide in. We are not just protecting ourselves; we are protecting our relationship with our mate or future mate, if we are not married. We are protecting our families. We are protecting our relationship with God. We are protecting that other person. We are protecting their mate, their family, their relationship with God. We must be careful in this point. Conclusion: Sex is the giving of yourself on many levels. God confines it the marriage relationship in order to protect us. Obviously, by doing so we are protected from the many diseases. We are also protected from unwanted pregnancies, where there is no commitment on the part of the would-be parents. We are protected from the emotional pain, the loss of self-esteem, and the feeling of having cheapened ourselves. We are also protected from the unwanted memories which will surface in the future. God knew what He was doing when He ordained sex for marriage. Guard your mind because it all starts there. Commit your life to Christ. Keep you relationship with Jesus strong, and be careful to avoid tempting situations. Finally,
let me say that sexual sin is not the unpardonable sin. You may be guilty
of failing God in this area. You may feel a sense of conviction over your
own unfaithfulness, your own promiscuity. If you are, then you must
understand that God's grace is bigger than your sin. If you are willing to
bring your sin to Jesus, He is willing to forgive you. His blood, shed on
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